With Memorial Day right around the corner, we’re reminded of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. Our security and freedom could not be possible without their contributions to our nation. Whether you know someone who has served this country or simply want to honor our fallen soldiers of the past, starting your own grassroots fundraising page is the perfect way to support our troops.

Simply create your own fundraising page and begin taking donations for a nonprofit that supports our armed forces. Consider any of the following:

Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation

The VFW Foundation, the official charity of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), is America’s oldest and largest service group for combat veterans. From financial assistance for families of deployed troops to assisting veterans with benefits claims to providing prepaid phone cards for soldiers overseas, the VFW Foundation is here to assist those who deserve it the most.

Student Veterans of America

Student Veterans of America’s mission is to provide military veterans with the resources, support, and advocacy needed to succeed in higher education and following graduation.

United States Veterans Initiative

United States Veterans Initiative is a recognized leader in the field of service delivery to veterans and the largest nonprofit provider of veteran housing programs in the country. This nonprofit helps with the transition of returning military veterans, and their families, through the provision of housing, counseling, career development and comprehensive support.

New England Center for Homeless Veterans

Now in its third decade of service, The New England Center for Homeless Veterans (NECHV) is a multi-dimensional service and care provider dedicated to assisting Veterans who are facing, or at-risk, of homelessness. The center offers a broad array of programs and services that enable success, reintegration, meaningful employment and independent living.

Start fundraising for our fallen soldiers today and create your own fundraising page.

Have a Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Photo Courtesy D.H Parks 2011

1. How can I join my friend’s fundraising team?

In order to join your friends team would need to register/join the event. On your friends fundraising page, click the EVENT tab. Scroll down and click on Learn More, it will take you to the Event Page. Click on the Green Button and register for the event. During the registration process you will be able to select your friend’s team to join.

2. I made a mistake and now I have 2 duplicate offline donations, how do I remove them?

Please send an email to support@firstgiving.com with a link to your fundraising page and we will be happy to remove the duplicate offlines.

3. I need to edit my comment on a online donation that I made.

Please visit http://www.firstgiving.com/process/editsponsormessage/default.asp?did=1 to edit your donation name and comment. Then follow these steps:

1.     Enter your donation reference number* and the last four digits of your credit card, and click Continue.

2.     Edit the details in the text box and click Continue to save your changes.

*Your donation reference number is the letter ‘D’ followed by seven numbers, for example: D1234567, and appears in the FirstGiving email ‘Thank you for your donation.’

4. How can I edit last year’s fundraising page to reflect this year’s event?

To fundraise for a 2012 event, you need to create a new fundraising page.

We cannot let fundraising pages roll over from previous years (e.g. 2011 to 2012 event). This is for auditing purposes, as well as to make charity reporting easier. For example, if your fundraising page reflects the previous year’s event, it will not display in the charity’s report for their newest event.

To create a new fundraising page, please visit the event’s page , click {Join Now}, and select the event you want to join. When prompted to log in to your account, please use your existing email address and password.

5. How do I edit my fundraising page?

You can edit your fundraising page, including your offline total, your image, personal message and target amount, by going to your fundraising page, or any page on the FirstGiving site and clicking Sign In in the top right corner.

1.     Sign in with your email address and password.

2.     Click “Edit” next to the page you wish to edit.

3.     Now click on the blue “Edit your page” button.

4.     You can edit anything in a white box including your goal, story and Thank You message. You can also uncheck any of the columns you don’t want the public to see and upload a new photo.

5.     To finish and save your changes, click “Save and Continue.”

Also on the “My Fundraising” tab, you can send emails to donors, add Flickr images and see who wants to be updated about your fundraising efforts.

Everything cleared up? Start fundraising today!

It’s not always easy to get your motivated supporters together in one place at one time.  But don’t let this discourage you from putting on a truly awesome event!  FirstGiving’s Account Management team will walk you through how to turn potential no-shows for your event into active fundraisers by offering a virtual participant option.

We’re excited to share with you some noteworthy examples of nonprofits that have creatively set up virtual participation for their event.  In addition we’ll warn you of common pitfalls some nonprofits have fallen into, and of course tackle your toughest fundraising questions.

A few of the questions we’ll address in this webinar are:

• What is virtual participation?
• When is it a good idea to set this up for my event onFirstGiving?
• How do I best keep virtual participants engaged?

Download this webinar’s recording now. 

Photo Courtesy isafmedia 2009

We’re strong believers in the idea that, with enough creative drive, anyone can convert a given moment into a fundraising opportunity. To help communicate our point we’ve come up with 10 easy ways to transform an everyday idea into a fundraising occasion. 

10 everyday ideas for grassroots fundraisers

1. BBQ fundraiser – Who doesn’t enjoy a good BBQ? Invite the neighborhood over for some warm weather burgers and dogs. Exchange gossip and play a little touch football. Ask for donations to your fundraising page as an “admissions fee” in order to participate.
2. Drive in movies – Town governments, school districts, and local fire departments regularly host “Drive-in-movie” nights during the warmer seasons. Why not use this as an opportunity to fundraise? Ask for donations prior or during the event as an “admissions fee.”
3. Pajama Day - We’ve previously dedicated a whole blog post to this comfy, fundraising idea. Read up! This is a great idea for a kid fundraising event.
4. Crazy Hat day fundraiser – Accept online donations for a day to indulge in your wackiest hat. Perfect for classrooms and offices and popular with the younger crowd. Post photos of your crazy hats on your fundraising page.
5. Birthdays - Read the full post on taking donations over birthday gifts here.
6. Graduations - Learn how you can convert a graduation celebration into a fundraising event.
7. Engagements – Here’s a neat idea we’ve seen implemented on Charity: Water’s blog. Put a creative spin on a memorable date by asking your friends and family to donate to a fundraising page in your honor. Tell that that, as a couple, you won’t get engaged until the fundraising goal is reached. Let’s not keep them waiting!
8. Curse Jar fundraiser – The next three fundraising ideas have double the social benefit. Create a “curse jar” for the home and/or office. Every time someone lets their words get the best of them, a $1 donation must be made. Once the jar is full, donate the collected funds. As a fun way to spice it up, do a weekly purging of the jar and factor those offline donations to an online fundraising page so that participants can chart and document the moments.
9. Negativity Jar fundraiser – Take the curse jar idea a step further and institute a “negativity jar.” $1 donations for the Debbie Downers! Turn those negative thoughts into charitable contributions. Could be a neat idea for your bowling team!
10. Late Jar fundraiser – This one is perfect for the classroom. For those pupils who abuse the schedule, this could be a good way to derail unwanted behavior.

Create your own fundraising page here!

Photo Courtesy tsmall 2009

In terms of demographic influence, Millennials (born between 1980’s to the early 2000’s) will outnumber Baby Boomers (born between the end of WWII and the mid 1960’s) by 2030. Millennials are described as socially conscience and digital natives. A digital native is a person who was born during or after the general introduction of digital technologia (1980) and through interacting with digital technology from an early age, has a greater understanding of its concepts. How will this demographic shape giving in the future? We thought we’d share some findings from the Boston Consulting Group’s recent survey of these two demographics.

The rise of the triple bottom line

The triple bottom line stands for the 3 P’s (profit, people, and planet) and more businesses are becoming conscious of this concept. Not only do companies have to be thoughtful about profits and labour, today’s organizations must be aware of the impact they have on the planet. With increased consumer pressure, companies have been forced to become more socially and environmentally aware. Millennials are strong champions of these ideals.

Millennial consumer study

The Boston Consulting Group recently surveyed 4,000 Millennials aged 16 to 34, as well as 1,000 non-Millennials aged 35 to 40. You can find the full report here, but mashable.com summarized a few key points we’d like to highlight:

• Millennials are actively engaged in consuming and influencing.
• Millennials favor recommendations from peers and/or friends.

The report paints the picture that Millennials are engaged consumers who want to tie their financial, moral, and social purchases together.

Companies doing their part

If this company is an indicator of trends, there’s a huge market for brand and consumer conscience behavior – so much so that they had to build an entire infrastructure to manage it. Roozt, pronounced roost, serves as a platform for consumers to interact, find, and purchase goods and services built with the 3 P’s in mind. Companies like TOM’s shoes and Chipotle have already famously adopted these practices. Learn more about Roozt. 

Engaged or apathetic?

One critic of this demographic lies in their use of digital tools for impact. Is the Millennial demographic truly engaged or apathetic? Debates over the rise and merits of “slacktivism” have been vocal as ever so the jury is still out. However, a new company name Sparked  gives hope and possibly ridicule. Sparked label themselves as a micro-volunteer site. Could this be the start of something more sustainable? We hope so. Learn how volunteers complete tasks that run from 3 minutes to 3 hours in length and range anywhere from setting up a Facebook page to designing a new nonprofit logo/website. Looking for some quick resources for your organization? Visit Roozt’s site.

Conclusion

• Due to consumer pressure, companies have now begun to adopt the Triple Bottom Line mentality.
• Millennials are influential and conscience consumers.
• There is a market and demand for products/services that fulfill the Triple Bottom line that are geared towards Millennials.
• The debate continues on whether this demographic is truly engaged or apathetic. What do you think?

Knowing this, how can your nonprofit engage this influential demographic? Nonprofits naturally fulfill the triple bottom line. How can your organization lend itself to the Millennial voice to help strengthen both your brand and the supporters’ influence? Can your message spark engagement in this so called “apathetic” group?

Begin engaging Millennials where they are. Sign up for our nonprofit account and start fundraising online today.

Photo Courtesy SMercury98 2010 

Facebook Fan Pages are a great way to reach your supporters in a social community. Here’s why.

Facebook Fan Pages are specific pages for a variety of users, including businesses, organizations, celebrities, or any other institution. It’s important to engage with your supporters in a social space, like many nonprofits have done already. Here’s a quick read on how you can set up a Facebook Fan Page for your organization and interact with you supporters through social media.

First steps: Choose your page type

• Go to https://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php. If you’re logged in with your personal account, make sure it’s ok that you’re linking your organization’s page to your personal account. If you do not have a Facebook account, you will need to create one.

• Select the category, “Company, Organization, or Institution.”
• Select your category of “Nonprofit Organization” and enter your organization’s name.

Setting up the basics

Next you will be asked to fill in the important details for your page, including:

• A Facebook Profile picture - Your nonprofit’s logo should go here. High resolution is ideal.
• About description – Here’s where you will include a brief description on your nonprofit. What does your nonprofit do? You will also be asked to provide an alternate web address. Include your nonprofit’s website, blog, YouTube channel, and of course your FirstGiving nonprofit page. Whatever you think your supporters would want to know about your organization.
• Facebook Web Address – From there you’ll have the opportunity to decide on your Facebook Web Address. This will serve as your unique Facebook Url. For example, our Facebook url is www.facebook.com/firstgiving. Decide on an available ending that is similar to your organization’s name. WARNING: This can’t be changed, so think carefully!

Add an engaging cover photo

Facebook Timeline provides a lot of visual real estate. This is very similar to a nonprofit banner on a FirstGiving nonprofit page. Best practice suggests that this image be used as a “soft sell” with limited text and promotions. Have a designer create an engaging banner image or use a captivating photo from one of your fundraising events. The cover photo deminsions are 851 X 315.

Add your content

Facebook was built on pictures and engaging visuals. Before promoting your nonprofit’s new Facebook Fan page, make sure you have content uploaded. Share links on your Facebook Wall that you think your supporters would enjoy. They could be blog posts, videos, past event pictures, questions, or simple status updates. These are things you should think about posting on a consistent basis to stay engaged with your community. The more you post, the more fans you’ll attract and the faster you’ll grow your Facebook Fan page followers.

Get familiar with your setting

Let’s take a quick look under the hood shall we? If you go to the top of your profile page under the “manage” tab, you will be able to click on the “Edit this page” button. From there you will be able to access a number of key options:

• Manage permissions – Who will be able to post on your wall? What language? Are there age restrictions?
• Basic information – Fill out all the appropriate fields in order to help supporters get a better sense of what your organization does. Fields include: Description, services, awards, history, mission, contact info, etc.
• Manage Administrators – From here you’ll be able to manage who will have control of editing your fan page.
• Applications – Facebook has an ecosystem of available applications any Facebook Fan Page can add to their profiles. One of them being our own free Donate Now buttons! 

Invite your supporters into your community

Now you should be ready to invite your nonprofit’s supports to join you on your Facebook Page. Send out an email inviting your supporters and donors to “like” your Facebook Fan Page and don’t forget to include a link to your page.

Continue to engage your community

Once you’ve gotten them over to Facebook, you’ll need to engage your new fans. Share, post, and discuss topics and ideas that your nonprofit supporters would be interested in, along with upcoming event details and fundraising news. Are your supporters new to fundraising online? Share this ebook about best practices to sharing their individual fundraising pages online.

Beyond Basics:

Highlight fundraising moments on your Fan Page - Highlight upcoming events, reaching a fundraising goal an other important posts.

Utilize the Facebook Insights - Analytics are important. Facebook Insights provides your nonprofit with the numbers behind your Facebook Page’s views, comments, and fans. Take a look at what you can learn and see what’s working and what’s not.

Facebook is constantly evolving, but these are the basics you need to get started with your Fan Page.

For nonprofits who need support with setting up their Facebook pages consider logging onto www.Sparked.com and setting up a micro-volunteer challenge. You could find enthusiastic supporters willing to donate some of their time to help you get started on Facebook.

Now that you’ve created your own Facebook Page, learn how to best utilize social media to your online fundraising advantage. Download our free ebook!

Marco Paköeningrat 2007

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the digital divide refers to any “inequalities between groups, broadly construed, in terms of access to, use of, or knowledge of information and communication technologies.” When we speak about the digital divide in peer-to-peer fundraising we are talking about how individuals and nonprofit organizations are hindered by the fact that other parties around them have not adopted or have access to the technology required to make online fundraising happen. Though it can refer to both the individual and nonprofit, the challenges usually arise for nonprofit organizations. As a quick overview, let’s discuss why this is so.

Cause 1: The benefits of going online are unclear

The Internet can seem like a confusing place. Trust us, it is. That doesn’t mean that it should be ignored, there’s a lot to benefit from its infrastructure. Many who haven’t adopted these tools haven’t because they are unclear of the benefits. They feel as though the resources it would take to catch up is simply too much. Unfortunately that may feel like the case but know that this feeling will only increase as the divide grows.

When it comes to fundraising online. The concept of peer-to-peer fundraising can ignite a lot of potential and optimism on the user’s behalf. The Internet has a knack for democratizing information and processes; fundraising is no different. Many simply do not know how their fundraising could benefit from going online. It’ll be your job to convince them otherwise.

Cause 2: The opportunity is not there

The other cause lies in the fact that some individuals or organizations do not have the resources to join the web. Be it economic, financial, or geographical limitations, the infrastructure simply does not support online activity. This is more of a physical hurdle than a mental one. Some instances include:

The limited or lack of internet connected devices

The limited or lack of internet connection

- Through geographic means (i.e. the physical wires are not in the area)

- Through economic means (i.e. the parties cannot afford an internet connection

- Through political means (i.e. the local government does not provide or allow a secure internet connection)

The limited or lack of technological education 

Solution 1: Guiding individuals to adopt online fundraising

In the case of online fundraising, the growing digital divide is not a question of the “haves” and the “have-nots” but one of equal disadvantage. Both parties need each other and will benefit if the divide were to be bridged. On one hand you have those who’ve adopted online fundraising, they are always looking for more online donors. On the other hand, those who have yet to adopt online fundraising are looking for new avenues to aid their cause. In order to bridge this gap, those who are fundraising online must help those who have yet to cross. Help bridge the digital gap by:

• Providing easy to follow instructions first time online fundraisers could follow. Possibly include a “How to create your own fundraising page” video for ease.
• Giving online support when needed – technical support either through email or direct phone calls.
• Don’t stop at online donations. Assure your supporters they can submit checks and cash as well.
• Share your success story on your website (how you adopted online fundraising, how easy it was, how much you raised online vs. offline, etc.)

Best Buy is helping bridge their own gap through a partnership with AARP and their Geek Squad. “The service includes a personal shopper service; installation assistance of new devices; diagnostics, troubleshooting and repair services; discounts on Geek Squad services; free recycling and disposal of certain products; and social media, camera, email and Internet safety training.” Read up on this new partnership here.

Solution 2: Help build the online infrastructure

There are many nonprofits out there whose sole purpose is to help bridge the digital gap. Check out “Close the Gap” and see how they help bridge the digital divide in 3rd world nations by providing communities with inexpensive/used laptops and affordable satellite Internet connection. They also help educate communities on how to leverage this technology to their advantage.

Learn more about donor behavior by downloading our free Donor Report.

Photo Courtesy M e d a 2006

Asking for donations to your favorite nonprofit in lieu of gifts is something we see very often for a number of different occasions. With graduation season in bloom, consider asking for donations at your graduation celebration. This could be a fantastic way to make this landmark event even more meaningful.

When sending out your party invites, whether it be online or in print, include the url to your fundraising page to encourage invitees to make a donation to the cause you’ve chosen. Include some information about the nonprofit and why you have decided to for go gifts for this cause. For the individuals who don’t get around to donating online but arrive to the party with checks or cash, use our offline donation tool to add them to your fundraising total. Send out a thank you email or letter after the party to thank all those that donated. And who knows, maybe it will inspire them to give again.

We’re strong believers in converting lifetime milestones into fundraising opportunities. Have a few other classmates inspired to do the same? See how Livingston High School raised over $2,000 for their graduation.

Create your fundraising page and send out those invitations!

Photo Courtesy NazarethCollege 2009

Streamlining your donation process and providing multiple avenues for your donors to contribute is the last piece of the donation puzzle. 

Not all of your supporters will come in contact with your organization directly through your website. Be sure you have donation options wherever a donor may connect with you. We provide you with a Facebook Donate tabs for taking donations on Facebook, and spreading the word virally. Similar donation widgets can be embedded on a blog as well.

Keep the donation process simple

It’s important to make the online donation process as seamless as possible. Limit the amount of steps an individual must complete in order to donate to your nonprofit.

This means limiting the following:

• Unnecessary text
• Multiple pages to click through
• Lengthy forms

Also note that ease of use is not only important for the potential donor but also for the nonprofit itself. The best donation buttons are easy to set up. Your nonprofit may have a small, dedicated team with members who wear a variety of hats. An online donation solution needs to be easy to set up and understand, even for staff members without a technical background.

It’s important to have a reporting component to any Donate Button. Pulling numbers from numerous donation platforms like PayPal, Google Pay, or other third party services, can create more work for a small team. Having a direct donation option online for both the donor and your nonprofit is key to an overall effective online fundraising strategy.

Add a Facebook Donate tab to your Facebook Fan Page today!

Photo Courtesy Jon Ashcroft 2010

Your donors may be unaware of the number of choices they have to contribute to your organization. Let’s change that. 

Not all donation methods are created equal

Some donation processes are preferred by some organizations over others; for example, perhaps processing checks is a pain for your volunteer-run organization. Be sure to clearly list your preferred donation methods, whether it be online or by check, making it clear that there are multiple options for your donors to contribute is important.

Equate donations to physical impact

Another great way to suggest a donation amount to your donors is by outlining contribution tiers. One popular strategy is to show what possible donation amounts are equivalent to and what they will achieve toward your mission. Many nonprofits that tier their donation amounts put the average donation as the lowest tiered option, hopefully enticing their supporters to donate above and beyond the actual average.

Here are a few examples of donation tiers:

• $25 will feed an orphan for a month
• $50 will pay a math teacher’s monthly salary
• $100 will pay for a community’s doctor visit

Ask your supporters to pay any service or processing fees

Another strategy is to simply ask your donors to pay any service or processing fees for online donations (which they can do when donating on FirstGiving). It’s only a little more for the donor, but saves your nonprofit a lot in the long run. We find that donors, on average, are willing to cover fees on 40% of donations, sometimes higher depending on the organization and the type of request. This ultimately brings your online processing fees down considerably.

Want to also take donations on Facebook? Look no further! 

Photo Courtesy quinn.anya 2009