What does this mean for you? It’ll be important to keep focusing on diversifying your donor pool to capture potentially large one time grants while at the same time consistently going after small donations from individuals online and in person.

This also means to keep working on a strategy that specifically addresses potential donors from different generations, including the Millenials who grew up with the internet in their homes. You might say that you’ve been doing this all along, but what is now more important than ever is the ‘continued diversification‘ part, gaining supporters and collecting donations from different generations through different channels on and offline and with new technologies.

It is up to each group to figure out which demographic is easiest to reach through specific mediums or channels. Some groups will do great harnessing supporters through Facebook for example, while others will be much better in getting the word out through their website or through direct mail campaigns. And reaching potential donors is only the first step as you know; another challenge lies in understanding your donors and ‘connecting’ them with your beneficiaries which will ultimately result in donations.

The choices you offer to your donors when they’re willing and ready to make a donation is very important as well: if it’s too clumsy to make a donation through a smart phone for example, you’ll lose out because transactions may not be completed. But with online, mobile and in person payment technologies becoming more advanced and flexible, making payments through other channels beside a donation button on your website are getting easier.

Why worry about donations from smart phones when you can ask through your website you wonder? Because some sources have predicted that the mobile internet will overtake desktop internet access by 2013, while others have stated that mobile app use has already overtaken desktop web access! We’ll have more information on how to take advantage of this trend, including information on micro donations and mobile giving (including new digital wallets services) coming up soon!

—
Our iPhone Touch Giveaway!

Once again congratulations to Lisamaria Martinez, the winner of our iPod Touch Giveaway! She works for The Lighthouse in San Francisco, an organization for the blind and visually impaired. We asked her how she will use the iPod Touch and she sent the following:

“A little about iDevices in general …

iPods, or any iDevice for that matter, are wonderful for people who are blind or low vision. The best part is that they come with built-in-accessability, meaning, I do not have to purchase a device and then go shopping for software to install that usually costs a few hundred extra in order to make the device accessible.

The many apps available to all of us, sighted or blind, help keep our lives organized. For a blind person, being able to carry around an accessible weather app, calculator, address book, calendar, reminders, alarm clock, etc, etc all in one device has lightened our backpacks and purses.

If all of the aforementioned apps weren’t cool enough, the camera in the newest iDevices is extremely accessible to the blind. If VoiceOver is turned on – VoiceOver is the talking feature on Apple products that allow products to be used by the blind – the camera will recognize and announce whether you have one or two faces in the viewfinder. It’ll say something like, “One small face in center.” So as a new mom, I can take decent pictures of my son and know whether his face is even in the frame and if it is toward the top, bottom, left, right, or center.

The downside to all of the cool apps: App creators do not always take into consideration accessibility. It would be great if accessibility were mandatory. My blind friends and I could then play those crazy games we always hear about like Angry Birds. “

It’s truly amazing how technology can make our lives easier. And we agree, it’s time to update Angry Birds for more accessibility!

—

Following are our most popular posts this year:

- Keys to a Successful Wine Tasting Fundraising Event

- A Halloween Pumpkin Fundraiser

- Bowling for Dollars: A Bowling Fundraiser

- The Power of a Press Release

- Cookbook Fundraiser

- Recognizing Fundraising Volunteers

Generally, our fundraising letters category has been very popular. Look for more samples and how-to info next year!

—

As you may already know, most donations are made near the end of the year. So if you’d like to harness some of these funds, be sure to add one more post on your blog about the benefits of a donation to your group and about how to make last minute donations that can potentially be tax deductible.

We wish you a wonderful and exciting New Year 2012!

Your FundraisingIP.com Editorial Team

Related posts:

• 2010 Recap: New Opportunities Arise Out Of A Challenging Year For Raising Funds
• 2008 Recap: Most Popular On FundraisingIP.com
• 2009 Recap: New Challenges, New Ways To Raise Funds
• Are You Considering a Mobile App for Your Non-profit?
• Why Fundraising Is Important

But please do take a moment out of your busy day and enter our first Giveaway!

All you have to do is link to your favorite charity and you could win an iPod Touch!

You can enter via this blog post or via Twitter and promote your own group or your favorite charity at the same time! (see instructions below)

But hurry, you can only enter until Thursday, December 15th 2011!

The Prize:

Two ways to enter:

- Either: Leave a comment below telling us about your favorite charity, your own group or fundraising campaign and include a link to its website, blog, Facebook or Twitter page etc. (Please keep it under 100 words.)

- Or: Go to Twitter.com and tweet about your favorite charity, your own group or fundraising campaign and include a link to its website, blog, Facebook or Twitter page etc. In order for us to find your entry, add the hashtag #ilovefundraising and @FundraisingIP to your tweet. If you haven’t already, make sure you follow us on our Twitter page, so we can communicate with you should you be the winner.

Rules:

- Odds of winning are based on the number of entries we receive
- Open to US Residents 18 and older
- No purchase necessary
- This Giveaway ends Thursday, December 15th, 2011 at midnight 12:00am and we will announce the winner asap!
- For full rules of this Giveaway, click here

Please note that this is not a contest about which charity gets the most ‘votes,’ but an opportunity for you, our readers, to let us all know about your own group or non-profit, or other favorite charity and of course an opportunity to win a cool gadget!

Good luck to everyone!!

———
Update: We have a winner!! Congratulations to Lisamaria Martinez!! Her favorite charity is the Lighthouse of the Blind for San Francisco.

Related posts:

• Nominate Your Charity To Win A $25,000 Social Media Makeover
• 2008 Recap: Most Popular On FundraisingIP.com

Thank you to everyone who participated! Your answers give us valuable insight and will help us shape the information you find on our site and better tailor it to your needs.

Question 1: “If more than one option applies to you, please check the option(s) that you spend the most time on. Are you a “

More than one answer was possible and “Other” responses included a homecoming candidate, board members and nonprofit consultants.

Question 2: “Do you raise funds for more than one group?”

Even though there are a lot of you who are dedicated to raising funds for one specific group, over 45% are raising funds for more than one cause!

Question 3: “What has been your favorite fundraising product, service or fundraising campaign?”

Some of you don’t have any favorites or are just starting out. Most of you like raffles, candy sales, t-shirt sales and other simple fundraising ideas. Following is a list of some of the ‘raw’ results of what other fundraisers and campaigns our readers like:

bulb sale

planned giving

Grateful Patient Programs

A Cookbook with people’s recipes and pet photos

fundraiser for animal shelter, underwriters pay $30 a month for a year to cover the cost of the kennel’s occupant’s food, shots, grooming – and – a sign in the shape of a dog bone has their name painted on it and it is hung on the kennel door.

extreme couponing class

Can food drive that was successful in obtaining the Guinness Book of World Record Largest Free-standing can food structure. It was in honor of the Vietnam Veterans.

Annual OKC Shriners Circus

Dinner & Silent Auction

Girl Scout cookies when I was younger

EmptyBowls.org

Social networking

Grant writing

Spring and Fall Gun Raffel

Indiegogo.com

end child labour

carnival

Specialty items, recycling cell phones……NO COOKIE DOUGH or FOOD RELATED ITEMS

Canine Assistants

The Pasta Shoppe – pasta fundraising

Events and grants research

ArchitectInTheHouse.org

Sage fundraising software

poker ride and a wine makers dinner

iPad fundraiser for adults with disabilities

garage sale at work

Jar game

Trivia night

Building a “Wall Against Hunger*

annual penny sales

capital finance for a new juvenile hall facility

copper drive, book sale

Flower Show

Kool for Katz band

art auction

Question 4: “How many small or large fundraising campaigns (online or offline) have you participated in since August 2011, or the beginning of the Fall fundraising season?”

Most of our readers held at least one fundraising campaign between August and October, the typical beginning of the Fall fundraising season.

Question 5: “What feature or information on FundraisingIP.com do you find most helpful?”

Most of you like FundraisingIP.com for getting different fundraising ideas! You like the tips and ideas presented on how to get the most out of your fundraiser and what to look for as you’re planning your next campaign.

You also like the fundraisers that don’t require buying products and several of you liked the information on making a mobile app for your blog. Other aspects of the site, like the fundraising checklists and the fundraising letters also got a few ‘likes.’

Question 6: “What feature or information on FundraisingIP.com would like to see improved or added?”

Most of you would like to see more fundraising ideas that can be implemented on a very low or no budget, including fundraisers that don’t require selling products. You’d like to see information for small groups who rely completely on volunteers and don’t have much of a budget.

It looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us! From the results of this survey it looks like many of you do like product fundraisers, but are in need of fundraising ideas that don’t involve a cash outlay as well. We’ll try and uncover more low cost or no cost, non-product fundraising ideas that are easy to implement. If you have already run a fundraiser that meets these specs, please share it with us in the comments.

Some of you would also like information on grants available. Sites like GrantGopher.com for example, specialize in grants and you can sign up for their emails to receive grant opportunities in your mailbox. They also offer paid services. Or click over to this list of grant sources, compiled by Joanne Fritz at about.com.

We’ve had a few responses that mentioned that they’d like our newsletter articles to link directly to the site. The articles should already link to the site: the titles of the articles should always be clickable, even in the newsletter that only displays excerpts. If you have a problem with any email you receive from us, please contact us through our contact page.

Question 7: Do you use social networking accounts or blogs to help with marketing and fundraising efforts? If yes, which ones:

Looks like Facebook wins when it comes to using social media for your marketing and fundraising efforts! More than one answer was possible and a few of you are also using LinkedIn.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this survey! If you have some tips for other readers please add them in the comments.

Related posts:

• Fundraising Survey – 7 Questions
• Finding The Right Grant Opportunities For You
• What Grant Foundations Are Looking For
• Raise Funds For Yourself?

1. Look at a donation in terms of how it will benefit the donor

This is always a good idea, but especially in a recession. When the chips are down and money is tight, it helps when approaching businesses to show them the benefits of investing (read: donating) in your organization. Can you offer publicity? How about free advertising? Their name on a banner, website or t-shirt? Are you asking for donations for a large event? Could you find a way to work their name into the event right from the beginning of the promotional stage?

Wise organizations capitalize on these opportunities by offering sponsors increasing benefits for increasing sponsorship amounts — say $100 gets your name into the program, while $500 gets you a large advertising block with graphic in the program and your name on a banner during the event. And be sure to mention that donations to your organization may be tax deductible, assuming your organization has 501(c)(3) status.

2. Relationship, relationship, relationship

In real estate the most important thing is location. In the non-profit industry, the most important thing is still relationship. Did someone donate to your cause last year? If they’re not able to do so this year, don’t make them feel guilty; keep in touch with them throughout the year and ask them if it’s alright if you contact them about donating again next year – they will probably say yes. Don’t forget that the way you handle yourself and treat others during tough times will have a lasting impression on your relationships with your donors for years to come.

Also think about creating new relationships, like collaborations with businesses that would have a tangible benefit from a relationship with your organization. For example, an organization dedicated to fighting diabetes and the local grocery store – eating a diet that includes lots of fresh fruits and vegetables helps decrease your chances of diabetes.

3. Ask professionals for their time

During a slow economy, there will likely also be plenty of skilled, competent people out of work or not fully employed. Suggest to professionals who aren’t able to give financially that they can also help the cause by donating their time and expertise. You’ll be able to put their skills to use, they’ll be able to expand their resume, and you will meet a need in the community at the same time.

For example, an unemployed grant writer might be worth more money to your organization than a donation by helping you apply for a grant. Or, how about a web designer? Chances are your website could use a some sprucing up. Be sure to help out as well by writing letters of recommendation when asked, and adding mentions in your on- and offline publications.

4. Ask for in-kind donations

This may apply more to businesses than to individuals, but store closures, manufacturers’ surplus and restaurant leftovers (for food banks) are all realistic sources for valuable in-kind donations for charitable groups. Getting in-kind donations takes more time to process, sort or sell, but may be just the ticket to take you through tough times. More ideas for getting in-kind donations.

5. Change your expectations

No, you’re not giving up, but there comes a point when you have to be realistic about what you can expect during a recession. This will be different from group to group and from person to person (paid and volunteer). And maybe you just have to lower your expectation from a particular way of raising funds and fill in the gaps with some new, or long forgotten ways of raising funds?

For example, maybe you have to lower your expectation for simple cash donations for a while and try to fill in the gaps with other fundraising drives, like recycling electronics for cash, or pushing your spent ink jet cartridges fundraising more than before. Don’t forget, people still like to help, but they just may not have the extra cash that they’ve been able to give freely before.

6. Use your resources for a new project

Assuming your fundraising activities have been slow and you have plenty of time and volunteer resources available; what can you do with these unused or underused assets? Depending on your resources, you could start a creative project on a site like Kickstarter.com or IndieGoGo.com, that could make good use of your current time (and your volunteers’ time) and greatly help in supporting your cause in the long run by creating an income source. What are Kickstarter.com and IndieGoGo.com? In short, these sites let you raise funds for all kinds of creative projects. IndieGoGo.com also lets you raise funds for charitable purposes, but Kickstarter doesn’t.

People go on Kickstarter and IndieGoGo to fund an art project, a new gadget, a new game, a music album, a documentary etc. View the currently most popular projects on Kickstarter here and see just how much money people are donating to help these projects come to fruition.

Are your creative juices flowing yet?

The key to getting projects funded on either of these sites is to have a project that has wide appeal, a well organized campaign, a good video and/or description explaining your project and possibly some perks.

7. Remain confident and don’t take shortcuts

This means you still have to stay on top of all your paperwork and filings and maintain your level of charitable work. Now is not the time to slow down. In fact, maybe you can take the time to analyze the way you’re doing things currently and work on making them more efficient. If you are in fact able to run certain aspects more efficiently and save money for your group, be sure to report this fact on your blog.

Also, refrain from sounding too desperate. That may sound to others like you’re truly worried about your group surviving. Remain confident in your cause and keep up your sound marketing practices as much as you’re able to.

Finally, look at it this way: Your group is still alive. Others may have already given up. And sometimes, it’s enough just to make it through another day, always remembering that it won’t always be like this. Recessions do end and there will come a time when you will look back, and say “Remember when…” Until then, hang in there, don’t give up, and don’t lose heart!

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.”

Related posts:

• In-Kind Donations and Low Cost Products and Services for Your Group – Part 1
• In-Kind Donations and Low Cost Products and Services For Your Group – Part 2
• All Wrapped Up: Fundraising With Gift Wraps And Greeting Cards
• Who’s Who In Fundraising: Big Names In Quality Fundraising
• Coffee Fundraising

Do you have a question you would like to ask other visitors to this site? Then please leave it in the comments below and we’ll consider adding it to another fundraising survey.

Don’t worry, we’re not planning on posting a lot of these, but we thought it may be interesting to run a short survey once in a while.

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions! We wish you great success with your current fundraiser!

If you’re unable to see or work with the survey below, please click this link to take you to the survey website surveymonkey.com

—————————-

Related posts:

• Fundraising Survey – 7 Questions – Results

You can now download our fundraising app – it’s free!

Or search for ‘fundraising ideas’ on your iPhone, iPod or iPad. Please do leave your review within the app store! If you have any questions or suggestions, please comment below.

Note: If you’ve clicked over from Apple’s website, please ask any questions in the comments below.

To read more about how we got started making this app, click over to Mobile App on a Small Budget. If you’re curious about getting your own mobile app, read Are You Considering a Mobile App for Your Non-Profit?

Our fundraising app

Since it’s a do-it-yourself service, Appmakr.com doesn’t provide endless features, but the ones it does provide are essential and are pretty good! For example, if you have a WordPress blog, or any other kind of blog, you can simply add your feeds to deliver your articles.

We’ve used our most popular feeds and added tabs for fundraising ideas, internet related articles (like this one), fundraising letters and our main feed to browse through latest articles. We’ve also added one static About page. Very simple!

As mentioned in another article about mobile apps, you don’t need an app if you want people to be able to access your site on a mobile device. If you’re running a blog, you can simply install a plug-in to format your blog for mobile access and you’re all set.

The advantage of having an app is that your website, your group and message can be marketed through a whole new channel that millions of people all over the world have access to. Another advantage is that you could add functionality to your app that your website can’t offer, like location services, push notifications etc.

Are you ready to create an app with Appmakr.com? Here is what you need to know or do to get started:

1. Learn about what a ‘feed’ is and how it works. ‘RSS’, ‘feed’, RSS feed’ etc. all stand for the same functionality. If you have a blog that uses WordPress, or you’ve signed up for a blog through Blogger or Blogspot for example, your blog already has a feed which is marked by this familiar icon

(More about feeds.)

A feed automatically broadcasts any article you post through different channels: it let’s the search engines know that you have a new post, it triggers emails to your blog subscribers if you’re signed up through a service like Feedburner, it sends your article to anyone who has signed up to your blog’s feed with a feed reader, and it also broadcasts your articles to any place that you’ve added your feed to, like this free app, and also websites that allow you to add your feed.

For example, the feed address to our articles is http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/feed.

You will be asked for your feed URL when you create your app. Yours may simply look like this http://www.yourblogsURL.com/feed. You can also add feeds for different categories of your blog, which would look like this http://www.yourblogsURL.com/category/feed. Go ahead and try it out with your blog’s web address!

You can also add your photo feed from sites like Flickr, a location feed, simple static pages, or your Ning social network (for a fee).

2. If you simply want to add static pages, you have to know some HTML to format your pages. A good place to start learning for free is w3schools.com. In fact, this is a great website to learn about any web related technology for free!

3. Create graphics for your mobile app: this includes a button that will appear in the app store at 512×512 pixels, a welcome screen or splash screen at 640×960 pixels and a header graphic at 640×88 pixels.

4. Sign up for an iOS Apple Developer Account at $99 per year. This is the only expense that you can’t get around. In order to get your app into the app store you have to have this account and you have to renew it every year.

Important: Appmakr.com has a functionality in place so that you don’t necessarily need an Apple computer to create the app on their website, but to actually upload the app to the Apple store you need a Mac.

5. Within Appmakr.com you will be asked to create Developer and Distribution Certificates in your Apple Developer account and upload them to Appmakr.com. You have to make sure you follow the instructions to a ‘t’ and in the right sequence, otherwise it won’t work. We had already unsuccessfully tried a few times when a developer friend recommended to delete every certificate we had created and then simply start from scratch. Then it worked!

You can sign up with Appmakr.com to do this part for you, but it can be pricey. It still may be worth it to you to have your app out there.

Bottom line for creating your mobile app in Appmakr.com:

If you know a little bit of HTML and feeds and can get the graphics done yourself, the process is pretty simple and your only expense will be the $99. If what you just read is all new to you, you can still get your app done by hiring a graphic designer to do the simple graphics (should be fairly inexpensive) and a programmer through a site like oDesk.com to help with the process of creating the certificates (this should also be inexpensive, because you’re not asking them to program anything).

If you don’t want to deal with any of the above, you can simply hire Appmakr.com to do it all for you! (We’re Not affiliated with Appmakr.)

Whichever way you decide to go, or if you have questions, please let us know in the comments!

Related posts:

• Mobile App On A Small Budget
• Are You Considering a Mobile App for Your Non-profit?
• Google For Non-Profits, Mobile App, and Other Updates
• Video Volunteers, Mobile Phones And Your Cause
• In The News: Record Profits, Mobile Donations – Using SMS To Raise Funds, New Online Fundraising Service

Google’s updated non-profit suite of products

Google has re-launched a suite of products and services tailored to the needs of non-profits. If you’ve created videos for your non-profit before, or used Google Apps, now you can make use of all these services under one roof and with special enhancements relevant to non-profits.

Google has added online training videos, case studies and offers a one-stop application for all its non-profit services. If you get approved you may qualify for up to $10,000 a month in free Google Adwords advertising, free or discounted Google Apps (depending on the size of your organization), premium YouTube features and mapping technologies to help raise awareness of your cause.

For more information on Google for Non-Profits, click over to Google’s blog. In order to qualify for this program you must have current 501(c)(3) status.

Related: Is it time to turn your PTO into an official non-profit?

Do you have a Twitter or Facebook account?

You can follow our updates on Twitter and now also through our brand new Facebook page! Our Twitter updates also contain volunteer opportunities available through Idealist.org. To receive our updates vie email, click over to our subscriber options.

Did you know…

…that we update our articles on the site as new information becomes available? For example, our article on the 15 Most Popular Online Fundraising Services has been updated several times already, because some services shut down and new ones have spring up. We do this because one goal for our site is to create a reference for you that’s easy to use and isn’t cluttered with outdated information.

Another example of a continuously updated article is the one on how to Create a Website. As services have changed and blogs become the standard for websites, we’ve updated this article to reflect the most current information available. Having said that, if you see something on our site that you think could use an overhaul, please let us know through our contact page! (Browse through all our articles or the latest ones.)

Our first app:

Have you been following our updates on creating our own iPhone app? We’ve finally been approved by Apple which means we can submit our app for inclusion in their app store! The first step for us is to test the app, then once it’s determined that it works the way it should work, we’ll submit it and hope that Apple will approve it right away.

Lesson learned: get registered for Apple’s iOS Developer Standard Program as soon as possible (you can enroll as an individual or company), because it can take a while to get approved. Also, learning about how the whole process works of testing the app, giving others (like developers or anyone else who might help you with this) access to your account and reading their terms will save you time once your app is ready to go. We’ll let you know as soon as our app is live and available for distribution!

Easter fundraisers:

Are you planning on holding an Easter fundraiser? For ideas click over to Easter Fundraiser – Do the Bunny Hop! and Easy Profits with an Easter Chocolate Fundraiser. Don’t forget to use one of our checklists to help plan your event!

Donating to Japan’s Disaster Relief Efforts

If you’re planning on making a donation for the victims of the disaster in Japan, get some information about the charity you’re considering on Charity Navigator. And while you’re there, be sure to check if the information on your own non-profit is correct and up-to-date.

Related posts:

• Our Fundraising Mobile App is Live!
• Mobile App On A Small Budget
• Are You Considering a Mobile App for Your Non-profit?
• In The News: Record Profits, Mobile Donations – Using SMS To Raise Funds, New Online Fundraising Service
• How To Apply For The Google AdWords Advertising Grant

What was popular on FundraisingIP.com in 2010?

Our free checklists have continued to be very popular in 2010. Including our new social media strategy checklist, that together with our post Does Your Group Have A Social Media Strategy? offers ideas and helpful do’s and don’ts for groups getting started with social media.

Also popular this year:
>> How To Create a Website
>> List of Fundraising Ideas
>> Fundraising Events
>> Writing Fundraising Letters

Challenging year for raising funds creates new opportunities

2010 has been another tough year for raising funds. A sharp drop of donations at big charities is a reflection of what has been happening to smaller charities as well. To find new ways to raise funds, charities are using technologies like mobile phone apps to increase awareness and solicit donations (for example, search for Salvation Army Kettle and Bellringer apps in the iTunes apps store) and new commercial fundraising products are being developed, like SwipeGood, an ATM card that rounds up your purchase to the nearest dollar and donates the difference to charities.

The future of giving is also changing as more wealthy individuals are pledging more of their money for good causes. Bill Gates’ “Giving Pledge” has so far signed up 40 billionaires who have pledged to give away 50% of their wealth by the time they leave this world. And you’ve certainly heard of Mark Zuckerberg, one of the billionaires on the list and the founder of Facebook, who has decided to donate 100 million dollars right away to Newark schools.

Cause marketing campaigns by Target, Chase and Pepsi have been creating a buzz around winning charities but are still controversial because of how votes are solicited. Maybe the next generation of these campaigns will be more sophisticated and will benefit even more groups.

Mobile donations in 2011?

Charitable groups are anxiously hoping for Apple to clear the way for mobile apps that let them raise funds. The main issue holding Apple back from allowing these type of apps is that it currently has no way to track if donations go to legitimate charities. If Apple works to resolve this issue and in fact goes through with allowing donation apps in 2011, this will be another great fundraising opportunity for charities. You can sign a petition addressed to Steve Jobs to let charities collect donations via their mobile apps and devices.

Our own mobile app!

With all the changes going in charitable giving, we can all agree on one thing: that we can’t be static and keep relying solely on traditional fundraisers. We have to find new ways to harness donation dollars and get younger generations involved. One way of doing that is to take advantage of new technologies.

So we’ve decided that this year we will create our own mobile app and pass on all that we will learn about it to you, our readers! We figured the best way to learn and write about this topic is to actually do it. So if you’re stuck with your traditional fundraisers, because you don’t know where to start with all this new technology available, keep an eye out for our posts on mobile apps. This is new for us as well and we will start out with simple options that won’t break the bank.

We thank all of you for your continued interest, support and feedback and wish you a great new year 2011!

Related posts:

• 2009 Recap: New Challenges, New Ways To Raise Funds
• 2011 Recap: Diversification Important for Fundraisers
• In The News: Record Profits, Mobile Donations – Using SMS To Raise Funds, New Online Fundraising Service
• 2008 Recap: Most Popular On FundraisingIP.com
• Are You Considering a Mobile App for Your Non-profit?

FundraisingIP.com is a free site and our sponsors and advertisers help us to keep it that way!

Specifically we’d like to thank the following:

Mountain Mama’s Kitchen: Mountain Mama’s soy candles come in all kinds of delicious scents like ‘Very Vanilla’, ‘Fruit Slices’, ‘Holiday Spice’ and ‘Coconut Lime Verbena’. You can reach them through their site, or by calling 1-800-570-3664

Mountain Mama’s Kitchen also gives back to the community by being a member of 1% For The Planet,(blog) which means they contribute 1% of their sales to environmental groups.

—

Funding Factory: Recycle your empty printer cartridges and used cell phones and redeem your fundraising earnings for over 100,000 products in the Rewards Catalog or request a check. Funding Factory’s program is simple and works great as an ongoing fundraiser.

—

TalkSpot’s Websites For Fundraising: Create a customizable website for your group allowing you to collect money for all your fund raising efforts. Just choose from one of our pre-built websites, personalize the text, upload your images and product information and you will up and running and generating money for your charity. You can get started for only a dollar for a limited time!

Features include setup in only minutes, growing library of pre-designed websites, setup to collect credit cards, PayPal, or Amazon Payments, your own domain name and more!

—

Taste Book: Create the ultimate fundraising cookbook! It’s a beautiful, archival quality, FAMILY cookbook that will be a keepsake for years to come. From a cookie exchange book for your school; easy family meals for your church, to a collection of energizing, healthy recipes to benefit your sports team, TasteBooks are easy to create, fun, and highly profitable.

Select from more than 100,000 recipes from leading recipe magazines and web sites including Bon Appétit, Gourmet, etc. or upload your own favorite recipes including photos!

—–

Note to our readers: if you’ve used any of the above for your fundraising campaign, please leave your feedback in the comment section below. Your comments are greatly appreciated and will help others when looking for the perfect fundraising product.

Related posts:

• Thank You To Our Sponsors And Advertisers!
• Cookbook Fundraiser
• ‘Print-on-demand’ Calendars and Cookbooks For Your Next Fundraiser

What is the Pepsi Refresh Project?

The Pepsi Refresh Project is a year long campaign where money will be given to those individuals and groups that provide ideas for improving the world either on a local or more widespread level. Pepsi has pledged to put more than $20 million toward this project. The initial idea was to take money that could have been spent on Superbowl ads and instead re-channeling those funds to where they could do the most good. Seems like a goo idea to us!

How does it work?

The Pepsi Refresh Project is an online contest. Anyone who wishes to do so may enter their proposal online and a maximum of 1,000 such proposals are accepted every month. Assuming these proposals meet the given guidelines then they will be posted so that the public can vote on their favorites. This means that it is the public and not the folks at Pepsi who will decide which projects get the green light and the necessary funding. You could submit your own proposal and be in the running that easily.

This looks like a great opportunity for those who are looking to make a difference in the world. In one fell swoop you could come up with a concrete proposal for a project and possibly have it approved. You could instantly have the funding that you need to implement whatever changes you propose. Every month up to $1.3 million goes to the ideas that win in the categories of health, arts & culture, food & shelter, the planet, and neighborhoods & education.

Is it easy to win?

Your proposal will be competing with many others so winning is not easy. With a voting pool as large as those with internet access, you will need a large number of votes to win. You can work to get more votes by creating a proposal that people care about as much as you do and by using your social media accounts to spread the word.

We know, that’s easier said than done, but not impossible. Just look at the finalists from the past month at refresheverything.com. Plus, even if you lose you will probably have learned a whole lot about mobilizing social media and what works and what doesn’t.

What about transparency and fraud?

However, these kinds of contests also make their ways into the news when the companies behind them are being accused of fraud, like the Chase Community Project. You can also read about shady voting practices for the Pepsi Refresh Project on Beth’s Blog. If you want to hear it from an organization who actually participated in the Refresh Project click over to Modest Needs for their experience with this contest. (Select the September 2010 newsletter.)

Aside from all the bad press, these kinds of contests remain widely popular. Online charity contests are still relatively new and hopefully still improving! If you decide to give one of them a try, prepare to spend a lot of time getting people to vote and keep in mind what you are promoting: with the Pepsi Refresh Project you’d be promoting soda. You have to ask yourself if this aligns with your overall values.

What types of ideas are accepted?

While project proposals cannot contain profanity or advocate any one political party, they can be for any size project. Whether you want to create something as simple as a community garden or if you have a proposal concerning in-depth medical research, your ideas are welcome in this contest. Grants come in different sizes so all proposals are welcome.

The Pepsi Refresh Project may be a great opportunity to make your dream of a better world a reality. You can begin with the provided toolkit to help you present your idea.

Related posts:

• Nominate Your Charity To Win A $25,000 Social Media Makeover
• Get $20,000 In Sponsorship Funding From Tom’s Of Maine
• Resources For Starting Your Fundraising Season
• “Tweet To Beat” Social Media Fundraising Experiment
• Does Your Group Have A Social Media Strategy?

Whereas the internet’s growth has dominated the past decade and greatly affected our lives, efficiency seems to quickly become one of the mottos of the coming years. There are probably some things you have already changed within your fundraising group to either save money, or to work more efficiently, or both. After all, fundraisers are known to get the most out of every dollar! But there is always room for improvement and following are a few examples of how you can save even more money and time by implementing cost savings and making the way you run your fundraising group even more efficient.

Save on office related costs and phone services:

- Reduce your cell phone plan’s minutes with Google Voice. Another great free service from Google; Google Voice is not a stand alone cell service provider, but more like an ‘add-on’. You can make your calls through their service which does not use up the minutes on your cell phone plan. You can even sign up for an additional phone number only to be used through Google Voice that you can then share with others in your fundraising group (or family) thus savings lots of minutes for everyone. (This service can also be used to make international phone calls from your cell phone or a landline for as little as 2 cents a minute.) Other useful features include receiving your messages transcribed as a text message or in your e-mail box. Since this is still a fairly new service, you have to sign up to get an ‘invitation’ to join. When we signed up, it took about 10 days before we got one.

- Use Skype. Another great way to save on phone costs is to use Skype. Skype’s free service works over the internet, so make sure you have a good internet connection, before you sign up for it. Callers can make free video calls from computer to computer anywhere in the world. You can also use it on your cell phone (without the video feature), but both parties need to always be signed in in order for the service to work. Skype also offers paid plans for ‘landline’ calls, which may be cheaper than what you’re currently paying.

- Use Google Docs. If you’re looking for a no cost option for a word processor, spreadsheet, presentations and collaboration tool, try Google Docs, another great free service from Google. It may not replace Microsoft Office 100%, but it may be all a smaller group needs and the price is right! There is no software to buy or install and users can sign in from anywhere to collaborate on a project.

- Use technology you’re already using to its fullest potential: Use your cell phone alarm and calendar features more often. Studies have shown that simply sending periodical reminders to people who had decided to save more money, actually resulted in them saving more than people who didn’t receive the messages. Seems like a no-brainer! Often we have good intentions and plans, but are simply to busy or distracted to always stay focused on our goals. If you have a newer phone, there are plenty of apps out there you can use to help you reach your goals, be more efficient and stay on track.

If you’re running a website:

- Like everything else, postage fees are ever increasing and present an opportunity to save money. Are you still sending out monthly newsletters by mail? Unless you get a financial return from any mailings, why not post all your communication online, or send it by e-mail, or both? You’d save postage and printing cost. Most people have internet access and making this switch should be a painless one. You could still keep some printed copies around as needed, but the bulk should be distributed electronically. Start by adding a note in each newsletter that states where people can leave their e-mail address, or sign up for the e-mail version directly.

- Have you considered selling sponsorships (advertising) in your newsletters, print or e-mail and website? Local businesses may welcome the opportunity and this may present another income source for your group. Tip: instead of simply posting an ad, you may suggest to the advertiser posting a coupon that can be printed and brought to the business.

- Signing up for Google’s free Analytics and other webmaster tools is a must. (Can you tell we like Google’s free services?) Google’s free tools provide a much clearer picture of your visitors interests and habits than the statistic programs a web host makes available for free. Also check the ongoing list of free website tools at RankRaiser.com for lots of free resources for anything web design and development related.

Reduce, reuse, recycle!

- It’s not just good for the environment, but can also save loads of money. Need a sofa or coffee table for the meeting room, or a file cabinet? Instead of looking for a good deal on a shopping site, see if you can get it for free through Freecycle.org, a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free. The network is made up of over 4,800 Yahoo groups across the globe. Simply type your city and state in the search box and sign in with your Yahoo ID (free) to see what’s available for free in your neighborhood.

We’re actually using all the services and tips described above and will periodically add more to this post. Are you using any new free services or have you taken any drastic cost cutting measures? Please let us know in the comments below how you’re weathering the storm!

Related posts:

• How To Make The Most Of A Cell Phone Fundraiser
• 2010 Recap: New Opportunities Arise Out Of A Challenging Year For Raising Funds
• Google For Non-Profits, Mobile App, and Other Updates
• Recycle Ink Cartridges And Cell Phones – Tips For Success

2009 has been tough for many groups and organizations, but has also inspired some to try unusual approaches to fundraising. Some were successful, some weren’t, but it looks like all the most creative new approaches to fundraising included social media in some way; with Twitter and Facebook being the most popular social media sites this year.

(Read about @blamedrewscancer, #BeatCancer, Ben Stiller’s LiveStrong inspired effort to raise funds for a school in Haiti (with a bit of Zoolander thrown in), and the latest campaign to raise awareness and funds for the global clean water crisis, a climb up the Kilimanjaro on January 7th.)

What will 2010 bring? No one can say for sure of course, but we’re expecting to see many more fundraising efforts that use the web in new, unusual and creative ways – we’ll keep you posted! Also, more school groups will be looking for candy-free fundraisers because of new nutritional standards (due to the Healthy Kids Act) that have been implemented in several states and disallow the sale of junk food at school related events.

This is great news for our kids’ health, but bad news for candy based fundraising campaigns that have seen reduced income by up to 50%. What can these fundraisers be replaced with? What can be sold in place of candy and soda that will bring in the same amount of money? Can it be replaced at all, or do school groups have to come up with completely new ways to raise funds now? If you volunteer for a school group and have come up with new ways of raising funds at rallies, sporting events or other school related activities we’d love to hear about it! Please contact us, or leave a comment below.

Finally, if your fundraising efforts have fallen short of your expectations this year, you may still be able to make up for at least some of it. According to Network For Good, their two most popular days of the year for donations are December 30 and 31! This means, that lots of people are waiting till the last possible minute to make their donations and that it’s not too late to send out a donation request. If you decide to give this a try (by mail and/or e-mail), we wish you great success with this last fundraiser of the year!

We thank all of you for your continued interest, support and input during this past year and we wish you peaceful holidays and a great new year 2010!!

Your FundraisingIP.com Editorial Team

.

Popular on FundraisingIP.com this year:

>> Fundraising Website Checkup

>> Writing Fundraising Letters

>> Create Your Own Website

>> Fundraising Checklists

>> Bowling Fundraiser

Related posts:

• 2010 Recap: New Opportunities Arise Out Of A Challenging Year For Raising Funds
• 2008 Recap: Most Popular On FundraisingIP.com
• Raise Funds For Yourself?
• Raise Funds Online – With Or Without Your Own Website! Part 1
• 2011 Recap: Diversification Important for Fundraisers

Specifically we’d like to thank the following:

Mountain Mama’s Kitchen: Mountain Mama’s soy candles come in all kinds of delicious scents like ‘Very Vanilla’, ‘Fruit Slices’, ‘Holiday Spice’ and ‘Coconut Lime Verbena’. You can reach them through their site, or by calling 1-800-570-3664

Mountain Mama’s Kitchen also gives back to the community by being a member of 1% For The Planet,(blog) which means they contribute 1% of their sales to environmental groups.

Funding Factory: Recycle your empty printer cartridges and used cell phones and redeem your fundraising earnings for over 100,000 products in the Rewards Catalog or request a check. Funding Factory’s program is simple and works great as an ongoing fundraiser.

Funding Factory’s recent partnership with SONY Pictures and Planet 51 aims to raise awareness about recycling and taking care of our beautiful planet.

FastTrack Fundraising: FastTrack Fundraising has something for everyone; if you’d like to sell cookie dough, or discount cards, Fast Track Fundraising offers fundraising products for just about any occasion. Their products include quick sellers like candy or snacks, brochure fundraisers, various food fundraisers, magazines, Smencils, bracelets and more.

Their site now features feedback and star ratings for their fundraising products, which makes it easy to see how it worked for others!

eFundraising: eFundraising features various products like candy, beef snacks, restaurant gift cards and more. Established in1991, eFundraising has offices now in the US and Canada.

Note to our readers: if you’ve used any of the above for your fundraising campaign, please leave your feedback in the comment section below. Your comments are greatly appreciated and will help others when looking for the perfect fundraising product.

Related posts:

• Thank You To All Our Sponsors And Advertisers!

The project application period starts on June 1, 2009 and ends on August 30, 2009. After this deadline a review panel will narrow down the applications to 50 finalists. The finalists will then be posted on their website so the public can vote for the top 5 projects that should be awarded funding.

On their website they make it clear that they are looking for applications from all 50 states. The winners will be announced in November and will receive funds by the end of the year.

Click here for terms and conditions: TomsOfMaine.com

For an application go here: TomsOfMaine.com/community-involvement. You must submit proof of 501(c )(3) status on your application.

Good luck to all who decide to apply! Let us know if you get into the finalist round and we’ll be sure to vote for you!

Related posts:

• Nominate Your Charity To Win A $25,000 Social Media Makeover
• Fund Your Social Cause With The Pepsi Refresh Project
• How To Apply For The Google AdWords Advertising Grant
• The Secret Source for Grant Money
• Google Grant: Free Advertising For Non-Profit Organizations

At CommuniCause you can nominate and vote for your favorite charity that you’d like to see win the grand prize of a Social Media Makeover valued at $25,000!

A winner will be randomly selected from the top ten charities that receive the most votes. MindComet, the agency behind CommuniCause will provide the winner with expert consulting services to help improve their social media presence and fundraising outreach.

You can view the terms, eligibility and how to vote here: CommuniCause.com/terms
Apply through this link: CommuniCause.com

>> Deadline is July 31, 2009 <<

Related posts:

• Get $20,000 In Sponsorship Funding From Tom’s Of Maine
• The Power of Social Media
• Does Your Group Have A Social Media Strategy?
• Promote Your Fundraiser On The Web With Social Media Marketing
• Fund Your Social Cause With The Pepsi Refresh Project

If your group has current 501(c)(3) status (K-12 schools also qualify), you’ll be eligible to apply for free software donations from Adobe. (Fees apply.)

Adobe creates and distributes such great programs as Dreamweaver, Photoshop and Illustrator.

Adobe’s North America Software Donation Program is managed in partnership with both Gifts In Kind International (for K-12 school) and TechSoup (for non-profits).

All product offerings are subject to availability, so place your request soon!

Available products:

Application Suites

Macintosh Products

Individual Products

To find out if your group is eligible for free Adobe software, click here.

TechSoup doesn’t just handle Adobe Software donations, but is also partnered with Microsoft, Symantec, MYOB, several online services and many more!

* * * * *

To easily receive updates on new articles, fundraising ideas and more subscribe to FundraisingIP.com today.

Related posts:

• Google Grant: Free Advertising For Non-Profit Organizations
• Find Free Web Services For Your Non-Profit
• Grants: Find Free Government And Foundation Money For Your Non-Profit
• Should Our PTO File For Non-Profit Status?
• Steps To Starting A Successful Non-Profit

Now you can keep your visitors easily up-to-date with the latest fundraising information by placing our fundraising widget on your website!

The widget automatically displays the 10 most recent fundraising articles, news, how-to information, interviews etc. as they are posted on our website.

How do I install the fundraising widget?

To have our fundraising widget displayed like this:

—

—

Simply copy and paste the following code where you’d like the widget to appear – done! There is no designing or programming involved:

<br /> <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="170px" height="423px" id="InsertWidget_a57f162e-9fde-4248-b56f-28d2901dfab8" align="middle"><param name="movie" value="http://widgetserver.com/syndication/flash/wrapper/InsertWidget.swf"/><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="flashvars" value="r=2&appId=a57f162e-9fde-4248-b56f-28d2901dfab8" /><embed src="http://widgetserver.com/syndication/flash/wrapper/InsertWidget.swf" name="InsertWidget_a57f162e-9fde-4248-b56f-28d2901dfab8" width="170px" height="423px" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" align="middle" flashvars="r=2&appId=a57f162e-9fde-4248-b56f-28d2901dfab8" /></object><br />

If you have problems with installing this widget, please contact us.

Related posts:

• 2008 Recap: Most Popular On FundraisingIP.com

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

Personal Bridge Grant

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

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

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

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

Grant for your non-profit

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

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

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

Related posts:

• When Raising Funds For An Individual, Consider ModestNeeds.org
• In The News: Record Profits, Mobile Donations – Using SMS To Raise Funds, New Online Fundraising Service
• 2009 Recap: New Challenges, New Ways To Raise Funds
• Raise Funds On SocialVibe.com
• Fundraisers To Raise Funds And Team Spirit

Any information about donation requests topped our ‘most popular’ list for the tumultuous, and unquestionably exciting year of 2008 – no big surprise there!

A close second were our articles in the category for How Others Raise Funds which provide insight into some of the creative strategies being used by groups around the world.

As bad news about the economy was being revealed and the stock market lost ground, supporters for good causes were also lost and raising sufficient funds become a huge challenge. No wonder non-profits and other groups were looking for help with their donation requests and were looking for creative, new and better ways to raise funds!

At the same time the internet and especially social media gave us an idea of what’s possible when raising funds online. Just consider TweetsGiving’s fundraising success, staged mainly through Twitter. Or the Atheist Bus campaign which raised over 23 times their fundraising target online through JustGiving.com in Great Britain.

Giving all this interest in online fundraising, including the amazing online fundraising successes of the Obama campaign, any information on our site about online fundraising was extremely popular. We’ve had lots of requests for more information on setting up a website and raising funds online even without having a website, which led us to add articles on these topics, including Create Your Own Website!

Another popular article on the site was Should Our PTO File For Non-Profit Status? which laid out some advantages and disadvantages of turning a parent teacher organization into a non-profit.

And last, but not least, our fundraising checklists have enjoyed great popularity this year! Thanks again to everyone for your great suggestions on these checklists! We will continue tweaking them and adding more as your ideas and suggestions come in. By the way, now is the time to work through the Post Fundraiser Checklist to wrap things up.

Going forward, we will present you with lots more fundraising ideas in 2009, as well as keep you up to date on the latest trends in fundraising, including online fundraising, and using any new and upcoming media to increase your fundraising profits.

We thank all of you for your continued interest, support and input during this past year and we wish you and your loved ones Happy Holidays and a Wonderful New Year!!

Your FundraisingIP.con Editorial Team

Related posts:

• 2009 Recap: New Challenges, New Ways To Raise Funds
• 2010 Recap: New Opportunities Arise Out Of A Challenging Year For Raising Funds
• 2011 Recap: Diversification Important for Fundraisers
• Quick FundraisingIP.com Giveaway: Win an iPod Touch 32 GB!
• 15 Most Popular Online Fundraising Services

So what exactly is Idealist.org?

In their own words:

“Idealist is a project of Action Without Borders, a nonprofit organization founded in 1995 with offices in the United States and Argentina. Idealist is an interactive site where people and organizations can exchange resources and ideas, locate opportunities and supporters, and take steps toward building a world where all people can lead free and dignified lives.”

To get started on Idealist.org, simply create a free account.

You can then go straight to our ‘Fundraising Ideas’ group, where you can introduce yourself, and ‘talk’ to others who have joined the group.

To explore the site, simply use their search function. Just type in a search term (fundraising ideas, your city name, specific fundraising campaigns, charities, names of non-profits etc.) and you will get a selection of groups, charities, volunteers etc. related to your search.

Another way to get around Idealist.org is to simply browse and search by topics (left sidebar) like ‘people’ ‘groups’ ‘programs’ ‘volunteers’ ‘speakers’ ‘events’ and more.

Idealist.org is a great way to connect with others, post your own volunteer opportunities and even advertise for your non-profit. Sign up here – it’s free.

Our Twitter updates contain volunteer opportunities posted on Idealist.org!

Are you already a member on Idealist.org? Feel free to leave your username and group names in the comment area!

Related posts:

• Ideas And Inspiration For Your Fundraising Group
• TweetsGiving.org Uses Twitter To Reach Fundraising Goal In Just 48 Hours
• In-Kind Donations and Low Cost Products and Services for Your Group – Part 1
• Is A Text Fundraiser Right For Your Group?
• Online Cancer Fundraising Campaigns

cMarket Network, an online auction fundraising service for nonprofit organizations, announced in a press release that they had surpassed $50 million raised for charitable causes through its online auctions, which included a $10 million increase in just six months.

They attribute this recent growth in record sales to a tightening economy and a growing need for nonprofits to increase their fundraising income.

Is an online auction right for your group?

Read more about online auctions, or go to cMarket’s website. To see what’s currently up for auction, visit BiddingForGood.com.

—

Unicef’s mobile donation campaign makes use of SMS to raise funds:

This year, UNICEF employed a text messaging SMS ‘Text-or-Treat for UNICEF’ campaign to raise funds for their annual Halloween fundraiser. Each SMS to Unicef resulted in a $5 donation which was added to the supporter’s mobile phone’s billing statement.

This mobile donation fundraiser added another dimension and fundraising opportunity to their regular trick-or-treat campaign. There is no word yet on how successful this fundraiser was. Go to their site for details on this fundraiser.

Where can you get more information about mobile donation campaigns?

Mobile donations are still fairly new in the US, which means there aren’t many providers yet. Unicef’s mobile fundraiser was run through mGive.com.

WirelessFactory.com and mCommons.com both also offer mobile donation services.

For a list of charities that accept mobile donations, visit the Mobile Giving Foundation ‘charities’ page. The Mobile Giving Foundation is responsible for certifying nonprofits wishing to participate in a mobile donation program, managing the wireless industry’s Mobile Giving Standards and Best Practices and insuring compliance with Federal and State Regulations. This organization’s website is also a great resource for more information on mobile donations.

As with any financial service, be sure to inquire about any fixed and variable fees, like application fees, monthly fees, per donation fees etc., your organization will be charged when signing up for a mobile donation fundraising campaign. Expect fees for a mobile donation campaign to be quite a bit higher than fees from a ‘donate now’ button on your website.

—

Virgin Money announces new online fundraising website:

Virgin Money announced their new non-profit charity donation and sponsorship website to be launched in the Spring of 2009. This announcement was made on their UK website and it wasn’t quite clear if this service will also be available for US charities. Virgin Money Giving will be a direct competitor to such popular online fundraising sites as JustGiving.com.

The organisation noted that by operating on a not-for-profit basis it would be able to give a higher percentage of sponsorship money to charity and non-profits. That means that a higher percentage of donations would go to the actual cause than can currently be paid by the popular online fundraising sites.

Fees for online fundraising services can be as high as 10% which cuts deeply into fundraising profits. Competition in this field will be welcome by non-profits everywhere!

Related posts:

• Raise Funds Online – With Or Without Your Own Website! Part 1
• Google For Non-Profits, Mobile App, and Other Updates
• Accept Online Donations
• Is A Text Fundraiser Right For Your Group?
• Raise Funds Online – With Or Without Your Own Website! Part 2

Do you know of a great fundraising book that has been of immense help to you? Please tell us! If we publish your recommendation we’ll add your name and your organization’s URL to our site which will help you get more visitors to your site.

The books that made it onto our list are some of the most popular fundraising books and also have the highest customer reviews on Amazon.com:

Excerpt from this book:

"It’s downright unnatural. Your fundraising letter must persuade the recipient to take an action that much of humanity thinks peculiar: to give money away.

…Forget your organization’s needs. Instead focus on the needs, the desires, and the concerns of the people you’re writing to. Your job is to motivate them."

Includes: "Sixty Successful Outer Envelope Teasers, Fifty-four Strong Leads For Fundraising Letters…" and many more tips for writing a perfect fundraising letter.

* * * * * * *

Excerpt from this book:

" ‘But I don’t have time to read a book on fundraising!’ If that phrase could have come from your lips, you’re not alone. I’ve worked in some of the hardest-to-fund nonprofits around, and fully appreciate that you may be reading this while simultaneously gulping down lunch and photocopying a grant proposal. But you probably know in your heart…"

Includes: "Developing Your Fundraising Plan, Attracting Individual Supporters, How to Keep the Givers Giving…" and much more to make your fundraising efforts a success!

* * * * * * *

Excerpt from this book:

"The mission of your organization isn’t merely important – it’s everything. It describes your noble objectives and the way you touch lives of those you serve – in a way unlike any other organization.

Your mission fuels motivation and ignites the passion. It provides the why that inspires every how. It is the roadmap, the signpost of your organizatio’s direction and destination."

Includes: "It Starts with Integrity, Mission is everything, Why People Give, Wear Your Business Hat…" to make your board as effective as it can be.

* * * * * * *

Excerpt from this book:

"Fundraising folks have an old saying: "People don’t give to causes. People give to people with causes." This saying means that, in essence, you’re the important part. Your inspiration, your perspiration, your passion. So that brings us to the Big Question…

What are you passionate about?"

Includes: "Finding – and Winning Over – Donors, Assembling Your Fundraising Toolkit, Leveraging The Internet, On the Fundraising Campaign Trail, Ten Great Opening Lines…" Another great guide by the publisher of the ‘Dummies’ series!

* * * * * * *

Excerpt from this book:

"Which would you rather have, if you could only choose from these two options:Someone who reads your stuff but never responds? Or someone who doesn’t read your stuff but sends you a gift? Obviously you’d choose the latter, as would anyone with a dollar goal to make. It’s not ideal, but it pays the bills. I bring up the distinction between reading and acting for an important reason having to do with your workload: to release you from the burden of worrying so much about writing newsletter articles, white papers, and other longer prose pieces."

Includes: "Why your fundraising communications fail to get the results you want; On the delicate subject of committee &board approvals…" This guide gets into the nitty gritty about anything communications related. Not just great for fundraising letters, but also for refining your group’s mission.

* * * * * * *

Excerpt from this book:

"The word philantrophy comes from two Greek words meaning "love of people." In modern times this goodwill, or humanitarianism, is often expressed in donations of property, money, or volunteer time to worthy causes. Similarily, the word charity comes from a Latin word meaning "love" in the sense of uncoditional loving, kindness, compassion, and seeking to do good. The roots of these words remind us of the fundamental reasons for the work of most nonprofit organizations."

Includes: "Matching Fundraising Strategies With Financial Needs, When Everyone is a Volunteer, Launching Major Gift Campaigns…" This is a comprehensive guide that covers all aspects fundraising. Worth every penny!

* * * * * * *

Excerpt from this book:

"Many organizations are finding it more difficult than ever to get excellent board members…

Therefore, a board should establish a Board Development Committee as a standing board committee. This committee would assume all the roles played by the Nominating Committee. It would have as its responsibility not only obtaining quality board members, but also keeping them."

Includes: "Writing Grants and Getting them Funded, Managing Grants Once You Get Them, Establishing an Outstanging Volunteer Program…" All the basics you need to know about keeping your nonprofit running smoothly.

* * * * * * *

Excerpt from this book:

"Designing and producing an event – whether it be a meeting, corporate event, fund-raising gala, conference, convention, incentive or other special event – has been compared to directing a movie but is actually more like a live stage production. It is a high-wire act without the safety nects. Once your event starts there are no second chances. it’s done in one take and there are no dress rehearsals. You can’t yell "cut" and reshoot the scene. You are simply not able to predict the putcome – as you can from a movie script – of how your guests and suppliers will interact and react…"

Includes: "The First Steps: Initial Planning & Budgeting, Organization and Timing, Location Location Location…" Excellent advice on every aspect of planning and running an event.

* * * * * * *

Excerpt from this book:

"Grant writing is one of those topics that seems very technical and esoteric, yet you probably already know more about it than you think you do. But before I go any further, let’s be clear about just what grant writing is and isn’t. Grant writing is the skill or practice of asking for money in the form of a grant from a foundation, corporation, or government agency by crafting a well-considered document (the proposal) that outlines how the money will be used, what receiving the money will accomplish and…"

Includes: "The Practice of Grant Writing, ABCs of Grants, Foundation Primer, Corporation Primer, Government Primer, Individual Donor Primer…" The ins and outs of what a grant is and how to write one to get it funded.

For the most up to date list, click over to our highest rated fundraising books page.

Related posts:

• To Use Or Not To Use: Grant Writers
• Finding The Right Grant Opportunities For You
• Saving Money During Tough Times
• Raise Funds For Yourself?
• What Grant Foundations Are Looking For