Fundraiser Ideas and Events » Fundraising: For An Individual

Raise Funds For Yourself?

FundraisingIP.com — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 20:39:24 +0000

Maybe you’ve been raising funds for your kids school, cancer research programs, or other good causes for quite some time, but now you find that you need some financial help yourself. Maybe you’ve lost your job or had your hours cut back. Now what?

The only thing that can help long term of course is a steady stream of income from a job, or you own business. But, is there something you can do short term to tide you over the worst?

Personal Bridge Grant

Dr. Keith P. Taylor, President and founder of ModestNeeds.org has recently announced a new type of grant…

“…that can’t come soon enough for people who’ve recently lost their jobs.

In light of the current economic crisis and the ever-increasing number of layoffs every month, we’ve just launched an exciting new “Bridge Grant.” With it, we’re inviting newly unemployed people to apply for short-term financial assistance as a way to ensure that they survive those very precarious first 90 days of joblessness.”

ModestNeeds.org is known for issuing small grants to people who find themselves in financial hardship through no fault of their own. The Bridge Grant is an extension of that, hoping to offset the hardships of sudden income loss. To see if you’re eligible, read more about it here.

Grant for your non-profit

Maybe you’re running a non-profit and the economic downturn has caused you to lose supporters and donations; ModestNeeds.org can help here as well, with their Non-Profit Grant. Get more information on the Non-profit grant and all other grant types and eligibility requirements.

Do you have any suggestions on how to raise funds for yourself? Do you know of any internet resources, or resources in your area, that might help others who find themselves in the same predicament? Please let us know in the comments section below!

To stretch your dollars as far as possible, get advice and tips from blogs in AllTop’s Frugal News category, FrugalDad.com, or FrugalBlog.

Maintaining Respect And Compassion When Fundraising For An Individual

FundraisingIP.com — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 02:00:29 +0000

When a person is stricken with a serious illness, or other serious issue, friends and family want to do anything they can to ease the burden on the individual and his or her family. But fundraising for an individual presents some unique issues that other fundraisers do not; any fundraising efforts done for the benefit of an individual must be handled with compassion and respect.

Respecting individuals and families

Above all other things, those at the head of a fundraiser for a sick person must remember that there is a person and family at the heart of the matter – a person and a family that has been dealt a raw hand in life, and should not have to tolerate one ounce of added stress. The wishes of the individual and family must be considered first and their privacy must be respected.

Before any plans pass beyond the idea stage, one or two volunteers close to the individual or family should make an appointment to sit down with them and discuss their desire and plans for fundraising. Some individuals and families are not comfortable with fundraisers on their behalf, and if ultimately they do not want the fundraiser, that must be respected.

It is acceptable to have a tactful and respectful conversation about how a group wants to help, but the conversation must be carefully calibrated so as not to add insult to injury. Part of a preliminary conversation should include the family and individual’s right to privacy, and they should be asked what limits they would like placed on both the fundraiser and information that is made public in regards to the illness and health status of the individual funds are being raised for. This is especially important if the fundraising group intends to get the media involved, or decides to raise funds online.

Preparing volunteers

With the permission of the individual and/or family, planning for a fundraiser for a sick friend or family member can begin. This requires recruiting a dedicated base of volunteers who are willing and able to respect the individual, the family, and their wishes. A frank discussion with volunteers of what is and is not acceptable is absolutely necessary.

Volunteers should be prepared to field questions from business donors and private supporters once the fundraiser is underway. All volunteers and supporters must accept that they are giving freely out of compassion, and that they have no right to ask an individual or family to prove need in anyway. Volunteers should formulate answers to prying questions before going out after donations.

Encourage volunteers to speak generally about the distress any illness can cause a person of any financial means. Allow them to provide updates as to the person’s condition as appropriate and as per individual/family request. When nosy donors want to know how money will be spent, the answer should be in whatever way the individual or family sees fit – after all, who’s to say what is right in the face of a serious illness? If anything more than the basic answers are not good enough, donors can be politely thanked for their time, and reminded that their assistance is voluntary.

As a last note, remember that a fundraiser for an ill individual is done in the interest of easing his or her life in some way. The focus of the fundraiser should be on living and helping, not on only illness and misery. People give because it makes them feel better, and the best should be made of any fundraising situation for a person with an illness or other serious issue at hand; donors and supporters should always be made to feel they are helping in some way, and positive thoughts for the person in need should always prevail.

For another way to help individuals or families with their financial needs, read When Raising Funds For An Individual, Consider ModestNeeds.org.

When Raising Funds For An Individual, Consider ModestNeeds.org

FundraisingIP.com — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:32:09 +0000

Are you currently raising funds for an individual to help him or her with unforeseen expenses due to health problems or job loss for example? If the funds raised aren’t sufficient to help the individual avoid extreme financial hardship or even poverty, consider helping him or her apply for one of the personal grants available at ModestNeeds.org. ModestNeeds.org will help individuals and families in a dire financial situation due to no fault of their own and no other means to pay.

The grants available are:

Self-Sufficiency Grants

Modest Needs will make payment to a creditor for an expense on behalf of an otherwise self-sufficient individual or family for a relatively small, emergency expense which the individual or family could not have anticipated or prepared for. This must be a short-term emergency expense that must be paid if you are to remain self-sufficient, but that you do not have the means to afford without assistance.

Back-to-Work Grants

Modest Needs will make a payment for a small fee or expense that will allow a temporarily unemployed individual to return to productive, full-time employment.

Independent Living Grants

Modest Needs will make payment to a creditor for an expense on behalf of persons who are permanently unable to work but who nevertheless are living independently on the limited income to which they are entitled – their retirement income, or their permanent disability income, for example.

For more details about the grants, go to ModestNeeds.org/help/grants/.
While you’re there, consider making a donation yourself.
Then browse a list of prequalified grant applications and vote for applications you find most urgent.

Read more about Who Is ModestNeeds? on their blog.

For more tips about raising funds for individuals, read Maintaining Respect And Compassion When Fundraising For An Individual.