Fundraising Strategy

1. Fundraising strategy 2. Stock Exchange

Diposting oleh samson di 08.07 0 komentar  

Understanding the Rudiments of Planning A Fundraising Activity

Organizing a fundraising project may not be as easy as you think it is. However, by showing your willingness and determination, it is likely to succeed in your planned event. You can greatly benefit from planning a fundraising activity for a worthy cause as people like to become part of such activities.

There are several reasons for generating income and there are various fundraising options available at your disposal. However, choosing the most appropriate activity should be carefully planned and this is as daunting as planning the whole event. There are certain steps that you need to undertake to make sure that you can be successful with the venture.

Here are the steps that can help ensure your success in organizing your chosen fundraising event. As mentioned, following them will guarantee your success in the conduct of the whole event.

Before everything else, you need to select a worthy beneficiary for the planned activity. Get in touch with your desired institution to check their willingness to accept your donation and find out how they can help in carrying out your plan.

Once you have checked the willingness of the institution you are planning to help, the next step is to set the time and date of the activity. Make sure that you will have enough time for making preparations. Again, setting the time frame requires your careful planning.

Next, look around for possible venues where you can hold the event. When doing so, there are many considerations that you need to bear in mind such as the number of expected guests, the kind of activity, and others. You can make an ocular inspection of the place to find out for yourself if the venue being considered can accommodate the number of guests.
When the date and venue has been established, it is time to set up your team.

It is hard to organize and plan these activities on your own so getting the help of few people can greatly help. You can approach family members, friends, or interested individuals who may want to commit their time and talent to your worthy cause.

To ensure that your activity gets the maximum number of people, you need to promote and advertise it in your community. You can distribute flyers or posters and place them in conspicuous places in your neighborhood, such as in the church or school. Aside from that, you can make announcements on local radio stations. Advertisements are crucial in ensuring that you will attract more people to your event.

The preparation stage for the event is one of the most crucial in planning a fundraising activity. Make sure that everyone in your team is well-informed of their respective duties and responsibilities. You need to have a back up personnel in case one member of your team becomes absent.

From time to time, you may need to coordinate with the venue and organizing team for any possible changes in your plan. Likewise, you should consistently monitor the progress of the preparations so you can make the necessary adjustments in your plan.

Planning a fundraising activity is not difficult as it may seem as long as you will carefully follow the steps mentioned above. This will ensure that everything works out smoothly and will provide maximum profits for your cause.

Diposting oleh samson di 07.16 0 komentar  

To-Dos In Making Effective Fundraising Flyers

Fundraising flyers are powerful publicity tools. With the right combination of images and text, you can advertise your fundraising event effectively. You can post them anywhere it is allowed, distribute to passersby, slide into mailboxes, and slip beneath car windshield.

At first glance, creating fundraising flyers doesn’t seem too complex. It looks like all you need is to put the image and text anywhere you like, get a paper, print the flyer, and you’re good to go. Sadly, that is not the case. You have to keep in mind that making a flyer needs careful execution. It is your advertisement in the first place, so it has to look presentable and should successfully send your message across.

So how do you create an effective flyer? Here’s how:

1.) You can always opt for the ready flyer templates available online. Choose which among the designs is appropriate for your event and organization, then supply all the information. This saves you time, of course, but requires some fee.

2.) Make use of your creativity and make your own fundraising flyer. But first, you need to gather all the information. This includes the basic what, when, where, why, who, and how. What is your fundraiser? When is it taking place? Where is it going to be held? Why is there a need to raise money? You get the point. This is important, especially when you draft the flyer and decide what to include in the text.

3.) Decide on the design. It should be easy on the eyes, subtle, and relevant. Now, remember not to over-design your flyer since doing so can make your flyer a little messy and chaotic. The general rule “The simple, the better” applies here.

4.) Choose images that can best represent the information in your flyer. Four things you have to consider are size, color, appeal, and relevance. Also, make sure they add life and diversity.

5.) Write catchy and persuasive texts. But check that the content doesn’t suffer. The role of the texts is still to relay information, and you can do that by putting clear and brief phrases and sentences. You don’t have to include all the fundraising details in the flyer. Save those for other publicity tools. What the readers need to see in your flyers are the fundraising type, date, location, and a slogan that can briefly state what you are fundraising for and persuade readers into joining your fundraising event.

6.) Consider the font and size when you are drafting the text. Choose the font that is readable. You also have to figure if there are words that should be bigger and in boldface. Remember that your goal here is to send a message across, so emphasize words or details that need to be emphasized.

7.) Arrange the image and text in a way that they can be easily seen and understood. Keep in mind that these two elements should work in harmony.

8.) Select a paper. If you opt for a black and white print, choose a light-colored paper. This can add vibrancy. But stay away from overly designed papers, as they can lend a busy look to your flyer.

9.) Test print. Check how your flyer looks in paper. You can post it on the wall and look at it a few steps away. Notice if adjustments in color and sizes are necessary. Also, use this opportunity to proofread your fundraising flyer.

10.) Have it printed. Reproduction, however, is quite expensive especially if you need bulks of copies. In this case, you can look for a local copy center that would be willing to support your cause and might give its services at a lower cost or, at best, free of charge. For a better deal, you can offer to put its name or logo in the flyer as a sponsor.

Last note: Be creative, but don’t overdo. Your number one reason for doing fundraising flyers is to establish awareness and eventually get support, not to have an instant canvass. Good luck!

Diposting oleh samson di 07.15 0 komentar  

The Benefits of Conducting Dance-A-Thon As Fundraising Activity

There are various activities that can be considered when generating funds for your cause or organization. If you are looking for something different and exciting, organizing a dance-a-thon can be a worthwhile consideration. If you are unsure about how to conduct such kind of activity, here are some tips on how you can go about with this venture.

Unlike majority of other fund raising activities, a dance-a-thon involves the aspect of entertainment in order for you to raise the money for your favorite charity. Aside from the usual procedure needed to get the venture started, you will need a little bit of creativity to ensure that the donors will have a good time while you are generating the money.

Before the venture can proceed, the first thing you have to do is to find a hall for the activity. If your organization has its own building, it will help in reducing the cost. Otherwise, you may have to look for an individual willing to strike a deal with you. The costs for renting the hall should not consume much of your profits. However, if you will only exert a little effort, finding a venue will not be that daunting.

Once you have established the venue for the activity, the next thing to do is set the date and time. Of course, you would have to arrange and confirm this with the owner of the hall. You can distribute fliers and give them to everyone you have in mind. They will your guests during the dance-a-thon so they will have a valuable contribution to your cause. You can invite many people to the event but just make sure that they can be accommodated.

When organizing a dance-a-thon event, make sure that you will provide your guests with cheap refreshments. They will not be staying there all night to watch people dance their night away. Your guests would eventually get tired and recharge their bodies.

In order to ensure that you get your targeted amount of money, invite as many people as possible to the event. Both young and old people alike are potential customers so get as many people as you can. You may want to prepare number tags for each of your couple so it is easier to call them through their numbers. It would be unlikely to recall and call them by their names not unless they are personal acquaintances.

During the actual event, you may want to play a variety of music. A disc jockey or a live band can spice up the event with music. The former is the cheaper alternative than the latter. If you know someone who has band equipments, you can work out some kind of a deal with them.

You may make the night more exciting by providing the ground rules for determining who will stay in the dance floor the longest. The prize money will be equally divided to the winners. However, the price money should not exceed over half of the proceeds generated during the evening. Likewise, you should set a limit for the amount of each bet.

On the average, a dance-a-thon can generate at least $500 worth of income depending on how many people you managed to invite for the people.

Nevertheless, a dance-a-thon can be a worthwhile fundraising activity that you can organize for your organization or cause.

Diposting oleh samson di 07.15 0 komentar  

The Basics of Fundraising For Small Charities

If you are looking for fundraising for small charities, there are various options that can be considered. Each possesses their own advantages and disadvantages. Here we will look at the pros and cons of each option.
One source of funding that you can consider is government grants. Although they are available in various forms, national or international grants are outside of range of small or newly formed charities. Even for those who have longed established themselves, application for funds is tedious and complicated without a credible fundraiser.

Instead of applying with an international or national fundraiser, consider local or regional organizations. However, a major drawback of this option is called ‘mission drift.’ Usually, organizations tend to organize the projects and programs that will generate the funds not central to its mission. While the projects can be good, it may be risky for a small charity.

You can also generate your funds from large trusts or foundations. While applying with them can also be daunting, many of these agencies offer funding for small projects. With proper training, however, sourcing your funds from these agencies can help generate the money you need for tour project.

In the United States as well as the United Kingdom, small charities generate their funds from generous individuals. They do not only give one time donations but you can make them a regular donor. If you are in luck, there are dedicated donors who will likewise treat your team for dinner, give you movie tickets or other incentives to show their dedication to you.

At first, considering corporate partnerships can be as complicated as government grants, but given the proper strategy, you might be able to tap the help of companies not only financially but also with the requirements for running your organization. For example, you can ask your corporate partners to donate computers to your organization. This way, you do not have to constantly write one application after another.

In addition, you can solicit the help of local companies who might be upgrading their systems. As a result, you could find yourself writing applications and grants on perfectly working computers. In the end, you can be working with your corporate partner for other lucrative projects.

Moreover, another option that you can consider for generating funds for your various projects is income generation. The simplest alternative available to you is available funds. This is especially applicable for private schools and nurseries, which generate their funds through student fees.

Furthermore, another option you can consider for generating income is through selling of goods. Organizations such as Oxfam and Salvation Army derived their funds from auctioning things. However, the advancement of technology has allowed even the smallest charities to benefit from selling their things on Internet stores, such as eBay.

Finally, the best source of funding that you can consider are companies that offer a combination of various resources in order to generate income diversity. By having diverse source of funds, you will not be subjected to any change in one area. This option has not been practiced for more than 25 years.

Regardless of the size of your charitable institution, finding sources of funds will greatly help in organizing your projects. Funding for small charities can be easily generated by working hand in hand with the above mentioned fund generating organizations.

Diposting oleh samson di 07.14 0 komentar  

Support A Cause, Launch A Cancer Fundraising Event

Cancer is such a devastating disease. It deteriorates its victims steadily, and after leaving them in a vegetative state, it eventually sends them to their deathbeds. Researches are still underway to define a probable cure. But while these researches are ongoing, many families all over the world are losing a father, mother, spouse, son, or daughter to cancer. Every day many victims lose their fight. Yet there are others who, though weakened both physically and morally, continue to battle with the disease. And this—the ongoing fight—is what cancer fundraising events are for.

The rise of cancer cases gave birth to the many cancer organizations, which have become the predominant force behind huge cancer fundraising activities. These organizations are dedicated to change the grim picture cancer leaves in their respective communities. They allocate the generated amount to help fund cancer researches, provide patients with proper medical care, advance awareness, and educate more people.

Cancer has always been a heart-gripping issue, which is why any cancer fundraising events end up well received and attended. In fact, there are organizations that hold fundraising activities in many parts of the country almost daily. The breast cancer awareness campaign, which is widely made popular by pink ribbons, is also a national success.

But cancer fundraising is not only limited to big organizations. As an individual, you can also express your personal battle with cancer not only by attending cancer fundraising events, but also by staging your own fundraiser for the benefit of cancer victims that might be living in your circle—a friend, an officemate, a distant relative, or a former boss. Small it may seem, but its impact is as wide and great as any huge and highly publicized fundraising event’s. Cancer requires sophisticated treatments, and perhaps through hosting your own cancer fundraising events, you can extend generous amount of help.

Make your cancer fundraising interesting
You can do a fundraising event as a group or family project. And like any big fundraising event, you need to have active participation from those who believe in your cause. Engage your co-workers, friends, and other family members, and explain for whom you are fundraising. Most people are moved by cancer cases, and it’s very likely for you to gain support.

But because there are already a number of cancer fundraisers, it’s best to launch a new fundraiser idea that can distinguish yours from the others. The challenge is to be unique, but at the same time to be profitable.

You can, for instance, tweak traditional fundraising ideas and incorporate fun and exciting elements. Why not do an art fundraiser? This time, however, replace donated artworks from local artists with framed doodles, sketches, and seemingly abstract drawings of pre-school children. Children artworks are natural magnets, and they can help you reach your target sales easier.

You can also involve the cancer patient. If he writes, sell a booklet of his poems. If he does photography, you can set up a photo gallery. Make use of his talents and hobbies, and think of events in which they can be utilized immensely. Doing so can make the patient feel good about himself and take his mind off his condition, if only for a moment.

In the fight against cancer, no fundraising is small. Each of the cancer fundraising events is significant just by providing the patients hope and a chance to live longer.

Diposting oleh samson di 07.13 0 komentar  

School Fundraising Tips: What Should And Shouldn’t Be Done

There is always a season of fundraising in schools. With the school environment, outside influences, and support from the faculty staff and parents, students have more options for their school fundraising ideas—from the detail-oriented theater plays and workshops for college students to knock-and-go candy selling for grade school students.

It’s amusing to see how students put great effort to generate money for their organization’s or group’s spending. But while there are fundraisers that turned out specially successful, there are those that ended up big-time flops that generated little money, if at all. It is a sad experience, but it as well teaches the students what to do and avoid next time.

Tips for School Fundraising
There is a no sure-fire formula to making a fundraiser successful. For the most part, however, teamwork, consistent planning, and careful execution amount to a certain level of success. Now, here’s how you can specifically improve your efforts and maximize your fundraiser’s potential.

1.) Get everyone involved—parents, faculty members, and everyone else who is willing to take part in the fundraising activity. Plan and prepare with them. The supervising person needs to assign duties and expects every responsibility covered. Though they don’t necessarily have to know each other on a personal level, it’s important that volunteers share the same vision and goal and work in harmony with one another. Communication is a vital part here, so set an atmosphere in which everyone can communicate opinions and feedbacks freely. Should problems occur, corrective actions must be done immediately.

2.) Try to avoid doing the common fundraisers. If, however, your group decides to do any of them, make sure to implement changes to keep it fresh and more exciting. Remember that it’s hard to get active involvement if the participants are offered the same things over and over again. Be creative and make innovations. If you can introduce new ideas, so much the better.

3.) Provide reward incentives to volunteers. There is no greater motivation than reward, so allocate an amount from your earnings to reward the people behind your fundraiser, especially those that rake in more sales. This shouldn’t be an extravagant sum, but decent enough to motivate your people. After some time, this will mean sales growth.

4.) Do not ask for dole-outs. There are organizations that call and send letters to ask for money and call it fundraising. While this is a usual practice, this isn’t a very good one. A good fundraiser is one that offers products and services in exchange of a certain amount. It returns the favor, teaches the students the value of labor, and brings pride and dignity to each volunteer. Simply begging for money doesn’t do any of these.

5.) Plan your fundraiser with reasonable intervals. You sure will have loyal customers over time, but setting up your fundraiser too frequently in a year exhausts not only their pockets, but their interest as well. It’s better to have them wait and clamor for a time than to leave them all fed up.

6.) Make generating money the goal, but not the central principle. If you are too taken by accumulating funds, you will miss out on a lot of things. Enjoy the whole school fundraising activity by developing friendships, fostering camaraderie, cultivating new skills, and valuing hard work.

In the end, the new things you learned and the strength of your relationships have much more worth than any amount you earned.

Diposting oleh samson di 07.13 0 komentar  

Profitable Suggestions for Conducting Fundraising Activities

There are many profitable ideas that are available when conducting fundraising activities. Look for one that does not require a start up capital and will generate the money that your team or group needs. One of the potential activities that you can consider is a bake sale.

Considering a bake sale as a fundraising activity requires little starting capital. You can even come up with a creative idea to make your business more fun. For example, you can come up with unique flavors for your cookies. Likewise, you can introduce treats that are not available in other stores. You can add special flavorings as well so that your friends and family will surely buy your cookies. Here are some suggestions on how you can go about with this activity.

• Be creative with the treats and flavors of your delicacies. Make sure that your friends, neighbors, and family will not resist them.

• Make each member of the fundraising team commit to making and selling a certain number of delicacies.

• Conduct brainstorming sessions with the members of your team so you can come up with new ideas for the bake sale. You can sell your product at a local event or during a holiday so you can make the most out of the activity.

• Determine the right price for your delicacies. Although the activity is intended to raise funds, you need to ensure that your customers will get the best value from your products. Although they can be expected to pay a little for premium, you would not be able to break the bank.

Another easy and great fundraising idea that you can consider is a Spinner's Fundraiser. It does not have any upfront cost but you can look forward to maximizing your profits. It is a unique way of making friends and families donate to your fundraising activity without shelling out a lot of cash.

In a Spinner's Fundraiser, the donor will spin the wheel to determine how much they will donate to your group. In exchange for their donation, the donor will receive discount coupons. This is a win-win situation for both you and the donor. While the supporter can be entitled to discounts in a local restaurant or service provider, your group will generate the money that you need. The spinner is reusable so you can use it as many times as you want. Here are some tips on how you can make Spinner's Fundraiser profitable to your group.

• With a Spinner's Fundraiser, you should encourage every member of your team to make a commitment to generate a certain amount during your activity. Regularly update them with the progress of the activity.

• You can conduct a Spinners Fundraiser and Bake Sale simultaneously for increased profits. You can sell a cookie while having the donor spin and donate as well.

• Set a deadline for the completion of the activity. This helps team members develop a sense of urgency for the members to get the job done. Fundraising for a couple of weeks is sufficient time already.

The economic situation looming in the country need not be a hindrance to a successful fundraising activity. The commitment and dedication of the members of the team can be vital in ensuring that you will have fun and gain profit from conducting fundraising activities.

Diposting oleh samson di 07.12 0 komentar  

Online Fundraising: What’s The Deal?

The nature of the Internet as a far-reaching tool lures many organizations to do online fundraising. In an almost lightning phase, many charitable organizations get listed in different fundraising portals in hope to stir community, not to mention global, awareness and raise more funds. In more extreme instances, some organizations completely forego traditional and tried-and-tested fundraising methods to explore the potentials of online fundraising.

But is it really worth the gamble? Just how effective online fundraising is? And does it really deliver its promise?

Benefits of online fundraising
The Internet has apparently launched a number of new trends, primarily banking on its ability to make communication a lot easier and transactions faster. Its wide reach consequently attracted many organizations to resort to online fundraising. With the Internet, fundraisers are not anymore faced with geographical limitations. It is easier to contact friends, family, and supporters from all across the country. There is also a big chance of getting new donors from half-way across the globe, especially if the organization is listed in a fundraising portal.

The power of the Internet also provides many organizations with a lot of fundraising options. For instance, they can opt to do an online auction through eBay, sell e-books, or sell donated used books through Amazon. Some big organizations also choose to work with affiliate programs. This, for them, is more systematic and profitable. They get paid by referring or promoting products of an affiliate merchant in their own websites. They don’t have to sell, do an inventory, and be forced to discharge unsold products.

Online fundraising normally requires only a few dollars. Email account is free, so do some website hosting services. Signing up for an affiliate program may cost some amount, but the generated profit can cover the fee in a little time.

A website can also work as a powerful publicity tool. With stories and articles posted on the website, it is easier to reach more people at a time. Information dissemination through websites doesn’t require printing costs unlike flyers, stickers, and printed newsletters. In the long run, websites are cost-effective.

Red warning signs
True, online fundraising offers convenience to organizations and their donors. There are, however, some other things to consider. As with all things online, the benefits come with risks.

Getting listed in a fundraising portal, for instance, poses a lot of competition. In a single portal, there are a lot of listed charitable and non-organizations, all of which are vying for potential sponsors and donations. Therefore, the chance of an organization being noticed is shared with other listed organizations.

The ability of a portal to attract visitors is also an important factor. Can it yield high traffic? Can it actually draw potential sponsors?

Though maintaining a website is relatively economical, it proves to be laborious. For one, it should be regularly updated. It should always show new stories, news articles, and pictures. A neglected website sends a message of waning passion. It ceases to become a powerful tool and can actually drive potential sponsors away.

Online fundraising also eliminates the chance of building a strong sense of relationship between organizations and donors. Partnership and camaraderie are now reduced to a virtual relationship. According to experienced fundraising consultants, the best way to ask for money is still through personal contact. In fact, it yields larger donations. Pounding on the keyboard still pales in comparison to looking someone in the eye, they said.

Though online fundraising works for some, it doesn’t mean it fits everyone. Still, it is the charitable or non-profit organization’s responsibility to assess the fundraiser that will produce the best results for their cause.

Diposting oleh samson di 07.12 0 komentar  

Make Great Profit From Candy Fundraising

Candy fundraising is a hit among kids. First, it doesn’t require a big starting capital, it is generally easy to do, sales are concluded at once, money is collected immediately, and many volunteers are unnecessary. A lot of kids are resorting more to candy fundraising than to any other type of fundraiser.

But candy fundraising’s strength as an easy and common fundraiser is also its weakness. People don’t want to be offered the same things again and again, thus the profit suffers. So, the challenge for the kids is to come up with a well thought out plan and execute everything to perfection.

What you should do
Whether you need to raise money for your team uniform or to fund a school play, the goal is to double your sales. To achieve that, here’s what you are supposed to do:

1.) Figure what you are going to sell. Would you want to have generic brand candies or those that are overly recognizable? Generic brand candies can save you some money, but keep in mind that branded goods are easy to sell. Good thing is big candy companies sell candy fundraising packs for reasonable prices. Look for them in stores.

2.) Find the stores with the lowest price. You can also look for those that support fundraising efforts. Negotiate wisely and share with them your goal. After some negotiations, there will most likely be a store that can offer you the lowest price possible.

3.) Keep the sales force motivated. Define your sales target and discuss how you intend to reach it. It will also help if you discuss your group and individual goals together. Deepen the commitment by asking the sales team to make a list of prospect buyers.

4.) Locate the perfect spots for selling. It is best to sell anywhere there is a great volume of passerby traffic. Examples are lots near grocery stores and churches.

5.) Make a sales script. This is important because not everybody is a natural salesperson. It will also help cultivate self-confidence among the sellers. The script should not be overly elaborate, though. What is important is that the seller greets the buyer, briefly explains the reason for fundraising, asks for help by buying candies, and thanks the buyer. The seller should smile before and after delivering the script and make an eye contact all throughout the spiel.

6.) Hand out a flyer. This will supply the buyer with all the other important information about the fundraiser.

7.) Offer other merchandise, say a discount card. If the buyer is not interested in candies, at least there’s something else you can offer. Good if he buys both.

8.) Reward the best seller. If reward in kind is not possible, at least make him feel his efforts are well appreciated. A tap in the back speaks a lot and can be an effective motivation. Remember that a motivated seller rakes in more sales.

It is always important to get prepared. Before all of you head out and sell, make sure you know your goals and what you should say. Know your products, so you can offer wise suggestion to your buyers. Be assertive, but not too much that you end up pestering your buyer.

If you carefully follow a plan and work as a team, your candy fundraising will be a success.

Diposting oleh samson di 07.10 0 komentar  

Learning How To Write A Fundraising Appeal Letter

You may not know it but a fundraising appeal letter is crucial to the outcome of your project. The letter should be suited to the recipient so you can raise the money required for your cause. Here are tips on how to write a fundraising appeal letter and generate the money you need for your project.

If you are writing an appeal letter to people who know you well enough, there is no need for a detailed explanation. However, if you are sending out the letter to someone who does not know you that well, detail the problem as well as the steps being undertaken to solve it.

Do not fall into the mistake of believing that you need to make your letter short so it would not be boring. The truth of the matter is you need to explain your cause in detail to get the interest of your recipient. If they are not interested with the project, your recipient may not read even one paragraph of your letter.

When writing your letter, you need to focus on only one thing and that is to make your recipient feel good once they say “yes” to your letter. This is the key to making them agree to donate and send funds to your cause.
Break down your letter into few lines in a paragraph. Leave blanks in-between each paragraph. Sub-headings can help attract the reader deeper into your message. Writing a well-read four page letter is better than a two-page letter sent to the trash.

Your appeal letter should generally consist of the following components:

1.) At the first paragraph, you need to express your appreciation for the support the recipient has given over the years. Even though they have not been donating for some time, inform your recipient that their help has gone a long way as far as helping your cause is concerned.

2.) Share success stories. Inform them about what happened to a certain family or group before and after their donation. This will make them realize the value of their help to the people your cause is helping.

3.) At the end of the letter, do not fail to ask your recipient that you require their help in the form of donations. This is a common mistake of small charities and amateurs. They write an excellent letter and provide a good outline of the benefits but end up assuming that the recipient knows that the next step is to donate cash. This is not the case all the time so you need to inform and ask your intended recipient that they need to donate.

When you are done and sent out the appeal letter, there is no feeling greater than seeing the donations come. However, after rejoicing because of the overwhelming response from your recipients, your work is only half done.

After receiving the donations, you would need to write another letter this time thanking the recipient for their donation. Inform your recipients that you have received the cash and that you greatly appreciate their help.
Finally, you need to add the name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address of your recipient in your organization’s database along with how much they donated.

Learning how to write a fundraising appeal letter can go a long way in your desire to get as many donations as possible for your cause.

Diposting oleh samson di 07.09 0 komentar  

How To Write Fundraising Letters

Parts of your fundraising information are communicated through letters. If you make good ones, they will most likely translate to successful fundraising events. So never underestimate the power of the written words and make do with robotic fundraising letters. Keep in mind that by writing letters, you are connecting to your potential and existing donors.

There are two letters necessary in fundraising: one that is asking for help (donation request letter) and one that is expressing gratitude for the extended assistance (thank you letter). Here’s a guide to help you write both letters in an appealing and compelling manner:

Donation request letter:

1.) Make it personal and conversational. Write as if you are talking to your potential donor face-to-face. There’s no better way to bore your readers than to present your case in a contrived manner.

2.) Start with a scene. Successful letters are those that depict scenes in great detail at the beginning of the letter. If you are supporting a war-torn community, you can start by showing how the children are surviving in the area. For instance, you can write: “They are walking in groups. Some in uniform; others in tattered clothing. They have been on foot for nearly an hour. Thirty minutes more and they’ll reach the school.” Readers are used to drama, movement, and action. And while you give them that picture, you make them more involved and attached to your cause.

3.) State your case: what or who you are planning to help, how you intend to help, and why you are helping. Also, tell your readers how their donation can specifically advance the fundraising campaign goals. If their $200 can buy 15 pieces of clothing items, write it down. This way, they will know where their money would go, while getting an idea how much you need and how much they can give.

4.) Put suggested contribution amounts. Include a blank line for other options.

5.) Write a long letter. What’s good about long letters is that you can put all the details. They also allow the readers to pick up your concerns anywhere they begin reading.

6.) Include a P.S. that summarizes your whole point. Some readers will most likely skip the entire letter, but the P.S. part can cover the job.


Thank you letter:

1.) Stay away from the formal approach. Instead, be in a consistent conversational and sincere tone. Readers have a way of distinguishing a heartfelt letter from an obligatory one.

2.) Tell your readers how exactly their donations helped your cause. Write, for example, that their $150 helped pay the hospital bill of an orthopedic patient.

3.) Hand write the letters if you can. This will also make the letter more personal and warm.

4.) Suggest that you can return the favor in whatever way you can, especially if the reader is also supporting a cause. You can probably be a volunteer or can help financially as well.

5.) Make letters for everyone. This includes the donors, sponsors, volunteers, and everyone else who offered help. Not only will it make them feel appreciated, it will also make them feel good about themselves. Now, remember to send the letters promptly. In the long run, all this will result in more enthusiastic givers and helpers.

Make good use of the power of fundraising letters to support your cause. Express your mind, soul, and heart in each of them, and notice that they will produce good fruits.

Diposting oleh samson di 07.08 0 komentar  

How To Publicize Fundraising Events

The most successful fundraising events are those with huge attendance and active participation. Success, however, is sometimes elusive. You might have the noblest cause, like funding chemotherapy for a neighbor cancer patient, but fail to draw fundraising participants. The kids fundraising for a jersey uniform down the street, however, are accumulating large sums of dollar. Why is that?

Publicity efforts spell the difference between successful fundraisers and big-time flops. At the preparation level, attracting people to support your fundraiser and actually causing them to donate are two of your primary concerns. In other words, you should build awareness within your community and sphere of influence.

To do that, you should carefully devise your publicity plan. The following guides might help you.

1. Write a press release. It should have the basic who, what, why, when, where, and how. But remember that news outfits are perennially looking for stories with interesting elements, so make sure to highlight the most newsworthy angle of your fundraising event. For instance, write if there is a celebrity coming or unique raffle prizes. It’s much better if you can also include photos. Then, start sending the press release to your local news organizations. Make follow-up calls if necessary.

2. Use your website extensively. If you don’t have an official website, make one, although this can be a little pricey. You can, however, make use of blogs or social networking sites. The idea here is to get the most out of the online media since people are most reachable through the Internet. Again, post all the details of your fundraising event. You can create mini-articles that detail your cause and how you specifically intend to use the money. The latter is important because donors are interested to know where their money would go. You can also use your site to post regular updates and thank you notes. Over time, you can build an online community of supporters and donors.

3. Make flyers. You can pay someone to create them for you, or you can resort to do-it-yourself flyers. Fortunately, there are available templates on the web. You only have to choose which type and design fit your event, but just make sure the general appearance calls attention. This time, the details should be presented concisely and could be read at one glance. Avoid putting lengthy sentences; get to the point at once. Then, distribute the flyers where there is large passerby traffic.

4. Send newsletters. This requires an e-mail list though, so you have to work on building one. You can always start with your online community supporters, and if you’ve effectively made some noise through other publicity tools, it’s easier to gather e-mail addresses.

5. Distribute bumper stickers. You can give them to supporters, sponsors, and volunteers. They need not be loaded with details; a brief but strong statement will do. For instance, if you support an education foundation, you can put “I help send a child to school.” Then, put your fundraiser or organization logo. Be creative. Think of a statement that will ignite attention and recall.

6. Make some more noise. Call your family and friends. Attend other events that can be your platform to advertise your cause. Make sign roads, statement shirts, and bookmarks. Use all possible means. This is a time to be assertive, proactive, and creative. In the end, you wouldn’t regret a single second of having to support a noble cause through your fundraising events.

Diposting oleh samson di 07.08 0 komentar  

How To Conduct Church Fundraising Effectively

When it comes to the causes of the church, people are natural givers. Their tithes and offerings constitute their biblical obligation, and church members give without demanding explanations. There are times, however, that simply tithing and offering can’t cover some of the church’s expenses. Other times, the church is supporting other charitable works and group of individuals that can’t fit into the projected expenditures of the church. In these cases, having financial sources other than the regular tithes, offerings, and donations is necessary. To create these sources, church fundraising events get into the picture.

Unlike other groups, the church has some limitations in its fundraising options. Foremost, it has to uphold its image as a sacred organization and maintain the modesty of its activities. There is also a need to avoid any window for compromise. Therefore, church fundraisers have become more family-oriented, examples of which are sponsored dinners, carnivals, bake sales, garage sales, and concerts. There is no doubt these kinds of activities reflect the integrity of the church, but how can the church effectively utilize their potential and generate funds without the slightest hint of force?

Start by letting the members know just why there is a need for a fundraising activity. Though the church members are likely to support any fundraiser, it is still important to extensively explain to them what you are fundraising for. Is it for repairing a broken window? Is it for an upcoming church event? Does the church have a foundation that sends hundreds of young people to school? This way, the members will have a realistic perception of the church’s financial abilities and realize the need for extra funds.

When you lay down the purpose, make sure not to generate guilt. There is a very thin line between generating compassion and guilt. The goal is to let the members see the need and call them to action. Just generating guilt makes giving a little coerced.

There will always be members who won’t be able to help financially, so emphasize that sharing their time and energy is as valuable as sharing their money. Ask if they can do some of the legworks instead. Maybe they can help bake, man the garage sale, or perform in the concert. There are some other ways by which people can help, so create avenues for them.

Don’t underestimate the power of reward. You can send out little gifts to volunteers who have performed well. Or maybe you can treat them all to dinner. When people are motivated, they have more energy and will to perform better. And most likely, they will volunteer again for the next fundraiser.

Encourage the whole community to get involved. People are sometimes uninterested in religious causes, but are drawn to charitable works. In this case, emphasize only the charity part and leave out everything that has to do with religion. Don’t talk them into conversion, as this will only widen the gap. Instead, respect their spiritual beliefs and allow them to help as far as they can.

If you deem it fit, produce a report on how the fundraiser went. Church members will be interested to know the impact of their helps and service not only on the church but also on other beneficiaries, if there is any. If they see that their money and effort have helped the church accomplish its goal, sent children to school, or fed people, they will be more motivated to participate again in the future church fundraising activity.

Diposting oleh samson di 07.07 0 komentar  

Fundraising – The Basics

what is fundraising? how should fundraising be accomplished?

Fundraising is simply the process of soliciting and gathering money or other materials in kind from people and organizations public and private for some worthy causes or reasons.
Mostly, they are done primarily to fund operations of non-profit organizations, aids to charities, institutions, and help to victims of calamities.

Nowadays, fundraising is also used to simply refer to the act of gathering funds for, say, a business capital or perhaps for just any other purpose. (Church renovation, political funds, etc.) Some are huge and international and some caters to your kid’s school projects.

Because of steep competition for attention, complications, and a growing degree of difficulty, there are now a number of professional fundraisers who are paid for their services. Their fees are sometimes outright flat fees or a percentage of the raised funds.

Fundraising could be done via a rummage sale, group dinners, sports events, or perhaps an auction. Whatever is the method of raising funds, the following are some noteworthy tips:

Goal

For the group or organization deciding to do a fundraising event, the first consideration is the goal. What exactly do they want to accomplish? How much would they need?

Set out in clear terms your fundraising goal. This means allotting a budget for products, prizes, advertising, and other incidental expenses. The only consideration is that expenses should not exceed that of projected proceeds.

Setting a clear goal means choosing the right product (or event) for fundraising and with it, the right course of action.

Planning

As in any endeavor, planning is the key to its success. There should be a time allotted to plan out things and other courses of action before anything else is done. Would it be advisable to hold a golf tournament instead of having a bake sale or an auction?

It is a good idea to give your organizing group a reasonable length of preparation time. Decide on the exact nature of your fundraising and your plans to go with it several months before the scheduled event.

Veer away from tired old fundraising ideas and try to do some that had not been tried for a time. You and your group can perhaps try something quite new and exciting.

The location and the date of the fundraising event have to be decided carefully. After which, group members and other pertinent people will have to be notified in advance.
If there is another activity before the event, be sure to give your group at least two weeks of lead or selling time. This is also the time to designate the staff and their responsibilities.

Advertise the event. Use posters, flyers, community announcements, mailings and emails and whatever else that your budget allows.

Don’t forget to allot for incidental costs that may arise (fees, shipping, prizes, etc.)

Execution

Involve local businesses to help defray some of your expenses. Most of the time, they are happy to donate materials, services, or maybe even their merchandise. Keep in mind, too, that some big business establishments plan their budgets (including donations) early in the year.

Note: If you have some businesses helping you, don’t forget to mention their participation at your event in all instances (radio and newspapers, and live mentions). Thanking them goes a long way, too, for their continued participation in the future.

These donors have to be informed too how the money will be spent. It is best to give them all the information about your organization especially if you had sought donations.

All receipts and donations have to be exactly accounted for. All those who donated (money, services, and goods) will need their tax receipts later.

Fundraising can be fun

A fun and easy fundraising is always possible. As in all things, planning and getting organized before anything else takes most of the old nasty troubles away. By then, fundraising is going to be fun.

Diposting oleh samson di 07.06 0 komentar  

Fundraising – Easy Or Hard?

Sometimes, one is not so sure if fundraising is easy or can be hard. The distinction cannot be figured out beforehand.

Big-time fundraising events can sometimes be a nightmare or can be smooth as silk. Small fundraising events look like they can be done with eyes closed, although they can be stressful at times.

Needless to say, everybody wants the easy way. How does one get the best results for an easy fundraiser?

For starters, the easy fundraiser is theoretically done with less effort. It is said that the level of effort is directly proportional to the size of the group's monetary goal. Of course, experience tells us this is not set in stone.

Resources

The perennial problem in a small group is resources. You need so many volunteers and you end up with never enough number. An additional problem would be that, as common courtesy would have it, you cannot require too much time commitment from so many people.

Ideally, the commitment would only consume a volunteer’s single weekend or perhaps a small amount of time during the days of the week. Experience tells us that people are more enthusiastic in helping if it does not require more than two hours straight of their time.

Time period

Another important aspect of an easy fundraising is the overall length of time spent on the program. An easy fundraiser that lasts more than one weekend should not need much attention. Meantime, those that exist only for a single weekend should not need a huge amount of preparation time.

What, then, are the easy fundraisers that take a little effort, few resources and have the right time lengths?

Here’s a random list of some simple ones that anyone can set up:

Recycling programs

Used printer cartridges collection and recycling program virtually costs nothing. The boxes and shipping are covered by the suppliers. Many companies encourage recycling efforts. Good prospects are office buildings housing many offices.

Electronic and office supplies stores are also good places to collect them. Customers bring their old cartridges to the stores for replacement.

After a while, a considerable number of places shall have been covered in your recycling program. After the initial placements of these collectors, there would be less work after and yet they can produce the needed funds for your group.

Another easy enterprise is the famous yard sale. The time needed is short, probably just a Saturday sale (with some preparation time the previous night).

As to the resources needed, recruiting outgoing types can be productive. Balloons for children and doughnuts and coffee for adults certainly add fun to the event.

Putting items from different households together into groups can create bigger draws. It can attract enough shoppers with enough donations to give away.

Another type of easy fundraiser is the weekend specialty sale. The best items would be those seasonal ones – Christmas trees, pumpkin patch, spring flower bulbs, etc. This needs some advance publicity and a high-traffic location. The target is the general public as well as those from the group.

The trick is to make it quick and fun – setup on Friday, sell on Saturday, and close on a Sunday afternoon.

Of course, the prices should be competitive. And there should be some service to go with the sales. Have big boys around to tie down those Christmas trees on cars and place pumpkins in the trunks.

Fundraising is actually not that difficult for both small-time and big-time events. It is all in the right planning, using correct resources and managing the time. You’ve seen how a small time event can be done in fun and easy way.

How a big-timer can be done just as easy will be in another article.

Diposting oleh samson di 07.05 0 komentar  

Are There Careers In Fundraising?

We’ve heard people say they want to be in the medical field, military, academe, business, entertainment, and other more popular career fields. Interestingly, hardly can we hear someone wanting to pursue a career in fundraising. The word fundraising in the first place automatically draws a picture of someone asking for money with great and systematic effort. Some even equate fundraising to a perennial state of financial drought. But how many of us know that isn’t the actual case and that careers in fundraising are in fact promising?

A number of fundraising volunteers assumed fundraising jobs after long years of experience. They find that doing fundraising event is not just a momentary passion, but a lifetime calling. And like any other job in the world, their fundraising job provides for them a great avenue for career growth and job fulfillment. Besides, careers in fundraising are not all about asking for money. There is a great deal of communication skills, organizational deftness, and analytical and assessment abilities involved.

Possible jobs
The growth in the number of organizations and companies doing fundraising events also spelled growth in the number of possible fundraising jobs. Fundraising today has become even more organized and methodical, thus requiring professional attention and supervision.

This need consequently gave birth to the position fundraising consultant. This job is usually focused on either of these two: to oversee the whole fundraising activity or to assess the effectiveness of the existing fundraising team. The fundraising consultant is responsible to make a comprehensive analysis and assessment of the organization or company and evaluate whether their current fundraising efforts are leading toward the goal. On most occasions, he needs to perform feasibility studies and tests, which can identify the organization or company’s potential in conducting a fundraising event.

The fundraising consultant would also have to check all databases and records, which include expenditures, list of supporters, and donations. Additionally, he has to make sure that all persons involved are functioning according to their assigned roles. This is why he also has to work closely with them and provide timely and relevant support. It is as well his responsibility to coach team leaders and heads to make sure that the fundraising plans are executed well.

Fundraising representative is another potential job. This job includes working for a company and offering its products to those other that are hosting a fundraising event. If the fundraising rep gets the project, he works with the company or organization for the duration of the fundraising event. He makes sure that orders are taken, the products delivered, and the money collected. Fundraising rep is paid on a commission basis, so the more project he gets, the more money he earns.

Because he has to deal with a lot of details, the fundraising rep must be good in organization and analysis. He also has to have exceptional communication skills since he would extensively work with a lot of different people. Most times, he as well has to do presentations before an audience. Money is hugely involved in the job, so it is very important for a fundraising rep to be reliable and credible. Fundraising reps work at home, where they have a mini-office with the basic necessities: computer, phone, fax machine, and office supplies.

There are other jobs available in fundraising. Some with even good titles: Charity Campaigners, Corporate Fundraiser, and Director of Fundraising. Now, who says there are no careers in fundraising?

Diposting oleh samson di 07.05 0 komentar  

All You Need To Know About Fundraising for The Church

Making their intentions known to other people in support of church activities has been practiced by various ministries and church groups regardless of their religious belief. Fundraising projects provides organizations or individuals an opportunity to show their support for a worthy cause. Fundraising for the church involves groups or individuals seeking to generate a certain amount of money to push for their worthy cause.

Various fundraising activities have been a major part of church programs as well as those who organize them. Contributions from churchgoers and other sponsors are not sufficient enough to sustain the projects and needs of the church. The amount generated from collections and tithes are intended for continuing ongoing projects of the church, so there is a need to generate more money in order to carry out the mission of the church.

However, the biggest dilemma of people who want to pursue fundraising ventures is how to start and ensure that they will succeed. There are many organizations or individuals who are willing to help out and commit their time and effort, but their biggest problem is they do not know how to plan and go about with such kind of projects. Since most religious groups and affiliations in a church community are almost tied up with their own respective projects, the task of raising funds have been designated to youth groups or elders who might not have an idea on how to plan a fundraising activity.

To ensure the careful planning, implementation, and success of a fundraising venture, the following checklist can help individuals or organizations raise funds for church activities.

Set your goals and objectives for conducting a fundraising project
The first thing that you need to determine when planning to conduct a fundraising event is your purpose or objective for holding such activity. There are various reasons for generating income for funding your event. You may need the money for facilitating current renovations in the church, provided assistance for the poor, additional funds for an upcoming activity. Whatever it is, you need to make sure that it is outlined in your plan.

Once your purpose and objectives is in place, you need to find out how much money should be generated. The desired amount of money should be properly discussed and has the consent of most of the members of the committee.
Most fundraising ventures would involve programs for donors and guests who will attend the event.

For example, the church may organize a concert or bingo night wherein the proceeds of the ticket sales will support the ongoing projects of the church. If your organization is tasked with planning a fundraising campaign, you should have a secondary activity that will benefit the supporters as well as the community.

Promoting the activity is also an important aspect in the planning stage. How would you attract people to the event is a question that should be answered in the plan. You can distribute fliers, place banners or posters in the church grounds, or announce the activity during the mass. The number of people who will attend will have an impact on how much you will generate.

Finally, whatever fundraising activity that your project is planning to organize, the important thing is to make sure that it would be appropriate for the purpose and objectives that you have set forth as the reason for conducting fundraising for the church.

Diposting oleh samson di 07.04 0 komentar  

A Word on Fundraising for The Church

An excellent idea for conducting fundraising for the church is to organize a yearly ‘Church Festival’ which is a combination of good food, carnival games, and family entertainment for the purpose of generating funds. This way, you will be able to get the attention of a broad range of the local population by offering something for the community.

There are various benefits that can be obtained from doing such endeavor as it could bring about a positive impression of your organization and facilities that can eventually lead to a bigger congregation. The event can also provide you with wonderful options with all the money that will be generated.

The first thing that you need to do is to make arrangements for the carnival games, inflatable amusements, live music, and other things that will be needed in the event. You can designate the major responsibilities among the members of the team to make sure that each member will not be burdened with too many responsibilities.

Solicit the help of local businesses as well as prominent members of the congregation for food products such as barbecue, shrimps, and others. By having these food donated, you can get considerable savings for the event. For the live music, you can work with a booking agent to provide you with the best talent for your event.

You can consider various activities to generate funds for an event like Church Festival. You can organize a bake sale, cake walk, selling of crafts, face painting, and others. You can organize an auction in order to obtain some income if you have goods on tap for selling. You can pack smaller items into larger gift baskets and market them as silent auction bids.

For items that have huge dollar values, you can do a live auction style and a professional auctioneer. Since people usually donate unusual and important items for charity, so announce it in advance so friends and local businesses will be informed about the activity.

In order to attract a huge audience, you can advertise the event in advance. If you have a newsletter or e-mail list, you can send reminders to your friends or loved ones so they can be reminded of the event and create a sense of anticipation. Use fliers, roadside signs, or posters to catch attention. You can tickle the curiosity of potential customers by placing carnival rides where they are visible in traffic.

Another way of advertising your fundraising event is by creating a press release and disseminating it to all newspapers, television, and radio stations. Place the newsworthy aspect of your event as headline. You can place pictures and announce the event in radio stations.

You can make the Church Festival a yearly event by making it an exciting and enjoyable activity as much as possible. Give enough time for making the activity known to the public. You can likewise provide information on how you can donate goods and services.

For safety reasons, you need to secure a contract for carnival rides and inflatable rentals. Aside from that, make arrangements for live entertainment and huge amounts of succulent food. The best time to hold these events are during weekends when people can have enough time to enjoy the day.

Fundraising for the church can be worthwhile and profitable as long as you bear in mind the tips mentioned above.

Diposting oleh samson di 07.03 0 komentar  

Organizing fundraising activities can provide numerous benefits for both the organizer as well as the participants. There are plenty of reasons for generating income as there is a wide range of fundraising activities available. Here is a quick guide on how to organize fundraising activities.

Carefully planning fundraising events is not an easy job at all. However, a clearly planned venture can ensure success as well as generation of the desired income. There are certain steps that you need to undertake that should be followed to the letter.

The first step in conducting and planning a fundraising activity is to set clear goals and determine the recipients of the money. As much as possible, be specific with the individuals or organizations that you will raise funds for. For example, if your intention is to generate income for breast cancer, trim it down to breast cancer research in a certain location in the country or for the families of terminally ill victims of breast cancer.

Once you have established your goals and the recipients of the proceeds, the next step is to determine the type of event. Activities such as car wash, pancake breakfast, or bake sale are excellent activities. Casino night or auction may require more planning, time and effort, or even capital. The most inexpensive method can be through letters asking for donations which can be distributed to families, friends, or acquaintances.

The next step in organizing a fundraising event is to assemble a team of volunteers who might be willing to offer their talents, donations, or connections. Delegation of tasks is essential so you can set up committees or sub-committees for other tasks. You can set meetings for monitoring the progress of the event. Select a spokesperson or an honoree who is a member of your organization or cause as representative.

In addition, pick a date for holding the event. Make sure that it will give you enough time to make preparations and is not in conjunction with a local or national event. Determine your budget so your operational costs can be at a minimum. Consider the expenses for each individual as well as the ticket price.

In addition, you can request for seed money from businesses, stores, or corporations. Likewise, you can ask for their support in exchange for being listed in the souvenir program or advertisements. Prepare a letter presenting the nature of the gifts, cash value, or tax deductible information to be distributed to your prospective donors.

Finding a location where the event will take place is a vital step in planning the activity. Scout for every possible venue for the event and be prepared to make an initial deposit. Likewise, determine the legality and your financial liabilities because your event could be subjected to taxes.

Distribute invitations and prepare a program for people whom you want to be present during the occasion. Offer them a booklet that will create an opportunity for them to sell ads and acknowledge the help of sponsors.
After the event, follow up with your sponsors by sending them thank you letters. You can add them to the mailing list of your organization. Compute your gross income and thank the various committees who provided valuable support to the success of the event.

Following this simple guide on how to conduct fundraising activities can ensure a successful venture for generating the needed income for your organization.

Diposting oleh samson di 07.02 0 komentar  

A Quick Guide to Corporate Fundraising

Corporate fundraising requires creativity and excellent time management skills. However, if all the employees will do their part and some kind of plan, you can generate sufficient amount of money for donating for charitable institutions or community outreach. Whatever is the purpose of the fundraising activity, you can make the most out of the experience by bearing in mind the following guidelines.

Determine Your Needs

Before proceeding with the activity, the first thing that you need is to determine the amount of money that you need to generate for the event. Establish a concrete and solidified goal to work with because it can affect the kind of activity that you will implement in order to achieve the goal. Likewise, this will help in the organization of the event as well as in the compilation of the necessary materials required to commence the activity.
By determining your goal for raising the funds, you can also move ahead with planning the basics.

You need to be aware of possible hidden costs that may be incurred during the activity as it can affect your goal as well as the amount needed to proceed with the venture. Hidden charges may include the cost for setting up the materials or shopping for prizes can have a bearing on the overall cost of the activity.

Making Room for Preparations

Having enough time for preparation for the fundraising event is a crucial step. Set the event at the earliest possible time so there is sufficient interval between the projected date of the event and the current date. You will need sufficient time for collection of materials, selecting assistants, and advertising the activity. Posters and advertisements in schools, church, community centers, and other venues can help in your promotional efforts as well as in ensuring that you get the maximum number of participants.

Be Optimistic

As the date of the fundraising activity draws near, it is vital to maintain the motivation of your team. Keeping your members optimistic is important as any sign of weakness or tapering off can have an impact on the outcome of the activity and may create a negative image of your company. To keep your members motivated, you can offer incentives or provide sufficient time for breaks or time off.

If the fundraising activity will require several days and requires taking orders, have a substitute team on standby in order to avoid fatigue. For best results, the taking of order should be limited to 10 to 12 days.

Communicate Clearly

In this kind of activity, communicating with your team is crucial. Make sure that the information is accurate and timely, especially between the members of your team and potential customers. Make your purpose known to potential clients. Be clear as to where the proceeds will go otherwise they might not be generous with the amount they will donate. By providing clear and concise information to your client, you will be able to generate the needed amount as well as make the entire process easy and exciting. At the same time, you will be building a good reputation for your company.

Have A Wide Range of Options

If your fundraising activity involves selling items or auctioning goods, make sure that you give potential clients a wide range of items to choose from. For family-oriented activities, selling dollhouses, rocking horse, or toys can be an excellent choice. You can also auction timesaving items or vehicles.

Corporate fundraising may require a little effort from you. In the end, however, it can be worthwhile especially if you are able to surpass the goals of the activity.

Diposting oleh samson di 07.01 0 komentar  

All over the world, fundraising activities are conducted almost on a daily basis. The big ones are in the news and they are the ones we remember most.

In other parts, fundraising takes on several sizes. In rural areas, a school may have raised some funds needed to buy more school materials. Some parish church somewhere may have sponsored some cookie sales.

All in all, there are so many kinds of fundraising activities anyone can organize. Here are some of them for you to choose from.

Raffle
This is one of the more popular ones. You can give your version some twists to jazz up things and make it interesting. Instead of standard raffle tickets with raffle numbers on them, you could distribute lollipops with the raffle numbers written on a label wrapped on the sticks.

A good idea would be to gather many volunteers and participants to make these tags on the lollipop sticks.

One fine idea, too, is to have some local businessman donate an item or gift certificates to be raffled off. You’ll be surprised how generous people can be regarding fund raisers.

If you have businesses helping out in the fundraising, make sure you acknowledge them by mentioning them right at the event. If you have the budget, thank them in advertisements you placed on the papers and on radio and TV.

More tips:
- For businessmen-donors, be clear to them how the money will be spent, plus giving them information about your organization.

- Try to think of a fundraising idea that hasn't been done yet.

- Some large businesses plan their donation budgets early in the year, so contact them as early as possible. Remember to budget for incidental costs that may arise, such as fees, shipping costs or prizes.

Unusual auctions
In Minneapolis, a church auctioned off three front pews for Christmas Eve service as part of their school fundraiser. The bids ran into thousands not because they were precious (they were free most times of the year!) but were probably carried away by the Christmas spirit.
Not a bad idea to serve as a model to your own.

Credit card
In donations, particularly for fundraising, credit cards are discovered to be better than cash. People are found to be more likely to honor a pledge (backed by a credit card) than an ordinary phone pledge. They are also more willing to give more if the amount is split into smaller monthly pledges ($100 one-time donation into $10 a month for ten months).

OTT (Over the top) display
Fundraising sometimes need blatant, up front, over-the-top, highly visible reminders.

A nonprofit organization in Illinois hosted a dinner for their supporters and raised $6,000. The best part was the extra $18,000 they raised. The secret? The organizers prominently placed a big donation jar at the registration table for everyone to see.

Online donation
The world’s largest market place is extending a helping hand to non-profit groups. Simply sign up to eBay Giving Works and have your group line up for online donations.

Anyone can sell items on eBay and donate part or the entire final sale price to your organization. Donations are collected and distributed, and tax receipts are issued to the seller on your behalf.

These ideas have worked so far and are in use by many groups today. They also serve as templates and triggers to your own ideas you thought of by yourself. These ideas are only limited by your own imagination.

Diposting oleh samson di 07.00 0 komentar  

For some people, the thought of organizing a fundraising activity seems complicated enough to halt any effort of launching one. Questions like, “Where would it be held?” “Who would do this and that?” “How can we effectively manage it?” “And what service or product would we offer in the first place?” They get nervous with all the details, and when panic takes over, the fundraiser becomes a total nightmare. To avoid such blunder, it is wise to start first with easy and simple fundraising ideas. This is especially helpful for first-timers, who are still learning the nitty-gritty of fundraising.

Following are some of the easy and simple fundraising ideas your group can accommodate. You can twist them a little or do modifications to excite your participants and customers.

Garage Sale
Time has proven that garage sale generates funds successfully in the most modest ways. All you need to do is collect stuff that are still usable and in relatively good condition, and set them up in your garage nicely and neatly. The more things you sell, the more people are likely to come, so make sure you have a lot of things on display. Look for people who might be willing to donate some stuff.

Aside from the members of your organization, your family and friends are potential contributors. But make sure that whatever you put on display is clean and functional—no dust, no grease, no missing parts. Fix your items as much as you can. They maybe junk for you, but for buyers, they are only old items that work just fine.

Car Wash
Car wash doesn’t project costly overhead, so you can keep a good percentage of what you earn. You only need to have loads of soap and washing tools like buckets and water hoses and people who are willing to get wet and dirty. Though there are organizations that choose to partner with a local car wash to have ready place and tools, it’s wiser to work on your own. This way, you do don’t have to share the earnings with someone else. Car wash is very popular among student organizations, as it also encourages team work while having fun.

Raffle
Perhaps the simplest fundraiser, raffle requires you to prepare coupons or tickets and sell them for relatively cheap price. Your buyers are entitled to prizes, if their coupon or ticket numbers are drawn. Make sure the prizes are safe, practical, and useful. All the proceeds then go to your organization.

Walkathon and Marathon
Host a walkathon or marathon in your community, school, or church. Not only are you generating funds for your organization, you are also promoting health and fitness among your participants. Find sponsors who are willing to finance an exercise-based fundraiser such as these two to help you accumulate funds. For additional funding, you can also ask for participant’s fee or sell running gears and shirts. Launching a walkathon or marathon may seem daunting a task, but if you consider how much it can help both your participants and your organization, you will find that your cause is worth all the effort.

Rule of thumb: Never bore your participants. Make sure that you put in elements that keep the excitement. For instance, give your customers “thank you” stickers if they purchase, say, five or more items, from your garage sale. Or you can ask your school soccer team to do the car wash, all dolled up like girls.

In other words, be creative to turn these simple fundraising ideas into thrilling activities.

Diposting oleh samson di 06.59 0 komentar  

Holding fundraising activities is the most popular method of generating income for your projects. You can get the involvement of the neighborhood and can surely help in achieving monetary benefits. Getting the community involved can bring more fun and result to more income. If your group or organization has minimal funds, considering suggestions for fundraising activities can give you maximum profits despite minimal efforts. However, there are some steps that you need to undertake to ensure a successful fundraising venture.

Advertise Your Event

Ensuring the success of your event entails getting the whole neighborhood involved for your project. Using fliers and advertisements can help ensure that everyone in the community will be aware of your project. Provide information such as target audience, the date, purpose of the event, location, and how you will go about with the event. There are many medium you can consider for advertisement such as newspapers, school and church newsletters, or radio and TV stations.

Find an Accessible Location

In looking for a venue where you will hold your event, search for a location that is accessible to all. The location determines whether or not your event will attract an audience. Make sure that the venue can accommodate the number of guests you are expecting.

Set The Appropriate Day

The best time to hold your event is during the weekends as this is the time most people are at home. Just make sure that your selected day will not coincide with another event or holiday.

Get Trusted Volunteers

When getting the members of your team who will help you out, choose those who can commit themselves during the event. You will fall short of your expectation if the people chosen to help you out are not trustworthy. Make sure you have support team in case there are absent members of your team.

Select A Fundraising Event

There are many fundraising events that you can consider for generating needed income. Breakfast/lunch/dinner events can be excellent fundraisers as long as it is kept simple. Serving hotdog for breakfast can be a great idea. Likewise, you can borrow a BBQ boiler for cooking. You can generate more funds by selling them at a lower cost.

Another activity you can consider for generating funds is car wash. In exchange for cleaning their vehicles, you can ask for a donation from the owner instead. Set your activity in a location known for traffic congestion. The many cars you can wash, the more income will be generated. While waiting for their cars to be cleaned, you can sell some refreshments for additional income.

Offering baked goodies in exchange for donations is the idea behind a bake sale. For additional income, you can sell brochures of popular cookie dough. In addition, you can go around the community and solicit old books from your neighbors and sell them for a good cause.

You can also organize a rubber duck race and get the attention of the children in your community. You can sell the tickets to interested participants. Just make sure that the event gets enough publicity to get the turnout you expect. Award prizes to the best racers.

Finally, another popular fundraising event that you can organize is a bingo night. You can hold the event in your local sports club. As a prize, you can use local business items and hand out recognition certificates after the event.

There are many suggestions for fundraising activities that you can consider that can help generate income for your project.

Diposting oleh samson di 06.58 0 komentar  

What are we going to sell? This is typically the first question that pops up when a group wants to do a fundraising program for their organization.

Even after knowing a lot of ways on how to raise funds, the most popular by far is selling products. This is especially true in schools, church organizations, some village groups, or some fraternities or clubs.

Most of the sold products are mostly freshly-baked cookies, package candies and sweets, homemade cooked food, inspirational items and many more. These are the goods that anybody can make, but are still bought by people at a much higher price because they know the seller belongs to a group who are trying to raise funds.

Success in raising funds depends largely on the concrete answers to the following questions. They can greatly help in deciding the right product (material goods) or the right program (auction, selling, events) for the projected fundraising.

How much money do we need?

The size of the group’s needed amount decides the manner with which to conduct the fundraising. There is a need to be precise on this. If the group needs only a few hundred dollars, candies and some small items are all that are needed to sell.

For needs that reach along the thousand-dollar (or over) category, products to sell would be along the likes of slightly pricier chocolates or cookies. The product to sell is based on the size of the goal amount, not on simple random choice. It will take a big army of sellers selling low-priced candies to reach the targeted amount.

What do the group members love selling?

The success of your fundraising is dependent on your group members who do the selling. Ask them what things they enjoy selling and those they do not. If they like the product they sell, they have all the motivations needed to sell the items.

What was the previous best-seller?

This is true not just in the products sold. If a certain event was a huge success in the previous fundraising, chances are that program will still be successful. The same is true with the products sold (if the event is selling) by your group members. If the customers are buying, and the sellers enjoy selling, what reason is there to change the formula?

When is the deadline?

Or, when do we need the money? Products that need longer to sell must have a lead time of one to two weeks. It is best to use direct-sale products (cards, candies, etc.) because they don’t need pre-sale periods. If the planning had allotted enough time, a pre-sale brochure or flyer can help, as do all kinds of advertising (word of mouth, radio, newsletters, etc.)

Are our products the best?

People would be happy to help and support a worthy cause, but they are not interested in buying inferior products or those that are overpriced beyond practicality. It is good to remember that your fundraising will be repeated the next year or so, and people will remember that you sold premium products.

Is the price right?

Are you selling products only people living in Beverly Hills can afford? Is the price of your product just about right? Would the people you are selling to would understand that the slight hike of price is for a good cause?

Diposting oleh samson di 06.56 0 komentar  

Fundraising as a modern form of endeavor could be considered as an “undertaking in progress”. The basics of the definition are still there: it is a process of soliciting and gathering money from individuals, businesses, foundations and agencies.

What qualifies it as a “work in progress” is the fact that there are new ways discovered regularly on how to improve the art and science of raising funds. Another is that articles on fundraising tips and guidelines are written up just as regularly.

The following is another set of useful tips for people and groups engaged in fundraising. Some of these tips are the old reliable ones mixed with some new ones worth trying.

Goals
Set your fundraising goal – how much is the total amount you need? It does not matter if you are raising funds for sports, charity, or for some other worthy causes. It is important to know exactly how much you need.

If you are not sure, estimate some higher figure. You cannot do another fundraising for an additional amount if you estimated lower.

Programs and products
Decide on the products you want to anchor your fundraising, if it is selling that you choose to be your event.

Next, check on your members. What do they like to do, what are they interested in? Will they be comfortable in selling? Are they motivated? It is said that people are excited to do business with things they are interested in.

Deadlines
Deadlines are important in whatever undertaking, and fundraising is one fairly serious endeavor that needs some professional touch. The deadline provides the parameter for the fundraising’s beginning and finish. Schedules and other activities are settled once deadlines are set.

People and staff
Fundraising needs people to fill in the many slots that need to be manned. Yours comprise the participants, parents probably, volunteers, and anyone else who will help. The participants need to know in advance the actual fundraising, and other nitty-gritty details.

Volunteers are the support staff that can handle some responsibilities as you see fit. Dividing roles and delegating the duties to them can ease up much of your own responsibilities, or at least lessen the scope.

Budget
Budget not only includes purchase of necessary materials (products to be sold, other paraphernalia, etc.) but also comprise those incremental expenses before, during, and after the fundraising event. These should be kept as low as possible for obvious reasons.

Advertising
People have to be aware about your fundraising campaign. Advertising it has to be done well beforehand. If there are tickets to be bought, a longer lead time is needed. For easy calculation, it should be twice as long as that of simple fundraising sales.

Advertisements are more effective if supported by posters and flyers. You can ask for help from local business to have your posters in their windows and on community bulletin boards.

Diposting oleh samson di 06.55 0 komentar