Fundraising / Charity Ideas Blog

Our last post was about back to school fundraising ideas. Lets turn that on its head with schools doing the fundraising.

Charity water is starting a campaign for September called Water for Schools. It challenges schools to come together to fundraise for schools in developing nations. The need for clean water and sanitation is accute in the third world. A lot of kids who are school age are spending the day helping their parents getting food and water so the cycle of uneducated children continues.

Money collected will go towards clean water, clean sanitation and education. You might want to think about getting involved to whatever degree you can on this project. You can improve entire communities with your effort.

Go over to the water for schools page and read up on the project. It’s worth your time.

You might also want to consider fundraising for water with our products. We have water fundraising ideas that can help your school or class raise money for this cause.

For some parents this will be a wonderful time of year ( for kids this will be a time of biblical levels of pain. Sorry gotta be done kids…).

Many schools face strict funding restraints and parents are asked to provide more and more of their childs supplies. This is a squeeze on many schools and low income families. As parents you want to provide the best opporuntities for kids to learn and experience new things.
For some parents this is an added burden.

School fundraising plays an important part of providing the basics as well as giving the kids the extras. Library funding, computers, school sports, band, trips all rely on fundraising help.

The community can throw a school supply drive to gather the essentials for kids. These events can collect pencils, pens, rulers, calculators, textbooks. You can even ask for clothing items to provide gym clothes or winter jackets, hats and mitts.

Once school gets going you can ask The PTO and PTA’s to do a brainstorming session for ideas. Get the kids to participate in the fundraising. Asking them what they would like to fundraise for makes sure they are motivated to get it done.

You Can Help Out
justfundraisings list of fundraising ideas.
adoptaclassroom. You can sponsor a class or pick by different states or teachers.
Join ptotoday and keep up with what others are doing for their school.

What other ideas have you come up with for back to school fundraisers? Post your responses so others can learn.

I think social media for charities and fundraising is still in its early stages.  Online platforms like facebook and twitter etc. are still jockeying for position. The only qualifiying yardstick for this should be effectiveness, which can be HUGELY different from popularity. We still haven’t seen what will turn out to be the fundraising media center on the web yet. Lets see what Jumo can come up with when it’s online.

When people think about an online campaign they think facebook causes and I see the logic. Facebook has TONS of traffic plus a cause page for every charity. That’s great and everything but the effectiveness of facebook for fundraising isn’t great.

According to the 2010 Social Media Bookmarks Study :

Only a small fraction of the 180,000 organizations on Facebook have raised more than $1,000.

Popular..YES
Effective..No
Not slagging facebook. What they do, they do very well. I’m merely stating that there are more effective ways to generate money for your causes.

Ok so where should you go to spread your impact on the web?

Razoo
100% of the money raised gets passed to the charities. Non Profits can start their own page and Razoo has a portable widget that you can port to other websites.

With twitter being ( argueably ) the next most influential social media outlet,Twitpay helps you generate money through retweets. Twitpay has a good system for generating donations, it’s quick, easy and has proven successful. The only issue I have with this service is their paystructure. I quote:

Twitpay only charges a percentage of the donations actually paid including a small per transaction fee.

Are they charging two fees here? Seems a little mysterious on this. I really think they could have been a more upfront with numbers on this.

Crowdrise
Our buddies at crowdrise do a fantastic job of gathering people at the grassroots level. This site is designed with the fun connectivity between people that makes facebook fun. Non Profits will find it easy to set up their presence as well. Crowdrise takes 7.5% for their expenses.

Those are just a few that I’ve taken a look at. What other systems have you tried and where do you fundraising through social media headed?

I was thinking of the most common excuses you get when fundraising for charity and ways you can get around them.

I don’t have any money
I’m not asking for much Mr._____ I’ll even take a donation for $1. However if you make a donation for $5 you can have __________

Charities waste money
All charities need money in order to run. Office space, phones lines, heat and light have to be paid in order for a charity to survive. Some charities do spend a lot on administration but we only spend ______ .

I’ll look into it later
I understand that you are busy Mr._________ It’s just that in todays world people tend to get sidetracked and might not get around to it. I have a little pamphlet I can show you and explain where and how your donation will be spent.

My donation won’t amount to anything
Well Mr.______ even a donation of $3 to $5 can go towards _______. That’s roughly the cost of one latte at Starbucks. Helping our fundraising effort can benefit MANY people!

I already donate to a charity
Good for you Mr._________ ! Thank you for your support in helping out. I’m sure the other charity is happy to have your support. We can use your support as well and would gladly accept any size donation you can make. Don’t forget that we can issue tax receipts for any contribution over _______________

Those are the most common ones I’ve come across. What other reasons have you heard and how did you get past them?

Fundraising is important work and we give you help, encouragement and techniques when you work with us.

Ok so I’ve spent post after post recently telling you fundraising tips and new ideas in charties. Well the training wheels come off today boys and girls! It’s your turn to pick what you would like to support and get to it. Fly …. be free!

I’ve read about internet sources that help you raise money for causes that are important to you. I’ve come across one lately that I really like called crowdrise

Created by Edward Norton (yea the incredible hulk guy) and Shauna Robertson crowdrise helps people create fundraising projects and raise money for their causes. Create your profile and update it with stories, videos and pictures of what you are doing in your charity life. You can sign up with specific causes or vounteer opportunities to join other peoples.

It’s free to use and users can wind prizes like hats, t-shirts, along the way for donations. Crowdrise charges a 5% deduction from donations to stay in business so it’s very reasonable. The only small print that I saw is that it’s currently only donating to US charities. I would like to see this changed in the future when this business concept takes off. However I understand the legal complications of such an endeavor would be HUGE!

The Crowdrise brand is all about answering the call to service and having the most fun in the world while you do it.

While your working away at your fundraising don’t forget us at justfundraising.com maybe we can help you out along the way.

Now off you go and tell us what you’ve signed up for in the comments.

A couple of posts back we talked about fundraising burnout and I received a great comment from the wild woman of fundraising herself Mazarine Treyz from http://wildwomanfundraising.com She came up with some really great ideas on it. We started talking through twitter and I asked her if she would like to take the floor to write a post for the readers of this blog. Graciously she said yes! I think you’ll agree she’s got some great ideas here! Take it away Mazarine…

Workaholism: How do you know when to stop?

Do you feel like you must justify stepping away from your desk?

Do you get irritated when people ask you to stop doing your work in
order to do something else?

Do you take complete responsibility for the outcome of your work efforts?

Do you have a nagging feeling that it will NEVER get done?

Do you feel alone in your struggle in fundraising?

Are you worried about the future of your organization, so you try to
work even harder, and stay later?

Is the future a constant worry for you even when things are going very well?

You may be a workaholic fundraiser.

We are 350 times more productive than a worker in the 1950s. And yet,
we seem to find more to fill our time with, and more and more is asked
of us.

Do you let yourself off the hook sometimes, when the fundraising
doesn’t go as you want it to? Or do you blame yourself for your
failure to raise money, and try to work even harder? Or does your team
leader blame you?

It’s pretty awful to be blamed for a down economy, or the faults of
your superiors. No amount of hard work is going to overcome the
economy, or failures in leadership.

Here’s how you can ease up on these workaholic tendencies.

1. It’s Not Your Fault if people say no to you. It’s not even
personal. It’s just an expression of where they’re at. Everyone can
give something to your cause, even if it’s just time, or a dollar. So
if something in their mentality says, “I can’t give,” don’t worry
about it. Move on to the next person.

2. When you take a break, go do something fun for you. Take a walk.
Take a bath. Go get a little snack. Whatever makes you feel good, do
it. You don’t have to justify doing something to make yourself feel
good.

3. Think about your future. What do you want to do, aside from
fundraising? Are you setting the building blocks in place now, so
you’ll have a stairway to step up on when you’re ready to move on?
What’s next for you? Give yourself time alone to dream.

4. If you’re doing school fundraising, read John Taylor Gatto’s “A
Different Kind of Teacher.” It can help give you insight into our
educational system, and how you can improve it, aside from just
fundraising. Think about the bigger picture. It’s about more than just
selling fruit or candy for the band. It’s about creating a better
future for children.

5. Get a friend to help you take a break, read this book together, and
discuss it. As Malcolm Gladwell writes in “Outliers”, we can all
accomplish more together in community than we can alone. No one
succeeds alone. They always have help. Learn how to ask for it.

For more resources on fundraising and overcoming workaholism, read:
http://www.wildwomanfundraising.com/workaholic-fundraiser-quiz/ and
http://www.wildwomanfundraising.com/workaholic-rut/

About the writer:
Mazarine Treyz has raised over $1M in the last 3 years. She writes
about fundraising, nonprofit management and nonprofit marketing at
http://wildwomanfundraising.com. If you have questions or want advice,
you can contact her at info@wildwomanfundraisingcom. If you want to
exponentially increase your fundraising results, visit
http://mazarinetreyz.com.

Here’s an idea for getting involved for fundraising with whatever skills you have.

Jade Sims has a great idea with crafthope. People enjoy making crafts and it brings them peace, why not channel that into contributions for worthy causes. Quilting and craft volunteers fromthe United States, Germany, Australia, UK and Canada have sent in items for projects. Interested people go about creating scarves, pillow case dresses, quilts, bean bags etc for the project. Their efforts benefit a wide range of people and places around the world. A small sample of the causes they have donated to so far are: Little Heroes PreSchool Burn Camp, Liberia Orphan Education and the Miracle Foundation. They also have been active in helping Doctors Without Borders in Haiti. Their crafts are sometimes created for the recipient or sold to raise money.

Craft hope has a flicker group that shows their amazing work and the quantity the volunteers produce.

The next project that Jade is adding to is helping the animal victims of the BP oilspill. The crafthope group will work with The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, The Audubon Nature Institute and The Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge to help clean the animals covered in oil.

So here is what we are going to do… They need hand towels and wash rags to clean all of the nooks and crannies of the dolphins and sea turtles. They only need small hand towels and wash rags, no large towels please.

If you can sew, knit, or crochet this project is for you. We are asking that you create sets of hand towels and/or wash rags to send. Preferably in sets of 10 or 20. These do need to be handmade since we are ‘Craft Hope.’ If you are crocheting or knitting, please send whatever you can. You don’t have to send a set unless it is something you are up for.

For more information check outh the crafthope website. Ladies and Gentleman grab your knitting needles and get to work!

If you want to go about fundraising for the oil spill or any other activity in a different way check out our products that you might want to use for a campaign.

A collection of our fundraising articles and video can be found on:
Go Articles.com
Youtube.com
affsphere
ArticleCity.com

Raising money for Charitites, Schools, Sports teams and Churches can be challenging work. Fundraising professionals and volunteers are being asked to do more miracle work with fewer resources. This pressure over a prolonged time can lead to burnout and stress.

Here are a few symptoms and tips to recognize and prevent fundraising burnout in your vounteers or you.

If your approaching your next fundraiser and you:
- Lack of motivation
- Irritability
- Problems sleeping / changes in appetite
- Reduction in work

Take these steps:
-Take care of yourself which means getting plenty of rest and eating healthy food.

- Delegate tasks. Have a team of people around you that can run a portion of the campaign.

- Re-examine your goals. Are you shooting for the stars? You might have to consider lenghting the campaign or realistically altering the financial goal.

Preventing Volunteer Burnout

Actively seek ways to develop new leaders, pick someone and tell them they have shown the potential to do this job. Communitcate clearly with them what the position needs and check up with them frequently. This creates new blood in your organization plus gives the volunteers of your group, who are the pillars, a breather.

Keep a watchfull eye on your MegaVolunteers. Those people who volunteer for everything. They are the people who have the potential to show signs of fatigue. If you have to pull them off a team just explain diplomatically that you are keeping them in reserve and you would like to see other people step up and participate.

Thank your volunteers repeatedly for their service. Since they are there to help free of charge and you probably don’t have the funds to pay them, show the benefits of their effort. Let them know the improvements they have brought on throught their work.

Send Thank You notes or make a quick phone call to thank those people who have given of their time. If your able to maintain solid relations with your workers the chances are good they will return for more when they are asked.

Tell us how you’ve overcome your Fundraising Burnout in your and your organization.

I like travel. Nothing strange there, so do most people. It would be cool if I could find an occupation where I get to blog /fundraise / drum/ be Indiana Jones. It seems like someone has made a job doing this.

It’s a rubber duck though.

I came across One lucky rubber ducky on twitter and was both fascinated and jealous. You see this rubber duck has raised money for charity with all his travels. Here’s how it works:

STEP 1: Get your duck from the bathroom and put him in your handbag , back pack or luggage and take him any where you go…..but when ever you take the duck you MUST put money towards a charity of your choice….the rubber duck is reminding you to choose a charity, so effectively you are sponsoring your duck for that journey. You may just go to the super market but you must donate something to a charity on the way( blind dogs assoc, breast cancer …) you may go on a holiday this is when you must take the duck and spead the good word, be contagious and encourage other ducks to travel and put money towards a charity of your choice.

Step 2: Register your Duck on Face book and upload a photo and become a friend of www.facebook.com/oneluckyrubberducky and state your ducks mission and journey, state the journey, e.g (Sydney-Melbourne) means of transport (motorbike) reason for accepting the mission (a family member effected by dis-ease or I want to assist children in war stricken community’s of…. ) etc. tell us what is happening be passionate and share your knowedge. Get others involved.

Step 3. www.facebook.com/oneluckyrubberducky and share your journey and how much you raised for charity, every cent counts be it 20 cents or $5.

I did a little looking around his site and found a list of countries he’s visited:

Travel stats
Number of countries: 29 (12% of total)
Number of visits: 34
Number of world regions: 12
Number of continents: 5

If we look at my list he blogs, fundraises and has adventures like Indiana Jones. If he starts to drum I’m in real trouble.

The rubber duck is a very simple concept, doesn’t cost anything from a organizational point of view plus builds a fun community. If your thinking of travelling exotically or even to your parents house take a rubber duck along, make a donation to your favourite charity and send pictures of the event.

Maybe justfundraising.com could do the same thing. Maybe we’ll do it with the kid and the apple.

Boy is he gonna be surprised!

If we don’t get permission from the kid’s mom, what do you think we should use? Have fun with that ( points awarded for the most creative response. )