Oh, No! Another School Fundraiser!

If you have children still attending school, then you probably know all too well the feeling you get when you receive a flyer stating the need for yet another fundraising event! That horrible feeling in the pit of your stomach that says you're going to have to contribute in some way, either buying something you really don't need and really can't afford, or by donating hours of your time, hours that you don't have either.

But do not despair. Life for fundraising people has got easier because of the Internet, and with computers in general, as you can use the computer to make your life easier in many ways. You can document the jobs needed to be done by volunteers, you can email volunteers to keep them all informed of meetings, jobs and the like, and computers can help you keep track of donors, donations, and so much more.

The trick with fundraisers is to find something that people want to buy from you, either a product or a service, and that you want to sell and promote. And of course, if the event is because you are fundraising for your school, ideally it should be something that will inspire as many students as possible to participate.

That rules out the good old favourite bake sale, as it is hard to devote the time to helping preschoolers bake for a bake sale, but with so many food allergies around, and fear of food contamination, I think those days are over. I remember how awful I felt when I baked for the school fundraiser, only to find that my daughters had bought the goods so they could see what mommy's baking tasted like! I must admit, baking didn't happen very often because of a shortage of time, but I didn't realize my family felt so deprived!

Then there are car washes, and this one I like because the time involved can be limited to one day, or one weekend, and the kids can take part themselves, under adult supervision of course. Kids love to get wet on a nice hot day, so summer car washes often work well, and aside from advanced advertising, there is not a lot of preparation to do in advance, and very few funds need to be spent on supplies.

There are school fairs that can be lots of fun and they can raise significant income, but the level of organization means it is not for everyone. And there are so many more options, too many to list here.

Ok, so how else can computers help you, other than with the organization of your fundraising events? There are websites out there that provide you with a ton of advice and loads of suggestions that you can look at to see what fundraiser best suits your group. They suggest how to go about organizing it, how to advertise and promote it to your best advantage. There's information about how to target your fundraiser, in other words, lots of information about aspects of fundraising that you may not have even considered in the past.

One of the problems I always encountered with fundraising, was that I provided some goods to sell, but then was expected to buy some at the event too, so it seemed like a double hit to me. Instead, see if there is a section of the community that you can target. For example, our daughters always did very well when they were collecting donations by standing outside a liquor store. I don't know whether it was a guilt thing or not, but people entering the liquor store seemed to give more readily than those entering a grocery store! ( Not all municipalities permit this kind of fundraising, so you need to check first.)

You need to consider what your expenses will be especially those needed in advance of your fundraising. Do you have the funds to cover this? Is it worth paying for advertising? Is it worth mailing to companies to ask for donations, or to others to ask for support? Who is likely to support your fundraising cause? Are there others out there that could be reached? Easily?

Yes, it will take a little time to read all this information, but it can be well worth it, as it may save you from having to organize a second event if the first one does not raise the funds you need. It gets you thinking about who you can sell your goods or services to, other than those already involved in your organization, who will benefit from your product or service, and how you can reach them without huge expense and without a huge commitment of time.

So get a coffee, take a deep breath and re-evaluate your school fundraiser!

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Non-profits: Raise Funds without Buying Ads or Mailings

When non-profit organizations aren’t out changing the world, they’re appealing to supporters and the public for donations. Fundraising is a constant challenge for non-profit organizations and it’s not because people don’t want to give the money – it’s because people don’t always know that there’s a need.

Fundraising efforts include direct mailings, advertising, and marketing campaigns. Each of these is costly and there’s no way to guarantee return on investment. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to gain exposure and elicit donations without having to dip into the coffers? You can – they’re called “editorial placements,” or as we in media relations like to say “free advertising.”

Newspapers and magazines live and die by their content. If people don’t want to read what they’re printing, they’re in trouble. Being able to offer a print publication (or even a broadcast network) with a story that will entertain, educate, or inspires its readers is a challenge, but well worth it if it’s printed.

Which of the following newspaper placements do you think will garner more public response: an ad placed in the “weekender” or “volunteer opportunity” sections describing your organization and asking for donations; or a touching feature story about how the organization is making a difference in the community? The feature story will almost undoubtedly send more people to an organization’s Web site than an ad, and the funny this is that the feature story cost the organization nothing to secure.

Why does the public respond more strongly to a feature than an ad? Because appearing in the media provides instant legitimization. People tend to trust the organizations or people they see in the paper or on TV. If you run a non-profit animal shelter that is featured on the weekend nightly news’ adopt-a-pet segment, chances are the public will think of you first when looking to adopt a pet as opposed to if you simply placed an ad in the Sunday paper every week.

So how do you obtain “free advertising?” By reaching out to the media every chance you get. Smaller organizations that utilize community support can offer personal feature stories on certain overachieving volunteers. The media loves a good “feel good” story: how one volunteer has made such a difference, how a beneficiary of the organization’s services is thriving now, and so on. How did your organization start? Did someone sell their business to establish a women’s shelter? Does a local mother care for homeless animals on her farm? Here are some ideas to help inspire you to develop a story for your organization or cause.

Every person has a story.
Discover the stories behind the people in your organization and make the media aware of them. By “story,” I mean a simple, conversational story – the type you might tell a friend. Pitching a story to the media doesn’t mean you have to write it and offer it in its entirety. When you pitch a story, you simply let your media contact know about it. They’ll decide if it’s a fit and pursue it further.

To get an idea of the kinds of stories the paper and local networks like, spend a few weeks tuning in or scanning the pages. It will be obvious the kinds of things they’re looking for.

Pay close attention to the journalists and reporters who write on topics related to yours. These are the people you are going to want to contact with your story.

Local outlets want local stories, and this can represent multiple opportunities for media coverage. For instance, if the person your story focuses on lives in a town other than where your organization is based, you can pitch the story to both locales.


Let the world know what’s happening.
Hosting or sponsoring an event can garner more attention than a two-line announcement in the calendar section. What is the story surrounding your event? If you’re launching a clothing drive for professional attire to help women get jobs, highlight a success story, such as a woman associated with your organization who overcame hardships and landed a great job that changed her life. If you’re hosting a casual fun-day dog show for kids to benefit a local animal shelter, find a pet owner who plans to enter his or her adopted shelter dog.

Even your fundraising events can be promoted through editorial placements. You don’t have to have a high-profile MC or a gala to make the news. If this is an annual event, how do you expect to surpass last year’s donations? How were the funds used? If they built a library or added a wing to a senior center, what’s the story behind that?

Announce Everything
Organizations in large cities face direct competition for donations and media coverage. To help improve your chances of media attention, do everything you can to stay in the news (or at least in the minds of the news writers in your area). Is there a staffing change or new hire (a positive one)? Announce it. If you’ve added a service to your organization, announce it. In sales and marketing, a consumer needs to hear about a product seven times before he or she will buy it, on average. The same is true for donations to non-profits. The more often the public sees your organization in print or hears about it on the radio or on television, the more likely they will be to consider donating. Keep that in mind the next time you’ve got news to share!

Media relations is about building relationships and having an idea of what the public wants. It’s not as complicated as it may seem, after all, you are the public. What do you want to read? What would be interesting to you? Talk to your co-workers and friends and find out their opinions. Identify the media people in your area who cover the types of things you and your organization do and begin to build a relationship. Before you know it, you may have them calling you for a story.
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MostExpensiveDomainSold.com Announces Official Launch With Domain Charity Raffle

MostExpensiveDomainSold.com has announced its official launch in February 2008 with a raffle that will further assist the worthy causes supported by this project. Never before has a charity drive been created to sell a domain for charity.

Buyer of this domain held by this domain charity will be certain to receive substantial media attention, as is always the case in a worthy charity drive. Therefore, participants will benefit not only from taking part in the Most Expensive Domain Sold raffle charity drive, but they’ll also be able to take advantage of a few notable moments in the spotlight.

Most Expensive Domain Sold is an online domain charity which makes a donation from the sell of this domain for charity. Anyone can sign up as an affiliate to help this noble cause. It allows people to donate their time and creativity in order to collect necessary funds for commendable charities. Charities currently include: Feed the Children, Seacology, and the American Red Cross. The number of list charity benefiting from the charity drive will grow with the program.

The Most Expensive Domain Sold raffle will allocate 50 percent of the price of the domain sold for charity for to the worthy cause. Then, 25 percent will be awarded to the first place winner, 10 percent will go to the second place winner, and 5 percent will be won by the third place winner. The remaining 10 percent will be applied to the development and upkeep of the Most Expensive Domain Sold domain charity. Each raffle winner is free to spend their winnings however they wish. Official receipts and final totals will be disclosed on the website upon completion of the raffle.

In order to earn raffle tickets, participants must sign up for the Most Expensive Domain Sold affiliate program. Membership in the affiliate program is entirely free. It is then up to the participants to begin producing traffic to the MostExpensiveDomainSold.com website. For every referral sent by an affiliate, that affiliate is awarded one raffle ticket. Therefore, the greater the referral efforts, the better the chances of winning the raffle.

Participation is simple, free, and good for the heart. Anyone can take part and build funds for charities in ways they’d never otherwise be able to achieve.

For more information about Most Expensive Domain Sold and its domain charity raffle, visit the website at www.mostexpensivedomainsold.com.

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Seeking Grant Proposals for your Fundraiser

An essential part of fundraising is writing grant proposals and grant applications. An effectively written grant application can result in large sums of money for your fundraising group. Grant applications can be a long and tiresome journey, but in the end it will be worth it for your group! In the following article, we are going to help you understand grants and what they entail.

Grant Applications Broken Down

Most grant applications will include some or more of the following components:

Letters of Reference – letters from those who can testify to your experience and good character.
Formal Proposal – a detailed explanation of what the grant money will be used for.
A Business Plan – detailing the finer points of your financial needs.
A List of Resources – detail the resources you have, and the resources you need.
Complete list of Group Members - including both workers and volunteers.
Goals and Plans – detail the short and long term goals of your group.

The grant application will list all the material and documents needed for submission. It is vitally important that you follow all the directions exactly as they are stated when filling out the grant application. One mistake could make the difference between getting the grant and getting turned down. Many grant providers reject applications that didn’t take the time to follow the directions when submitting their application. Prior to submitting your grant application have someone in the group proof read it and make sure that all the information is correct and in order. After staring at the same document for days on end, it becomes difficult to notice any mistakes.

Your grant application should stress the importance of your cause and the necessity of the grant. How many people are you expecting to be able to help? How will this project benefit them? The more compelling your application is, the more likely you are to receive the grant money. Most importantly, grant providers want to make sure the money is going to be used wisely and appropriately. To help your cause, make sure you describe your goals and focus in clear detail.

Lastly, take time and fill out your application with precision. Don’t rush through it, or you are bound to make some mistakes. Give yourself enough time to provide all of the financial documents that are requested, and be sure to have someone proofread it prior to submitting! A well-written application will stand out above the rest!

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Make The Money You Need With Candle Fundraisers

If you’re thinking of a fundraiser what could be better than candle fundraisers? This product is as popular as cookies and cakes - maybe more so. Selling candles will make a very successful fundraiser for your cause. Candle fundraisers are welcomed by everyone and are very popular. Depending on the foundation having the fund raiser for or how many supporters you have to work with you, it can bring a generous amount of money for your cause.

If you are working towards a church fundraiser then you will likely have all the help you need form the congregation where you can get your candles very easily by asking each member to make their own candles. Candles are not that hard to make and can be scented and decorated to suit the time of the year. This will prove to be a very profitable way to have a candle fund raiser as your cost will be very little. If you have your candle fundraisers near a holiday, then use that theme of the holiday to decorate your candles. Make sure that each person understands what they are expected to do and how many you will need them to make.

There is another way you can have candle fundraisers and that is by ordering them from a company that does just this, provides candles for fund raiser. They have a set price and you can make your own decision on what you charge for each candle, but this is also an excellent way to have a fund raiser. These candles burn nicely. Some of them are not made with paraffin but made with soy. This allows them to burn cleaner.

You will find that these candles come in two sizes and with a wide variety of scents. You can contact these companies on the Internet where you’ll find a wide array of candles for your fund raiser. The reasons for the candle fundraisers will give you a good idea of how many you need. If you are having candle light service for a certain cause, you will find you need many of these candles. If you are having a sale of candles at a candle fund raiser, then the amount you need might be somewhat less.

Whatever candle fund raiser you decide on, it is sure to be a hit. Everyone loves candles -most especially the scented ones. Candle fundraisers are a sure winner when it comes to fundraisers and will make your fund raiser a very big success that will provide many donations.

Selling candles can be surprisingly effective, if done well.

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Salvation Army, Not Just A Religion, A Charity Worth Giving To

Last year during Christmas season I started to enter a store that I had shopped at regularly for years. I stopped at the store entrance because I felt that something was wrong. Then I realized that there was no bell ringing and no Salvation Army volunteer with his or her red kettle. I went into the store and asked the manager if he knew why the Salvation Army volunteer was not outside. He stated that the company had gotten complaints from people who were unhappy that a religious organization was soliciting donations in front of the company's stores. He stated that the company had decided that they would no longer allow the Salvation Army to have a space outside the stores. This way the company would not offend people. I told the manager that they had just offended me. I walked out and have never again shopped at that store or at any of that company's other stores.

Every year I know it's the Christmas season when I see the Salvation Army volunteers ringing their bells and standing next to their red donation kettles or buckets. Every time I see one of those red buckets I put $5, $10 or $20 in the bucket and thank the volunteer for being there and allowing me to make the donation. I thank them because I believe that they are doing me a favor by allowing me to help people through the Salvation Army. They are the ones that have to stand for hours ringing their bell while all I have to do is put money in the bucket. They don't get paid for doing this they just do it out of love for their fellow humans. I not only donate at Christmas time, I also send in anonymous donations (For my own ideological reasons most of my donations to most entities are made anonymously.) at other times of the year and when there are various disasters.

I am not connected in any way with the Salvation Army nor have I ever recieved aid from them. The Salvation Army is a christian religious organization and although I am a Christian I am a Catholic. Some people ask me why I give to the Salvation Army instead of the Catholic Church. I tell them that I do give to the Church, but I also give to the Salvation Army. As far as I am concerned the Salvation Army is one of the finest charities around. They try to help any and every person regardless of race, nationality, color, sexual preference or religious beliefs. They have never tried to convert anyone I know of and they never seem to engage in any type of politicking. The only thing I have ever seen them do is help people. They have their beliefs but as far as I have seen they do not try to force those beliefs on others.

The Salvation Army is a religious organization, they do have ministries, they do have members, and they do preach the gospel of Christ to people, however, as far as I know they do not preach to people that do not want to hear them and they never require people that they are helping to join them. When I was young, I knew a girl whose family belonged to the Salvation Army. Not once did they ever try to "convert" me, not once did they ever try to talk me into going to services with them and not once did they ever try to do anything other that to be nice to me. At that time I was an Agnostic and they knew this but they never tried to change my mind and they never judged me.

According the Salvation Army, "83 cents of every dollar collected by the Army goes directly to client service", this is one the highest percentages of any non-profit in the world. Among the services that they provide are disaster relief services, day care centers, summer camps, holiday assistance, services for the aging, AIDS education and residential services, medical facilities, shelters for battered women and children, family and career counseling, vocational training, correction services, and substance abuse rehabilitation. More than 30 million people a year are aided in some form by services provided by The Salvation Army.

The Salvation Army is actively involved in fighting the international crime of human and sexual trafficking. The battle is fought on two fronts: shaping public policy in Washington, DC, as well as providing basic services and advocacy for victims. They run 120 adult rehabilitation centers across the nation, these centers focus solely on defeating substance abuse. Individuals with identifiable and treatable needs go to these centers for help when they no longer are able to cope with their addictions. They receive housing, nourishing meals, and necessary medical care, and they engage in work therapy. The Salvation Army also operates 18 locations across the United States, which provide a comprehensive treatment program for men and women struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. Clients are primarily homeless, with limited or no access to other treatment or social service programs. Educational assistance along with classes such as relapse prevention and anger management prepare graduates for independence and meaningful employment. Each year, thousands of older adults are served by The Salvation Army through a myriad of programs. At Salvation Army community centers, seniors may find educational classes, adult day care, hot-lunch programs, and the “league of mercy,” a community care ministry that sends volunteers to hospitals, nursing homes, and directly to the homebound to provide a listening ear, a caring heart and a helping hand.

They provide needy families with Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, gifts for children, coats and shoes for kids with none to wear, and visitation to the elderly and imprisoned who have no one to care for them. Families who are in desperate need of basics such as food, clothing and household items during the holidays are placed in the care of the Army’s Adopt a Family program. Each family creates a wish list of items and is matched with a volunteer donor team. Businesses, families and school groups adopt families in this program, generously meeting the family’s needs and instilling hope in those who have none.

The Salvation Army may be a religious organization but their main function seems to be to help those in need. As such they are a charity worth donating to. A charity that deserves your donations, not just at Christmas time but year round. Help them help others. You don't have to be a Christian to give to them, you don't even have to believe in God. All you have to believe in is helping other people.

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Fundraising Tips - The Follow-Up

The key to continued fundraising success is to follow-up afterwards: Supporters and participants need to be thanked.

Merchant contributors need to be debriefed on their results from participating. Records need to be gathered, copied, and stored.

Communicate the results to everyone involved.

Informing everyone who took part in your most recent fundraising is of utmost importance. Nothing charges up your organization for the future better than a group celebration.

Give recognition to your volunteers.

Enjoy the sound of "We did it!"

Conduct a post-mortem analysis of the fundraiser just completed.

Gather information and record impressions while everything is still fresh. Make notes about supplier relationships, any process problems, and what aspects need fine-tuning for the next time around.

Gather those recommendations for future fundraisers.

Brainstorm with your team and write down all the possible ways to improve. Circulate a written evaluation form to gather multiple viewpoints for the permanent file.

Make plans while everyone is still excited from this success.

Strategize how to increase the number of volunteers. Plan to promote those who excelled this time around to positions with more authority.

Ask your merchant supporters what you could do better.

In the long run, it's important to help them even more. Now is a good time to ask them for increased participation during your next big drive.

Review all records for completeness.

Work up the statistical analysis covered in the section on Goal Setting (in my book Fundraising Success!). That will save time in the future when you want to set your benchmarks.

Post the results on your website.

Let everyone see how ell you did along with multiple pictures of your team in action. When describing your success, be a shameless namedropper. Everyone likes to be thanked publicly.

Most importantly, put the funds you've raised to good use.

Your fundraising follow-up is the foundation for your future success. Don't give this area short shrift. Pave the way for even better results next time.

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School Fundraising Ideas - Part One

Looking for a good school fundraising idea?

You're not the only one. The good news is that there are other school fundraising ideas besides coordinating a special event or conducting a catalog-based fundraiser.

These often end up overwhelming your supporters with multiple fund raising products that aren't everyday items for most people.

In this series, we'll take a look at three school fundraising ideas. Part One looks at Discount Shopping Cards.

These are simple products that your group can offer that provide these benefits:

1) They are easy to sell
2) They offer good value
3) They produce excellent results

Using Discount Shopping Cards for your school fundraiser has benefits that are easy to explain to your supporters, they have widespread appeal, and each can be offered for immediate sale or sold via a simple brochure.

School Fundraising Ideas: Discount Shopping Card

What exactly is a discount shopping card?

It is a wallet-sized card packed with a selection of prearranged discounts at local and national merchants in your area. Most usually contain a dozen special offers that save the bearer either a fixed amount or a percentage discount.

Each card usually retails for $10 and provides for almost unlimited usage of the special offers. The only exception is when you custom design a card to feature a special one-time only discount from a sponsoring merchant.

This type of premium offering is often worth half the purchase price all by itself, such as a $5 discount from a national oil change company.

Other money saving examples include free drinks with a fast food order, $1 or more off on a submarine sandwich, savings on video rentals, haircut discounts, free ice cream, and other special offers.

Because of their high perceived value (what family doesn't want to save money these days?), these are excellent fundraisers.

Discount cards can often produce impressive unit sales per participant. It's not unusual for each seller to make ten or more sales.

Another interesting benefit is the unique customization of the discount card. Many suppliers can place your schools' name and logo on the front side of each card. This firmly affixes your group's value proposition in their minds for the next time around.

Cards are usually good for a one year period and bear an expiration date on the front. This creates a built-in market for repeat sales.

In the supplier cross-reference section of my book, Fundraising Success, I list 27 suppliers for these discount cards.

As with any type of fund raising product it pays to do more than a little supplier research.

Costs for 1,000 unit batches begin at $6 with many of them and drop as low as $1.00 from the best suppliers.

Among school fund raising ideas, discount shopping cards are a perennial favorite. They also make a good overlay or add-on item for a catalog fundraiser.

Using Discount Shopping Cards for your school offers a great profit for the school and a great value for your customers.

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Fundraising Ideas: Keep It Safe

When your youth group is doing a fundraiser, it is imperative to make sure that the proper safety precautions are followed.

Never allow door-to-door sales without direct adult supervision. Period.

In a sad case, an 11-year-old boy selling candy for a PTA fundraiser came to the door of a 15-year-old boy who was home alone at the time. The youngster was invited inside, sexually molested, and then murdered.

This is not an urban legend. The murder happened in Freehold, New Jersey on September 27, 1997 and it raised the fundraising safety issue to national prominence.

I'm not usually an alarmist, but I included the example above to heighten awareness of the safety topic.

I am by nature a trusting person, but not when it comes to my children! Nothing is worth such devastating consequences.

Develop An Appropriate Safety Focus
So, how do you build the appropriate safety focus into your program?
You start by stressing safety from the top of your organization to the bottom. You have to make sure that safety is a focal point in all your communications.

1) Use written selling guidelines
Put it into writing that all selling should be supervised. Your organization needs this as a protective measure and so do the children. If an adult cannot commit to accompanying a child, the child must not perform that type of sales activity.

Make sure that each child's parents are aware of these guidelines. Get the message to them that their children are not being encouraged to sell outside their comfort zone by your group.

Tell them that they should focus on their core contacts - family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers of parents. In other words, e safe by selling only to individuals who know your parents.

2) Repeat the message
Put up fundraising safety posters at convenient locations to remind young sellers. Make them friendly, but firm.

Example: "What's the last thing you do in a fundraiser? Sell without an adult present."

Print a safety message on all of your sales literature. Look for this from a quality supplier. Put the "Keep It Safe" message on all communications.

Repeat the safety message at every opportunity. Cover it in your kickoff meeting, during sales brochure distribution, in the take home package, etc.

If your fundraiser is school-based, have teachers reinforce the safety message in the classrooms.

3) Put safety into practice
Don't encourage inappropriate behavior such as risk taking, unsupervised sales, shopping center sales activity without prior approval and adult supervision.

Your group's policies and procedures may vary from this approach.

The important thing is to develop a written policy and make sure those guidelines are followed.

Summary

The best way to avoid an unsafe situation is by not going there. Many other youth programs also carry a strong safety message. Make sure yours does too.

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How to Build and Manage a Successful Fundraising Team

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For larger fundraising projects you should put together a team to help you otherwise you will be stretched far too thin and stand a good chance of failing. The ideal team from a cost perspective is volunteer-based but you might have to occasionally hire someone especially if it’s for a specialized task that most people can’t do.

Many people dread being asked to volunteer and do so begrudgingly but you will be surprised at how many people you ask will be more than happy to “roll up their sleeves” and pitch in for no other reason than to help out a good cause.

The best people to approach in building your fundraising team should be individuals or groups that are sympathetic to your cause. Example: Parents with players on the football team have a vested interest in helping the team get new uniforms.

Others are just naturally giving in their time and are usually involved in several projects at once. If you can land one of these types of go-getters on your team they often have the drive and ambition of several volunteers.

To find volunteers just use common sense. Try the people that are tied to the cause first and build from there. You might consider placing ads in your local grocery stores if they have free Community Bulletin Boards in the entrance and exits. Another idea is to approach your local paper and see if they will donate a small ad for you to use to find help.

Talk to your prospective volunteers and tell them exactly what you are trying to accomplish and what you would expect from them in terms of time and effort. It’s a good idea to have some type of fundraising plan drawn up that you can show them as this not only shows that you are organized and serious but they will also be better able to see how the time and skill requirements fits into their schedules and abilities.

Training should be done by you or someone that knows the exact role the volunteer will be performing and you want to be sure to thoroughly go over any tasks and duties they will be performing so there are no misunderstandings later on. Be careful to not talk down to them or lecture them. Remember, they are giving you one of their most precious resources, their time, so respect that and them as a person and you will go far.

It is important to match the task with the person when making job assignments. You probably wouldn’t want someone who is an expert in selling to stuff envelopes when they would be more valuable and happy working the phones trying to solicit donors.

If you are working from an office environment be sure and make it as pleasant and comfortable a place as you can. Easy access to snacks and drinks (maybe provided free by a generous donor?) should be available and any other creature comforts you can add will be most welcome.

If it’s a long project you might want to consider some type of event for reaching a milestone. This would of course depend on your budget but it could be something as simple as bringing in pizza to celebrate.

Always keep an eye out for overwork and stress. People that have volunteered want to help you so respect them and if it looks like they are being overwhelmed it’s time to bring in some more help. The key idea is to keep them happy and wanting to continue to help rather than feeling like they are stuck because they are too polite to quit.

Be sure and give praise and say thanks often to each and everyone of your volunteers. Let them know how appreciative you are of their help.

Keep an eye out for any personality conflicts and work swiftly to resolve them. This might be something solved easily like relocating someone to another part of the office or it might mean asking the person to leave. Don’t be afraid to do this if you have to because you ultimately are responsible for the group as a whole and the success of the project falls on your shoulders. Be a leader!

Follow these simple steps, communicate frequently, respect and thank your team often and you will find that your fundraiser will be a great success!

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How Can Fundraising Consulting Help Us Raise Money?

If you need to hold a fundraiser and don’t know where to begin there is help out there for you. It is time for you to seek fundraising consulting advice especially if your fundraising event is going to be on a larger scale. Fundraising consulting will help you organize and take you through the steps to ensure your fund raising efforts will be successful.

A fundraising consultant will advise you where to start and the process you will have to go through to get where you’re going. Usually you know what you need the funds for but don’t know where the money will come from. All fundraising events start the same way regardless of if they are already established or something new. Using fundraising consulting services will help you add a professional look to your fund raising campaign.

The first advice you will get from a fundraiser consultant is that to start asking those closest to your organization for help. Depending on the size of the fund raising and your organization you will need the following: a board of directors, staff, volunteers, vendors, community businesses and individuals and finally a foundation. The second most important bit of advice you will receive from a fundraising consultant is never lose sight of the ones that started this with you. Start with those that are the closest to you to ask for help and stay with them throughout your fundraiser, these are the people that will get you through. They are your donors and will be critical to the success of your fundraiser.

A fundraising consultant will tell you that if you approach a new person for help, the first thing they will ask is what other sources of funding do you have. They will check to make sure where your support is coming from. If you have a strong support group it can go a long way in convincing someone that the fundraising is worth it. Through fundraising consulting, you will learn whom you can do business with. You will learn what vendors give donations and which ones don’t. If they don’t care to donate to your fundraising directly, they may give you a discount on your purchases.

Fundraising consulting is the only way to go when trying to organize on a large-scale project. The advice you will get from your fundraising consultant will mean more dollars in the end for your project. Once you establish a connection with a fundraising consulting service, you can use them for all your fundraising needs in the future.

How can fundraising consulting help us?

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Top 7 Youth Fundraising ideas

The most important rule in planning a youth fundraiser is to make sure that everybody has fun!

These ideas will work well for a youth group, a church young people's group, non-profit group or a youth sports (e.g. football, baseball) group.

Here are seven ideas to get your fundraising started:-

Sales -if you type in “youth fundraiser” on any search engine you'll find offers to sell cookie dough, pizza cards, scratch cards, candles, sports goods and plenty more. Depending on the age of the children and the type of group, the locality, consider which of these are likely to be well received in your area. Using existing contacts with family, neighbours and friends alone can be quite profitable.

Car wash - this can be a profitable way to raise funds. It will need good planning. A great free guide to organising a successful car wash event is available from www.carwashguys.com , called “How to run a successful car wash fundraiser” and is written by Lance Winslow.

Fundraising auction - clear out the garage, spring clean the house, ask for donations - and then auction!. Publicise your auction well in advance around the neighbourhood, invite friends and family, have a printed list of auction items and get someone you trust to run the actual auction itself for you.

Sponsored event - such as a walk, sleepover, or 24 hour sports event - your young people will have their own ideas as to what they'd like to do!

Photos - arrange for a photographer to come for a day or evening. Book a time slot for families, children, publicise the event. Arrange a good level of commission on all photographs purchased and ensure plenty of flyers are available to distribute.

Website advertising - does your group have a website? Could you set up a free blog to keep people informed? If so, consider selling advertising space to local suppliers who may be interested - e.g. the local sports shop.

Dance/Disco/Live Music/Barbeque/Casino event - any event that will work for your locality. Obviously, some church youth groups might find a casino night inappropriate. However, most of these are suitable for young people to help to arrange and to attend.

For other ideas to raise money, get your group together and do a little brainstorming. Everyone will have ideas that they can contribute and this will help to get them involve in the fundraising effort.
Remember to follow some simple rules:-

• Never go out fundraising alone, but always in groups of at least two.


• Have some printed information about your project and how much you are planning to raise.


• Involve as many friends and family members as you can - they will want to support what you are involved with.


• Have fun!

Thanks for visiting our hints and tips on organizing a youth fundraiser.
For further hints and tips on fundraising, visit Simple Youth Fundraising Ideas

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Top 7 fundraising ideas

Have you been given the job of organising a fundraising event and are stuck for ideas? Here's seven great and simple ideas that you can organise:-

Cookie Dough fundraisers

This is an ideal fundraiser for all times of the year. Just take orders and sell tubs of delicious cookie dough to your group. Profit margins 30-50%.

Fundraising Cookbooks

Often described as a recipe for fundraising success (groan!) - creating a personalized cookbook is ideal for groups such as churches, schools, charities and hospitals. New publishing techniques make it easy to profit from selling just a few or even hundreds of cookbooks. Profit per book from $3-$10.

Pizza Fundraiser cards

People will be happy to pay for these cards which entitle them to free pizzas. If your group is spread out geographically, this may be ideal. Ideal for small groups due to small minimum order requirements. Profit margins 70-90%.

Scratch card fundraising

Easy to order and can be printed to link to your group e.g. basketball, baseball, high school, etc. Each person in your group begins fundraising with 1 scratch card. They simply approach friends, family, and neighbors and ask them to scratch too! Profit ranges from 90% upwards.

Fundraiser candles

Everyone loves candles and especially scented candles! Simply take orders from friends and families - these items are especially good for Christmas fundraising. Profit margin 50%

Candy fundraising

Ideal for easter or summer fundraising events - sales of candy can be profitable. You can sell the chocolate at school, pep rallies, sports events, businesses or just person to person. Profit margin 50-60%.

Fundraising brochures

Brochure fundraising allows you to raise money by offering products from color brochures to family, friends, neighbors and business associates. Ideal for Christmas fundraising. Profit margins 40-55%.


These fundraiser ideas are great, for:-

• high school fundraising


• college fundraising


• cheerleading fund raising


• fundraising for youth groups


• sports group fundraising

Set yourself a target, establish a plan of action, involve parents, teachers and students and go for it!

For further easy fundraising ideas, visit Simple Fundraising Ideas

This article was submitted by Jennifer Carter, author of School Fundraising ideas

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School Fundraising Ideas - Part Two

Looking for a good school fundraising idea?

Finding 'something different' can be a challenge. The good news is that there are other school fundraising ideas besides coordinating a special event or conducting a catalog-based fundraiser.

These often end up overwhelming your supporters with multiple fund raising products that aren't everyday items for most people.

In this series, we'll take a look at three school fundraising ideas. Part Two looks at Pizza Cards.

These are simple products that your group can offer that provide these benefits:

1) They are easy to sell
2) They offer good value
3) They produce excellent results

School Fundraising Ideas: Pizza Card

What is a pizza card and how is it different?

A pizza card is a discount card with an offer tied to a single merchant, usually a national chain. It often provides a two-for-one offer on every order and is tends to be priced at $10 for a card good for a one-year period.

Offers vary with most being tied to either a single location or a small group of outlets for a national chain. Pizza Hut cards are good for eat-in dining while most others are aimed at the take-out or delivery market.

Given how popular pizza is with younger children as well as teenagers, pizza cards are excellent school fundraising ideas.

The cards for Pizza Hut and those for some of the other chains place a limit on the number of times you can use the card,often 21 times. That is an awful lot of free pizza for $10. Usage is tracked via holes punched in marked spots on the card.

Some of the offers also specify that your initial order must be for a large pizza while your free pizza is a medium size. When you think about it, that works well for most adults because they usually want a different set of toppings than what their children enjoy.

Like the discount card, pizza cards can be obtained from many suppliers. Most offer the same set of national chains and prices can vary widely, so it pays to shop around.

All in all, pizza cards are among the top school fundraisers for profit and ease of sale.

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Fundraising Ideas For Your Next Fundraiser

Here are four keys to better nonprofit fundraising results.

Non-profit fundraising is all about multiple streams of income, so how do you make more money for your organization?

Simple. When you put together your annual plan, you need to include as many ways to raise money as possible.

So, you're probably thinking: 'That's easy for you to say, but how exactly do I go about it?' Easy! You just have to be "smart" about it, with a well thought-out plan that doesn't make too many demands on any one facet of your organization.

Every fundraiser that you conduct places various demands on your volunteers, your supporters, and your leadership. Those demands can be time consuming, expensive, and stressful.

The more large-scale fundraisers you conduct in one year's time, the greater the load you place on the people you depend on.

You need to be 'smart' in how you go about your fundraising.

Four Keys to Non-Profit Fundraising:

Think Smart
Plan Smart
Work Smart
Be Smart

Non-Profit Fundraising - THINK SMART
Thinking smart means taking the time to review past results and strategizing about how to do better this year.

If you don't spend some time brainstorming some new and creative ideas to increase your bottom line, how are you going to rise above last year's results?

Define your three best income streams. Now, daydream a little about what changes or enhancements you can make that will add additional volume to those streams.

Non-profit fund-raising is all about reaching more people with a compelling message that inspires them to take immediate action to assist your organization.

How can you reach more people? By exploiting two things - personal networks and personal motivators.

Your non-profit fund-raising has to be structured to achieve maximum leverage of everyone's self interest by providing sufficient incentives for giving time or money to your cause.


How can you make your message more compelling? By giving it 'story-like' visual imagery that speaks to your supporters emotions.

Decisions are made on an emotional level, not a logical one. A 'story' allows people to visualize their contribution having a positive impact on what they've visualized.


How can you inspire a higher percentage to immediate action? By combining your story with a call to action.

A call to action leverages the immediacy of the emotional reaction to your story with a request to help now BECAUSE their contribution will have a positive impact.

Everyone wants to help. They just have to be properly coached about your situation and motivated to act now.


Non-Profit Fundraising - PLAN SMART
Planning smart means taking concrete action to put your ideas into an annual business plan. Yes, I did say 'business plan.'

No self-respecting, non-profit fund-raising organization should be without a written business plan to guide their fundraising efforts.

Your plan should spell out roles and goals along with detailed instructions on how you'll get there. It should be grounded in the past and targeted at the future.

Each non-profit fund-raising activity should be broken down into the necessary action steps that will produce the highest level of results with the most cost-effective effort.

Everyone should know exactly what's expected of them. A well-organized team where everyone understands their role is able to execute their mission flawlessly.

Everyone should know and be able to state your group's value proposition.

If they can't articulate, in two sentences or less, a convincing reason why you are raising funds, then you need a plan that helps communicate your message more effectively.

Non-Profit Fundraising - WORK SMART
Working smart means taking your plan and putting it into action with an eye towards getting the most bottom line results from every facet of your organization.

You'll get the best long-term results if you stay focused on not overburdening your volunteers, your supporters, and your leadership. Overworking volunteers will ensure that many will not be around to help next year.

Too many demands for small donations will alienate your group's supporters. Structure your non-profit fund-raising requests to two or three campaigns in a year's time, no more.

Size those non-profit fund-raising campaigns to get the most from each time your supporters are asked to make a contribution.

Continuous fundraising will wear out your leadership as well. Your key personnel will be spending most of their time on organizing and conducting campaigns.

You want to keep everyone fresh and motivated. Do that by having a well thought out plan that maximizes the value of everyone's time, energy, and contributions.

Non-Profit Fundraising - BE SMART
Being smart means taking the time NOW to begin a 'Get Smart' effort about your non-profit fund-raising efforts.

Start the brainstorming process now.

Get a small journal and start recording any and all ideas you have, day or night, about improving your fundraising. Some of them will be duds, but others will be gems.

Sure, the gems will be rough and will need polishing, but you won't have any gems at all if you don't let your creative juices run wild.

Just write them down as they occur to you and keep adding to the ones that make the most sense in the light of day.

Hey, if it worked for Edison and Einstein, it can work for you.

Start writing down all the ways that you can think of to create multiple streams of income for your organization.

Get your non-profit fund-raising planned and organized, then watch the money flow in.

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School Fundraising Ideas - Part Three

Looking for a good school fundraising idea?

Offering something families use and spend discretionary income on is a great idea. The good news is that there are other school fundraising ideas besides coordinating a special event or conducting a catalog-based fundraiser.

These often end up overwhelming your supporters with multiple fund raising products that aren't everyday items for most people.

In this series, we'll take a look at three school fundraising ideas. Part Three looks at Prepaid Phone Cards.

These are simple products that your group can offer that provide these benefits:

1) They are easy to sell
2) They offer good value
3) They produce excellent results

School Fundraising Ideas: Prepaid Phone Cards

What do I need to know about prepaid phone cards?

Phone cards can be used for fund raising purposes just like the discount cards. Several suppliers offer a $10 card that can be customized with your group's name and logo.

For an extra fee, you can even get custom artwork on the front of each card, thereby reinforcing your "brand."

Prepaid phone cards are also available in different face values with variations in minutes included, international rates, access charges, etc. Most common are denominations of $20, $25, and $30.

Profit margins on prepaid phone cards are similar to other school fundraising ideas that are product-based. The trick is to source ones that offer excellent value to your supporters.

Think in terms of potential users, i.e. families with college students, distant relatives, people that travel frequently, or individuals who make international calls.

Look for features and offerings that would appeal to these user groups. Because of the variety, customization, and large market, phone cards are great school fundraising ideas.

What you'll usually find is that you can't equal the best deal offered by mega-retailers like Wal-Mart, Target, and K-Mart while still maintaining a desirable 40% profit margin.

So, in evaluating school fundraisers like phone cards, you face a choice of staying with a $10 card that offers decent value or leveraging the best offerings available in the retail market.

Consider putting together a one-page brochure based on the AT&T phone cards offered by Wal-Mart. Instead of a 60-70 minute card that sells for $10, think about reselling the AT&T 120 minute card for $15.

While putting together your sales pitch, play up the value of being able to add additional minutes in the future either through Wal-Mart or AT&T at a great per minute rate.

You can make a three or four choice brochure with profit margins in the 25% to 35% range. The phone cards still offer excellent value and name brand recognition. A 120-minute card costs $10, a 250-minute card costs $18, and a 500-minute card costs $30.

Use your brochure for order taking and try to arrange a special bulk discount with your local Wal-Mart. They are fundraiser friendly!

Phone cards are also among the top school fundraisers for overall profitability each year.

Selling discount cards and prepaid phone cards positions you for a better chance at a larger portion of your supporters' spending.

And, because of their high unit volumes, healthy profit margins, and ease of sale, they are excellent school fundraisers because they'll produce exceptional profits.

Make sure your group gets your share!

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