Fundraising Services

Shauna Hanus asked:


Fundraising can take up a lot of time. Volunteers and paid staff at a church or non-profit organization can quickly find themselves spending a great deal of time planning fundraisers and implementing fundraisers. This time expenditure can be lessened by a simple placement of donation boxes.

Donation boxes are small boxes that are often times seen at convenience stores and supermarkets where you can drop in your extra coins and the coins will go to help a worthy cause. Most often fundraising donation boxes are found next to cash registers where people are likely to be paying for purchased items.

These donation boxes are a great way to fundraise with minimal effort. What needs to be done to start a donation box fundraiser is first to identify possible locations to place your fundraising boxes. Once you have listed out a large number of locations that you would like to request to allow you to place your donation boxes for your fundraiser it is time to make the boxes.

You can purchase donation boxes that are professional looking and have all your information printed on the label or you can make your donation boxes. If you choose to make donation boxes for your fundraiser this is a great way to get your supporters or youth involved. Your youth and supporters can make and decorate your donation boxes with all your fundraising information clearly labeled.

After you have your donation boxes made for your fundraiser it is time to go and ask the merchants you selected if they are willing to place your donation boxes next to their checkouts. You will want to be sure that you are always polite and well dressed as well as have a full understanding of why you are fundraising. If the fundraiser is for a church or mission youth group have the youth and an adult do the leg work. This will put a face to the fundraiser and help the merchants to back your fundraising efforts.

Once you have placed your fundraising donation boxes within the stores of your local merchants it is imperative to send a thank you. Thank you notes will remind the merchants of your fundraiser and show that you really do appreciate them allowing you to use their store as part of your fundraiser.

Veronica Scott asked:


Raising funds within a corporate setting takes creativity and good time management skills. With a little bit of planning and teamwork, however, your office can raise a large amount of money for purposes such as charitable donations or community resources. Regardless of the purpose behind the fundraising, there are a number of common principles that can be employed in order to maximize results and get the most out of the fundraising experience.

Decide What You Need

One of the first and most basic principles associated with corporate fundraising is to realize how much money or resources you intend to raise and work with that goal in mind. A solidified, concrete goal with which to work impacts the process of fundraising by allowing for accurate goal-setting. This will also assist in organizing the fundraising event and compiling the various resources needed to begin the fundraising.

By discovering and deciding on the fundraising goals, you can also begin to plan the basics. Watch out for any hidden costs associated with the fundraising process, as these can take away from your goal and can impact the amount of funds it may take to set up the fundraising venture in the first place. Hidden costs such as shopping for prizes or setup materials can impact the overall experience of fundraising.

Take Time to Prepare

Taking adequate time to prepare the fundraising event is critical. Select your fundraising program as early as possible to give a lot of time between the start date of the event and the present date. You will need ample time to collect materials, assemble a team of assistants, and advertise your fundraiser. Promote the fundraiser with posters and advertisements in schools, church groups, community centers, and other public places for the best turnout.

Stay Motivated

As the fundraising event continues on, it is important to keep your team motivated and excited. A lack of motivation can hamper the fundraising results and negatively impact your company’s image. Instead, offer incentives along the way and organize your event properly so as to give sufficient time for breaks and time off. If the fundraiser is stretched out over several days and involves order taking, substitute workers frequently to avoid fatigue. Set a limit of ten to twelve days on order taking for the best results.

Communicate Clearly

Communication is of significant importance. It is vital that communication is accurate and timely, especially between fundraisers and potential clients. If people do not have a clear idea as to where their money or donation is going, they are not as likely to give a generous donation. Having clear and concise information to communicate with the client can make the fundraising process easy and exciting. It’s also a great way to provide a good reputation for your company.

Have a Variety of Options

If you are selling items or auctioning off various goods in your fundraiser, make sure you have a wide variety of items. Dollhouses, rocking horses, and toys make great fundraisers for family friendly events, while other fundraisers may feature the auctioning of time-saving products or even vehicles.

dlbahma asked:


I am planning a fundraiser for October 14th to generate funds to buy calling cards and care package items to send to our troops. Here’s my problem, I am disabled, vision impaired, cannot drive. Where can I find someone who might want to help me with this excellent cause? I live in Fresno, CA

Juan Franco asked:


Copyright (c) 2008 AIM Fundraising

Planning and managing a school fundraising event can make you want to pull your hair out or perhaps start banging your head on a table out of frustration. Here are seven helpful fundraising ideas that will help make your next school fundraiser a smooth and profitable success.

1.) Plan for Success

Efficient planning is integral to the success of not only your school fundraising campaign but any project you might think of. Without a well thought out plan of action chaos will reign and your project will suffer as a result no matter how good your fundraising ideas are. In fact, you should have a primary plan as well as a secondary and tertiary.

2.) There can be Only One!

There can only be one captain of a ship and the same holds true for your school fundraising program. Too many chiefs and not enough Indians is a recipe for failure as well as a bad idea. Pick a competent person to be in charge and then let them be in charge.

3.) Delegate Authority

Assign specific tasks to people in whom you have confidence and trust. In your planning create a list of tasks that must be accomplished and choose personnel for each task. Ensure that each of your chosen staff understands that accountability for their assigned task falls squarely on their shoulders.

4.) Promotion is the Key

Get the word our about your school fundraiser. Promoting your school fundraising project will help you greatly in the quest to reach your goals. Send out press releases to local media outlets. Don’t forget your own school web page is a great way to post your fundraising ideas and opportunities and get the word out about it. The type of fundraiser you are planning will dictate if creating promotional flyers and soliciting local business to place them in store windows would be helpful in making your fundraising event better. There are many ways to promote an event and you should take advantage of as many of them as possible.

5.) Pre-Sell for Success

This tactic will work effectively for any type of school fundraising event. If your fundraiser is an event like a dance or dinner or some kind of ticketed event, you will do much better pre-selling your tickets. Start the revenue stream long before the actual event. When items such as cookie dough or Christmas gift items are your main products start mentioning it to friends, family, and neighbors ahead of time.

6.) Multiple Income Streams

Do not put all of your eggs in one basket. Multiple income streams have been a recipe for success in business for many years and you should be running your school fundraising just like a business. If you are placing your whole years planning on the success of only one program, then you may find yourself in a shortfall. You might even have another nearby school start the same thing your were planning to do the week before you kick your fundraiser off. If you are located in a small town, this can be a huge blow to your school fundraising success. Try using multiple events to your advantage. This is an excellent way to reach your goal as quickly as possible and spread out some of the risk.

7.) Post Event Analysis

While not part of the actual event planning phase this is something that you should not overlook. Analyze how each of your school fundraising efforts performed. Which ones did your customers like the best? Which ones made you the most money? What school fundraising event was the easiest to do? You can use your analysis of your current campaign to enhance future fundraising efforts. It is especially helpful to write these things down in a journal for the next board to view in case all the faces on the board change from year to year. Doing this will make it much easier on the inexperience leaders who follow you to pick up where you left off!