Introduction Rowan Helping Ministries (RHM) is a 501 © 3 coalition of Rowan Cooperative Christian Ministry, a shelter in Salisbury North Carolina for the homeless. Their mission “provides assistance in meeting basic human needs for those finding themselves in crisis in Rowan County, NC” ((RHM and MLA,” n.d.). Some of their ongoing programs are Jeannie’s Kitchen, Eagles’ Nest Transitional Housing, and Overnight Shelter. Annual Funds are planned efforts to get donations on a yearly basis to support these programs. According to Rose, “an effective yearly campaign ensures an unbroken stream of human and monetary support and is based on a carefully prearranged and executed program” (51). In addition, according to Table 6.1 some of the objectives of an annual campaign are to identify possible prospects, convert possible prospects into first-time donors, and convert first-time donors into successive donors (54). This paper will analyze what programs RHM can expand, revise, or add to attract brand new donors. It will include a tool for reaching new prospects at a special event. It will explain how to implement this tool. Finally, this paper will include a direct-mail letter asking for a donation, a checklist for a special event, and a Fund Raising Effectiveness Report to assess the results of the event. Donor Acquisition Current Fund Raising RHM Practices. According to Warwick, Rowan Helping Ministries uses several of the suggested ways to identify potential prospects for donor acquisition (228). RHM does not have many letters written to them expressing interest in donating. Nor do they get a lot of calls about donating. RHM feels this may be due to the people in their community are uncomfortable making donations over the phone. However, RHM does look into people who have given to like causes, researches them, and adds them to their direct mailing list if they think they have the means to give and are interested in the cause which supports Linkage Ability Interest (LAI). In addition, RHM looks into people who have given to similar causes with the same demographics. RHM does not have information on who subscribes to periodicals that focus on the same causes as they do. Nor to other organizations that sell goods to donors with same demographics. Furthermore, RHM does look at what neighborhoods, they get a lot of donations from to target for relationships and potential future donations. They do look at other organization’s newsletters to see who is giving to organizations similar to theirs. Some of RHM’s needs are to expand their donor acquisition list, update their web site, and expand their Annual Campaign Pass the Plate. One recommendation is for RHM to update their web site more frequently to include information about Pass the Plate. Currently, the information is not available on their web page and is difficult to locate on the Internet. When exploring pass the Plate on the web the first thing that appears is a short take belonging to Disney®. This is causing an identity issue with RHM’s Annual Campaign. An evaluation of how well or poorly RHM site has been established against the criteria listed in the “Checklist for the Fundraising Website and Social Media” (posted in the BB Resources folder). The evaluation shows out of a possible 75 points RHM scored a 53. They scored low in education, interaction, and empowerment. Recommendation in education would be to update their current events more frequently because the page is often the same when you return to it. In addition, there were few to no success stories or a link to an annual report. Recommendation is that RHM add a blog to their web site better informing their donors where their donations are being spent and on whom. The web was distinctly short on pictures. Pictures and stories of their successes would encourage donor contributions. RHM did have connections to Facebook for Social Networking. However, there were no quizzes or surveys to helping the reader to become interactional with the organization. Based on keeping donors interested or entertained enough to come back to the site recommendation is RHM add an interactional quiz about their nonprofit in another tab. They may have to move the tabs to the side of their page to incorporate them all. However, this will not detract from the overall appeal of the web design. It will only advance its organization. In the category of empowerment recommendation is most for informing donors of their annual campaign Pass the Plate. Nowhere on the website can you see and understand what they do to raise money. This is a missed opportunity for Major Gift donors. Another tab is needed or possible a link that will take them to a small brochure of RHM that will include all this information so the main website is not too busy. In the Appeal evaluation, RHM scored 58 out of a possible 75 points. They scored lowest in the area of maintenance and donor relation. Recommendation is for RHM to invit