Welcome to Fundraising - Difficult but Essential

Today I came across an interesting way for those in the LA area to make money for their group or organization. By just attending the live taping of a television show like America’s Got Talent, then your group or organization can have a nice little fundraiser. Here’s the details from the On Camera Audiences website:

About Group Fundraisers
On Camera Audiences provides studio audiences for various television shows around the Los Angeles area. We are constantly searching for quality people to participate in those studio audiences and in exchange for their participation, we donate money to their organization. We feel that this fundraising opportunity is the most fun for your group and it is definitely the most profitable for your organization! Our “per person donation” will exceed all other fundraising efforts that you have done so far. Groups have had great success working with us over the past 10 years. We work closely with each group in order to select the proper show for them. Our goal is to make sure that everyone’s fundraising effort is enjoyable and profitable!

Although the TV Show Fundraising concept is not new - it may be a refreshing change to the usual fundraising tools available. Our company is known for providing our groups with a quality experience and prompt payment. You can read more about this fundraising concept or register your group at their website or the contact information below:

Phone: 818-295-2700
Email: groups@ocatv.com

I got an email from Ashley Gatewood the Marketing Coordinator for a disaster relief non profit using Mission Fish. Here’s what was said in the email about this fundraising opportunity.

I work for a nonprofit that powers the eBay Giving Works program (which allows nonprofits to raise funds on eBay). One fantastic aspect of our program is that anyone can sell an item on eBay and donate 10% to 100% of the final sale price to one of the over 9,600 nonprofits registered with us (there is a $5 min. donation if the item sells).

To date we’ve helped nonprofits raise over $40 million dollars, and the post-holiday season can be a great time for nonprofits to fundraise with eBay Giving Works.

I think it’s the perfect idea for eBay to do something like Mission Fish. I know I’ve made pretty good money doing the eBay affiliate program. It’s really just an extension of an affiliate program.

I think this could be great for sports teams, church organizations, Boy Scouts and a number of other organizations needing to raise money.

As I’ve checked this blog I’ve been really interested to know if I should be looking for the keywords Fundraising and Fundraiser or whether it should be Fund Raiser and Fund Raising. Is it 1 or 2 words?

This is pretty important if you want to get search engine traffic like I do.

I’ve always thought that fundraising and fundraiser were all one word. However, my spell check with firefox 2.0 says that Fund Raiser and Fund Raising should be two words. What do you think?

In the end, the key is to find a program that will put the most money in the bank with the least amount of effort. That’s what I think I have to offer for amateur sports teams that need to raise money. I’ve been getting more focused searches for sports teams wanting to make money. If you are one of those, then please leave a comment and I’ll get in touch with you about my unique way to raise money for your team.

If you are a sports team then you know that you absolutely need to raise funds. Well, I’m working on creating the ultimate sports fundraiser. It’s going to embrace technology and will be able to raise a sports team more money than any of the other fundraisers I’ve found online. Here’s a few other aspects I think that teams should look for when raising funds for their sports team.

-No Risk
A sports team should not have to pay a bunch of money in order to make money. A fundraiser should allow the team to not have to have any money or risk any of their existing money in order to raise more funds. If you are spending money in already to raise money for your sports team then stop.

-Large Percentage to Sports Team
If you ask people to give money to support your team then your team should get as much of that money as possible. Everyone knows about this, but many are still doing fundraisers that only pay a percentage of the profits. That means the team takes home a very small percentage of what people are actually spending.

-Fund Raise Internationally (or at least nationally)
Don’t limit your players to raising funds locally. A fund raiser should be designed in a way that grandma across the country can support their grandson. The world’s becoming closer, but fund raising is still most often restricted to local fundraising.

-Choose a Sustainable Fundraiser
Each and every year a team needs to raise funds. Don’t choose a fund raiser that requires you to start from square one again next year. Select a fund raiser that is sustainable and builds bigger and bigger each year.

There’s plenty more, but if you don’t have a fund raiser like this then you need to keep looking. Although, you don’t have to look that far. Just leave a comment or email me at fundraiseopp at crashutah dot com (yes, I had to write it like that to try and prevent spam).

Back when I was in junior high I was in a computer club and as part of that club we used this button machine to make money. While we weren’t very creative at the time in what we put on buttons, the idea is a good one. People like to wear around buttons that say funny things.

An even better idea is for a school to hop on their student council elections and sell buttons to those people running for different student body offices. I’ve never been able to understand how they can spend so much money on those student body officers. However, if they are going to spend all that money then why not capitalize on their spending by being their supplier of buttons. It is the best way for those organizations to make money.

Now you must be asking yourself where you can get a Button Maker.

What are you going to put on your button?

I came across a website that provided tips specific to online fundraising. I thought they were interesting and informative. One of the most interesting tips was the fact that fundraisers should make use of technology to learn from their data. Having online activities and correspondences with users allows online fundraisers to observe their users’ responses and act upon that in future activities and services. Here are some more tips from the website about fundraising online:

1) Select email messaging and donation processing software: That is especially designed for non-profit organizations. And even before then, settle on a smart in-house communication strategy.

2) Build your list: You can’t raise money with email if you don’t have a list of email addresses. It’s a rigorous and unrelenting process.

3) Take advantage of timing: Using email when big news hits is arguably the most important element in raising money with this medium. If you can nail the timing, you’ll raise more money online. It’s that simple.

4) Use a campaign approach: Don’t rely on an isolated email to reach all your constituents. Give your appeal a better chance by sending three, four, or even more emails.

5) Write the right way for the web: Your readers are busy - you have only a few seconds to capture their attention. Make your emails easy to read and easy to scan. And pay special attention to the subject line - it determines whether your email is opened.

6) Bring on the creativity if you can: Cutting through the clutter in your donor’s email box isn’t easy. Be daring with eye-catching visuals, bold headlines, and irresistible offers. But be yourself, too, and speak from the heart.

7) Integrate your emails with your direct mail and telemarketing program: Offering your donors the convenience of giving through the mail, over the phone, and online will pay off.

In between your fundraising appeals, cultivate your donors: With emails that focus on news, humor, and warmth. It’ll be easier to connect with them when you ask for a gift.

9) Learn from the data:Review your results and make decisions on your next move based on how your donors have responded.

10) Segment and test: By identifying what motivates your constituents, and what types of messages they respond to, you’ll build a stronger list and generate higher revenue.

Perhaps one of the most popular small fundraisers are carsh wash fundraisers. The idea is based on bringing together a group of volunteers to raise funds by washing cars. Choosing a good location where many cars are expected to pass is an important factor in the success of this fundraising activity. Another tip is informing your customers of the purpose of your fundraising activity. People will be willing to participate if they know that it is for a good cause.

I guess the general lesson learned here is that to every type of fundraising activity there are unique success factors that can help a small fundraiser grow. In order to succeed, it is important to learn what makes your particular type of fundraising activity successful.

Carwashguys seems like an example of a large fundraiser that started with the small idea of car wash fundraising http://www.carwashguys.com/.

I found an interesting idea for a fundraiser. It is something that people like to get. My only question is with the way people are eating out whether they really need a cookbook. Either way it is a possible fundraising idea.

Here’s an excerpt from their website:

Your group or organization can have unlimited profits with your own personalized cookbook. Groups have earned in excess of $200,000 with their own cookbook projects. Many other groups have earned from $5000 to $50,000 on smaller projects. We have all the tools and expertise to ensure that your group will earn big money with our program.

Our program is so simple that 2 to 3 people can organize the project. We offer the best terms in the business, require no down payment and you handle the money at all times.

In addition to our cookbook program, we also offer a wide variety of speciality items that can be personalized with your logo or artwork, and can be sold as a fundraiser, either in conjunction with or as a separate project by itself.

We are the fundraising pros. Let us help your group enjoy the financial success that thousands of groups have with Jumbo Jack’s cookbooks.

While reading more about interesting ideas to raise funds, I came across a website that talked about wishing well fountains. I never knew that most local malls and restaurants donate the pennies, dimes and nickels thrown into these fountains to charity. It was interesting to learn that this fundraising idea is not only creative, but it could raise a decent amount of funds in a reasonable amount of time and using very little resources. The website suggests the following fundraising project:

It would be nice to get a local radio station to publicize this event. For one week, ask that all the money be put into designated fountains across the city and go to a specified charity or program. This will give the program “free” publicity with very little staff time required. A city-wide effort of all wishing fountains could generate $4,000 to $8,000 for a one to two week promotion.

This is an excerpt and a link to a great site for information on Fundraising and School Fundraisers in particular that I got from another fundraising site.

Fundraising Ideas - School Fundraisers - Fundraiser Ideas
Fundraising ideas for school fundraisers and nonprofit fundraiser events - Tips for schools, church groups and youth sports team