Types of Fundraisers

There are a lot of ways to make money. To help decide which ones will be best suited to your group, we’re going to first identify categories into which most fundraising efforts fall.

1. Product Sales

Selling a good product to fulfill a market need has always been an effective way to raise money.

Many manufacturers and distributors offer fundraisers that allow groups to buy at wholesale and sell retail. Ideally, you’ll want to deal with a company that offers a consignment or return policy so that you pay only for products you sell.

2. Raffle

If you can sell it, you can probably sell a chance to win it! There are loads of great things people would love to have, and non-profit community groups are often able to purchase an item for raffle at a discount.

3. Lottery

Like a raffle, you are selling the chance to win. In this case, the prize being offered is generally money as opposed to a product. Lottery-style fundraisers like bingos and casinos are regarded as fundraisers and often have waiting lists of charitable organizations who wish to participate.

4. Pledge-a-Thon

Holding a pledge drive can be a good way to make a lot of money from a single event. Even a small amount pledged can add up to a substantial sum.

5. Events

Holding an event can be a lot of fun. Done right, it can also be very profitable. Many successful events recur each year, providing a guaranteed return that can be projected annually. This helps take some of the guesswork out of fundraising.

6. Donations

Soliciting donations can be an effective component of many fundraising campaigns.

7. Membership Fees

Much of a group’s funding can come directly from its members through various dues collected.

8. Advertising Sales

Providing your business community an opportunity to promote their products/services through a club calendar or similar device is an excellent way to offset the production cost and make extra money from the resource.

9. Service Sales

Service can be sold as easily as products and here again, the only limit is imagination.

10. Investments

Being in the fortunate position of having a trust fund built up within your organization may allow your group to rely on the accumulating interest to make up a portion of your annual funding.

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One of the key factors to a successful fundraising event and future fundraising events is to follow up with the supporters, volunteers and participants after the fundraiser is completed and the numbers are tallied!

Taking the time to add that personal touch will go a long way in the eyes of your supporters, participants, volunteers and sponsors. Take the time to send them a thank you card and thank them for the time spent helping through out the fundraiser. This will help assure that they are pleased as well and they will want to participate again next year.

Not only should you thank your supports, merchants, volunteers and supporters for their participation and contributions within your fundraising event but they will most likely want to know the ending results of the fundraiser. How much money was raised in total – Yet another reason they will want to participate in your next event, after seeing how much they raised for a good cause! Be sure and thank all the volunteers as well! While we may have good intentions, sometimes the volunteers end up getting over looked but they are the backbone of the fundraiser in most cases.

Most importantly, while you still have everyone excited about the fundraising event that just ended, take this opportunity to pick their brains and find out what they thought of the event. What did they like about the fundraiser the most? What would they do differently next time? What can be changed and why. This information is critical to the success of your next fundraiser. Be sure to ask while the information is still fresh in their minds. Who better to get feedback from then the ones that were in the trenches with you! You can create a simple questionnaire and mail them off or you can take the time to phone and ask your questions, don’t miss this opportunity to get vital information for future fundraising events!

Get all your fundraiser information, fundraising ideas and more! This season chocolate fundraisers are hot and an easy sell!

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Get Your Chili Cooks Lined Up

Encourage people throughout the community to enter the cook-off. Charge $20 per entry and decide on the award for “best chili”. Promote the event heavily and “spice” things up by arranging to have celebrity cooks. Perhaps a local news anchor or the mayor would enter the contest.

Invite Everyone

The more the merrier, but make sure you have plenty of room.  Plan for a serving line and plenty of space to sit down and eat. Charge a flat fee or $5 for a bowl and spoon and let them eat until the chili is gone.

Add On Fundraisers

Serve up some hotdogs and chips for the kids who may not like chili. Charge accordingly per item.

Hold a bake sale that features corn bread and dessert items to go along with the chili.

Sell a variety of beverages. This is where you will really make your money. People will need something to drink after tasting all that spicy chili so have plenty of cold beverages available, especially beer, soda, and bottled water. 

Hold a 50/50 raffle for those present.

If your organization isn’t equipped to run the add-on fundraisers, enlist the help from other area non-profits. Perhaps each organization would like to participate in return for some of the funds raised.

Make a Day of It

Provide some entertainment to encourage people to stick around. Have a local band play. Set up activities for the kids. Give away door prizes throughout the day. Allow people to make an afternoon or evening of it in support of your organization.

There are multiple ways to participate:

• Host an event
• Host a food drive
• Collect cash donations
• Shop at local businesses who are supporting the cause

To register your organization to participate in the Souper Bowl of Caring, or to find an event in your area, visit www.souperbowl.org.

Twitter: A Brief IntroductionAt its most basic level, Twitter is called “microblogging.” Users are allowed 140 characters to answer the main question on the Twitter home page: “What are you doing now?” When you first start to tweet, it feels really odd. Why would you share what you’re eating? Why would anyone care? It seems like it is only useful for narcissistic people or those trying to waste time. But people do. And the conversations get even better when you start answering a question like “What are you focusing on?”

People use Twitter to ask questions, follow people that are interesting, promote links to various websites, share news stories, to coordinate events during conferences. Forbes reports that people are even using Twitter to provide real-time disaster relief information.

Twitter for Fundraising

From a fundraising perspective, Twitter is an amazing way to engage donors and potential donors. One of the hardest things to do as a fundraiser is to maintain relationships. Twitter allows you to do that…right in the midst of your normal every day routine.

1. You can meet people all over the world that might be interested in your cause.
2. You can hear what people are really thinking about a wide variety of issues.
3. You can follow other fundraisers and get great real-time advice.
4. You can even promote traffic to your website or those of your friends.

Better still, if you can make your comments effectively understood in 140 characters, think about how all your fundraising writing will improve! You are forced to be succinct and understandable!

Tools like TwitterFeed automatically broadcast your blog posts through your Twitter account. Then your blog posts reach both those subscribed to your RSS feed and those following you on Twitter. And if anyone of them like it, they may “retweet” it, broadcasting to the people that follow them.  

Twitter’s Not Just for Broadcasting

Be warned: Twitter is not just a tool to push your message out. The September 2008 BusinessWeek special report had a warning from H&R Block’s experience: Amy Worley, who manages [H&R] Block’s Twitter program, had to alter her approach. “I went in thinking Twitter was a free way to push our message out,” she says. “Big mistake. We learned to listen. We started winning once we let people decide on their own about our services.”

For people using Twitter, is has to be a two-way conversation. That is the genius of Twitter: you can form your very own “listening post” and hear what others are saying about the issues that affect your mission. This can help you generate ideas and tell your story better.

What About Fundraising with Twitter

Listening is one thing, but can Twitter really be used for fundraising?

Social media expert, Beth Kanter writes that people will not make a gift just because you tweet. Neither will they give because you start a blog or create a cause on. But, she points to a blog post by Avi Kaplan reporting that a Twitter idea called “Tweetsgiving” raised over $11,000 in just 48 hours!  

Kaplan himself gives some great measurements on how “Tweetsgiving” spread around the world. What would it cost your organization to get over 100 press and blogger mentions in over 100 countries using traditional media? On Twitter, it was free.

But NTEN (the Nonprofit Technology Network) reminds us that Twitter isn’t the point. Relationships are the point. Relationships have always been the point. The most basic of fundraising secrets is that “people give to people.” Twitter is simply one more tool to help people connect with each other. Can your nonprofit afford not to explore all the tools available?  

Jump In, the Twitter Stream’s Warm!

Why not test it out? Setting up an account is easy and free. Twitter’s more interesting if you start following people right away. Nonprofit blogger Mark Hayward (@mark_hayward on Twitter) has a list of 97-yes, 97!-people he suggests following on Twitter. Check them out and follow the people that interest you. It’s ok. You’re not being invasive or nosey. You are supposed to follow people.Other ways to find people that work in your field are tools like Search.Twitter.com or Twellow. Search “fundraising” or “nonprofit” or whatever else you’re interested in. Whatever your cause is, you can search on to see who is talking about your cause. Simply follow those you find interesting and join in the conversation that’s already going on. At first, you’ll probably want to just listen. It’s amazing how just listening will help you tell your nonprofit’s story.

It’s as Simple as Having a Conversation 

Do not let all the tools confuse you. Twitter is as simple as having a conversation. Like anything else, it’s odd to get used to, but once you get the hang of it, it is fun. You may raise money because of your tweets, but more importantly, you will learn a lot about the people that choose to support your cause and other causes. And that will help you get more effective at your nonprofit storytelling. What do you have to lose?

 Marc A. Pitman is the author of “Ask Without Fear!” A thought leader recognized by the leading publishers, radio stations, and professional associations, his fundraising seminars help nonprofit staff and volunteers get re-energized about asking people for money. His complete article on Twitter for nonprofits and fundraising is at http://www.FundraisingCoach.com. You can also sign up for his free ezine and receive a complimentary guide to fundraising with email. 

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In times when the budget is tight, fundraising may seem harder than normal to do. However, strategic fundraising requires good organization and resourcefulness-two things that come for free. Some tips on successfully holding a fundraiser with no budget is to plan carefully, encourage participation and take advantage of free publicity. When dealing with fundraisers on a very tight if not nonexistent budget, the number of participants will be very crucial to the activity’s success. Fundraisers with no budget will highly depend on the commitment of those involved, which is why a group of people with sheer determination is required of to organize such an activity. The following are some great ideas to raise funds on minimal to no budget at all.

Organize a Community-wide Garage Sale – Keep in mind that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. By getting the neighborhood to donate through giving away old things for sale, you instantly get a garage sale with all proceeds going to your cause. This is an easy and hassle-free way to get rid of all the clutter in the house without throwing things away. That old lampshade may be what your next door neighbor is looking for to complete his antique collection. Make sure to inform the community about the cause of the fundraiser. Clearer objectives will better motivate people to participate and offer their time and effort to be part of your cause.

Environment-Friendly Christmas Ornaments – Get creative! Gather recycled materials and make Christmas ornaments out of old cardboard boxes, wrapping paper and glitter. This type of fundraising will be perfect for the holiday season when everyone’s in the mood for giving. Sell them at affordable prices and make sure to put the fundraising cause at the forefront of the sale. Be forward about your cause and make sure your patrons understand which charitable institution or cause the money will be going to.

Team Up with Recycling Firms – Collect old ink cartridges, cell phones and other broken or non-functional electronics to exchange at the local recycling plant or at Funding Factory (FundingFactory.com), a team dedicated to providing free fundraising support and materials. Every year, as many as 100 million laser printer or inkjet cartridges are disposed of in the United States alone. Collect as much as you can to receive a bigger monetary reward.

Cleanup Fundraiser – Organize a community cleanup project wherein participants will work towards gathering as much trash as they can to raise a considerable amount of money. Pledges for this type of fundraising will be tied to specific trash-collecting goals such as the number of pounds of trash collected. The cleaner the city, the more funds generated. Now that’s a great bargain!

Tofer has been writing informative articles for nearly 2 years on a variety of different directories, blogs, and websites. Her newest area of expertise is in fundraising discount cards. Come check out her website to learn more at http://www.fundraising-discount-cards.com.

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Many people want to come up with unique fundraising ideas for their organization, school, or church group. Because there so many fundraisers take place each year, organizers want a fundraising idea that will stand out and get more attention. Greater positive attention can often lead to more funds raised.

One way to come up with a unique fundraising idea is to look for ideas online or in fundraising books. You may find an idea that hasn’t been used in your area before. As this indicates, an idea doesn’t have to be completely unique. You can use unique fundraisers that other people have already used. If the fundraiser is new to your area, it will still be seen as unique and get you the attention that you want.

You can also brainstorm for ideas with other group members. Your organization may have some unique talent or idea that you can build a fundraiser around. You should also pay attention to the needs of the community around you. Sometimes you can come up with a unique fundraiser based on what the community wants or needs. For example, maybe you live in an area with a lot of gardeners and you could have a fundraiser where volunteers help gardeners plant, weed, or harvest their gardens.

Another way to come up with unique fundraising ideas is to modify an already existing popular fundraiser. Try something new by changing things up a bit. If you’ve found dinner fundraisers are popular, consider doing a fun new theme. Have you found selling cookie dough to be good? Try adding a tag on fundraiser where you’ll bake up that cookie dough for individuals who want you do.

Along those same lines, pay attention to what’s popular now. You might sell products that are hot right now or adjust your fundraiser to take advantage of new trends. For example, instead of hosting a walk-a-thon, you might consider having a geocache competition where participants pay a fee to enter.

When coming up with unique fundraising ideas, don’t forget that the location can also be a unique draw for people. Are there museums, theme parks, zoos, or gardens that could help host the fundraiser? Depending on the cause and reason for your fundraiser, you may find that the location will offer you discounts for entrance or other special promotions.

Finding unique fundraising ideas doesn’t have to be a mind boggling experience. The most important thing is to get input from others. You’ll get new ideas and feedback on some of the ideas that you find elsewhere.

It’s not that hard to find unique fundraising ideas. Visit RedHotFundraising.com to learn about some creative money raising techniques for your business, church or school fundraisers.

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As childhood obesity levels rise, schools are looking for healthy fundraisers as an alternative solution for raising much needed funds. Many school districts have even banned fundraising candy sales, so what kind of school fundraisers will help bridge the funding gap?

Here are several ideas for healthy school fundraisers:

Participant events

Many schools have discovered that events where all students participate in a fun exercise-based event do a good job. Examples of this are school walkathons, rope jumping contests, and fun runs.

Students raise funds by getting sponsorship pledges linked to their performance. For instance, a pledge sheet for a fun run or a walkathon might suggest a donation of $1 a lap or $5 a mile.

In a jump rope contest, pledges might be raised by the number of consecutive jumps a student performs or by a set amount for each participant. The important thing is that parents are encouraging their children to be physically active as part of a fundraiser versus buying candy to help support their school.

Nonfood product sales

There are also plenty of fundraising products that can be sold that don’t involve candy or other unhealthy foods. Examples include books, magazines, gift wrap, flowers, plants, calendars, candles, pumpkins, and kitchen accessories.

All of these items have the same type of markups as products like candy, doughnuts, or cookie dough. The key point is that these are all healthier alternatives.

Healthy food products

For food-based sales, why not offer items such as fresh citrus fruit, nuts, spices, coffee, granola bars, or bottled water? Each of these items will generate the same kind of revenue and profit as their unhealthier alternatives.

Service events

School groups can raise funds with service events like car washes, dog washes, or community cleanups. Students get the added benefit of working in teams to earn money through their own efforts instead of just having their parents open their checkbooks.

School spirit items

Another good school fundraiser involves selling items adorned with the school logo such as t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, shorts, book covers, stadium cushions, and water bottles.

All of these promote school spirit and provide a good value for the parents who are the ones writing the checks. These same school spirit items can also be offered over time through a school store as well as an ongoing fundraising activity.

Summary

Many schools are looking for healthier alternatives to traditional fundraising products that contain large amounts of sugar and in some cases, trans fat as well. Event-based fund raising is one alternative that’s growing in popularity.

Schools can also offer catalog sales of nonfood products that will raise just as much funding or they can offer healthier alternatives such as fresh fruit, nuts, coffee, etc.

Service events like car washes also work well for school clubs and cheer squads. They also teach a good lesson in the value of hard work to get what you want.

The bottom line is that there are many healthy fundraisers for schools to choose from, so choose wisely!

Kimberly Reynolds writes for national publications about cheerleading fundraisers, ideas for healthy fundraisers and nonprofit fundraiser events. Find more school fundraising ideas on her website, FundraiserHelp.com

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The Internet is the perfect way to connect charities, fundraisers and donors under a common cause. Find out how to use the Internet to start fundraising online.

Social Fundraising

Friends and family are the best sources for fundraising support, and social networking websites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter make it easy to reach out to your entire social circle.

Use social networking websites to tell people about your fundraising efforts. You can create a separate account so friends can follow your fundraising experience, or post messages to your personal account. Be careful not to spam your friends, but they shouldn’t mind you telling them what you’re up to.

Use Free Fundraising Websites and Resources

Websites like JustGiving make it easy to fundraise online. You can set up a fundraising page in minutes and track your fundraising goal. You can also collect credit card donations via fundraising websites, which is really convenient for your donors.

Make Your Online Fundraising Memorable

Don’t just ask your friends for money – turn your fundraising into an experience everyone will want to follow.

Free blog services like WordPress make it possible to start a website even if you don’t know how to write code. Then, blog, tweet and post about your fundraising experience leading up to your fundraising goal. This will give your readers more of a connection to what you’re doing. You can also use your website to link to more information about your charity.

Online Fundraising the Easy Way

The Internet is an instant way to reach an audience of friends, family and even strangers. Sometimes it isn’t the perfect substitute for a face-to-face fundraising appeal (you may still need to phone your grandmother and tell her what you’re doing) but you can still accomplish a lot of fundraising online with the help of free websites like JustGiving, WordPress and Twitter.

Use the Internet to your advantage and spread the word about your next fundraising cause!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sharon is the co-founder of 100 Fundraising Ideas (UK), a community for finding and sharing fundraising ideas, charity events and experiences. In her free time, Sharon enjoys writing, web design and – of course – fundraising!

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After ghostwriting hundreds of blog entries for dozens of corporations, executives, and self-employed professionals, I’ve come around a bit to their marketing power. More than just a collection of articles, there are great way to engage readers and search engines alike, gradually bringing new money into any organization.

But can that dynamic be used by nonprofits?

It absolutely can. Like most things in the business world, the same skills and techniques can be transferred over into the fund-raising arena. In fact, you’ll find that a lot of the methods that companies use to turn blog posts into sales can be used by nonprofits to raise donations. Here are five tips for fund raising with your organization’s blog:

Give steady updates. Perhaps the best use of a nonprofits blog is showing donors and interested parties how the cause is progressing. The more you fill people in, the easier it is for them to feel connected to your group – and its goals. Try to regularly add a few hundred words that explain the good you’re doing in the world, and to thank the people who are helping you do it.

Strike a positive tone. This doesn’t apply exclusively to blogs, but I’ve noticed a lot of nonprofit organizations that seem to have a very “down” note in their fund-raising materials. There’s nothing wrong with making readers aware of a specific problem, but try not to overwhelm them with it. Instead, engage them by showing positive solutions. By staying upbeat, you encourage them to donate and get involved, rather than feel depressed about a problem.

Use pictures and layouts to tell a story. Sometimes, words and statistics just won’t do it. If you really want to highlight a problem or development, try to add in some photos or charts. Not only do they make your posts easier to read, but they are also more effective in conveying a message.

Think fun and interesting. In the same way that it’s difficult to guilt people into giving, you can’t make them read your blog. The challenge for the fund raiser – just like his or her marketing counterpart – is to blog on a topic that’s fun, or at least interesting. Give people a reason to come back and read later, and they will.

End every post with an appeal. Here is where fundraisers have a distinct advantage over their corporate counterparts. While asking someone to buy something at the end of every blog post would be annoying in the business world, it’s perfectly acceptable for nonprofits. People know you are trying to raise money, so they aren’t bothered by your asking for it. Take advantage of this by ending every blog post with a clickable link to a page that people can use to donate money or otherwise get involved.

Matthew Aaron is an independent copywriter living in Denver, Colorado, USA. For more than ten years, he’s grown a solid reputation for delivering effective sales copy for his clients across North America and the United Kingdom.

A former commissioned salesperson, Matthew draws upon the lessons and experiences he learned firsthand to create materials that spur readers into action. His belief is that good copy shouldn’t be judged on how clever or pretty it is, but how many new leads or customers it brings.

He is the author of Selling in a Recession, as well as hundreds of articles on sales and writing. His writing has been used by publications in more than a dozen countries, and he continues to work with organizations of all sizes.

For more information about him, his books, or his copywriting work, please visit http://www.matthewaaron.com.

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