Unlike a traditional ice cream truck, or the hot dog and taco wagons at a downtown street corner, these new gourmet food trucks are modern kitchens on wheels.

Sure, you could raise funds with the old fashioned food trucks as well, but the diverse cuisines of the new gourmet food trucks will get people curious and surely attract a large crowd. Besides, who can resist a fundraiser that you can leave with dinner already taken care of?

How do you raise funds with food trucks?

1. First, decide on how you would like to make money with food trucks: you could charge a flat fee; you could ask for a percentage of sales; you could pre-sell food tickets; or decide on a combination of all these. But the easiest way to make money is to ask the owners of the food trucks for a flat fee or a donation amount of their own choosing. If you opt for the voluntary donation, be ready to name a suggested minimum.

2. To find food trucks that do business in your area, keep an eye on your local news sources, or go online and search for “food trucks” and “food stands”. You can also check sites like FoodTrucksMap.com, RoamingHunger.com, or Yelp.com and Zagat.com for more information. Yes, even Zagat, the well known restaurant review service has reviewed gourmet food trucks in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco!

Since food trucks usually tweet about their current locations, you can also try Twitter by searching for #foodtruck or #foodtrucks and see what comes up. Many food trucks will have the city as part of their username.

Talk to the owners of the food trucks and find out if they’d be interested in taking part in your event. If there is a lot of interest in your event, you’ll have to decide how many food trucks you’d like to host, which largely depends on how many people you think you’ll be able to attract to your event. To get a great deal of excitement going, plan for an event with at least five or six food trucks with different cuisines, possibly including a vegetarian/vegan choice and dessert. Pick trucks that offer a diverse selection of foods, so you’ll have something for everyone.

3. Decide who to invite to your fundraising event: is it only a specific group (like students and their families), or the general public? This may depend on how large and what kind of place you’ll be able to reserve and how many food trucks vendors have showed interest.

4. Before you book the food trucks, you’ll have to pick a place for the trucks to set up. It could be a school parking lot, in or alongside a park, or any other open space that has parking nearby and/or heavy foot traffic. Once you’ve picked a couple of potential spots, see what the availability is for these places for a few specific times.

Getting these permits and locking in specific dates with food trucks has to happen simultaneously: You don’t want to be stuck with a space that you can’t get the trucks to and you don’t want to reserve the food trucks for a date that you can’t guarantee a place for. Make a spreadsheet that lists potential locations, dates and food trucks so you can stay organized. Also consider drawing up a map that shows exactly where the trucks will set up, and where the trash cans and any seating arrangements can be placed.

5. Volunteers: Make sure you have at least one person available to direct the trucks on where to set up exactly and to answer any questions. This person should be available to the vendors throughout the whole event. You’ll also need volunteers who keep the place clean and keep an eye on the trash bins and empty them as needed, and volunteers who will stay after the event and will help clean up, and wrap up any business with the vendors.

6. Some food trucks will provide their own seating or standing tables, but some of them won’t. You don’t always have to eat sitting down, but it’s nice to have a place to put your drink. You could ask people to bring their own lawn chairs, or set up in an area that already has some seating options. You could arrange for small standing tables that can be rented from an event company.

In any case, you probably don’t have to plan for seating for everyone; many will buy their dinner and then leave, others won’t mind eating standing up, or sitting on a grassy area. However, do make sure your event is wheelchair accessible and you do have at least some seating available.

7. Arrange for trash disposal. Some foods may be wrapped only in a piece of paper, while others may be sold in a styrofoam box. You may also have to plan for lots of recyclables like bottles and cans (Recycle Bottles and Cans to Raise Funds). You may want to consider the amount of trash a food truck will generate before you make your final selection. Some owners will supply a trash can near their truck that they will service.

8. Time to announce your fundraiser! If you’d like to get a feel for how much interest your supporters would have, you could talk about your plans for your fundraiser on your blog or social media accounts right from the beginning of the planning phase. You may get more ideas for your event and be able to better gage potential interest in such a fundraising event.

If you’d rather wait to announce your event until you have all the details planned and then announce your event, that’s fine too. In any case, take full advantage of your social media accounts, blog, email list and any other marketing tools, like a printed newsletter and flyers. Note: Having lots of followers and “likes” in your social media accounts will help convince the owners of the food trucks that they’ll be able to sell lots of food at your event.

9. At the start of your event, have your volunteers in place (see above), set up signs, or use balloons or any other decorations to direct people to your event and to attract passerby traffic. You could also arrange for add-on fundraisers like a raffle to maximize your return on this event.

Are you excited about this kind of fundraiser? You’re not the only one! Even large organizations like the Make-A-Wish foundation and Toys For Tots have successfully raised funds using food truck fundraisers. And if your event is well visited, you could make a food truck fundraiser a regular event and plan for a “food truck night” every month, like some schools in the Los Angeles area.

(Image credit: iStockphoto/wdstock)

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A Valentine’s Day fundraiser offers the advantages of

• Opportunity for entertaining event-based fundraisers

Every type of Valentine’s Day fundraiser offers a variety of ways to make money. Some, event-based fundraisers especially, can bring in profits in more ways than one.

(More about raising funds with food items, Valentine’s flower fundraiser.)

>> Tip: Use search box above and try “candy fundraiser” or “chocolate fundraiser”.

Product sales:

When planning for a Valentine’s Day fundraiser, consider selling not just flowers and candy, but also items that don’t spoil like knick knacks, or accessories like hats, scarves etc. Remember that Valentine’s Day isn’t just for couples: grandparents may buy for their grand kids, dads for their daughters etc.

Depending on your demographic, offer items in different price ranges to capture sales from a range of your supporters. If you decide on selling flowers for example, along with bouquets of flowers, also offer single flower stems. Among students, single stem roses adorned with a simple ribbon may be a hot seller. If you decide to hold a brochure catalog fundraiser, choose a trusted company that can guarantee on-time delivery.

Events:

If you have access to many participants, an admission fee for a Valentine’s Day event like a school dance can be enough by itself to raise much needed funds. Your group may choose to sell tickets ahead of time, at the door, or both. At the event you can sell anything from food and refreshments to flowers, candy and gift items to boost your fundraising.

On-hand sales:

Cash and carry sales are a great way to reach out to a lot of buyers. Better still, unlike with catalog fundraisers you won’t have to worry about distribution and delivery of product at a later date, and the profits are instantly available. For best results, set up at a location where there is lots of foot-traffic.

Vendors:

If you have a well-attended Valentine’s Day event, and you do not plan to offer cash and carry sales and/or food, drink, and refreshment yourself, invite vendors to rent space at your event. Either charge a flat rate for a space and/or agree upon a percentage of the profits.

Sponsorships:

Many area businesses are happy to sponsor Valentine’s Day events for deserving community groups. They will enjoy increased exposure through advertising, social media mention or banner ads, and you will be able to increase much needed cash donations or in-kind donations. Make sure that you promptly deliver on all the advertising and exposure you’ve promised, so your sponsors will receive the benefits of their generosity and possibly sponsor next year’s event as well.

Any of these Valentine’s Day fundraising methods can be used alone or in combination to bring in excellent Valentine’s Day fundraiser profits. If you have enough volunteers, why not plan a Valentine’s Day event that utilizes all methods listed here to maximize your profits!

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Especially during the winter holidays, people get lots of gift cards for presents. Sure, you will most likely want to go shopping and spend them yourself, but what about gift cards you receive that are for stores you don’t care much about, or that are partially spent and are adding up in your wallet?

Chances are you have a gift card in your wallet right now with just a few dollars on it (or that’s for a store you never get to) that you’ve had for over a year. You’d like to use it somehow, or get rid of it, but you certainly don’t want to throw it away. If you saw a box where you could simply drop it and have it be for a good cause – you might just donate it, wouldn’t you?

With this fundraiser you simply collect gift cards, new or partially spent, through a drop box or jar that’s easily accessible to your potential donor. You would set this up similar to how you would set up a jar asking for people’s change as a donation. Secure the box or jar to a counter for example, add a sign, and you’re ready to go.

As with any fundraiser, be sure to announce it on your website and Facebook page or any newsletter you’re sending out. This fundraiser also works well as an add-on fundraiser; think Walkathon, crafts, sales at a game etc.

The perfect time to start this fundraiser may be at the end of a year or beginning of a new year, when people are flush with gift cards for presents.

What can you do with donated gift cards?

You can sell your gift cards at websites like PlasticJungle.com or GiftCardGranny.com, which will pay up to 92% of the gift card’s value. You can choose from receiving a cashier’s check, an Amazon gift card, or a PayPal payment into your account.

They will also buy partially spent gift cards, or cards with store credit. You can find out the value of a gift card by calling the number on the back of the card.

For other sites that buy gift cards, search get cash for gift card.

If you receive gift cards of a very small value, instead of trading them in, it may make more sense to hold on to them and use them yourself. For example, if you receive cards for office supply or wholesale stores you could buy your office supplies there, items for a booth fundraiser etc.

In any case, gift cards are almost like cash, so make sure you keep any donated gift cards under lock and key until they can be traded in.

(Image: iStockPhoto/alexsl)

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G-Team is a new way for non-profits to raise funds locally for a specific cause. An example (from their site) would be “If the G-Team collectively raise $1,000, a local bike cooperative will fix up 100 broken, used bikes, and donate them to disadvantaged youth in your city.”

What makes this service different from your other online fundraising services, is that you’re able to raise funds locally which makes it ideal for smaller fundraising drives that wouldn’t make sense for a nationwide campaign.

You also have to put a specific dollar amount on the campaign at which it is deemed successful and you’ll be able to reach your specific goal (like being able to fix up those 100 bikes). Only if your campaign reaches this tipping point will users’ accounts be charged and your campaign will receive the money.

Their current campaign (which is nationwide) is for asking donations for Feeding America.

When you sign up for Groupon’s Daily Deal, you select to only get information about deals in your area and not from across the country. This is how the G-Team will distribute information about your local fundraising drive as well.

Currently this service is available in the following cities:

Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Denver Area, Detroit, Toronto, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Madison, WI, Miami Area, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland (Oregon), Raleigh Durham, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa Bay Area, Vancouver, Washington, D.C.

As you can imagine, they already get inundated with requests. According to the site the key is to have an easily measurable and very specific fundraising drive (see example above). Don’t generalize. Surely, an aspect of fun in your application wouldn’t hurt either. Besides contact information be prepared to enter your social media accounts, your group’s mission and your “top three reasons you love your organization.”

From their site:

“Keep in mind, G-Team campaigns typically…

- benefit the local communities of our subscribers
- run for a limited period of time
- support causes that resonate with our subscribers
- aid specific projects, as opposed to broad fundraising efforts
- only succeed if they reach a “tipping point”
- are creatively organized around a compelling story”

The link to apply can be found on this page.

Note: As the internet evolves, more and more neighborhood services are becoming available. A new service for connecting with your neighbors through the internet is NextDoor.com. Even though this site has nothing to do with fundraising, it may be beneficial for finding out about needs within your community, or for drumming up help for local fundraisers.

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- You may feel like you want to jump right into helping out a veteran in your neighborhood, but what you think this person needs may be quite different from what they actually need most desperately. Try to speak to the family directly before you start drumming up help.

- Raising funds for veterans and troops requires extra care and sensitivity. Keep in mind that not everybody likes to have their name mentioned publicly and that many veterans have health issues. (Read Maintaining Respect And Compassion When Fundraising For An Individual)

- The U.S. Postal Service used to accept packages and letters to “Any Service Member” or “Any Wounded Service Member,” but stopped doing so. Consider supporting one of the nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping our veterans and troops and their families.

- Are you planning on creating your own non-profit (search for creating a non-profit) for helping out veterans and troops? There may already be a charity or a local group out there doing exactly what you’re planning on doing. The advantage of helping out or partnering with an established group is that they will already have a well oiled system in place to get help and support to veterans and troops quickly.

- Charities that support veterans and troops:

HomesForOurTroops.org – builds homes for severely injured veterans.

GuardianAngelsForSoldiersPet.org – takes care of a wounded veteran’s pet.

ModestNeeds.org – search for keywords like ‘veteran’ or ‘military family’ and send a donation directly through the site.

DVDs4Vets.org – donates DVDs to veterans.

SoldierPackages.org – sends a care package to hospitalized veterans and troops.

OperationGratitude.org – this organizations helps out troops and veterans in many different ways.

CellPhonesForSoldiers.com – provides calling cards for free talk time for troops overseas.

OperationGratitude.org – donate your leftover Halloween candy for care packages. Note: They take donations of toothbrushes as well.

MilServe.org – volunteer your professional expertise.

For a larger list of organizations that help out and support our veterans and troops, visit Military.com.

OurMilitary.mil – this list of organizations supporting our veterans and troops only shows non-profits that have been screened.

Get more information about a specific non-profit at CharityNavigator.org.

Finally, if you’re planning on raising funds for a veteran in your neighborhood, consider helping in some very simple, basic and personal ways as well: you could offer to help out with driving (or feeding) the kids, taking care of pets or repairing things. An invitation to share a meal may be a welcome distraction for a veteran and an opportunity to share stories about his or her experiences. Being able to talk about one’s experiences (good and bad) can be the best gift of all.

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Why buy fundraising products made in the USA? Why not make an effort and seek out US companies that sell fundraising products made in the US? Especially during tough economic times, buying ‘local’ makes a lot of sense.

To help promote fundraising products made in the US, we’ve decided to give fundraising companies that sell products “Made in the USA” some extra attention and give them free ‘advertising’ by mentioning them on our website! We will also add these companies to our fundraising companies list.

We hope you will click over to these companies’ websites and take a look to see if their fundraising products may be appropriate for your next fundraiser.

If you own a company that sells fundraising products “Made in the USA,” (or if you know of such a company) please contact us through our contact page and we will consider adding your company to our next “Fundraising Products Made in the USA” post. In order to be considered, your company must have a website with a privacy policy easily accessible from the homepage.

Depending on how many requests we get, we may not be able to list all companies, but we will try!

Most of our readers are based in the US, but if you’re reading this from another country, you can start focusing on fundraising products made in your own country just as well!

Please note: we did not actually visit these companies to prove with absolute certainty that their products are made 100% in the USA, but we think we got honest information and we hope that this will be a start to get all of us thinking about how we can support more companies that sell “Made in the USA” fundraising products. We do not endorse any fundraising companies listed on our site.

Fundraising products made in the US:

To start, take a look at the following three companies that sell fundraising products made in the USA:

Kim’s Key Lime Cookies

“KimsKeylimeCookies.com is an Indianapolis, IN based company that makes delicious, melt-in-your-mouth key lime cookies dusted in refreshing powdered sugar or dipped in sweet white chocolate.

Besides selling their famous cookies wholesale for fundraising purposes, they also sell to gift shops, department stores and individuals. Cookies come packaged in custom designed gift tins and have a 6 month shelf life.”

My Custom Gift Shop

“MyCustomGiftShop.com is a Colorado-based company that strives to offer quality personalized gifts that are made in America. We strongly desire to keep manufacturing in America and maintain American jobs.

In addition to the products we manufacture ourselves, we also work with a number of other USA manufacturers and artisans to bring you a wider variety of personalized products and keepsakes.

Low-overhead and small production runs allows us to create affordable gift items that can be used for fundraising and purchased from us in low quantities at large discounts. Ask us about how we can create custom gifts with your logo as promotional or fundraising items!”

For pet related fundraising products, visit their partner site at CritterGiftShop.com.

“Critter Gift Shop is dedicated to helping Animal Rescues in their fundraising efforts. With a wide variety of products and designs, there is a lot to choose from to make the perfect fundraiser. We have no minimum order requirements and large discounts start at only 10 affordable items. Most items are customizable with your rescue’s name at no additional cost. We are also able to add logos to most products.”

Mountain Mama’s Kitchen

“MountainMamasKitchen.com sells handmade soy candles in different scents such as Sugar Cookie, Holiday, Pumpkin Pie, Plain Jane and more. Each 8 oz. candle is poured in a tin, has a cotton wick and a 40hr burn time.”

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When you show your customers that you are selling something that is truly helpful and needed in their homes and their lives, like first aid kits and safety products, you grab their attention and their orders.

First aid kits and other safety products as fundraisers are hard for consumers to say no to because these are items we all use, or stock for emergency purposes in our homes and our cars.

We bring first aid kits along on trips, store fire extinguishers near our kitchens and in RVs and stock first aid supplies in offices and schools.

Ideas for first aid and safety products fundraisers:

* First aid kits for home and auto
* Boating and water sports first aid kits
* Automotive emergency kits
* Life hammers
* Kitchen and safety fire extinguishers
* Reflectors and roadside emergency kits
* Emergency lights
* Child proofing safety items such as outlet covers
* Earthquake kits

First aid kits are very useful and need to be replenished periodically which makes them an easy sale. They can be sold through a brochure catalog, or you can buy larger quantities through a wholesaler and also sell them as add-on fundraisers. Smaller items lend themselves well to year round fundraising items, like bike reflectors, life hammers and purse size band aid kits.

First aid kits are also perfect for some customization: you can easily ‘decorate’ them with stickers with your group’s information and marketing message on it.

Search for first aid kits, safety products, fire extinguishers, life hammers.

Promote safety when selling first aid and safety products:

Your supporters will surely understand when you promote ‘staying safe’ while raising funds. In fact, with this kind of fundraiser it can be the perfect message conveyed to your supporters when raising funds for a school for example.

As you’re promoting your first aid and safety fundraiser, you can include messages on how to stay safe on the way to school, going on field trips and to football games etc.

Organizing a first aid and safety product fundraiser is also the ideal opportunity to review safe selling and fundraising practices – keeping sellers safe is of the utmost importance during any fundraising campaign.

If you organize door-to-door fundraiser, review the following safe selling practices with all participants:

- No sellers should sell alone; always partner with a friend and use the ‘buddy-system.’

- Never go inside the home of a potential buyer, no matter how friendly they seem (this also includes time of product delivery).

- Do not carry large amounts of cash; ask buyers to pay by check when possible.

- Try to fulfill selling goals by selling to family and friends first.

- Be polite and courteous.

By reinforcing these selling safety tips, all first aid fundraiser participants can have a positive and safe fundraising experience. And by supplying family, friends, and neighbors with the safety products they need, you’re also providing a valuable service.

(Image: ©iStockPhoto/Lusoimages)

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Why A Cookbook Fundraiser?

Cookbook fundraisers are beneficial in many ways:

• Cookbook fundraisers become a “community” group project that brings everyone together

• Group members and volunteers can participate without having to spend money (making this a fundraiser for all income levels!)

Create custom cookbooks at Lulu.com

So what’s the downside? There is quite a bit of organizational work to be done, but overall it is comparable to that of many fundraisers. Also, a cookbook fundraiser generally requires an up-front expenditure for either printing supplies or wholesale purchase from a cookbook fundraising company, or local printer and that cost can be difficult for cash-poor groups to manage. The other disadvantage is that there is no guarantee the cookbook will sell at the desired quantity, so there is the potential for loss or low profits – unless you use an on-demand printing service (see below).

Options For Cookbook Fundraisers:

1) Use an online cookbook fundraiser company

Online cookbook fundraiser companies offer support, online resources, programs and downloads. Basically, your group collects the recipes, turns them over to the company, and they do the rest. Some provide software that you use to enter recipes and then the company will organize and print the cookbook. Additionally, some companies offer both services (you do the typing and entry or they will), but also offer a discount if your group does the entry work.

Some cookbook fundraiser services also give you the choice of either using only your own recipes or choosing from a selection of stock recipes to add to your cookbook.

2) Use cookbook fundraiser software and you print the book yourself

Providers of cookbook fundraiser software offer a program similar to that used by the online companies with entry fields that automatically format recipes; but you do not have to be online to use it (similarly, some online programs can be downloaded for use offline and then the data can be uploaded later). After the information is entered and proofed, your group handles the printing and binding.

The downside to a software cookbook fundraiser is that your group is responsible for all the work, and the cost of printing, ink, papers, and binders may be higher than ordering through a dedicated cookbook fundraiser company. The upside, though is that there is never a minimum order because you control the process.

3) Use an on-demand book printing service

If your group has access to someone with graphic design experience and software programs, you might want to try an on-demand book printing service. Once you upload your book files to the service’s site, you can then link to your book from your group’s website and your supporters can order directly online, or you can order any amount of books yourself to sell at any of your fundraising events.

There is no downside here if you have someone who can format the pages and upload them to the site. You can buy as many books as you like whenever you like, and you can also easily sell single copies through your website.

4) Collect and organize recipes and hire a local printer to make the books

Requirements for hiring a printer will depend on the printer your group chooses. Be sure to get samples of other books they’ve printed and decide together with the members of your group if quality and pricing are acceptable for your project.

A cookbook fundraiser is a fun community project that, with good organization and a strong sales-effort, can turn in some very good profits while providing a keepsake for group supporters. It’s a great way to create a lasting impression of your fundraising organization.

(Image credit: iStockphoto/dkapp12)

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If you’ve done an event fundraiser before, you’ll find that planning for a golf fundraiser involves many of the same familiar tasks: finding a location willing to host the event, getting a great discount off regular fees, publicizing the event well in advance, planning for add-on fundraisers, making sure you have a capable and competent leader in charge on the day of the event etc.

To make sure that all golf players feel like the time spent playing for your cause is worth their time, take extra care to plan all the details of your fundraising event and incorporate something special, like prizes. Here are a few tips to help make sure your golf fundraiser is a success:

Offer different ways for people to participate and sponsor your golf fundraiser

Make sure you have several options available for people to support your group, even if they’re not going to play golf. Besides offering hole sponsorships, marking up greens fees (weekdays are usually priced lower), or corporate advertising sponsorships, you could offer sponsorships on your website and in your newsletter, a silent auction during the event, t-shirt and candy sales and a raffle.

In other words, offer a way for supporters of any age group to donate to your cause before, during and after your event. And don’t forget to offer food and refreshments, possibly from your own cart, or directly from the golf club with your group taking a percentage.

(Image credit: iStockphoto by ImagineGolf)

Blog about your golf fundraiser

Blog about your golf fundraiser before the event, during the event and after the event. It seems like it may be a lot of work, but one dedicated writer volunteer will be able to accomplish this task. Of course, having two writers makes things easier and gives you a back up solution should one writer not be available. If you don’t have a blog on your site, this is a great excuse to add one. (Read more about how to create a blog or other website.)

Start a new ‘category’ for the event and start by posting about your fundraising event, even if you don’t have all the details yet. If you don’t have a date yet, this is a great way to get feedback about what would be a good day for your event.

If you decide blog and get social media involved, be sure to look at considerations listed in our Social Media Strategy Checklist.

Anyone in your group who is involved in communicating with the public, directly, or through blogs and social media, should know exactly what’s expected of him or her and should play by your rules in order to assure that everyone conveys your message in a manner that’s consistent with your group’s principles and mission.

A blog is also a great way to write about your sponsors and place their advertisement as part of a sponsorship. Before you post any sponsors’ names or advertising, be sure to ask first. Some sponsors may prefer to remain anonymous or require particular wording or copyright information.

Get media involved

A golf fundraiser has the potential to not only raise a large amount of money, but to also attract a lot of attention for your group. Be prepared to create a press release, and designate a well rehearsed spokes person from your group for interviews with TV, radio and local newspapers. Create a video about the event beforehand and post it on YouTube, so news channels can link to it for more information. Also post any videos on your website.

Designate group members for each aspect of your fundraiser

To make sure things run smoothly, designate one person to coordinate volunteers, one person to oversee finances, one person to be the main contact to the golf venue etc. This way your event will be easy to oversee and remain organized. Be sure to put all your personnel choices in writing, date it and hand a copy to everyone involved. Our checklists may come in handy when creating your own ‘master planner.’

Have prizes for the winners

Getting some quality prizes donated for your event is a great way to secure extra sponsors and publicity. If you can’t get sponsored prizes for your event, consider investing in some high quality prizes that will make your players feel appreciated.

If you have a larger budget consider giving away something small to all the players with your organization’s logo on it, that they can remember you by and as a token to say “thank you.” As the saying goes, sometimes you have to spend money to make money. Still not sure? Then consider giving out prizes for wacky contests, like Silliest Golf Hat or Worst Score Ever. Or, try making it more of a raffle than a prize for the winners; that way anybody who plays has a chance at a great take-home door prize. However you work it, make sure that the people know how thankful you are and how much you appreciate them taking their time to help you and your charity.

Have a meal afterwards

Depending on what time of day your event is taking place, you might want to have a lunch or dinner following your tournament with your key sponsors. You don’t have to arrange it at a fancy, expensive restaurant and you may even consider getting one or more of the ever popular food carts to park in a convenient location nearby, but you do want to take the time to eat together and let your key players know how much you appreciate them.

This will also be great opportunity for the players to meet each other and network and for you to make those connections for sponsors for your next fundraiser.

At the end of the golf tournament fundraiser, be sure to have the chairperson or another leader stand up and say a few words about your organization, thank the sponsors and volunteers, and talk briefly about how the funds raised will benefit your community. To wrap up your fundraiser follow up with individual thank you notes to your main sponsors and with thank you messages through your blog and any social media and print channels.

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• Organizing A Raffle Fundraiser

But more electronics recycling programs have become available recently, not just for cell phones, but for many different types of electronics, including, mp3 players, digital cameras, calculators, gaming systems, Blu-Ray players, camcorders, camera Lenses, computers, laptops, digital cameras, external hard rives, GPS devices, home audio equipment, LCD monitors, movies, PDAs, projectors, satellite radios, video games, e-readers etc.

It’s best to check with each company directly, to see which items they will accept and how many items they will accept at a time.

Recycling programs

Best Buy has recently announced their buy back program and Gazelle has been paying for used electronics online for a few years now. Buy.com and MacMall also offer trade-in programs and now there is another big player in the mix, the Amazon Trade-in Store.

When we looked at the criteria for items to be turned in, none of these companies accepted water damaged items. But as long as an item is still in working condition, even electronics with severe scratches were OK to turn in. Other criteria, like how many items they will accept and which ones differed from company to company, so be sure to check the small print before you send anything.

It’s also very important to shop around for the best price! We’ve checked several of the online recyclers to see how much value they assessed for a MacBook Pro laptop and a desktop computer and got vastly different price offers. Make sure you have the exact model numbers of your item(s) on hand before you start your search.

Even though the number of electronics recycling programs are increasing, not all them them make sense for every fundraising group and not all of them pay cash.

All of these programs can be used for smaller fundraising efforts, but what if you’re planning a larger fundraiser with higher earnings potential?

Options for larger electronics fundraising events:

Local electronics recyclers:

Recycling programs offered through local recyclers vary greatly. An advantage of using a local electronics recycler for your fundraising event is that you will most likely get paid cash and it doesn’t matter if the electronics being turned in are in working condition or not. This saves a lot of time and volunteer power, because the individual electronics don’t have to be scrutinized.

- You can search for a local electronics recycler, either online (including your city’s website) or in your local yellow pages. Some recyclers offer tailored fundraising programs that help with promotion, collection and disposal. (Use the search box at the top and search for “recycle electronics for cash”.)

- When working with a local electronics recycler, be sure to ask what the rules and restrictions are as to what items will be accepted.

- Also, try to find out what other groups have used a local electronics recycler, then contact these groups and ask for references and tips on this fundraising opportunity.

- Companies that take non-working electronics are usually working with state recycling programs. Each state has different laws, programs and rules.

Even though these types of programs don’t require you to check each item, it may be to your advantage to separate at least the newer working laptops, computers and smart phones from the other electronics, because you’ll receive much higher value for them through the online recycling programs:

Online electronics recyclers:

Online recyclers require you to either collect the electronics and then mail them in, or allow you to set up a ‘group’ through their website; then anyone who’d like to take part in your electronics recycling event can send in their own electronics.

Currently we’ve found only Gazelle’s online electronics recycling program and Funding Factory’s recycling program to accommodate larger groups specifically for fundraising. But check with the others listed at the top as well, as this is a fairly new way to raise funds and programs are continuously changing.

Whichever program you choose, make sure you get all the details, including how you will get paid, in writing. Whereas one program may simply send you a check to cash in, another may only send you gift cards to an online store.

How to prepare electronics for recycling:

Any electronics that contain personal information, like cell phones, hard drives and computers, should have all their data erased. Cell phones should also have their SIM cards removed. Remove ink cartridges from non-working printers and recycle them separately.

How do you get paid?

Local recyclers will issue a check to cash once your items have been sent to them and weighed. Find out how to estimate the weight of donated recyclables as you’re collecting them, so you can estimate your fundraising income before the check arrives.

Online recyclers have different options when it comes to paying you, which don’t always include cash. We’ve found that currently only Gazelle and Funding Factory offer cash payments, all other online recycling programs offer gift cards or credit to their online stores.

This may not be a problem, unless you’re raising funds for building renovations or an individual’s healthcare costs for example. All trade-in programs we’ve checked that do not pay cash, issue gift cards that can be used at stores that are selling electronics equipment like computers, printers etc. If you choose to receive gift cards through Amazon’s program you’ll be able to use them to shop on Amazon.com which sells just about anything you can imagine, including books and teaching materials.

What happens to the used electronics?

Companies that take used electronics in working condition either resell them through channels like eBay, Amazon, or wholesalers, or send unusable items off to recyclers who will properly dispose of them.

If you have items that won’t be accepted by the program you’ve signed up with, you can check with Gazelle’s recycler network for places that will take them.

Local recyclers usually work together with a state recycling program. Each state has their own recycling program and not all states recycle all electronics. This also means that items that can’t be recycled will still end up in a landfill, unfortunately.

(Image credit: iStockphoto – Don Nichols)

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Raising funds in the form of in-kind donations may not be as straight forward as simply asking for cash, but can be lucrative and help your group through a slump when cash donations don’t meet expectations. However, in-kind donations are not just an alternative to cash donations, but should be considered year round as an additional way to complement your regular fundraising activities.

(Ideas on where to get in-kind donations.)

Make it easy for the donor to give to you

- The easier you make it for the donor, the more donations you will get. If you have restrictions on when you can pick up items for example, you’re already putting a strain on the donor. Don’t make your donor change his or her schedule – change your schedule to accommodate your donor’s.

- If you nit-pick through items that aren’t perfect, you may come across as not appreciative. Present yourself and your cause as being grateful for the donations you are receiving, even if they’re not perfect. Especially when you first start out, it’s important to keep an open mind and just go with the flow. In time you’ll be able to identify which companies or industries generally have the most useful items to give away.

- If you have room for storage, consider taking items that a donor would like to give you, but you don’t necessarily have any use for. You’ll be doing them a favor and you can sell the items or trade them later on. Just make sure the donor knows that you may be selling them. If you go this route, you have to also make sure you have the volunteer resources to handle and sell these items.

A great example of an organization that takes in-kind donations is Habitat for Humanity. They take just about any building material or home related item. They will happily pick up items from your home or business, store them, and, if they have no immediate need for them, resell them in their ReStores resale outlets to raise funds. If you have a ReStore location nearby, you may be able to pick up some low cost supplies or furniture you may need.

Ways to use in-kind donations

- Support your cause directly. The most popular way is probably using donated goods to help individuals directly, like collecting and donating gently used clothing or canned foods. But whatever your cause may be, you may be able to get the materials you need donated: donated roof shingles and nails to fix up a house for a returning vet; donated trash bags for a river clean-up, etc.

- Offset your operation expenses. This of course depends on what you’ll be able to get donated. But if you can tailor your search for in-kind donations that directly offset office expenses like a computer, printer, paper and other office supplies, you’ll be able to free up more donated funds that can go directly to your cause. Professional services, donated meeting space and public service announcements also usually count as in-kind donations.

- Sell donated goods to raise cash. If you’re planning on holding a silent auction for example, you may be able to solicit donated products, event tickets and so on from local businesses. New businesses may be especially eager to donate goods, gift cards or gift baskets to get their name out.

You may also have a source that can give you good quality items (whatever they may be) that you have no use for. Do not turn these items down. Assuming you have a place to store them, use these items to trade for other items (you can use your local Freecycle group), or you can sell them outright on sites like eBay, or through classifieds. Be sure you let your donor know that you may sell the items for cash or trade them in.

Advertise your need

This may be obvious, but can easily be overlooked! Start with good old fashioned networking with your personal and business contacts and make it known what items you’re looking for. Advertise in your local classifieds, your newsletter, emails, website, your social networking accounts and so forth. You may also have local mixers or meet-ups available to you that are organized by the city or private parties for the purpose of networking and exchanging information.

Simply asking for what you need may be all it takes to attract generous donors. If you run a non-profit, remind donors that their donations might be tax deductible, and that they’ll receive a mention in your newsletter.

Don’t forget to publish a “wish-list” of items that would be useful to you, but leave it open for other items as well, as you may be surprised what can turn up!

Show your appreciation

Beyond saying thank you and sending a thank you note, keep in mind that everyone loves to get something for free! So what can you offer your donors in return for their donations that’s easy for you to give? Considering offering free advertising in your print or email newsletters, your website, a shout out on your social networking accounts, fliers etc. For someone who donates consistently to you every year, consider reserving a special place for them in your newsletter, or give them more advertising space, if it’s feasible.

(Image: iStockPhoto)

Documenting in-kind donations

For each in-kind donation you receive, issue a receipt that the donor can keep with their files and keep copies of the receipts and a list of in-kind donations for your own files as well. This will make it much easier for both parties come tax time.

The receipt will act as an acknowledgement that a donation was given/received and should include the name of the person who gave you the donation, their signature, date, description of the item (and possibly a photo), location of the donation and your group’s information. The actual valuation that will be reported to the IRS by each party is up to each party. Consult a tax professional to determine the value of the donated items and expected depreciation, or read IRS publication 561. IRS Publication 526 has information on what type of donations can be deducted.

If your group is not a registered non-profit be sure to disclose this fact well in advance and before any donation takes place. If you’re honest and up front you may receive a donation anyway.

Managing donated items

Because you may be dealing with used items, or items that have been stored for a while, an important consideration for in-kind donations is safety and usability. For example, if you take furniture, opt for the non-upholstered kind, unless you know for sure an upholstered sofa was stored in a clean location and isn’t infested with bugs. You should never take any pillows or other personal items that could cause some kind of infection or infestation. It’s not recommended to take used car seats for children unless you’re sure they’ve never been in an accident. When taking a used computer, make sure all information from the previous owner has been deleted. In short, consider where the items have come from and where and how they’re going to be used.

Initially, asking for in-kind donations will take some effort and strategy, just like asking for cash donations. But in time you will have the frame work of another great way to support your cause in good times and bad. Don’t leave this opportunity to support your cause on the table! If you make looking for in-kind donations a part of your regular fundraising strategy, you will not only help your charitable group succeed, but you will also give more opportunities for people to get to know you and give to your group.

What are some in-kind donations you have received? Please share with us and leave your answer in the comments below!

Related posts:

• In-Kind Donations and Low Cost Products and Services for Your Group – Part 1
• 5 Low-Cost, No-Cost Fundraiser Ideas
• 5 More Low-Cost, No-Cost Fundraising Ideas!
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• Don’t Forget About These Simple And Low Cost Fundraisers You Can Run With Few Resources And Few Volunteers

Asking for in-kind donations isn’t as straight forward as asking for cash, but will be another way to support your cause: when funds are hard to come by, in-kind donations will be a source of support for your group; when your funds are sufficient, it takes the strain off of your budget and allows you to fund more projects.

For the sake of simplicity, we’re combining resources for in-kind donations and for very low cost products and services in this article. Generally, donated items and donated professional services count as in-kind donations.

Following are some considerations and ideas about in-kind donations and low cost products and services:

Places to find free or low-cost items

- Store closures: when stores close, and after their initial sale, the owners are often anxious to get rid of remaining inventory, clean out the space and leave. You may get a hold of free shelves, signs, cash registers, computers, desks and more. Even if you can’t get these items completely free, you can usually get them for pennies on the dollar. Be sure to be ready to pick up items on the spot, so have a truck with you and helpers to load it if you’ll be getting bulkier items.

- Manufacturers: stop by your local Chamber of Commerce, or search online and find out what is being manufactured nearby. You may be able to get products donated that directly help your cause, depending on the manufacturers in your area. (For example, supplies for your school’s music department, or flooring for your new youth center?) Even if their products aren’t directly useful for your cause, you may be able to get other materials like plastic wrap, boxes, paper, imperfects, etc. that you can use for your office operations.

- Offices: you may already know someone who works in a large office. Find out if they have any discards from presentations or proposals. Often there will be excess paper, binders, folders or other materials that are not needed anymore once a project is finished. Rather than throwing these things away, they may be happy to hand them off to you. Maybe you can make arrangements to come by once a month to pick up any of their reusable or recyclable materials.

- Copy shops: they may have paper left over from a special order, supplies that were ordered but never used, materials for signs and so on. Speak with the manager and see what you could take off their hands and use for your cause. It may save you money and give them a tax write-off.

- New Stores and businesses: if you’re planning on having a silent auction for example, local stores and businesses may be willing to donate items, event tickets and gift cards for gift baskets. This would be a great way for them to get the word out about their products or services while helping a good cause.

- ReStores resale outlets, Goodwill etc.: these stores don’t offer free items, but any store that takes donations will have incredible deals on the items on their shelves. For larger purchases they may be willing to give you an even better deal.

- Taprootfoundation.org: Taprootfoundation.org you can apply to receive pro bono professional consultation services if you’re within the Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. metro areas.

- Wholesale stores and outlets: you may find sharply marked down sale items, or get free supplies like plastic and paper bags that have been used to ship items and are not needed any more. Sometimes outlets will even discard unsold merchandise. Yes, some companies will throw away unsold merchandise (incl. clothing, food), because it may cost too much to dispose or recycle the items otherwise. Make it easy for them to donate to your group and you may make a big difference in your group’s budget.

- Other charitable groups: maybe there is another charitable group you can share resources with, even if it’s just display tables for a fundraising event.

- Your local Freecycle group: sign up for your local Freecycle group and see if you can get any items that will help your cause, or if you can trade items you don’t need. Like any other site that offers free items, be careful who you’re dealing with. The group’s manager may not scrutinize new members or not manage the group very well which can make using your local Freecycle group challenging. It may be worth a try though, especially if you need specific items on a regular basis.

- Try Listia: a website that works like eBay but without the exchange of money. List items you don’t need to receive credits which you can then use to ‘buy’ items you need. Granted, Listia offers lots of collectibles and other small items, but there are also electronics like DVD players, cameras, computers and small furniture. You currently get 450 free points for signing up.

- Individuals: one of the most popular in-kind donations are food items which are often asked for from individuals. But supporters maybe be more than happy to donate other items as well. If you advertise your need on your website, your email list or a local newspaper, someone may come forward with the item(s) you’ve been asking for.

(Image: iStockPhoto/mangostock)

You could also ask for professional services as in-kind donations. Accountants, tax professionals and consultants may be willing to donate their time and services to help you out.

- GrassRoots.org: Grassroots.org provides web services like hosting, web design and consultations to non-profits.

- Volunteer sites: You could try volunteer sites like Idealist.org or Volunteermatch.org to not just find volunteers, but also to find someone who might donate their professional services.

Other places for finding free or low-cost items: any outlet store, restaurants, local contractors and builders for residential homes, designers, auctions, public sales of abandoned storage spaces, local classifieds, paint stores.

What sort of in-kind donations you can ask for

This will depend much on what your cause is, but some items (like gift cards) are universally useful:

- Universal: coupons, gift cards (even $5), tickets/passes to events (for auctions), empty ink cartridges
- To help individuals: clothing new and gently used, school supplies, furniture, tools and supplies for home repair, toys, housewares, pet food, professional services
- For your office: paper, pens, pencils, trash bags, computer, printer, paint, professional services

There may be items for in-kind donations that you haven’t thought of yet: Find out what kind of manufacturers are nearby, browse a Freecycle group, or post an ‘open’ request on your website and your other communications. Someone may want to donate a valuable item and need help determining its value (get official appraisal), or transporting it to you.

For more tips on in-kind donations, please click over to part 2.

What are some in-kind donations you have received? Where have you been able to get valuable in-kind donations? Please share with us and leave your answer in the comments below!

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• 5 More Low-Cost, No-Cost Fundraising Ideas!
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Admission

Admission is the first thing to consider when making money from a poker fundraiser. Offer ‘early bird’ pricing and a higher price for admission at the door. Be clear about how much of each admission will go into the ‘payout pot’ for prizes (the more people you expect, the more prizes you should offer) and how much will go towards your cause.

In order to keep as much admission income as possible, find an inexpensive place to rent, or team up with a restaurant that may like the additional exposure. When shopping around for an appropriate space don’t forget that you will need a gambling permit and that some public places may already have one.

Food And Beverage Earnings

Your food and beverage earnings can be a significant addition to your overall earnings. Think in terms of what your guests will enjoy and what you can actually provide. Make sure the food is high quality and diverse. Offer enough of a food selection to ensure that all guests find something to suit their taste.

See if you can partner up with a restaurant to secure lower prices on food. You can offer the restaurant great exposure and publicity in exchange for the lower prices that will improve your bottom line. Many restaurants would jump at the chance to help a good cause.

If you decide not to partner with a restaurant, or you’re planning for a more casual event, consider partnering up with one or more of the popular food truck companies. You could offer several types of food, like burgers, Chinese, or cup cakes and you’d only have to make sure you provide a place for them to set up and enough garbage and recycling cans. The food truck companies could donate a percentage of their earnings and would receive great exposure for their businesses.

As for beverages, these can easily be a lucrative enterprise with all the excitement of poker chips being brazenly bid and both winning and losing hands hitting the table throughout your event. Consider very carefully if you should offer any alcohol, especially since this kind of event will probably last longer than just a couple of hours. If people get out of hand, it will show up in the news the next day.

Business Sponsorships

This is a fantastic way to raise money. Company sponsorships allow you to tap into the resources that are right in your community. Businesses can pay a certain amount of money to sponsor a poker table, buy advertising in a printed newsletter, on a website, or a banner.

Each business could have a small trinket (key chain, mugs, etc.) or other branded item, that dealers can hand out to the players. This way businesses get some quality advertising and your fundraiser has more money coming in. If a business decides to sponsor a table, make sure that their donation covers the cost of that table and the dealer working it.

You could go one step further and have sponsors create their own custom made poker chips or even table felts that are emblazoned with company logos. These items help to make sure that each sponsor’s presence is visible throughout the whole event. You may have to be aggressive in your pursuit of business sponsorship if you want to secure highly profitable ones but a few of the right sponsorships can make your event an even bigger success that you had thought possible.

Raffle Tickets

Depending on your local laws, you may also be able to sell raffle tickets. See if you can get prizes donated in exchange for some free publicity. All the income from the sale of the raffle tickets could then go to your cause as well.

A poker fundraiser can raise money in a number of ways. As you’re weighing your options, consider the cost of each feature or line item on your to-do list and how and if you can get it covered through donations or volunteer time first. Good planning plays a big part in how much money you will raise and maybe one of our checklist’s would be useful to you. The bottom line is that the more involved you get in the process and the more initiative you take the more funds you will raise. In the end all this effort will stack the deck in your cause’s favor!

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Before creating and marketing the DVD montage, it is very important to get legal consent from the parents of the members of the sports team, as well as the members of the team. Depending on the school and the laws of your state, failure to get legal consent could put the school, you, and the people taking the photographs in serious legal trouble. If possible, ask the parents, and the team members to sign a release form at the time of signup at the beginning of the season. Be sure to identify which student the parent is signing off!

1.) Gathering the photos:

Assuming your crowd is actively engaged in Facebook, Flickr, or another form of photo uploading services, this is incredibly easy. Simply download high-resolution versions (with permission from the photo-taker!) of the photos they upload to these services. You could also have the community submit their photos to an email address. Several area schools have the local newspaper taking photos of the game; by offering credit to the company and asking them for permission you could use their photos to get some excellent shots.

2.) Marketing the product:

Announcing your plans for the product is doubly important because it will get people involved in the production process through submission of their photos and videos from each game and help generate more sales once the DVD is completed. Post signs and sign up sheets where the crowd will see them! Be sure to send a purchase form with the football team, as well. Chances are good that most of the purchases will come from the families of the players on the football team, so advertise to them when possible.

At the end of the season, (or during the tournaments,) start marketing the finished product, offering it over the counter. Another time to sell the montage over-the-counter is during the awards banquet. People tend to be a little more prone to purchasing a product when they can receive it right away. If possible, display a sample of the unfinished product during each game. Have the announcer make mention of the product during halftime and before each game. Also be sure to be active on Facebook. Show off some of the photos for the finished product online and constantly encourage the public to get involved! Doing things like asking what kind of music should be played can make all the difference.

3.) Creating the product:

If you’re running windows, you can create the montage using Windows Movie Maker. If you’re on a Mac you can use iMovie. As long as you organize the photos and videos throughout the season you can have a completed video with music, videos, photos, and effects in a matter of hours.

Creating the cover for your case can be tricky, but there are several places online that provide templates for creating accurate designs. I advise using the ultraslim DVD case style because the printing only requires paper in letter-sized sheets (rather than legal-sized); and this will save you money when it’s time to print. Print test sheets to make sure that you have the cover cut to the right size; then have a professional print the proper amount of covers you will need at the end of the season.

4.) The music

It is highly recommended that you use royalty-free music. There are several great websites, as well as label-free artists that will be more than happy to see their music put to use like this. You can find a lot of these artists at soundclick.com. It’s recommended that you start the search for music early on, since finding the right song can prove to be somewhat time-consuming. Always be sure to contact the artist for permission to use their music, and be sure to give credit where credit is due.

If you’re looking for more information on choosing the proper music, please visit Choosing Photos, and Music for Your Montage.

Getting started:

-Your sign up sheet needs to ask for the name, address, phone number and signature for each contributor. A line of communication between you and the contributor is important.

-Create release forms for photographers and subjects with room for signatures of parents and kids

-Working on the montage and case throughout the season is advised, because it will give you more time to make adjustments. Doing so will also give you material to advertise on a screen during the games. Also, if the montage can be completed before the end of the season, selling copies over-the-counter will help boost sales.

-Be sure to mention that the proceeds will support the team.

-Create a minimum of 5 extra copies of the montage. You never know when you’re going to have a last-second order.

Generation-X Albums created a montage for a local school. If you’re looking for some ideas, help, or are ready to get this fundraiser started, feel free to contact Generation X Albums through their website.

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As you’re uncovering opportunities and gaining experience with these kind of fundraisers, be sure to record the information somewhere for the next set of volunteers to draw from. (Using swipe files…)

Rent a table at an event:

One of the easiest ways to have a mini fundraiser is to have a table or booth at an event. See if there are plans within your community for a carnival, race or other locally organized event this year. Your city or local government will have information on upcoming events and opportunities available to rent a table or space.

There may be restrictions on what you can sell, but that’s not a problem: you have to make sure whatever you decide to sell offers enough of a profit margin to make it worth your effort and the items you sell don’t conflict with the message of your cause. For example, if your cause has anything to do with the environment, or health, selling drinks in non-recyclable styrofoam cups would be an unwise choice. On the other hand, selling rulers or pencils made from recycled paper or denim would be a good fit.

If you need ideas, think of what would complement what others are selling at the event. That way you can eliminate or restrict competition for your items. It’s also important to find out what the demographic of the audience will be like and tailor your offerings accordingly.

Even if you’re not allowed to sell anything, consider setting up a table anyway. It may be worth having a presence to create a awareness for your cause, handing out free stuff customized with your group’s logo, or fliers with information of your cause and own upcoming event.

Preparing for this mini fundraiser: In order to take advantage of quickly arising opportunities, you need to have a foldout table, upright displays for current flyers, and a cash box ready to go. Depending on the product you will sell, identify sources were to get them quickly for this mini fundraiser: snacks and candy at a wholesale discount store, gift wrap also at wholesale stores or at craft stores etc. Having a supply of custom printed t-shirts at hand would be great, but may be too expensive for some groups. But how about pencils, or even cotton canvas bag and other supplies which can be bought fairly inexpensively through online sources like inkhead.com and stocked?

Selling snacks year round:

Where could you set up a small display of snack bars and a gumball/bulk snack machine? If you have a suitable high traffic area, consider selling a selection of snacks, including fairly healthy ones like nut and fruit bars, and even drinks. A strategically placed pistachio or small candy dispensing ‘gumball’ machine for example could yield $50 or more per week. Although this fundraiser counts on many small purchases and requires getting a display, once it’s set up this ongoing mini fundraiser only requires that the shelf or machine be periodically restocked. Be aware that many small snacks, nuts and candies pose a chocking hazard and should be handled with care around very young children. Also take into consideration that some people have allergies to nuts, especially peanuts.

Preparing for this mini fundraiser: Having some sort of display is necessary to keep things organized on a counter or a shelf. It doesn’t have to be expensive and can even consist of sturdy re-purposed office supplies. A good quality gumball machine that can also be used for other bulk snacks can be had for under $100. You may even consider investing in a vending machine, but the expense and upkeep may be to great if you have a small group. To restock shop at wholesale retail outlets, or take in-kind donations in the form of snacks and drinks for even greater profits.

Pet snapshots:

Even if you don’t run an animal related cause, taking pictures of family pets could be a lucrative mini fundraiser when piggybacked with another event. It’s important to have a photographer at the ready when an opportunity presents itself. You may even be able to get a photographer to donate part of his or her services in turn for displaying his or her name in your newsletters and on your website. Even if you’re not working with a professional photographer, make sure that the person you’re choosing has some skills in making the images look good: lighting, background and potentially props all need to be considered for a good picture.

But to make this truly a mini fundraiser, the pictures should be printed and sold on site. (Usually a ‘regular’ portrait fundraiser requires that you charge upfront and then schedule your supporters to have the images taken.) You’ll be able to take advantage of the spontaneity and even give people the choice to buy or not to buy the image, if you have a digital camera. If you make this an annual or otherwise recurring event, people will remember the great pictures they’ve received and will be likely to come back the next time.

Preparing for this mini fundraiser: Have available one or two photographers you’ve worked with before. When an opportunity comes up, make sure the photographer has flyers and information about your group that can be displayed at the event. The photographer needs to have a digital camera, a photo printer, possibly a laptop, a table, supplies like paper and ink and needs to be near a power source. A volunteer to help with set up etc. is also necessary.

50/50 Raffle:

Some groups hold a 50/50 raffle at every meeting they have in order to raise as much money as possible. This doesn’t have to be a public event. The idea is this: Sell raffle tickets at the door/at a booth of your event/meeting/gathering with the understanding that the winner will be drawn before the event is over. The winner gets 50% of all the money that is raised. The rest goes to the organization. All you really need is a roll of the double-sided raffle tickets. The winner must be present when the winning ticket is called.

Preparing for this mini fundraiser: In order to hold any kind of raffle, make sure you comply with local laws and get legal advice if necessary. This is the most important part to consider before you start. Other than that, all you need is tickets, a cash box and a volunteer to sell the tickets.

How many in the jar?

This is another mini fundraiser that’s easy to manage and perfect as an add-on to another fundraiser or an ongoing fundraiser. You fill a jar with something small (marbles, chocolates, etc) and sell tickets for a chance to guess how many are inside the jar. The longer you can leave the jar, the more money you’ll collect, so this one works best just sitting on the counter at your organization. Make sure participants fill out their full contact details when entering guesses. You can make the actual counting of the items another event and another opportunity to raise funds. There should be at least two or three volunteers counting at the event to make sure sure you get an accurate number.

Preparing for this mini fundraiser: This simple fundraiser may also require that you check your local laws first, to see if it falls under any complex gambling rules. Then all you need is a see through jar and something fun to fill it with. Make sure that whatever you use is small enough to present a challenge when guessing the amount, but large enough to make it possible to easily count it. You’ll also need some tickets to collect contact information. This may also be a great opportunity to add addresses to your e-mail list.

As you can see the opportunities for a mini fundraiser can be endless. They require some planning, but once they’re in place, running several mini fundraisers per year with some of them on an ongoing basis provides another opportunity to fill some of the holes in your group’s budget.

(Image: ©iStockPhoto/PeterAlbrektsen, photo-dave)

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Getting donations and help and making the most of them for our rescue dogs and a few cats and kittens who are dumped on the nearby highway is a daily ongoing process, helping to maintain a dog rescue of 24 dogs – and a few squirrely cats – in south central Nebraska.

With a small financial budget, providing adequate care to our animals is only made possible through generous donations of food and supplies and local help. We are not a non-profit agency that receives help for the care of our dogs. We survive on what money, food, and necessary products we can gather. (When we first started, we were told by state officials if we lived closer to larger cities we could possibly receive some assistance.)

However, for eleven years we have lived on this small one-acre place out in the country where unwanted or elderly dogs have slowly entered into our life. They are free to run and play and we are free to rescue who needs help. At times, it feels as if the arriving dogs and cats are God’s messengers sent to us for safekeeping until they go home to him. Over the years, not only have we been able to care for our own dogs but have started Nebraska Pets Meals on Wheels for struggling pet owners in this troubled economy, and recently merged with the national organization Pets of the Homeless for Nebraska pet owners.

Cartoon by Nancy.

The needs of our dogs

The feed requirements for our animals are approximately 200 pounds of dry dog food and 50 pounds of cat food a month, plenty of fresh meat and two to three cases of canned meat per week. We add vegetables and rice for nutritious purposes, diet requirements, and flavor. Medicine is purchased on an ongoing basis for whichever dog is in medical need. We use about 20 bales of prairie hay for doghouse bedding every couple of months for the larger outdoor dogs, each having a 6 x 10-foot pen and a 50 x 50 foot exercise pen. The hay is placed on their individual run floors so they do not have to stand in ice or snow during the winter.

We have several dogs with bad or no teeth, and according to our vet are too elderly to survive surgery. They require softened dry food mixed with meat that they easily consume, something many of them have never had before. When many arrive here, they have various levels of malnutrition with health issues, parasite problems, and rotting teeth. It is our job to make sure their nutritional needs are met with the correct diet.

We start all our dogs with their own bowl of food and fresh water every day, each dog having their own necessary diet. Some use their bowls as chew toys so we need to keep a spare in addition to the rope toys and balls they enjoy. Others couldn’t care less … each dog is their own dog and we treat them accordingly.

Donations of food and hay

To provide plenty of fresh meat for our dogs, we go onto our Yahoo Group through Freecycle for donated out-dated game. We put out an online request in Yahoo groups for nearby towns (you need to join your own town’s group to participate and be accepted) and people call us up and ask if we want deer, pheasant, fish, elk or duck that is about a year old, as they are getting ready to hunt again. Sometimes the donation consists of outdated beef, as they are getting ready to butcher again. We boil the meat and add the rice and vegetables, along with some dry food. Otherwise, the meat we buy in canned dog food is through 4Health, a natural canned food that is similar to Blue Buffalo, through our local feed supply store who keeps an eye on specials for us.

Dry dog food is purchased through a commercial company in Kansas through our neighbor, who has her food brought in. She pays the shipping for us and buys bulk for us to keep our prices down. We used to pay her every time we would get one of our bags, but recently we have been lucky enough to pay for all 200 pounds at once. We buy a dog food that has no corn or soybeans in it, a natural dog food that is mixed with a 4Health dog food (exceptionally healthy for our dogs). We save about $720 a year as compared to shopping at local stores.

Sufficient hay is absolutely necessary as without it our dogs are not warm enough in the winter or dry enough in the rainy season. One small bale in the feed stores will usually run anywhere from $10 to $15 each, an unaffordable price for us to pay. Many bales are broken or covered with too much snow, which we are able to pick up at a discount. But we needed a steadier source, so we began calling around for farmers who did their summer hay in small bales … which are very few. Most bale in the large wrapped rolls for cattle and horses throughout the winter, or to use in silage for cattle lots.

We had friends who also began calling and emailing around for us … kind of like a friend chain letter… and eventually we found a gentle and very kind middle-aged man who lives about 45 minutes away. He offered us small bales of prairie hay $4 each for our dogs, plus he would deliver it and unload it for us free in our hay shed. He told us the prairie hay was better for our dogs than wheat hay as it was not loaded with mites that would affect our dogs. His mother lives north of us about 20 minutes and the hay money he receives from us pays for a special dinner for them both. We save $7 or more a bale, which means every load we save $120 plus gas and labor. Without him, I do not know what we could do.

Tilly

Lowered rent money for our rescued dogs

We pay very little rent money for our place, mainly because it was to be dozed down before we moved in. That first year my sons’ friends came out and fixed it up for us … saving us lots of money in the end. One could do electrical work, another could do flooring, and another could do roofing. Those boys I had helped raise as children were now paying it forward by helping us out.

In a jiffy, we had moved into our “farm house.” When we shared with our elderly property owner that we did rescue work with elderly dogs, he reduced our rent $50 a month to put toward the dogs – a savings of $600 a year. In fact, this past week he is also putting a new roof on our house and has trimmed/carted away old trees out of the dog pens for us, a task we had been dreading.

Rosie

Lowered vet money for our rescued dogs

We have a wonderful vet about half a mile down the road who works with us all the time for our old dogs. Many times he gives us medicine at cost or does not charge us for a visit. He knows the work we do and is always there for us with the highest quality of work at the lowest prices. He has become our right-hand man and is vital to the old dogs we have.

Donated maintenance labor

For several years, my sons would put out the word for help and everyone would come out on my birthday to work on large projects we needed done for the dogs. Over the years they’ve put up a long privacy fence so kids could not drive by and throw beer and pop bottles at our dog, they put up extra pens for me, they built dog runs for exercising, and repaired wooden sheds for hay storage. The strength of these young men was invaluable for us.

As you can see, we receive donations in many ways, and there is not one tried-and-true method that alone will work, but without the help of so many generous people we wouldn’t be able to care for all our animals! We wish to thank everyone who has entered our life over the past 11 years and donated in every way possible, making our life better by increasing the quality of our dog’s lives … where every little bit means a whole lot to those who had so little.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from our four-legged charges and their two old caretakers!! ?

Together with her sister, Nancy runs a dog rescue for elderly and sick dogs – and some kittens too! She writes about dog related issues at Way Cool Dogs.com.

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If you’re thinking of skipping this fundraising opportunity, because of the tough economy, or you think you don’t have enough time, think again: About half of all charitable contributions are being made during the holiday season. Part of the reason for this is simply good tax planning. Donations can reduce taxable income and tax payers and companies are taking advantage of this by showing their generosity at the end of the tax year.

Even if you’re not part of an official 501(c)(3) non-profit for which donations can be tax deductible, the holiday season puts people in a giving spirit that is unmatched the rest of the year!

To plan a fundraiser quickly is a test on how well organized you are. If you feel that you’re group could have been better prepared for some aspects as you’re preparing for this fundraiser, take note and make it your first project on your to-do list as soon as this fundraiser is completed.

Assess your resources and options

Get together with your volunteer group and assess your resources and options: how many volunteers do you have available and what are their talents and connections? Can you partner with companies, or other organizations you have partnered with before to organize a fundraiser that’s been done before? Or is there a new business or organization in town that you could partner up with and that would appreciate the extra exposure? Is there enough time to reserve space, a booth or table to sell fundraising items (f. ex. holiday decorations) or services (f. ex. gift wrapping)?

Plan your fundraiser depending on your current resources and time frame. If you have only a few volunteers available, you may think it’s not worth raising funds. But even a small fundraiser can yield a few hundred dollars which will boost your bottom line. One of your volunteers may have a great connection with a business, an individual or another organization that you can use to your advantage and may give you an edge, even if you don’t have a lot of volunteers or funds available.

The idea is to use your resources to their fullest potential, which you should always do of course, but this becomes even more important when you don’t have a lot of time and you have to put your fundraiser together quickly and efficiently.

Agree on a fundraiser

Regardless of how much time you have to prepare, or which religious holiday you celebrate, decorative items for the home, wrapping paper for presents and items representative of winter make appropriate fundraising items that are easy to sell and just about anyone will find useful. Beyond these ‘traditional’ fundraisers and provided you have a substantial volunteer base, consider raising funds with odd jobs like raking leaves, shoveling snow or even having a mini winter carnival with food sales and snowman building. If you have a connection with a business for example, you may be able to set up an in-house fundraiser that lets your volunteers sell holiday gifts to their employees throughout their offices.

Visit Ideas For Holiday Fundraisers for some simple holiday fundraising ideas; or Greenery Christmas Fundraiser for ideas on how to make money selling Christmas green decorating products, such as wreaths, evergreen swags and roping.

Market your fundraiser

To support marketing your fundraiser, make sure you have all important information, including financial information, about your group readily available online and in print. Potential supporters of your cause want to know what happens to their donations, how much of their donation will actually support the cause and how much will be spent for administration and materials. Simply having this information available is important and can be the ultimate reason why people decide to give – or not.

Even if you’re just running a small gift wrapping fundraiser at the local book store, if you’ll be able to use 100% of the donations for your cause (because the wrapping paper was donated for example), then make up a sign and let people know!

And now is also the time to make use of your e-mail list, or social media accounts. Especially if you’re planning your fundraiser short term, there may not be enough time to print and distribute a flyer, or you may have already missed the deadline for your last newsletter.

Once you have a time and place (if applicable) specified, spread the word! Even if you only run that small gift wrapping fundraiser, the more people know about it the better.

For more info on marketing your holiday fundraiser, read Fundraising Through The Holiday Season.

As mentioned before, quickly planning a holiday fundraiser, or any fundraiser for that matter, short term is really a test on how well organized and prepared your are: maybe your e-mail list wasn’t large enough to make an impact, or you didn’t have one, or your volunteers didn’t know how to answer questions on how the money will be spent and missed out on a donation because of it. If you’ve noticed some short comings like these, take care of them as soon as possible, so your next quick fundraiser can benefit from it!

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When you run a non-profit animal rescue group, you can’t do it all alone. But time and time again people try. A few months ago, I was talking to a woman who runs a small dog rescue group in California. With only two or three volunteers, they have managed to pull hundreds of dogs out of shelters and find them new forever homes. Of course, doing this type of work requires money.

So like the old saying goes, to raise some money, they decided to put on a show! Unfortunately, unlike Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, they didn’t have the whole town backing them up. Armed with only a few volunteers, for their first fundraiser, they opted to put on an elaborate and expensive black-tie “Fur Ball” event.

Can you say burnout? The worst thing was that even with all this effort, after the dust settled, the fundraiser didn’t turn out to be a financial success. It was an exhausting, demoralizing let down for everyone involved.

Start with a simple fundraiser

The moral of this story is that you have to crawl before you can walk, and walk before you can run. If you have a small organization or you’re just starting out, realize that you have some learning to do. And experience is the best teacher.

I always suggest that people start out with simple, easy fundraisers that have low overhead. On the National Association of Pet Rescue Professionals Web site, there’s a download called “Paws-i-tively EASY Fundraisers” PDF we give away when you sign up as a free Helping Paw member.

One of the easy ideas is the “Paw Print” fundraiser, which basically works like the Muscular Dystrophy shamrocks you see in grocery stores around St. Patrick’s Day. You go around to businesses and ask people to sell Paw Prints for a dollar and hang them on the wall. The only out of out-of-pocket cost is one ream of paper (about $10). Yet you can earn hundreds of dollars using this simple fundraising technique.

Then graduate to host an event

After you’ve done one of the super-easy fundraisers, you can graduate to an event. But again, start slow. Don’t do an extravagant fundraiser to start. Talk to a business about doing a simple “Yappy Hour,” where people get together and schmooze with their dogs. This helps you establish a community or “fan base.” As any band member will tell you, it’s impossible to get a stadium gig, if you haven’t played a whole lot of small nightclubs first. You need to get your name out there and build a volunteer, adopter, and (potential) membership base. Only your most passionate fans will attend the big “black tie” events, so you need to establish a base of support first.

Once you’ve cut your teeth on a few small fundraisers and events and have some success and money in the bank, consider the big black tie “Fur Ball” event with a big-money silent auction.

Remember, not every fundraising idea is going to be right for your group. Look at your situation and resources first, then decide. Don’t jump into something complicated and demanding before you’re ready.

About the Author:
Susan Daffron is the author of “Funds to the Rescue: 101 Fundraising Ideas for Humane and Animal Rescue Groups” (Visit FundstotheRescue.com) and the founder of the National Association of Pet Rescue Professionals, an organization that is dedicated to helping animal rescue groups save more lives.

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We know that people respond best to events and initiatives that capture their imagination and encourage an element of fun and participation, but how do we go about it? How can we get volunteers and donors excited about taking part in our next fundraising event?

The following fundraising projects have managed to do just that, by showing off and using original ideas for raising funds, all while having lots of fun! Be sure to use the internet incl. social media to promote your event!

If you’re short on ideas or need some inspiration, take a look at the following:

Show off: Firefighter’s Calendar

South Florida’s Firefighter’s Calendar is one of the most successful calendar fundraisers to date. The idea of having buff firefighters model for a fundraising calendar “was destined to light fires in the South Florida public and raise awareness of important community issues”.

To date the non-profit organization has raised over $240,000 to benefit charities such as the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Habitat for Humanity’s Hurricane Andrew Fund, Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities, Neighbors 4 Neighbors, Best Buddies, Cystic Fibrosis, Safehaven for Newborns and Here’s Help.

If you’re planning on a calendar fundraiser like this one, be sure to include a calendar signing event!

Try risqué: The Women’s Institute Calendar

A different sort of calendar fundraiser: In 1999, a group of Yorkshire women took part in the design, photography, production and distribution of a nude calendar as part of their local Women’s Institute. The calendar was created to raise funds for Leukemia research. The calendar proved so successful, with the women “wearing nothing but pearl necklaces, hats and strategically positioned floral displays and culinary equipment,” that it lead to the women being immortalized in the comedy Calendar Girls, starring Helen Mirren.

Set a world record: The world’s longest scarf

The Ty Hafan scarf, at 33 miles long, is the longest scarf in the world. It was hand knitted by over 2,000 people in Wales to raise money for Ty Hafan Children’s Hospice and then donated to Feed The Children, on the basis that having raised money for the hospice it could now help other children in other parts of the world. Read more about their fundraising activities, including their Midnight Sleep Walk.

Have fun: The Rubber Duck Race!

Another UK fundraiser, Claire House in Liverpool hosted an immense Rubber Duck Race, which released 40,000 giant rubber ducks in the Liverpool/Leeds Canal to race! Ducks could be sponsored and the winning duck owner received a cash prize. For more info and pictures, visit their duck race website.

Stick it to the principal: Duct Tape Fundraiser!

The “Duct-Tape-The-Principal Fundraiser” idea supposedly originated with a creative middle school principal in Kansas. Principal Mark Buck, of Medicine Lodge Middle School in Medicine Lodge, Kansas, challenged his students to collectively read 400,000 pages during the school year. He agreed that if the students could read that much, he’d let them duct tape him to the gym wall!

For lots of photos of fundraising and non-fundraising related duct tapings visit the Wall Taping Gallery of the Duck Tape Guys. Be sure to read the ‘warnings’ section.

Need more fundraising ideas?

* Rooftop Fundraising, Cows and Spelling Bees

* Fundraising for a Dog Park with Dog Houses and Doggie Bowls

* Print on Demand Calendar and Cookbook fundraiser

* Design Marathon Fundraiser

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Focus on accessibility rather than distance

Although many walkathons walking events enable people to be sponsored per mile walked, this can alienate people with poor mobility or fitness levels. By choosing to enable donors to sponsor walkers for set amounts instead of distances, you open up your walking event and make it more appealing for people of all age ranges and abilities.

Walking events do not have to be set from place to place to succeed. You could consider setting up an event walking a race track, and introduce quirky themes such as holding the walk at night, using fancy dress to draw crowds and publicity, or even bringing in egg and spoon racing, or pets to liven things up.

Use publicity

Local press and media are more likely to feature your sponsored walk if you make it accessible, engaging and quirky. Pick a theme for your walkathon and let people know about it to raise awareness and generate public interest. Holding the walk in a central place and inviting the local press increases your chances of generating sponsorship and donations.

Ways to generate funds

A popular way to generate funds is to sell t-shirts as admission for participants and ask non-participants for sponsorships. Consider selling advertising space on your t-shirts. You can also encourage donations by actively involving the general public: volunteers can hold collection boxes along the route of the walkathon and sell concessions which can help make a surprising amount of extra money from supporters. This gives people who do not want to take part in the actual event the chance to get involved in a different way. You can sell anything from customized reusable water sports bottles to food or t-shirts.

Plan a route and work with your local government

Consider at least two or three different routes for your walkathon. Walk them yourself first and then mark them on a map. One you’ve nailed down your options, work with your local government to approve one of the routes. Your route may need permits, or may not be feasible for your walkathon because of upcoming construction work, etc.

When planning a walkathon, it’s important to keep costs down at every stage of planning. It’s easy for spending to get out of hand when you consider renting tables, laying out money for t-shirts and fundraising items and so on.

Decide from the beginning what the absolute necessities are (organization and safety should be at the top of your list) and focus to get those handled first. Be aware that it may not be in your best interest to get your most important items donated. It may be best if they’re handled ‘in-house’, or contracted, so the foundation of your fundraising event doesn’t rest on a volunteer who may or may not take his or her job too seriously. Recruit volunteers for manning tables, selling fundraising items and drinks and ushering participants and spectators to the right place.

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How Much Are Cell Phones Worth?

The value of cell phones varies. For example, a top-of-the-line recent model cell phone that is in perfect condition will be worth more than an old cell phone that has seen better days. This does not mean that you should exclusively aim for the cell phones with the highest values. It is just something you should be aware of.

How Do You Select A Company To Recycle The Cell Phones You Collect?

Choosing a company to send your donated cell phones to takes some thought. Of course, you want to go with the company that offers you the most money for phones but don’t just want a company that offers a good amount for the expensive phones you collect. You want a company that will also offer you some money for older phones too as this is likely to be the bulk of your donations. You may make larger amounts off a few of the phones that are more expensive and that have all the latest features but you need to make sure that you are earning at least a small amount with every old and possibly outdated phone you send in as well.

Of course, you could also check eBay.com to see how much the cellphones you’ve collected sell for, but even if you’ll get a few dollars more per phone, would you really want to go through all the work of taking photos, listing and selling the phones to individuals? Don’t forget you’d also have to wrap and ship each phone separately as well. When you add all the man hours this requires it may not be worth it to you.

Don’t Forget About Shipping Costs

Shipping costs could eat into the funds that you raise if you are not careful. After all, these cell phones do need to make it to the company that you are sending them to. If you did not think ahead then you could end up paying for boxes and shipping out of your own – or your group’s – pocket, cutting into your potential profits.

Find a company that will supply you with prepaid shipping boxes so that you don’t pay for shipping costs. If you can get these boxes already labeled to get where they need to go then so much the better.

Securing Cell Phone Donations

To make money with this type of fundraiser you need a lot of cell phone donations. You have to let as many people as possible know what you are doing and what the money raised will be spent on. People will go out of their way to donate their old cell phones if it is for a good cause. Collection boxes at cell phone stores are a good idea too.

A cell phone fundraiser can be a success if you collect a lot of phones and if you make money on every phone. This type of fundraiser is easy. People don’t need their old phones. They just need a reason to hand them over to your cause.

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Sponsor link: FundingFactory recycles cell phones and ink cartridges. Redeem for cash or products.

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The Key To A Successful Wine Tasting Fundraiser

The main ingredient to a great wine tasting fundraising event is great wine of course! Yes, it is important to find an appropriate venue, have plenty of volunteers at hand and plan for decorations and music, but getting the best possible wine for your event should be at the top of your list.

Getting great wine can most easily be done through merchant partnerships. Be picky when you shop for a supplier and select partnerships according to the merchant’s wine expertise and their ability to get you the best wines and good prices.

Also make sure that you ask your wine distributor to help sell tickets to your event. They are sure to know plenty of wine lovers!

Wine Experts

It is important to pick a merchant who will not only be able to supply many great bottles of wine at a discounted price, but the wine expertise as well. Not everyone who attends your event will be a wine aficionado that’s why it’s important to make sure you have experts there to lead the tasting, to answer questions, and to give the event the feel of an official wine tasting.

Discuss with your wine experts how you would like the event to go ahead of time. You can equip these experts with microphones as they educate the guests on each wine. They can stroll from one table to the next as they describe the wines to make the whole event more engaging. But before the tasting event begins make sure that the bottles are already present on the tables so that guests can inspect and discuss them. This will encourage conversation at the tables and get the party going.

Publicity Is Essential

This type of fundraiser – even more than other types – depends on publicity. You need to generate excitement about your wine tasting fundraiser while making sure that you encourage both wine connoisseurs and those who can only tell red from white to attend. This is a fundraiser so you need to work extra hard to advertise in such a way that does not make those who wish to attend feel that they are not wine savvy enough.

Join up with other charitable organizations to include their supporters. You can do the same for them the next time they have a fundraiser. Issue press releases and run TV and radio spots if possible. Advertise early and often.

A Note About Tickets

Make sure that tickets to your event are available not only through your organization directly but that you also sell tickets through local merchants. People are more inclined to buy tickets from merchants they already know. Many people will seek out your organization but it’s to your advantage to make getting tickets easy for everyone.

A wine tasting fundraiser takes a little extra work to publicize but is an elegant way to raise money. You can associate your charitable organization with a classy event such as this and attract donors with the desire to give and the ability to do so. This unique fundraiser lets you raise money in style!

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Still, the main strategy for a successful church fundraiser, or any fundraiser, is to motivate volunteers and get everyone in unity and working toward the same goal: Set a clear and tangible goal in mind that people can understand, like a new children’s playground or nursery for example, and then update the volunteers regularly on the progress.

Because church members already give on Sundays in the offering basket, they may feel “put out” if asked to give any additional money. But if you can convince them to spend some of their time instead, you could possibly get double or triple of what you would have received if you had just asked for money. There are hundreds of church fundraising ideas on the internet, but the list of possibilities is really endless. Find out what talents, gifts, and abilities church members have to offer, and motivate them to use those:

Some of the best ideas for church fundraisers include:
• Bake sale. An old standby. Volunteers bake cakes and pastries to be sold at any venue you choose.
• Community cleanup. Requires a fair amount of planning, if you’re going to solicit pledges for each pound of trash collected.
• Candle fundraisers. The latest in church fundraising. People will buy candles anyway; why not buy them for a good cause?
• 50/50 Raffle. This one is good for a last minute fundraiser: no planning required. Sell some tickets (you can even sell them at the event where the raffle will be drawn) andthen pick a winner. Winner gets 50% of the pot; the church takes the rest.
• Car wash. A regular Saturday car wash for donations or a fixed amount can raise several hundred dollars a week.
• Church carnival. Lots and lots of planning here, but if you can pull it off, everyone will be chomping at the bit to do it again next year.
• Scratch cards. The upside to this method is that there is no product to be delivered, like pizza, or candles, for example.
• Yard sale/Garage sale. Most suburban churches are filled with people whose garages are full of junk they never use. Tell ‘em to bring it to church (or you’ll pick it up) and sell it.
• Cookie Dough. Who doesn’t love just thinking about fresh cookie dough? M & M’s and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and Oreo Cookie flavored cookie dough, oh my…
• Pizza. You can do this one of two ways: order in bulk and sell by the slice at a 100% markup, or using do-it-yourself kits where the group takes orders in advance, then delivers the goods at a later date.
• Order taker brochure fundraising. Selling things from brochures provided for free can have fabulous returns.

Whatever you do, make having fun a priority, so that they’ll be willing to sign up again next time.

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When applying with a corporate sponsor, consider the following:

Start small

Everyone would like to be sponsored by a large company, but that’s not always possible. In fact, large corporations usually have bylaws that specify in great detail who they can give to, when they can give, how much they can give, and so on. These additional restrictions make it highly unlikely that an organization holding its first fundraiser will be able to be considered. They want to see a proven track record of successful fundraisers, because they are looking at the bottom line for the company. What will sponsorship get them? How much exposure will they receive? Sure, it’s always worth a shot; but don’t get discouraged if there’s no bite on the other end of the line. Instead, start by looking within your community and see what other companies might be interested in being a part of your event.

Plan ahead

If your fundraiser is next week, it’s too late for this suggestion for this year, but it’s just in time for next year. The more you plan ahead, the better your chances of getting some quality corporate sponsors. It takes time for the corporate board to review and accept your sponsorship proposal. Besides that, the more you plan ahead, the more people will be impressed with your leadership and organization skills, and the more they will want to help you. And if all those reasons weren’t enough, here’s one more: it’s just plain courtesy to give people more than a few days’ notice when you’re asking for their money.

Start with a letter

If you took basic economics, you’ll remember this rule: TANSTAAFL. There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. Instead of a charity consider your project a business transaction: it’s wise to consider what the company will get out of sponsoring you and your event or organization. Their name in the newsletter? A giant banner at your event? Make your letter no more than one page; use the sandwich method (good news—bad news—good news); and be sure to include all information about your event and how to contact you. A good way to begin is by thanking them for their time.

Follow up with a phone call

A week after you’ve mailed your letters, start calling your potential sponsors. Begin by asking if they got your letter, and just ask if they had any further questions you might be able to clarify. Don’t wait more than two weeks to call them, and definitely don’t wait for them to call you (at least, not yet). If they say they’re not interested, cross them off the list and try the next one.

Finally, don’t be intimidated by dealing with a large corporation. Remember that behind that seemingly impersonal entity there are people running it. Treat them the way you’d like to be treated – even if the sponsorship won’t work out this year – and you’ll create a professional and positive basis for potential future projects.

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1. Get some prizes.
2. Sell some tickets.
3. Hold the raffle drawing.

So what could be easier? Well, there are a few things to keep in mind when you’re holding a raffle for the first time.

Start small. As noted above, companies and organizations may be hesitant to donate to your cause if it’s the first time. That’s OK. Be persistent in asking for donations; work with what’s given; and do the best job you can with what you have. Once local community leaders see that you are a success waiting to happen, the donations will start to flow in. In fact, the very same ones who say “no” this year will be the first ones to hop on the bandwagon next year – if you do it right.

Get as many donations as possible. You may have to fork out some money for your top “draw” prize—that’s the one that people will say “Want to buy a raffle ticket? You could win a _____.” But if you put in the time and hard work to secure donations for other prizes as well, you’ll have that much more take-home money after it’s all over. Start by meeting with members of your organization and see what the group can come up with in-house for prizes.

Don’t believe the hype. Plenty of fundraisers right now begin with something along the lines of “Even in a bad economy…” There’s a fine line between dealing with objections in advance and giving people a reason not to give. Be sure to not cross it. Sure, the economy is giving some people a hard time—but the amount of wealth in the U.S. is still astounding. Besides, who wouldn’t spend $5 on a raffle ticket to help their favorite charity and get a chance at a new TV at the same time?

Don’t get arrested. As of 2010, in the U.S., the laws governing raffles are determined state-by-state. Some states, have deemed them illegal as part of gambling, while other states allow a raffle fundraiser for just about anything. (For a list of links to each state’s raffle rules, click here). In addition, some cities and even counties in the U.S. require a separate application for a charity raffle. Be sure to find out well in advance what’s required to hold a raffle, and get any applications submitted in time. In fact, because rules can be pretty complicated, it’s probably best to get legal advice before starting a raffle of any kind.

Even if you find yourself having to go with the bare-bones budget plan (read: no money for prizes at all), don’t despair. Use whatever prizes are donated, set ticket prices low enough that everyone can buy at least one, and set aside some of the proceeds to start next year’s fundraiser.

And don’t forget to do something to thank the volunteers and ticket sellers. Throw a party or a dinner and give out awards to the highest sellers. Come this time next year, you’ll have some folks you can count on to help!

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Set up a Page (not a Group) on Facebook:

The easiest way to do a Page on Facebook is, first of all, to log out of your personal account. Although you will need to use your details later on, it’s easiest to start while logged out. Go to Facebook.com (without logging in first) and click on “Create a Page” near the bottom of the page, right below “Sign up”. Clicking on the “Create Page” link will take you to the page where you will choose between creating a Page for a business, artist, brand, a cause and more.

Click on “Company, Organization, or Institution” and you will be presented with a drop down menu. Scroll down until you find “Non-profit,” then enter the name of the page you’re going to create, ideally your group’s name. Clicking on “Causes and Community” will create a Group page to help support a specific cause or create another community of which you don’t necessarily have to be an official owner or member. Creating a Page through the Company, Organization, or Institution link will give you more options when managing and customizing your page. Whichever one you choose, be sure to read Facebook’s terms before you click “agree,” because they are continuously updated. Next, go through prompts.

Now here’s where it helps to already have a Facebook account. You have to choose between “I already have a Facebook account” and “I do not have a Facebook account”. If you don’t have a personal Facebook account yet, Facebook requires you to have one when creating a Page. Again, follow the prompts to either sign in with your personal account, or create a new one. Log in and voila! your Page is now created.

Keep in mind that a Facebook Page is not transferable, so make sure that the personal account it is linked to won’t change, or will be accessible by others if necessary. That means to not let just anyone set up your Page, but as the head of your organization, it’s best to do it yourself. Facebook continuously changes and updates its rules, so make sure you do read all the fine print when crating your Page, or if you give anyone else admin access to it.

Raise money through your Facebook Page with Causes:

Great! That was easy, right? Well…yes, and no. You still can’t raise money on your site, at least not directly. The best way to do that is go back and add your non-profit as a “Cause” (you can search “Causes” on Facebook, or just go here; you may have to log in first). Since “Causes” is a Facebook application or app, you will have give it permission, etc. Once you’re there, fill out the necessary details and click on “Continue”.

Once you’ve created a Cause, you can designate a non-profit to receive the funds that you raise on your website. If you are registered with GuideStar, your name should come up when you type it in the box. If not, you might consider getting registered with them, because most online fundraising organizations require you to be registered with GuideStar.

Once your Page is set up, you’ll have to let people know about your new Facebook Page, and consistently update it. Link to it from your website, add a link to it in each e-mail you send out and also post the link in your office, and any printed materials you have.

What else can you use your Facebook Page for?

- give consistent updates about your activities as a non-profit
- reiterate details about your mission
- ‘listen’ to your supporters: answer their questions and get new ideas
- study who your supporters are on Facebook
- announce events
- announce new fundraising projects
- post links to your website about latest news or articles
- add your blog feed
- use it as a branding tool for your organization (In contrast, if you create a Facebook Group, all Group pages look alike. Groups are meant to support an idea or a cause, but not a brand.)

…and the list goes on!

A Facebook Page is not only useful as a fundraising tool in itself, but also to create awareness and as a branding tool for your group. Make sure you assign someone to be in charge of your Page, post updates and keep track on the activities on the Page. In time you will notice how having a Page on Facebook is a great tool to complement your other marketing and fundraising efforts online.

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(Note: SMS stands for “short message service.” You send someone a text message using a SMS.)

The Role Of SMS Fundraising For Haiti

This relatively new form of fundraising has managed to net impressive sums of money even in a time when unemployment is high and the economy has seen much better days. People have pulled out their phones in droves to contribute via text messages. All donors have to do is text a keyword to a short code to make a mobile donation from their cell phone.

The large amounts given through text messages to Haiti has created a new beacon of hope for all those involved in fundraising efforts. This means of raising money appears to be simple and effective. But there is more to it than just asking people to text money to a cause.

SMS Fundraiser Challenges

The first challenge that this type of fundraising presents is the cost. This is a relatively expensive method for smaller groups to raise money, at least initially. The start up cost of such a campaign add up to at least about $1,000. While some charities have this kind of cash at their disposal, many don’t. (Visit mGive.com for more information on how to set up an SMS fundraiser and get an estimate of what it would cost for you. Then stop by the American Red Cross website for FAQs about their mobile donation program.)

Even if you manage to get this technology set up then there are more details of which you should be aware. Your charity will be paying transaction fees to make this type of fundraising work. Anywhere from 3.5% and up is a typical amount for your charity to be paying back to the vendor for fundraising through SMS.

More than that, vendors may have minimum requirements as to the size of your charity. The challenges continue as you realize that text donations are smaller and make it harder for your charity to form an ongoing relationship with donors.

Are SMS Fundraisers Worthwhile?

The answer to this question depends on the charity. If your charity can manage the basic requirements to set up such a fundraiser then you still want to crunch the numbers before you do. The money that such a fundraising attempt generates may or may not be worth it. The SMS fundraising efforts have done amazing things for Haiti but raising funds through SMS is not for every non-profit, especially smaller ones.

The success of the Haiti texting fundraiser has many non-profits excited about the potential for their own fundraising efforts. You just need to figure out if this type of fundraiser will be worth your while before you sink any money into it. Your group may have to consider other options.

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Just Throw A Party!

One classic way to raise money is through a good old-fashioned fundraising dinner, or even dinner and dance. You can charge a flat admission fee to cover your costs and to raise money. You could even add a cash bar for an additional fundraising opportunity. This type of event is easy to pull together as all you need is a proper location, a theme, suitable decorations, tables and chairs, and good food and drink. It could be planned as an informal party at at a community park that includes kids and neighbors, or as a classy dinner party at a country club, or both! Plan according to your supporter base.

Try A Fashion Show

Fashion shows have always been lots of fun and can draw in large amounts of women and men too. You can make a fashion show anything you want it to be and earn all that you need to from the cost of admission. You can use your own volunteers as models – popular community personalities can be a major draw – and/or hire professionals. This fundraising option also allows you to make the event into what you want it to be using the resources at your disposal. You can always tack on an auction to make more money by selling the fashions being shown or selling other donated items.

Serve A Pancake Breakfast

A pancake breakfast is a simple fundraiser that draws all types of people in. Perfect for families, this type of fundraiser allows you to raise funds with only the simplest of preparations. All you need for this pancake breakfast is a place that allows you to set up several plug-in griddles. For a more elaborate breakfast a community room that sports a full kitchen will be more appropriate. Like any fundraiser you will have to put a lot of effort into advertising, but this type of event is a sure crowd pleaser. If you can manage to secure a high traffic location then a few signs outside your venue will probably draw in a fair amount of passers-by too.

Use A Billboard

A large part of the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life events is that it gives everyone a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer and remember loved ones lost. You can use a billboard to honor loved ones and support cancer research by allowing people to post the name of a loved one who is fighting or who has fought breast cancer and by asking for a donation at the same time. This could be preset amount, or a voluntary donation.

You have to be the judge of how to best combine the billboard with the fundraising activity. In some cases it may only make sense to add the billboard to another event, and in other instances it might be ok to use the billboard as the fundraiser itself. Since writing names on this board will be emotionally charged, it may not feel right to tie a monetary donation to it. On the other hand, people may feel more inclined to give in order to help others fight the disease. You’ll have to decide what will be right for your own event.

In any case, having a billboard is a nice way to honor those who have had to fight this disease. Having a Relay For Life event where the names of loved ones are clearly posted helps to make this event special and personal for everyone whose life has been touched by cancer.

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eScrip is a simple program that lets you earn money from your grocery purchases for your school or group. Depending on your region there might also be other merchants that participate in the program.

In order to sign up for an eScrip program with grocery stores for example, your supporters need to have a loyalty card from a participating grocery store and then register that card with eScrip. eScrip will collect the funds (a small percentage of each purchase made with registered cards) from the grocery company and then send quarterly payments to participating groups.

How to sign up:

Go to eScrip and click on ‘sign up’; it’s free. See if your school or group is already registered in the program. If not, here is the information on how you can apply for your group to participate.

As a user you create your own account, add your grocery loyalty cards and define which school the proceeds are supposed to benefit. Done!

Get the most out of this fundraising program:

This is the kind of program, where the more people sign up, the more successful it will be. Add information about this program to your website and to all your newsletters. Remind your supporters to sign up for grocery cards – which can be done in-store, or online – and then to sign up for this program.

Some stores also offer this program with their home delivery service, so adding a link to that store on your website would be especially useful! Home delivery is great for busy moms, seniors, or anyone with health problems that prevent him or her from leaving the house.

EScrip also offers an online shopping mall that pays a percentage of each purchase to the school you’ve signed up for.

Schools and other groups constantly have to look for more ways to raise funds, and having a simple ongoing fundraiser like this one may not yield thousands of dollars every month, but will provide a steady stream of predictable profits for your group. This type of fundraiser requires some preparation and steady reminders to use certain loyalty cards at certain stores, but the fact that this is an otherwise completely free fundraiser makes this one worth implementing!

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An Easter Fundraiser With Appeal

Chocolate is one of the staple goodies of Easter. More specifically, chocolate Easter bunnies are one of the most sought-after supplies for the Easter holiday. The demand for chocolates and chocolate bunnies, combined with the ease of managing this holiday fundraiser, sets Easter chocolate fundraisers up to bring in easy money.

Easter Chocolate Fundraiser Options

Easter chocolate fundraisers can be either on-hand cash and carry sales or they can be brochure or catalog sales. In both cases, you will need to choose a good fundraising company for marketing materials, support, and supplies. (Search for chocolate fundraisers.)

In an on-hand Easter chocolate sale, a group pre-buys the Easter chocolates form a chocolate supplier. Then, sales are arranged on one or more dates, at one or more well-trafficked locations.

By far the most popular way to hold an Easter chocolate fundraiser is to go with the brochure sales offered by a number of fundraising companies. This is the lowest-cost way to hold an Easter chocolate fundraiser, and with the help of a good fundraising company, a brochure sale is very manageable too. The reasons why groups prefer Easter chocolate brochure sales include

• No need to front cash (a big benefit for cash-poor organizations)
• No need for long-term storage of goods
• No need to staff volunteer booths or tables
• Support and marketing materials provided by fundraising company
• 50% profit margin on average (of products ranging from $5-$10)

When To Sell Easter Chocolates For Fundraising

Timing is very important for fundraisers with seasonal products. Plan ahead of time, and talk to the fundraising company to help plan the timing of the Easter chocolate fundraiser. Ask them

• How long before you’ll receive your sales kit
• How long they recommend for a sales period (usually between two weeks and 30 days)
• How long for delivery of items
• What requirements there are for delivery (very likely, someone will have to be on hand to accept the order)

Consider how long it will take to get items in the hands of those who sold the product and add in time for them to deliver to customers; remember that not all buyers will be right next door and sellers may need a few extra days to reach them. Plan to have Easter chocolates to buyers at least one week before the holiday.

When all aspects of timing have been accounted for, plan from the holiday out and start your fundraiser from there. This will give adequate time for selling, placing the order, sorting, and delivery of the Easter chocolates.

Good organization is key to a successful Easter chocolate fundraiser! The rest of the process is pretty straight forward, and with a little effort on the part of the sales crew, Easter chocolates virtually sell themselves.

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Then it’s up to you to make sure that the proper publicity and so forth happens, so that when the photographer shows up there are plenty of people to take pictures of. Following that, the photographer takes his cut out of what you’ve collected, you distribute the pictures to those who purchased them, and what’s left over after all that’s done is the money you’ve raised.

Of course, that’s the easy version. The devil is in the details.

Planning a portrait photography fundraiser:

Get the money up front. Don’t wait until the day the photographer shows up to try and collect money. Get people to commit to purchasing a fundraising package (offer two or three different options) ahead of time. If you wait until the day of, and try to have them choose which picture they want and what size, you’ll end the day frustrated, tired, and most likely broke. The best way to go about collecting the money in advance is to designate the members of your group to sign people up for the fundraiser and collect the money at the same time.

Be sure to give out receipts that include the dollar amount and info about the package they’ve paid for. Keep copies and/or good records of who paid for what. A second way to earn money at the portrait fundraiser can be to advertise to the general public, and just give a location where they can come and order their portraits and pay in advance.

Give yourself plenty of time. Don’t schedule the photographer any sooner than 4-6 weeks after you begin publicizing the event and collecting commitments. In fact, if you can start earlier, up to 3 months in advance, it might be even better. Remember, the more time you allow yourself to sign people up for the event, the more money you can earn for your group. If you’re concerned about people forgetting what they’ve signed up for, be sure to get their contact information including e-mail address when they sign up, and a week or two before the actual portrait photography event give them a reminder call.

A portrait makes a great gift!

Don’t forget the add-ons. In sales, something you sell to someone after they’ve already bought something from you is called an add-on. A good example of this is the candy shelves at the checkout stand in grocery stores: you’ve already decided to buy groceries, so now they want to sell you something extra on the way out. With a portrait fundraiser, there are also lots of ways you can have “add-ons” at your event: keychains, buttons, even coffee mugs can be big sellers if you offer to have the portrait on them for an extra fee.

Pick a spacious location. To be on the safe side, pick an indoor location, like a school gym. That way you have plenty of room for people to wait and be comfortable. Be sure to coordinate your event with other events that might take place around the same place in the same location. It would also be a good idea to invite the photographer to come out and approve the space. You don’t want any surprises on the day of the event.

Good communication is key. Keep in contact with the photographer, the party that’s responsible for booking the space and others who will be involved with the set-up and running of the event up until the day of the event. Make reminder phone calls and mention the event in every newsletter or e-mail that goes out to your community or group members.

Two final tips: plan for an area and possibly a small table for the photographer to put his equipment and bags and consider picking Saturday morning to schedule your photographer – most people are free on Saturday.

Good luck!

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Calendars:

In the old days you’d have to go through a lengthy process of designing a calendar on your computer (or hire a designer) and then have the pressure of ordering a minimum amount for your fundraiser. Those days are over and creating a calendar for your next fundraising event is easier than ever!

There are several services out there that let you assemble calendars from your own pictures and preset designs and then order any number you choose with the option of printing more in the future ‘on demand’ without any additional setup costs. Look for tiered pricing options to get the best deal.

You can easily order calendars through software you may already have on your computer, like iPhoto for example, or you can use pictures from your Flickr page and create a calendar with them.

Online publishers like Lulu.com (sponsored) also offer several different custom calendars at good prices. You can choose from several different themes and designs.

Tip: When choosing pictures for your calendar, try to choose pictures that you think will please the majority of your supporters and any people portrayed in them. It’s best to decide on pictures and design together as a group. Be sure to get a ‘release’ signature from any person appearing in the images. If there are under age kids in the images, get permission from their guardians.

Also, only order ONE calendar with your first order as a ‘final proof’ copy. This will allow you to make any changes and get more feedback from others involved in the fundraiser.

Search for more calendar fundraisers…

Cookbooks:

Creating a personalized cookbook for your group has also become much easier with the new print-on-demand online services. You can upload your own recipes and photos collected from your group members, or use recipes that have been made available by a cookbook service like TasteBook for example.

Online publishers like Lulu.com also offer different options for creating custom cookbooks, including wallet size cookbooks.

The ordering process is made easy with the availability of choosing from pre-made templates and layouts for your pages. Supporters can either go online to order their copy, or you can keep a stock of cookbooks for direct sales. If your group has a website, you can simply add a link to the site where the book can bought online. You can also add the link to any e-mail campaigns.

Since the books will always be ready to ship, this is a great way to raise funds year round. You can set your own price and periodically offer special pricing for specific holidays for example.

Search for more cookbook fundraisers…

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Is Valentine’s Day A Good Time To Raise Funds?

Fall is the time of year when fundraising goes onto high gear. Schools and groups everywhere are beginning anew and are desperately competing for supporter dollars to sustain their organizations and projects.

The consequence of this is that many groups see relatively small returns on their time investments. And although it is true that people are in the market for gifts, it is also true that there is often simply more supply than demand.

Valentine’s Day, on the other hand, is a much less crowded time of the year for fundraisers. The benefit of decreased competition alone is enough of a reason to hold a Valentine’s Day fundraiser, but there are more:

Demand – Valentine’s Day, is a time of year when people have already planned to spend on gifts, candy, and luxury items.

Entertainment – couples young and old are looking for enjoyable ways to spend this special day with their significant other. Dances, teas, dinners, and Valentine’s events are a great way to make money while providing entertainment for couples.

More volunteers – winter is generally a slower time of year for volunteers and supporters, which means you’ll have an easier time of recruiting help.

Product competition – unlike the winter holidays, it is easier to offer products during a Valentine’s Day fundraiser that are very similar in quality and price to those people would buy anyway. Chocolates and flowers are much easier to supply at close to retail prices than toys and commercial products.

With a variety of great fundraiser options, and a decreased level of competition, there should be no doubt that Valentine’s Day could very well be one of your group’s most successful fundraising campaigns! (Read more about holding a Valentine’s Day flower fundraiser.)

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What Is A Valentine’s Day Flower Sale?

In essence, a Valentine’s Day Flower Sale is a pre-order flower sale. Your group

• Advertises the flower sale
• Collects orders ahead of time
• Delivers flowers to recipients on Valentine’s Day

How To Run A Valentine’s Day Flower Sale

You will need to partner with a local florist, or wholesaler who will deal in bulk orders, and/or prepare flowers and bouquets per order specs. When you talk to florists,

• Negotiate the price ahead of time so that you can price accordingly
• Make sure that the agreed upon price allows for reasonable pricing to customers
• Offer timeless favorites like roses, single roses, as well as carnations, or small daisy bouquets depending on your supporter demographic and to increase participation

Ordering is to be kept confidential (this is the mysterious part). You will need to create an order form that includes

• Who is to receive the flower(s)
• What flower(s) are selected
• Where to deliver the flowers to (an office number, a classroom)
• The message that should be included on the tag, including the name of the gift-giver if they choose to make that information known.

You may supply tags or cards to go with the order and let the buyer fill it out at the time of ordering; some buyers will not want their handwriting to tip them off, so you should also offer the option of writing the tag for them.

It is also a good idea to order some extra flowers for on-hand sales for those who didn’t get their orders in on time. This can expand the profitability of the fundraiser, but be sure not to order too many extra.

.

Who Should Hold A Valentine’s Day Flower Sale?

This fundraiser work best for larger groups who have access to many potential recipients in a compact delivery area; ideally, a middle or high school, office building, or college campus. Anything else may be too hard to manage.

A Valentine’s Day flower sale is a great opportunity to play a little cupid, and raise funds in a fun way!

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Christmas Greenery Fundraiser Options

Christmas greenery fundraisers usually refer to the sale of Christmas green decorating products, such as Christmas wreaths, evergreen Christmas swags and Christmas roping.  A Christmas greenery sale can also include the sale of Christmas trees, but might be more difficult to manage because of the size of the trees.

Groups interested in holding a Christmas greenery fundraiser have a few basic options:

•    Cash and carry Christmas greenery sales
For an on-hand sale, your group will need to purchase Christmas greenery products upfront (from a local supplier is best), and then hold a sale at a designated location.  There is more up-front cost involved, but the right timing and location can net some very good profits, and there is no worrying over delivery and distribution at a later date.  A cash and carry Christmas greenery sale can be managed on short notice as long as you can locate a good local supplier.

•    Craft and sell Christmas greenery sales
As an alternative, your group could make their own Christmas greenery for cash and carry sales.  This works well for scouts, middle and high school groups, and other clubs with many hands that can devote meeting time to crafting hand-made products.  Christmas greens are relatively easy to make as long as you can locate one or two good instructors that will supervise and teach others to assemble the products. The cost of materials is usually very low, which means there is a good profit potential for Christmas greenery sales.

• Christmas greenery brochure sales
Christmas greenery brochure fundraisers are run like any other type of catalog or brochure sale. You will need to choose a fundraising company offering Christmas greenery sales, obtain the needed sales materials, and take orders for Christmas greens. A Christmas greenery brochure sale is probably the most cost-effective way to hold this type of fundraiser, as you will not need to front the cash to purchase products before they are sold.

The Value-Added Service

Your Christmas greenery fundraiser does not have to be limited to the sale of the actual wreath or green product; you can also offer decorating and accessorizing, perhaps even hanging.  Charge accordingly for each additional service, and boost your profits even more. Value-added services are easiest for cash and carry sales. Be sure to offer products in various price ranges.

A Christmas greenery sale can be a great way to fundraise.  Christmas greens are products that many people seek out every year, which gives this fundraiser the benefit of being repeatable.  Even better, a Christmas greenery fundraiser raises everybody’s Christmas spirits, and spreads good cheer as you fundraise!

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For more creative holiday fundraising ideas that can maximize your fundraising efforts, take a look at what Riverton and Bingham high schools in Utah came up with for their holiday fundraising campaign, which benefited various groups. These industrious students fanned out and did whatever it took to raise funds and ended up raising a whopping $145,534.04 in three weeks!

Raise funds with odd jobs
No job is too little and every dollar raised counts! Take a tip from the kids at Riverton and Bingham and get volunteers out there raking leaves, shoveling snow and doing any other odd jobs they can find for the fundraiser. Kids should travel in groups when knocking on doors or have a parent accompany them.

Sell tickets to events
The Riverton and Bingham students also hosted a benefit concert, a “Battle of the Bands” and an all-night camp out. These kinds of events require more planning, but are obviously well worth it!

Carnival
Bingham also held a carnival to raise money. These students really made sure that their fundraising campaign was going to be a lot of fun! (More about a carnival fundraiser.)

If you don’t have the volunteer base to pull off a large campaign, you can always resort to catalog sales, a time-tested way to successfully raise funds. One of the most popular fundraising items has traditionally been frozen cookie dough. This year you can take it a step further and offer home delivery cookie dough. This means your donors do not have to go anywhere to pick up orders and you don’t have to deliver them. More and more fundraising services are offering this option. Chocolate is another big seller. You can put a twist on this favorite by selling free-trade chocolates.

E-mail campaign

Of course, don’t forget to use your e-mail list for your fundraising efforts. (If you don’t have an e-mail list yet, get one started! Use sign-up sheets at events, or provide an e-mail address or website URL where people can leave their e-mail address. In any case, assure your potential supporters that you will keep their info private and that you won’t share it with anyone.) You can write about current fundraising campaigns, how the proceeds from the last fundraiser were used, and finally, don’t forget to thank everyone. Make sure you add information about how and where more donations can be made. Year end cash donations are often plentiful, because of potential tax write-offs.

Tip: start your holiday fundraiser with a kickoff event to raise local awareness and excitement. It allows you to educate participants about all the details, including the fundraising goal and what prizes will be awarded – if any – for those who raise the most funds.

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• There Is Still Time For A Quick Holiday Fundraiser
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Blame Drew’s Cancer Fundraising Campaign

Fall 2009: Twitterer Drew Olanoff, who is currently being treated for Hodgkin Lymphoma, has started a social media fundraising effort for Lance Armstrong’s LiveStrong campaign. How it all started: When Olanoff realized that he was blaming everything that went wrong in his life on his cancer, he encouraged his friends to also blame their problems on his cancer and make it known via Twitter by attaching #BlameDrewsCancer to their tweets. From there #BlameDrewsCancer grew into a huge movement.

Drew’s Twitter name is simply @drew. With short Twitter names being highly sought after, Olanoff saw an opportunity to raise money and decided to auction off his Twitter name for a minimum of $10,000. The auction is running until November 9th, 2009 and will take place on Twitter using the merit system: anyone can place their bid on the @drew Twitter name using the #drewbid hashtag. All money will go to the LiveStrong foundation.

Shortly after the auction started, The Price is Right host Drew Carey placed a bid for $25,000. He then promised that he would pay $100,000 if his current account, @drewfromTV, exceeds 100,000 followers by November 9th, 2009. Since then, Carey has raised his offer even more to donate up to $1 million to the LiveStrong campaign if he can reach 1 million followers by year end!

Beat Cancer Everywhere Fundraising Campaign

Fall 2009: The Beat Cancer social media fundraising campaign experiment was launched (and completed) within a 24 hour period. From Friday, October 16th at 9 am (PDT) and lasting until Saturday, October 17th at 9am (PDT) people all over the internet were asked to send tweets, Facebook status updates and blog posts including the #BeatCancer hashtag. Besides raising money for charity, the goal was also to set a Guinness World Record.

Sponsors to this campaign are eBay and Miller Coors. According to Radian6, the official online monitoring company, the phrase #BeatCancer did set a Guinness World record with a total of 209,771 mentions on Twitter, Facebook and blog posts within a 24 hour period. This translates into an estimated number of impressions (during this 24-hour period) at over 100 Million! Total proceeds for this campaign so far are about $70,000, which will be donated to non-profit cancer organizations SU2C (Stand Up to Cancer), Alex’s Lemonade, Bright Pink, and Spirit Jump. (All are 501 (c)(3) organizations and accredited by The American Cancer Society.) The official site for this campaign is at BeatCancerEverywhere.

What can we take away from this?The possibilities for raising funds on the internet are endless! But we’re still in the beginning stages of figuring out what will actually work well. Adding a creative aspect to your campaign seems to be key for getting noticed and partnering up with another person or group will also help greatly.

Obviously having the support from celebrities or large companies doesn’t hurt, but even without a celebrity or large corporate support a worthy cause can raise substantial money through social media channels on the web. Case in point EpicChange’s Twitter fundraiser. (Read about more online fundraising campaigns here.)

Do you have an idea for a social media fundraising campaign? Or have you already tried one? Let us know in the comment section below.

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Although these fundraising ideas can raise a lot of money quickly, sometimes there may not be enough volunteers or financial resources to run these fundraisers, or maybe people are simply tired of them. If you currently don’t have the resources or volunteer base for a larger fundraising project, why not try one or all of the following simple, low key and low cost fundraising ideas. These fundraising ideas are neither new nor exciting, but will over time turn into a steady source of income you won’t want to be without:

The ‘bakeless’ bake sale

The bakeless bake sale was invented for the very purpose of bypassing all the work involved with ‘traditional’ fundraisers. Instead of actually making, selling or buying anything, would-be volunteers and supporters send in a check for the same amount they ‘would have’ spent or raised, thereby circumventing the actual bake sale.

A bakeless bake sale can also mean that you sell easily assembled baking mixes that your supporters can then prepare and bake themselves. Of course, this wouldn’t count as a low effort or free fundraiser anymore, but maybe simply doing things a bit differently may be worth the effort. For a great list of all kinds baking and cooking mixes that you can easily and inexpensively put together yourself, like ‘Brownies in a Jar,’ visit RecipeLink.com.

Fundraising programs at banks and stores

Free ‘loyalty’ fundraisers at banks and stores are especially well-suited to large groups such as schools. These fundraisers require no or very little additional effort for volunteers or supporters, that is, beyond what they already do on a day to day basis: shopping for groceries, buying gas, etc.

Some banks offer programs where a small donation is deposited into a school’s account each time a supporter makes a purchase with their ATM card. The potential supporters usually sign up for the program through the bank in person, or the bank’s website. Once the sign-up is completed, everything is automated. All you need to do is provide your group’s contact info and wait for the check! The main challenge here is to get as many people as possible to sign up. This is a fundraiser that will not yield great results overnight, but with ongoing reminders in newsletters, e-mails and on your website, you will in time have a large supporter base that will generate ongoing income for your group.

Another loyalty program that can be lucrative in the long run is a store sponsored loyalty program. How it works: The store credits a small amount to your school account every time you, or any supporter, makes a purchase. Sales are either tracked with a loyalty or discount card (just about every larger grocery store offers one), or simply by telling the cashier at checkout which group to attribute the sale to. Check with larger grocery stores or variety stores in your area for current programs.

For any loyalty program, your goal is to get as many teachers, parents, grandparents and supporters as possible to sign up so the money accumulates faster and longer. This is a great fundraiser that can run all year long, year after year, without any further effort beyond signing up for the program.

Label collection fundraisers

Remember box tops? Well General Mills is still running this fundraiser and it’s as popular as ever.

Go to General Mill’s Box Tops for Education Program.
(Read more about running a Box Tops For Education Fundraiser.)

Other label collection programs are LabelsForEducation and Tyson’s Project A+.

Recycle!

Another free fundraiser that almost runs itself is growing in popularity and involves recycling ink cartridges. With increasing awareness of pollution and its impact on the earth there is no better time for this excellent fundraiser. Millions of ink cartridges from homes and businesses are simply thrown away each year after the ink is used up. Rather than letting these cartridges go to waste and rot in landfills, why not recycle them and make money for your cause at the same time?

Get the word out to all your friends, relatives and businesses in your community to save their used cartridges for you instead of tossing them in the trash. As with the loyalty programs shown above, the inkjet cartridge recycling fundraiser works all year long. Plus, most places that take ink cartridges also offer a program to recycle cell phones.

What other recyclable items can you easily turn into money? You may generate a decent income with a bottles and cans recycling fundraiser, but this fundraiser usually requires quite a bit of effort and planning. If you do however already have recycling receptacles available, and/or volunteers to collect them and take them to a recycling facility, you may be able to plan this recycling fundraiser with minimal effort.

Although these ideas may not earn money as quickly and are not as exciting as some of the ‘traditional’ fundraisers, they have the potential to earn substantial money over time without exhausting your volunteers or their wallets!

Sponsored link:
FundingFactory specializes in recycling ink-cartridges & cell phones fundraisers.

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Pumpkin Patch

You can purchase pumpkins in bulk from a local farmer and sell them in a location where people might not have easy access to pumpkin farms. Farmers will typically sell to you at a discount if you purchase the pumpkins in bulk, so it will be easy to mark them up for a profit.

To run this fundraiser you need a piece of property on which to display the pumpkins, signs and volunteers. Then, advertise, and schedule your pumpkin patch hours. Be certain that you have enough volunteers to cover the shifts. Volunteers are required simply to collect payments once visitors have selected a pumpkin for purchase. Use wax pencils to write prices right on the pumpkins or simply group pumpkins of similar size together with a sign indicating the price for this size group.

About location and timing:
If the location you pick allows you to “lock up” any remaining pumpkins overnight then you don’t have to arrange for storing pumpkins at the end of each day of the event. If you do have to move pumpkins at the end of each day, make sure you have someone available with a truck and volunteers to move them.

If you carefully time your event, considering back-to-school, or other pumpkin sales for example, and advertise it accordingly (reminding people not to buy their pumpkins at the grocery store), you may be successful by running your pumpkin patch for only one day, which would greatly reduce the need for volunteers and also eliminate any overnight storage issues. You could also partner up with the owner of an existing pumpkin patch and organize your event alongside it.

Search for Halloween fundraiser

Pumpkin Carving

Another fun pumpkin fundraiser is a pumpkin carving event. This event works similar to a pumpkin patch and could be planned alongside a pumpkin patch, if you have enough volunteers available. Visitors select a pumpkin and carve it into a spooky jack-o-lantern on the spot.

For this fundraiser, you’ll need pumpkin carving tools and patterns in addition to the pumpkins. You’ll also need volunteers who can assist families in choosing and rendering their jack-o-lantern designs. This fundraiser requires a few more supplies, since you’re providing the tools and patterns for the jack-o-lanterns. However, the advantage is that you can charge a higher price – or ask for higher donations – for your pumpkins because you’re providing all the implements to make a jack-o-lantern on the spot. And the cost of the tools is minimal, since you’ll use the same sets over and over. In fact, many pumpkin carving patterns can be downloaded off the internet for no cost.

Pumpkin Painting

In addition to pumpkin carving, you could also offer pumpkin painting. This may be a great option for younger kids and would be safer than carving. Be sure to cover the ground with a tarp or newspapers, provide wet paper towels to wipe any dirt off the pumpkins and set up an assortment of brushes, markers and poster paints to work with. For extra special decorations, you can also provide glitter or glitter paint, or anything else that sparkles, items to stick into or onto the pumpkin, like small branches (for arms or hair), or fake spiders and spiderwebs. You’re only limited by your imagination!

In general, working on pumpkins seems to be easiest when they’re about ‘room’ temperature. Chilled pumpkins are harder to carve, any condensation makes them slippery and the paint may not stick well. Also, try to keep the stems dry to keep the pumpkins fresh longer. Once you’re done decorating your pumpkin, it is a good idea to keep it chilled, or in a shady spot, so it stays fresher longer.

With any of these fundraising events, consider adding other amenities to attract more visitors, like a moonwalk for the kids or a haunted house. You can also have a concession stand selling candy apples, popcorn and other fall favorites!

(Images ©iStockPhoto/tacojim, bopp63)

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Where To Set Up Fundraising Booths

Fundraising booths can be set up by themselves in areas of high traffic for a solitary event, or they can be part of a larger event or fundraising carnival.

Many times booth space will be rented to interested fundraising groups for a fee (often between 25 and 100 dollars).

Watch area newspapers and bulletin boards for available rental spaces, or look within your own organization events for opportunities.
.

Events and locations that might welcome fundraising booths include:

* Local storefronts
* Area banks and businesses
* Community tag sales
* Craft sales
* Recitals, plays, or shows
* Community fairs or carnivals
* Trade shows
* Fundraising carnivals
* Events such as games and sporting events, dances, and community dinners

Important: Be sure to apply and get permission much in advance. Popular spaces are often booked many months in advance.

Preparing For Booth Setup

Before the big day, you’ll need to put some time into planning your booth’s display. It should be sturdy, attractive, and inviting. Plan for any kind of weather! If your booth provides shade or shelter from the rain, it may also attract more visitors.

The first thing you will need to know is how big a space you have to work with. Measure out the area and set up a practice display ahead of time.

Collect all needed items and create displays well in advance of the event. Some supplies you might need include:

* Folding tables and chairs if not provided
* Canopy, sun umbrellas, partition to neighboring booth
* Paper/plastic bags
* Small shelves, racks, and display cases
* Tablecloths
* Tape
* Poster board
* Markers
* Decorations
* Calculators and sales inventory materials
* Boxes or totes for storage
* Change and small bills
* Don’t forget your permits, should they require to be displayed

Simple Steps For Planning And Setting Up Your Fundraising Booth

These simple steps will ensure a well organized, successful, and attractive fundraising booth set up.

* Arrange tables and cover with cloths
* Arrange shelving and display cases
* Decorate with seasonal or event-related themed decorations
* Clearly mark prices of all items and/or arrange price signs
* Arrange products so that all are clearly visible and neatly arranged; step back to make sure your booth is attractive, clean, inviting, and neat
* Hide all cartons, trash, and extra items
* Centrally locate seller’s chairs, cash box, calculators, and all sale materials
* If space is limited, put out just a few of each item and restock as necessary
* Plan for keeping cash and expensive or small items safe

Keys To Fundraising Booth Success

There are a few keys to fundraising booth success.

* Have an attractive product and display it invitingly
* Be well organized and staff volunteers ahead of time
* Place reminder calls a few days before the event
* Important: line up plenty of volunteer support, including back-up volunteers
* Volunteers should be scheduled in shifts so that the maximum amount of selling time can be managed without burning out a few volunteers

And last but not least, make it a fun event! Friendly faces representing your group go a long way to making your booth-based fundraiser a positive and memorable experience for everyone!

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Another advantage is the fact that because this fundraiser is a service, rather than goods-oriented, there is no leftover product at the end of the fundraiser. A third, no less important factor is the fact that at the end of the event, there is no clean-up to be done, as there might be with other types of fundraisers. Finally, there’s the weather factor: it’s not likely your event will be rained out, unlike, say, a walk-a-thon could be.

The key to a successful bowling fundraiser – like most fundraisers – is planning. A well-organized plan for volunteer bowlers and sponsors will assure that everything goes smoothly. Depending on which method you choose below, you will also need to publicize the event well ahead of time to your community, so that lots of folks come on the day (or night) in question.

So, are you ready to go for it? Here’s how:

Three ways to hold a bowling fundraiser:

The first is to make arrangements with the bowling alley ahead of time, so you’ll be able to charge a flat fee to the bowlers and then donate a percentage of the profits to your group. For example, if each person pays $15.00 for bowling and shoe rental, and the bowling alley agrees to give 50% of the profit to you, then your organization would receive $7.50 per person. Depending on how big you’re planning for this event to be, you could advertise through mass flyer distribution, internet, radio, or TV. Make sure everyone in your group or community knows about the chance to help you and your organization and have fun at the same time. This could be an all day event, a ‘bowl-a-thon’. A word of caution with this method though: if the cost of bowling will be different or more than usual, make sure this is clearly stated in your promotional materials.

A second way is to go out and get sponsors or pledges before the bowling fundraiser. Either ask for straight donations in return for an ad or a mention in your group’s newsletter or website, or a promise or ‘pledge’ to pay a certain amount per pin knocked down (f. ex. 25 cents per pin). Make sure you arrange for enough volunteer bowlers to bowl through your assigned time! Keep in mind, that when collecting pledges, there is a bit more work to be done after the bowling night, when your volunteers have to go back to collect on the pledges.

A third possibility is oriented more towards businesses or other larger groups. Offer them the chance to rent the lane for the night for flat fee, pay the bowling fees out of that, and your group gets the rest. The disadvantage here is that it may squeeze out single or couple bowlers.

Of course, you can always use a combination of the above three choices if you like more than one. Perhaps advertise to your community using option # 1, and include in that the option to rent a lane for those who want to do so.

Tip: on the day of the actual fundraiser, make sure you designate at least one volunteer as the go-to person, who can direct people to where they need to go, or help them when they have problems with their lane.

>> Have you already done a bowling fundraiser? Please share with us in the comments (below) how you did it!

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There are lots of ways to make a carnival successful as a fundraiser, which is why many schools and organizations do it on an annual basis. The key is to mix it up every year, so people look forward to coming back, but are continually surprised at the new booths, vendors, or games. Some of the best ways to keep things running smoothly are included below.

Put someone in charge

This may seem obvious, but is often overlooked when deciding who does which job. This person doesn’t have to be the one that does everything, but he or she needs to be the one to delegate everything. You need somebody (maybe it will be you) who can ask Mrs. A to be in charge of recruiting vendors for the food booths, Mrs. B in charge of organizing all the games, and Mr. C to bring in the volunteers. However you work it, there’s no getting around the need for someone to follow up with everyone on a regular basis and make sure the job is getting done.

Meet at least a few times

Some folks will tell you that you need to meet every week for six months prior to the event, while others will tell you that their organization only met once the week before. It really depends on how much experience you and your group have doing this sort of thing. If everyone knows the drill and understands what they need to do, you probably only need to have a few meetings. On the other hand, if you have never held anything like this before and this will be your first event together, you probably should meet every week for six months before.

Ensure everyone’s safety

Once upon a time, schools and organizations could hold a carnival without having to worry about what bad things might happen. Tragically, that time is gone. Be sure to put someone in charge of security at your carnival, who has the build of a club bouncer, the eye of a paranoid parent, and the wisdom of the ages! Anticipate junior-high antics like firecrackers in the bathroom, post plenty of security where parents can see it, and have a prominent “Meeting Place” where lost children can go and wait for their parents. That way, you—as well as the parents at your carnival—can rest easy, knowing that whatever happens will be handled promptly and with class.

Sell more than just a hamburger

In business, putting several products together and selling them as one package is called “product bundling.” For example, few people buy just a cheeseburger at McDonald’s anymore—they get a #3, with fries and a coke. You can work the same principle to much advantage at your carnival. Have food booths with various types of food in one area, different kinds of games in another, and vendors selling various items appropriate for a kids’ carnival in another. A side note here: if you can arrange it ahead of time, vendor placement in booths at your carnival is a win-win situation: the vendor gets great advertising and a chance to sell some of their wares, and you get the vendor fee with almost no overhead (just a table with a “reserved” sign is usually sufficient).

Make sure you have enough volunteers

You’ll need lots of volunteers to run your carnival. Examples of jobs are:

• Creating fliers, signs, and ‘ads’ for school newspapers
• Selling tickets before and during your carnival
• Setting up booths, games and decorations
• Running the booths and games and handing out prizes
• Running the PA system for announcements if necessary
• If you decide to have music, assign a ‘DJ’ that is familiar with working the sound system
• Setting up and manning a lost and found station
• Food sales, unless you allow outside vendors to sell their food. When you have outside vendors, you’ll need a liaison that works closely with them and monitors set up, and that the agreed upon food and drinks are offered, etc.
• Setting up trash and recycling cans. Cleaning up during and after the carnival
• Tearing down booths, games and decorations after the carnival
• Have several volunteers on ‘standby’ who could jump in at any time
• Have several volunteers available at the carnival for odd jobs that come up

Make a budget

Be sure you get any needed licenses and reserve a spot for your carnival well in advance of the event. You’ll also need to plan for potential vendors, insurance, table and booth rentals, prizes, decorations, advertising, the actual tickets, the games themselves and security.

To make planning easier for a larger group, it may work for you to set a date and see how many tickets you can pre-sell. That way you might be able to better estimate how many people will come, which will make it easier to plan for how many games to set up, the amount you have available for spending on prizes etc. Don’t forget to plan for a healthy profit for your group!

If you make sure you have all the basics covered, security, fun games and prizes and lots of helpers, you’ll have an event that’s not just fun, but also adds to your group’s bottom line!

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]]> http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/let-the-games-begin-a-carnival-fundraiser/feed/ 1 http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/using-customized-notecards-to-raise-money/ http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/using-customized-notecards-to-raise-money/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2009 23:23:25 +0000 FundraisingIP.com http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/?p=1872 The following is a guest post by Galit Fraser, owner of My Notecard Maker. Thanks you for the fundraising idea Galit!

Notecard fundraisers are easy, economical, and popular, especially with schools and churches.  They offer a great way to showcase students’ art, photos of animals, weddings, inspirational quotes, and more.

Tips for using a notecard fundraiser for your group:

• Use bright, colorful art.  Marker drawings are best, though paintings and collages can work well too.
• Use a variety of art works in each box, sorted randomly, to show off all your kids’ best work.
• Include your organization’s motto or an inspirational saying to keep the reader thinking about you long after they close the card.
• Recognize your hard-working staff and volunteers by including them in your notecard pictures.
• Have samples on hand when you take orders to show your customers exactly what they’ll be getting.

 
Once you’ve chosen your pictures, the next step is to make sure your notecards are exactly what you need them to be.  Check, check, and check again!  Follow your card printer’s recommendations on picture quality and file formats, and don’t be afraid to ask for proofs.  (My Notecard Maker, for example, provides both paper and electronic proofs for a nominal fee.)  Give yourself enough time for your order to arrive before your big event. Depending on your printer, you could be looking at a 2-6 week turnaround. Then watch your notecards fly out the door!


 

There are many advantages to notecard fundraisers:

• Expect to net significant profits—around $6/box, or more, with My Notecard Maker. (This will vary by printer).
• Notecards are almost endlessly useful: use them for wedding gifts, thank-you notes, teacher appreciation, new babies, mother’s/father’s day, grandparents, and more.
• With your group’s name and contact information on the back of the card, or on the box, you’re sure to be remembered.
• Notecards don’t spoil, go bad, or devalue.  If you don’t sell your entire stock at one event, you can store them until next time.
• Ordering more is easy, when you do run out.
• Kids love to draw, and using their art is a great way to involve them in your fundraising, and teach them early on that giving to others helps everyone.
• Notecards can be sold practically anywhere, such as craft fairs and back-to-school nights, as well as one at a time from your office, or even online.

 
Notecard fundraisers are a great way to raise money in any circumstance, but especially in tough economic times.  With these suggestions and a reputable company, your notecard fundraiser is sure to be a success.
 
About the author:
MyNotecardMaker.com is owned and operated by Galit Fraser, a stay-at-home Mom of three young boys.  My Notecard Maker is part of the My Calendar Maker family of sites – started by Galit seven years ago after her first child was born. She has six years of fundraising experience and enjoys working with organizations to raise money for their cause.

In times like these, every organization looking to raise funds needs to find a way to heighten the appeal to their target audience.  What better way to do this than with personalization?  Companies such as MyNotecardMaker.com offer unique, customized notecards, ready for your handwritten message.

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]]> http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/using-customized-notecards-to-raise-money/feed/ 0 http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/video-volunteers-mobile-phones-and-your-cause/ http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/video-volunteers-mobile-phones-and-your-cause/#comments Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:11:13 +0000 FundraisingIP.com http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/?p=1852 Following are some resources to help you with marketing and promoting your cause and learning more about using social media in your communication efforts.

Feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments section!


YouTube Video Volunteers

Would you like to use YouTube to market your fundraiser, or promote your non-profit, but you need someone to help with putting a video together? YouTube has launched YouTube Video Volunteers to connect non-profits with video volunteers. Non-profits can post their requests for volunteers to choose. Video volunteers get exposure, gain experience and can feel good about themselves, knowing they’ve done something good for our world!

MobileActive.org

How can you use mobile technology to promote your cause? MobileActive.org is a ‘resource for activists using mobile technology worldwide.’ It is also an excellent resource for how people around the world use cellphones to promote their causes, keep otherwise ‘unconnected’ groups of people informed and how mobile phones are used to promote social change.

Alltop

Alltop.com calls itself an ‘online magazine rack of popular topics.’ It’s basically a collection of blogs and feeds on specific topics that update every hour. Check out nonprofit.alltop.com and fundraising.alltop.com for all the latest posts on the web about these topics! You can also apply to have your own cause’s website listed. (FundraisingIP.com is also on Alltop!)

WeAreMedia

Want to learn more about integrating social media into your organization’s communications strategy? Visit WeAreMedia.org for ideas and resources from others involved with non-profits in a ‘community’ based environment.

Causes

Ready to start your own cause? Causes offers tips on how to get started with your cause, create a following and make a real impact. It also helps non-profits promote their causes through social media and lists them on their own website.

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]]> http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/video-volunteers-mobile-phones-and-your-cause/feed/ 0 http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/paypal-donate-buttons-illegal-in-florida/ http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/paypal-donate-buttons-illegal-in-florida/#comments Sat, 06 Jun 2009 17:26:46 +0000 FundraisingIP.com http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/?p=1789 Has it happened to you? Has your non-profit received a warning from the state of Florida for non-compliance with their solicitation laws for displaying a ‘Donate Button’? And what have you done about it?

A non-profit has informed us that the State of Florida deemed the PayPal Donate Button on their website to be in non-compliance with Florida’s Solicitation Laws. (The non-profit is not located in Florida by the way.)

The reason? The Donate Button is interpreted as “an appeal or campaign” to the public of the State of Florida, which means anyone displaying such a button would need to file for a permit with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services that allows them to raise funds specifically in Florida.

If they don’t, they’re in non-compliance with their solicitation laws. The non-profit was also told that anyone who has a ‘Donate Button’ on their website, regardless of whether they are located in Florida or not, and receives an online donation for a charitable purpose from a resident of the state of Florida must file a Solicitation of Contribution Act report and pay an annual fee.

So we ask you, our readers: What are your experiences with having a ‘Donate Button’ on your website? Have you had any problems with the State of Florida or any other state? Also, if your website has a lot of visitors, has it been lucrative to have a ‘Donate Button’ on your site? Is it worth it?

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]]> http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/paypal-donate-buttons-illegal-in-florida/feed/ 0 http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/get-twitter-twollars-for-your-organization/ http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/get-twitter-twollars-for-your-organization/#comments Thu, 04 Jun 2009 01:31:47 +0000 FundraisingIP.com http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/?p=1762 Say what? What are Twollars? Twollars are a virtual currency meant to help out charities. It is a new service, but it already looks promising. Here is how it works:

Anyone with a Twitter account automatically gets 50 Twollars to start with. Claim your Twollars here. You can then give away Twollars to anyone you like as a ‘thank you’, or to your favorite charities. (The person or charity receiving the Twollars also needs to have a Twitter account.)

The main point of this service is to help out charities, that’s why charities can sell their Twollars for ‘real’ money to businesses. Businesses can buy the Twollars from charities at the rate of 1$ for 10 Twollars.

Private persons can not sell their Twollars, but can pass them along or donate them.

Why would businesses want to buy Twollars? Businesses can use their Twollars to reward their customers in a meaningful way and at the same time create a social media presence on the web. It’s a win-win situation for them.

Do you work for, or run an organization with 501(c)(3) status? This is a good reason to open your free Twitter account now. Once you have your Twitter account, register your charity on Twollars website. Your supporters can then donate their virtual Twollars (which they can claim here) to your organization.

Twollars seems to be an easy and automatic, low effort way for charities to raise funds on the web. It looks like it’s also a great way to add another income stream without much fundraising efforts.

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]]> http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/get-twitter-twollars-for-your-organization/feed/ 0 http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/monthly-contributions-improve-fundraising-cash-flow/ http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/monthly-contributions-improve-fundraising-cash-flow/#comments Thu, 07 May 2009 16:54:29 +0000 FundraisingIP.com http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/?p=1587 If your organization’s cash flow is a little rocky right now, you might want to take a look at setting up a monthly giving program for individual donors. These giving programs can help individuals contribute to your organization easily and can help ensure that you have ongoing income each month.

Monthly contribution commitments work well for individual donors because they allow them to give more than they could give in a single annual donation, by budgeting for a small payment each month. It’s also good for the organization because it improves monthly cash flow and increases the average individual donation.

Advertise

If you’d like to start a monthly giving campaign, start advertising. Put information in your newsletter and send out flyers to those who have donated in the past. Also put together a mailing list of people who have not donated to your organization, but might be willing to do so. This list can consist of people who have attended functions or asked for information about your organization. Set up a specific campaign period, to encourage donors to take action on the request, rather than putting off making their commitment. When the campaign is over, be certain to share the results with all who subscribe to your newsletter, and all who participated in the campaign.

Timing

Timing your monthly giving campaign with other activities will improve its success. If you have an annual fundraiser, for example, make monthly contributions an option for those who attend this fundraiser. Or, hand out flyers on monthly contributions at celebratory events. You’ll likely find that you have more people who are willing to make a commitment when the information is handed out face to face than through mailings. However, mailings are great reminders and follow up tools.

Payment Options

Be certain to offer payment options to your contributors. Automatic credit card payments make monthly giving simple for both the organization and the contributor and help ensure that contributors don’t forget to make their payments. (For an easy way to accept credit cards, consider PayPal.com.)

Records

It’s important to keep good records of your monthly contributors. Of course, you’ll need the information for tax records. However, you’ll also want to keep track of the ending dates for those who contribute each month for a year. You’ll want to contact contributors whose contribution period is nearing its end, to thank them and to try and sign them on for another year. Also, if they don’t sign up for another year, you want to be certain to stop any automatic payments on time.

Automatic monthly contribution programs will certainly require more administrative support than other types of contributions. However, in the long run, they can help your organization bring in more individual contributions and can help improve your monthly cash flow, making them well worth any additional bookkeeping work they require.

Especially during periods of a slow economy, charitable organizations must be creative in finding funding in order to keep contributions coming in. Automatic monthly payments help individual contributors give more-more easily. And, they help charitable organizations bring in cash every month, ensuring that the bills get paid during tough times. There’s certainly room in every organization’s donor program for simple monthly payment options that increase your chances of gaining donations from a larger number of individuals.

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]]> http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/monthly-contributions-improve-fundraising-cash-flow/feed/ 0 http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/great-deals-discount-card-fundraisers/ http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/great-deals-discount-card-fundraisers/#comments Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:16:57 +0000 FundraisingIP.com http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/?p=1692 Want a fundraiser that supports local businesses, keeps money in your community, has the publicity and support of area merchants, is welcomed by supporters and raises big funds fast? Sound impossible? Read on and learn about Discount Card fundraisers…

What Is A Discount Card Fundraiser?

A discount card fundraiser consists of selling pre-printed cards that are worth a discount from area merchants and service people. Area businesses agree to give a discount of their choosing to all who present cards to them at their business or at the time of service delivery. Your organization sells the cards at a set rate – usually $5 to $10 – and buyers can use the cards for as long as agreed upon by participating area businesses; the expiration should be printed on the cards.

How Do You Start A Discount card Fundraiser?

The easiest way to get started running a discount card fundraiser is to pair with a company that coordinates the drive and prints the cards for your organization. The discount card fundraising company will contact and negotiate with area merchants and solicit participation.

Once participating merchants and service people are contracted, the discount card fundraising company will print the cards and include on the back a list of participating merchants, including what discounts are available at each.

What’s In It For Everybody?

During a discount card fundraiser, everybody wins. Area merchants and service people get increased business and revenue; area customers get discounts of local services and purchases they need; and your organization profits from discount card sales profits. Everybody wins because almost all the money involved stays within your local community.

Your organization benefits from the ease and simplicity of the sale as well. With one simple product, there are no tedious sorting and storage issues. Discount cards are simple for even very young sellers to sell. And if you choose to go the route of cash and carry sales, there is no lingering delivery to contend with.

How Are Discount Cards Sold?

Discount cards can be sold one of two ways:

One way is to print informational literature and order takers, or obtain them from the discount card fundraising company, and collect orders for the cards. Money is collected upfront, and there is no out-of-pocket expense to your organization.

The second option does require an initial out-of-pocket expenditure, but can result in a fast and easy campaign. In this option, a set number of discount cards are ordered and paid for ahead of time at wholesale cost. Sellers then sell the cards for the agreed upon amount and deliver the discount cards at the point of purchase. This is often preferable for buyers, and instant savings can boost discount card sales.

Discount card fundraisers are often met with great success. With the all around support and inherent win-win-win situation, discount card fundraisers are gaining in popularity by the day.

 

>> Search for Discount Cards Fundraiser


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]]> http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/great-deals-discount-card-fundraisers/feed/ 0 http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/recycle-ink-cartridges-and-cell-phones-tips-for-success/ http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/recycle-ink-cartridges-and-cell-phones-tips-for-success/#comments Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:08:28 +0000 FundraisingIP.com http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/?p=1685 Ink cartridge and cell phone recycling fundraisers are very popular because they are super easy and keep millions of useful cartridges and cell phones out of landfills. There are several things your organization can do to make your ink cartridge and cell phone recycling program even more successful.

Be A Good Partner

Be a good partner to your recycling redemption company by following their guidelines. Be sure to:

• Obtain their latest list of accepted cartridges and cell phones
• Update the list regularly and pass it on to donors
• Sort through donated cartridges and cell phones and weed out broken and beyond repair units
• Follow the company’s schedule for redemptions and payment
• Follow shipping instructions, and package large donations conveniently for easier processing (see below)

Recruit Donations

Remember that you are not limited to your immediate support base for cartridge and cell phone donations; you can reach out to other individuals and groups, too. Some good ways to increase donations are by:

• Calling area businesses and asking them to set aside their used ink cartridges; assign someone to pick the cartridges up to make it even easier on the company.
• Encourage your group’s members to collect ink cartridges and cell phones from their employers, friends, family, and others. You might consider supplying a second outreach letter that can be given to peripheral supporters.
• Set up community collection boxes; attach a letter or sign explaining what can be donated and who will benefit (your group). All you have to do then is regularly check and empty the boxes. Note that some businesses might welcome a drop box at their office, too—they can drop their cartridges and old cell phones in, and so can their employees and clients.


Note that some redemption companies will allow you to supply shipping bags to individuals and groups that they can simply mail in (postage pre-paid) on your behalf; that way, you won’t have to worry about making the rounds to collect donated cell phones and empty ink cartridges.

Protect Your Profits

You can ensure that your collections are protected by packaging them well and according to the recycling companies suggestions before shipping; that way, more of your units will be accepted and paid for. Some tips for packaging large shipments of ink cartridges and cell phones follow:

• Pack larger cartridges first (bottom of box)
• Group ink cartridges and cell phones separately or by type/manufacturer
• Place newspaper or cardboard between each layer
• Fill in gaps with newspaper

Lastly, be sure that your packages are labeled correctly so that they get where they are going. If pre-printed materials are provided, use them—they will ensure that the correct addresses and postage are used, and may include an ID number that lets the company know who you are.

You can feel good about this easy recycling ink cartridge and cell phone fundraising project!

(FundingFactory offers a fundraising program for ink cartridge and cell phone recycling. Sponsored link.)

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Is It A Lottery?

Scratch cards in general are usually associated with state lotteries, but scratch card fundraisers are not at all linked to any kind of lottery or payout and they are not raffles either. They are a fun and fast way to collect money for an organization without having to push unwanted products.

How Are Scratch Cards Sold?

Each selling member of your organization will devote to selling ‘x’ amount of cards; alternatively, you can set the amount of cards each member receives, and do your best to see that each seller reaches their ‘sales’ quota.

In truth, fundraising scratch cards are not really sold. Scratch cards are presented to potential supporters. Sellers explain the process to them, and the supporter scratches off a dot. Under the dot is a dollar amount. Amounts generally range from one to five dollars. The supporter agrees ahead of time to donate the amount of money that appears below the dot they have scratched. So if a supporter scratches off a dot that reads $4.00 under it, the supporter pays the seller $4.00. Each card has a maximum and a minimum amount under the dots, so the supporter will know before they scratch that they will be donating at least the minimum and no more than the maximum (usually no more than $5.00) unless they want to donate more to the cause.

What If Supporters Want To Give More?

Supporters can keep scratching the card until they have donated as much as they want to give. Donors can scratch as many dots as they want, and pay the sum total of all scratched dots. Of course, they can always scratch more than one card, too, but having donors scratch several dots saves on the wholesale cost of the cards, stretching the supply further.

What’s in It For Supporters?

Essentially, supporters get the satisfaction of knowing that they are helping an area organization meet their needs, for just the donation of a few dollars and a minute of their time. There is no real product to sell, but most supporters do not mind not spending big on something they don’t necessarily want or need, with only limited funds actually staying with the organization (with scratch card fundraisers, overhead is quite low – just the cost of the cards – and profits can be as high as 90%).

Knowing that everybody likes a little something for their time, money, and effort, however, most scratch card donation programs will include the gift of a sheet of coupons for supporters.

What Makes Scratch Card Fundraising So Great?

Scratch card fundraising is great because it raises significant funds with low overhead in a fun way. Scratching is simple, and there is no subsequent delivery, storage, sorting, or distribution to contend with. It does take ‘selling’ quite a few scratch cards to see significant income, but for organizations with a wide outreach capability, scratch card fundraising is an excellent way to raise immediate cash funds.

>> FastTrackFundraising offers customized scratch cards…

>> Search For Scratch Cards Fundraisers

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