Fundraising for Small Groups Newsletter

Raffle Ideas for Fundraising

Thu, 07 May 2009 06:34:22 +0000

People enjoy getting a chance to win something, so here are a some easy fundraiser raffle ideas to boost your fundraising efforts. Your raffle can be an inexpensive ticket for a prize drawing or a $100 ticket for a big prize such as a big screen television or a new car.

The basics of a raffle fundraiser are quite simple. Your costs are limited to the ticket expense and purchasing the prizes. Often times, local merchants will donate items or offer special discounts to nonprofits or school groups.

As with any fundraiser, the better the items offered, the more funds you raise. Your fundraising raffle can be of short duration or have tickets for sale for a month or more.

It all depends on how much you are trying to raise and what type of raffle you conduct.

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Fundraisers - What to Do If Your Website Isn't Generating Enough Donations

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 06:34:22 +0000

You won't get donations unless you have visitors, so if you're not getting much traffic right now, the first step is to get your donors in the habit of visiting the site. Begin by asking yourself this question: "Are we giving them a good reason to stop by often?"

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Is Your Fundraiser Making Money?

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 06:34:22 +0000

When organizing a fundraiser you need to look at all the costs involved in it. Not only the costs to the group but also to the members, and the parents.

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Do an "Easy Thousand" Fundraiser: 6 Easy Steps For Small Nonprofits to Raise $1,000 in Under Three Weeks

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 06:34:22 +0000

For most small nonprofit organizations, one thousand dollars is a lot of money. Here's a technique to use those closest to your organization to raise it in three weeks or less. It's called an "Easy Thousand" and there are just 6 simple steps involved.

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Blind Auction Fundraising

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 06:34:22 +0000

Consider raising funds for your special cause with a Blind Auction fundraising event. They are fun, exciting and easy to organize. In fact, there are several ways to organize a blind auction.

In a typical blind auction fund raising, people are invited to donate items for the auction. Each of the items is wrapped, by the donors or volunteers, so that bidders cannot tell what they are bidding on. Hence, "blind" auction.

The items are given a number and put on display some time before the actual auction. Guests have fun trying to guess what each item is. At some blind auctions, items are tagged with helpful hints. Guests then bid on the item numbers that interest them.

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Cooking for a Cause: 5 Great Fundraiser Ideas

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 06:34:22 +0000

There are many scrumptious ways for nonprofits to raise funds with cooking fundraisers. It is easy to see why cooking fundraisers are popular: people love to cook, love to eat and are interested in trying different types of food. Here are five great cooking fundraisers for your organization to keep in mind!

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4 Secrets to Raising Money With Your Nonprofit's Print Newsletter

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 06:34:22 +0000

How well does your newsletter perform for you? If it's not so hot, then maybe you need to make a few changes. Here are 4 secrets to a successful newsletter.

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Fundraising Balancing Act

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 06:34:22 +0000

Funding requests are up, income is down & running an effective fundraiser is more important than ever.

The U.S. economy is in a recession, forcing parent group leaders across the country to walk a tightrope. Like everyone else these days, PTO leaders must keep a close eye on all types of spending. At the same time, school budgets continue to shrink, and parent groups are being asked to fund more projects and programs than ever before. Today, PTOs are as likely to provide additional funding for teacher salaries as field trips. Most parent groups are eager to help if possible, but it's a delicate balancing act.

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How to Write a Better Fundraising Letter

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 06:34:22 +0000

Looking for tips on writing a better fundraising letter? Use these quick tips to craft your next donation request letter. Feel free to modify the sample letter below to fit your specific needs.

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The Economy and Your Fundraising Auction

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 06:34:22 +0000

We know that many of you are considering scaling back on your fundraising auctions in these difficult times. But if our recent experience is any measure, we have seen large audiences, better gifts and more robust bidding that in the past years for all five of the fundraising auction events we have managed in the last five weeks.

Our advice - Make your message and people will come and give!

Here is a list of general fundraising auction guidelines that are tested by time but often have been ignored due to your success in the past. They need to be followed:

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5 Keys to Running Great Nonprofit Meetings

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 06:34:22 +0000

A well planned and well run meeting is as wonderful as it is rare. I'm sure you have suffered through many long, boring ones. The culprit is generally the person who is running the meeting. He may have failed to create an agenda, didn't follow it or just couldn't control the meeting. You don't want to be guilty of any of these mistakes.

Imagine that everyone comes to your meetings looking forward to them and leaves feeling accomplished! You can make that possible by following a few simple steps. With some advance planning, in a short time, you can accomplish large amounts of work, make decisions and move forward.

The objective of a meeting is to bring together the right people to share ideas and make decisions. Remember the anthropologist Margaret Mead's quote, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." When you have decisions to make, want to generate new ideas, move your organization forward or accomplish a task, a meeting is the perfect setting.

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