Nonprofit Information

Fundraising Ideas

The Do’s and Don’ts of Online Fundraising

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The Do's and Don'ts of Online FundraisingJust because it seems easy to raise money online, charities still must understand and consider several issues before accepting gifts on the Internet.

  • Perhaps the most overlooked by many organizations is that they are not exempt from the registration requirements that many states impose on organizations asking for money from their residents.  If a fundraisers at a charity have any questions about this, they should contact the state’s Attorney General’s office, which has oversight responsibilities for charities.
  • Even though online fundraising has “grown up,” as the Chronicle of Philanthropy  recently put it – these days we are seeing only double digit, as opposed to triple digit, annual increases – organizations cannot just sit back and wait for the money to roll in.  The “Donate Now” button, by itself, won’t do the trick.  If charities want potential donors to hit that button, they have to see it – and be motivated to give.  This means that all the literature and correspondence to prospects need to prominently include the organization’s website address.  A website is today’s calling card – people interested in a charity or its cause go there first.  Therefore, the website has to be as good as it possibly can be, with programs and other relevant information within easy navigation, so that the “Donate Now” button will mean something.
  • Charities need to feed into its online appeals with social media, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.  And whatever else comes along.  Even if any one particular method feels like a temporary fad that will soon die out, today’s donors – not all of them the older ones either – are aware of the impact that social media has on their efforts to stay in touch.  Staying in touch with the charities they support is and will continue to be important to donors, so it behooves charities to reach them at their level.
  • Although websites will be an integral part of future fundraising, we are still not to the point where every transaction takes place online.  And we probably never will be.  While organizations need to stay vigilant about technology changes, as well as concurrent changes in people’s attitudes about how they use the Internet, fundraising is not only about clicking a button.  Reaching donors at their level means expanding, not contracting options, even if it seems that driving into the future is all about online communications.  Face-to-face meetings will always play a role in a successful development effort.  While it’s true that a handful of organizations reported receiving gifts of $100,000 or more in 2013 – one, National Christian Foundation, reported a $1 million online donation – despite the rapid growth of online giving, large gifts are still the rare exception.

Even when organizations see their online giving results growing, they must still take care to cultivate and steward donors.  After taking into account issues unique to this new way of giving (yes, it is still new), wise charities will never forget that the human touch will never be out of style or go out of date.

Get More out of Your Supporters – Even Double Your Online Donations

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It’s a familiar story. You are ready to launch a new giving campaign – one that you’ve put a lot of time and resources into developing. You’ve gone to great lengths to target and segment your potential donor lists and because of that, you know who your supporters are and what is important to them.  You’re using your historic performance to forecast what you will get with this ask – it’s not a bad target, but what if you could do more. Even double your online donations?  Think about how much more ‘good’ you could do for your nonprofit’s cause.

nonprofit donation adviceBeyond targeting and messaging, the first thing nonprofits need to do is to remove the barriers to online giving—make sure supporters can give easily, safely, and often. And to do that, they need the right tools.

The vast majority of fundraising campaigns do not store user (supporter) information. Donors are asked to enter their information every time they donate.  It’s understandable – nonprofits are in the ‘do good’ business, not the secure data storage business. But with many of today’s donors using mobile devices as their main source of communications, their donation could be lost to the common thinking of, “I’ll do it later.”

With abandonment rates as high as 85 percent, this practice is causing organizations to lose a lot of supporters with that form request. What does that mean for them? Lost donations…not something any nonprofit wants.

Don’t give up. There are ways to get around these common barriers and bring in those much-needed donations. Beyond the list targeting and message creation that inspires action, nonprofits need the right tools. They should take time to evaluate the technology they are currently using. Does it work well? If so, great, they should keep using it. But if not, there are options available that can create an easy-to-use and repeatable giving experience for supporters.


What should nonprofits look for in a 1-click fundraising solution?

  1. A solution that is already getting good enrollment rates (hint: the number should be over 50 percent). If enrollment rates are low, that could be a ‘red flag’ that the solution isn’t working well.
  2. Can donations be made using a mobile device? You want to give donors as many ways as possible to contribute to your cause.
  3. Is it easy to integrate into your current system? With the solutions available today integration should be simple.
  4. Is it secure? You don’t want to expose your donors to potential security risks.

Organizations that integrate a “click and give” option into their campaigns will easily see their donations increase – and history has shown that donors with a 1-click option to give, will give three times as often and four times as much!

With a simple click of a button, supporters should be able to complete their donation – regardless of the device, they are using.  No forms to fill out, no credit card information to input, just click and give. Fewer steps, more donations.

The right, secure, click-to-donate tool can increase donation frequency for any nonprofit. With no forms to fill out or passwords to remember, nonprofits will have created a more positive user experience for donors. And with mobile web-access exceeding PC-based web access, providing simple and secure tools optimized for smaller, tap-only screens just makes sense

Maximizing Online Fundraising

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Nonprofits today are competing with the best e-commerce websites in the world, along with the rest of the Internet, to capture the attention of their target audience. To meet this challenge head-on, they must begin to incorporate the best practices associated with the most highly trafficked Internet sites, not only to reach their target, but to entice a donation to their cause efficiently.

fundraising-tipsCorporate sites such as Amazon, Zappos and Travelocity.com have spent millions of dollars in research to find out how to draw customers into making a purchase; nonprofits need to stand on the shoulders of these industry giants and leverage their strategies and tactics to effectively propel online donations higher.

Maximize First Contact

Nonprofits should begin their endeavor to maximize online fundraising by evaluating the organization’s basic website. Many times nonprofit websites have homepages that were literally designed by a committee. It’s common to see their homepages overflowing with information.

While it seems like a great idea to ensure that anyone interested in the organization has immediate access to a litany of information in one place, the homepage becomes more of a distraction with this layout, furthering the chance that a potential donor could leverage it to make a donation quickly.

The key is simplicity. It’s essential that nonprofits design their homepage and entire website keeping three questions in mind: who visits the site, what are they looking for and what do you want them to do?

With these questions as a guide, a website can be redesigned with the intent of limiting the amount of information per page to exactly what’s needed to attract the right audience into making a donation decision.

Limiting choices creates a more user friendly environment by directing visitors to make faster decisions. A nonprofit website that utilizes this principle well is bestieswithtesties.org. The best nonprofit websites are those that contain basic options that funnel potential donors into simple decisions, such as to access more information, get involved and donate.

Highlight the Donation Button

Best-in-class designed e-commerce sites point customers to the ever important shopping cart and check-out options, in the same manner a nonprofit’s website must highlight and distinguish their donation button.

While the rest of the website should be designed harmoniously with the brand in mind, the donation button needs to stand out.

The donation button should be large and extremely easy to find on each page of the site. As potential donors click through an organization’s website, any given page may yield a heavy influence on their donation decision, so having a prominent donation button in the same location on each page makes that decision easy.

Capture Email Addresses

Like popular consumer sites, nonprofits need to draw in their target audience to make a positive decision quickly. When potential donors interact with an organization online, they need a simple way to be added to the nonprofit’s email fundraising campaign and general mailing list, which serves as a fine-tuned communication medium intent on creating a relationship between them and the nonprofit.

In the midst of so many options today, email campaigns remain by far the most inexpensive and valuable way for nonprofits to raise funds online, so it’s essential to ensure potential donors’ email addresses are captured on the homepage.

Currently, the best practice in the industry now is to have a popup window that asks anyone who views the website’s homepage to opt into an email campaign or mailing list to learn more and to keep updated on a nonprofit’s latest news.

Tell Your Story

The top-selling international consumer brands today leverage powerful images and videos to communicate emotions that create a strong connection with their target market. Nonprofits can do the same by incorporating multimedia to relate their most high-impact storyline on their websites and social media pages.

Imagery and video segments that strongly illustrate the core mission to donors also have high potential to go viral in support of the cause through social media. Share the story of the nonprofit’s mission on each page of the website with visuals, such as personal stories, images and videos of those the nonprofit has helped.

Don’t miss an opportunity to demonstrate how the organization is making a difference today through the organization’s efforts through a variety of multimedia.

Leverage Fundraising Tools 

Building up industry best practices to further maximize fundraising efforts, nonprofits can now launch a new fundraising campaign in minutes, not hours and days, with the latest online donations tools available.

Leveraging the organization’s current website and email campaign lists, donations and registrations are completed online, enabling all the information to be easily exported into spreadsheets and imported into a database, saving hours of manual entry.

With today’s available online fundraising tools, nonprofits can build forms and make changes easily, allowing for testing on a range of appeals, donation levels and messaging. The data is provided in real-time so a fundraising campaign and its associated forms can be evaluated on its ongoing performance.

Today’s top industry e-commerce sites follow the same basic formula to powerfully capture, funnel and leverage the attention of their target audience to its maximum effect— making a purchase. It’s time that nonprofits look to these major brands and implement their methods to move their donation strategy solidly forward. They can start by not missing an opportunity to leverage the latest fundraising technology to maximize these overall efforts.

Fundraising Tips – How to Target Businesses for Donations

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The business community is an excellent source of funds for nonprofit organizations.

Develop a strategy for asking for funds from businesses

fundraising tips for nonprofits

1) Identify businesses in your community

  •  Get lists from your Chamber of Commerce. (Joining the Chamber is a good idea.)
  • Include businesses which are employers of board members of other volunteers
  • Include all businesses from whom you purchase goods and services
  • Include businesses from whom your clients purchase good and services
  • Include businesses with a history of charitable giving in the community.

 2) Decide how to let businesses know about your agency and the services it provides

Note that asking for funds from businesses is a two-part process.  First, you decide how to inform the business of the programs of your agency. Then you ask for funds.

There are many ways of informing business about your agency.  You can:

  • Form a business advisory committee to assist your nonprofit
  • Invite business to an Open House to learn about your programs
  • Visit individual businesses to find out more about their products and services and tell them about your agency
  • Invite individual businesspersons to tour your agency and learn more about what you do.
  • Send businesses information packets and newsletters about your agency.

 3) Visit businesses personally to ask for funds.

You will find that large amounts will only be raised after personal meetings with company representatives.

Before you go, learn as much as you can about the company:

  • The specific services they offer
  • Their profitability
  • The types of charities they have supported
  • The amounts of previous gifts

Several addition tips:

  • Make sure the individual with whom you are meeting knows about your agency before you make the visit.
  • Include a board member or another volunteer in the visit to the business.
  • Make sure you personally know the individual you are visiting.
  • Bring information about your agency with you to the meeting. A video showing  your programs in action is very effective.
  • Send a personal thank you note after completing the visit.

Keep excellent records of contacts with each company. Remember that cultivating business donors is a long-term ongoing process.

 

Getting Enthused About Fundraising: What Nonprofits and Board Members Need to Know

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Fundraising Ideas for Nonprofit OrganizationsIt’s a scenario I’ve seen time and time again as a consultant to nonprofit organizations: board members are told to come to their next meeting with the names of 10 people who can be asked to make a gift to the organization. They nod in agreement, but their expressions tell me that this is something they don’t want to do. Sure enough, a month later, the board members return without the names.

I can explain why this happens: people have a fear of asking for money. In my experience, nonprofit board members are far more likely to describe fundraising as “begging” than to say they enjoy it. Their hesitancy to ask for money makes them uncomfortable in their fundraising role. This makes them less successful than they must be in order for the organization to have the necessary resources to operate and fulfill its mission.

The economic downturn has only added to these anxieties about fundraising. Board members, who may be worried about finances themselves, may be reluctant to ask someone else to support the organization for fear the person might not have the funds available to give.

Nonprofits are also struggling to recruit new board members, which can further hamper their fundraising efforts later on. In uncertain times, people are often hesitant to make new commitments. Prospective board members, like many other people, may be piecing together two or three part-time positions or working longer hours to keep their full-time jobs. With less free time, they may be concerned about whether they’ll be able to fulfill the duties of a board member.

The challenge to recruit board members and their hesitancy to ask people for financial support has a direct impact on the ability of nonprofit organizations to fund their operations. Many nonprofits are overly dependent on grants or events as a revenue source. But weathering the ups and downs of the economy calls for a more diversified portfolio. It requires gifts from individuals as well as board members who are willing partners in facilitating these gifts.

As a result, it’s more important than ever for nonprofits to pursue strategies to strengthen board engagement and involvement. It’s equally important to understand the psychological and societal barriers to asking for money. Only then will nonprofit organizations and their board members be fully prepared to achieve their fundraising goals.

Understand Money Matters

Nonprofits should start by looking at why board members are hesitant to take on a fundraising role. For many people, fear of fundraising has its roots in childhood. From a young age, we’re socialized to believe that money is private. We don’t talk about it, and we certainly don’t ask other people to give it to us. We’re told that money doesn’t grow on trees and that we should save money, not give it away. The messages communicated to us, both spoken and unspoken, are strong and lasting. It’s understandable, therefore, that board members feel uncomfortable about fundraising. They hold a deeply ingrained belief that it’s inappropriate to talk about or ask for money.

These perceptions about money need to be acknowledged early with board members. The time to begin is during the recruitment process. Nonprofits should interview prospective board members about their attitudes toward money and asking for money. They should also provide a written job description explaining that board members are expected to make a gift that’s meaningful to them, in an amount that’s meaningful to them. Taking these steps lessens the likelihood that board members will be surprised when they’re asked to participate in fundraising.

Similar conversations with current board members are also necessary. A retreat setting is a good place for individual and group meetings about issues related to money. Giving board members an opportunity to share their societal and family messages about money allows nonprofits to better understand and address their specific concerns.

Having these conversations impacts board member satisfaction. Remember that board members are in many ways like any other volunteers. They need to feel comfortable in their role and be willing to continue to fulfill it successfully.

Most of all, nonprofits need to remind board members why they ask people for money: it enables individuals to invest in the work of an organization and accomplish something extraordinary that they could not do themselves. Rather than equating fundraising with begging—a dynamic that pits the powerful against the powerless and produces discomfort on both sides—board members should realize that they’re creating a mutually satisfying relationship.

Find the Right Roles

There is, however, more to fundraising than asking for money. Nonprofit organizations often view fundraising as a two-step process of identifying a potential donor and then asking for a gift. But fundraising can also be seen as a more holistic process—one of development—that includes five key steps rather than two: identification, cultivation, education, solicitation, and appreciation. Looking at fundraising in this way allows board members who are hesitant about fundraising to engage in it without asking for money. It also leaves room for nonprofit organizations to recruit a diversified board, including those whose capacity to contribute extends beyond their financial means.

Board members can help nonprofits find potential partners whose values and interests are aligned with those of the organization. They can assist in cultivating a relationship between these individuals and the nonprofit, and in educating people about its activities. This could involve meeting someone for coffee, serving on a special events committee, adding a personal message to a fundraising appeal or writing a thank you note to a donor. Board members who are comfortable asking for a gift can, of course, participate in the solicitation stage.

Looking at the responsibility as development rather than fundraising allows board members to take on tasks that will bring them satisfaction and success. It enables everyone who supports the nonprofit—including board members hesitant about fundraising—to participate in ensuring the nonprofit’s capacity to thrive.

Provide Opportunities for Engagement

The work of a board can be somewhat removed from the daily work of the organization. Yet engaging board members with a nonprofit’s programs and services will help them become more informed, motivated, and effective fundraisers.

Nonprofit leaders can choose from a number of strategies to increase board members’ engagement. Plan a board action day to directly involve them in activities with clients. Encourage board members to invite the executive director to speak about the organization at a community group meeting, or to make a presentation themselves. Or ask clients to write letters to the board that describe how they have benefited from the organization’s work.

Board members need to hear the stories that bring a nonprofit’s work to life. Be sure they know how the organization’s services and programs impact an individual’s well-being or enable people to do extraordinary things. Ask staff and volunteers to make short presentations at board meetings that tell the powerful stories behind an organization’s facts and figures. These are the stories that board members can later share with prospective donors.

Also prepare board members for the moment when they will ask someone for money. Fear of rejection often accompanies hesitancy about fundraising. Board members must realize that “no” is not personal. Rather than rejecting the person or organization asking for a gift, the prospective donor may not yet know enough about the nonprofit to be ready to contribute or has already allocated this year’s charitable funds elsewhere.

What matters most in this situation is to remain gracious and respectful. When someone declines to make a gift, board members can encourage a continued connection by asking whether the person would like to receive the organization’s newsletter, annual report or event invitation. Increased involvement may lead to a gift in the future, transforming “no” to “yes.”

When board members are engaged, motivated, and aware of their feelings about money and rejection, they have a more positive board experience and a greater impact. As I’ve observed in my work with nonprofit organizations, board members who understand their fundraising role, and are comfortable in it, are also more capable of raising money. That’s another outcome of engagement—when people realize they can make a difference in the lives of others, they often become amazingly generous.

 

Gifts In Kind Organizations Can Benefit Nonprofits With Free Merchandise

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Nonprofit FundraisingNonprofits play crucial roles in their communities. Whether they are schools, churches, health organizations, government agencies or a myriad of others, nonprofits offer services to help people in need or crisis and support families in a variety of ways. However, most nonprofits just don’t have enough resources to provide support to every vulnerable member of their communities.

That’s why gifts-in-kind organizations are so valuable. After paying a small membership fee, they enable nonprofits to obtain free items that can support their charitable activities.

A gifts in kind program solicits donations of new merchandise from American corporations and redistributes that merchandise to nonprofits at no cost other than a small yearly membership fee and the cost of shipping/handling the items they select. Participants can include schools, social service agencies, housing authorities, police and fire departments and churches.

In cases where a struggling family is in need of an intervention, a gifts in kind organization can provide crucial items like blankets, toiletries, and household supplies. Furthermore, it’s an affordable resource nonprofits can use for various activities and maintenance.

Recently, a church received beautiful windows through the efforts of the program. This renovation would have been an expensive undertaking, but because they were members, the church was able to dedicate the funds that might have been spent on this costly purchase to supplement its own mission programs.

In today’s economy, many families are experiencing desperate circumstances and must turn to nonprofits for assistance. This means the call for household goods and supplies is great. Thankfully, membership in a gifts-in-kind organization allows nonprofits to obtain top notch merchandise for free. Members can browse a huge catalog of donated merchandise and request what they want or need.

Companies like Microsoft, Stanley Tools, 3M, Rubbermaid, Rand McNally, Reebok, Gillette, Xerox, Hallmark and thousands of others make such contributions, supporting charitable causes while at the same time taking advantage of tax deductions, reducing storage costs, clearing warehouse space and avoiding hassles with liquidators. Items donated include office supplies, class materials, clothing and shoes, maintenance items, tools and hardware, toys and games, computer software, sporting goods, books, tapes, CDs, arts and crafts, personal care items, holiday and party items, janitorial supplies and more.

Nonprofit groups usually pay a small fee to join and nominal shipping and handling charges to participate in the program, but the merchandise itself is free. The gifts-in-kind organization handles sorting, processing, cataloging and redistribution of the merchandise.

Organizations that participate are required to use the merchandise in accordance with IRC section 170(e) (3). This states that the merchandise must be used for the care of the ill, needy or minors and cannot be bartered, traded or sold. The merchandise can be given directly to the qualifying individuals served by an organization or used in the administration of the organization.

For more information, non profits can call 1-800-562-0955 or visit NAEIR’s website at www.naeir.org. 

 

 

REBSEA a New Avenue For Fundraisers

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fundraising ideasA new trade association has been created that will give Nonprofit Organizations a new method of working with their supporters and their donors to bring them more donations. It is the Real Estate & Business Social Enterprises Association, REBSEA, a 501c6 non profit trade association. REBSEA was created to represent and promote the business of real estate agents and businesses who actively support the communities they serve by donating part of their revenue to NPOs.

The REBSEA concept is based on the proven fact that people prefer to do business with people and companies who Give Back to their communities. In fact, study after study confirms that most people ( 88-85% ) will switch from a brand they are using to another if that brand supports a cause that they believe in. Corporate America is aware of this preference and has embraced the support of NPOs as a centerpiece of their reputation management. Social Enterprise is becoming a significant factor in transforming commerce as an increasing number of consumers are coming to expect that the companies where they spend their dollars not only are safe and helpful to the environment, but also are actively Giving Back to the communities they serve. One area where this is conspicuously absent is in the real estate industry. Although the large real estate franchises have programs that raise money for various causes both local and national, the fact remains that cumulatively this is a very small measure of support for NPOs. Consider that more than one half of the wealth in America is in real estate, more than in all the stock markets combined, and contributions to NPOs from this industry are minimal. The primary reason is that there is no existing infrastructure within the real estate industry for truly significant contributions to make their way to NPOs. REBSEA was created to offer leadership in creating just such an infrastructure to increase the flow of donations from the real estate industry to NPOs both on the national and on the local front.

REBSEA is forming a national network of real estate agents who are willing to donate a part of their commissions to NPOs whenever they have the opportunity to do business with their supporters. In fact, the initial network is being formed from the hundreds of real estate agents who already actively support NPOs through their business. Each of them is designated as a FOUNDER of REBSEA because this organization is truly being founded by each of them. In fact, the entire concept of REBSEA was formulated when the initial Founders realized to their amazement just how many others were doing what they were doing in their own business. After the initial network is formed REBSEA membership will be available to other real estate agents who wish to become involved as REBSEA demonstrates to them that Giving Back is not just good business but also good FOR business.

Realtors routinely give other real estate agents 20% or more of their commissions for referrals that lead to closed sales. So why not give it to a NPO who introduces you to one of their supporters who is a buyer or a seller ? Real estate agents like the idea of more business and the satisfaction of helping NPOs. NPOs like the idea of more donations. And supporters get to facilitate a donation to the causes they care about for FREE. This is truly a win-win-win-win scenario. The fourth “win” is for the recipient of the help that the NPO provides to alleviate their need or their pain.

This is a new business model that is a product of the explosion of Social Enterprise into the mainstream of American life. To learn more about what is happening in the area of Social Enterprise you can visit the REBSEA website at www.rebsea.org and read their comprehensive newsletter which covers all of the areas where Social Enterprise is breaking new ground.

The second phase of the REBSEA plan is of great importance to the very local charities and other non profits who have to struggle so desperately for the funds needed to carry out their missions at the community level. Once the initial national network is established REBSEA will direct its efforts to making the public aware that they can find a real estate agent in their location who supports the same causes that they care about and by contacting that agent when they buy or sell a property they can direct support in the direction of their own choosing. This will be accomplished by extensive blogging via the social media, press releases carried out by companies that excel at getting the word out to an unimaginable number of places, and various other techniques that their team is familiar with. Good news does travel well !

REBSEA was created with a single purpose…..to drive traffic and business to its members which means more support for NPOs. The development directors of the largest NPOs might take note that they can also show real leadership by recognizing the potential of these new ideas and getting involved with REBSEA on the ground floor. The Founders of REBSEA can be reached at info@rebsea.org.


Creative QR Code Fundraising to Encourage Business Support

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nonprofit fundraising managementNonprofits are very commendable organizations that should always be embraced, supported and protected in our society.   Organizations that offer assistance to those that have trouble helping themselves are some of the most important entities we have.   But operating a nonprofit comes at a price; if you pay close attention you will notice that many nonprofits (especially those that are small) have issues with funding, and many of them struggle with the “churn” of constantly going after grants and large donations while also keeping the bills paid in between those donations.  Many nonprofits struggle with building relationships with local or small business donors because of the business’s lack of available funds to donate, and/or the lack of time that a small business owner has to research and donate to worthy causes that their shoppers also appreciate.  The DonorCharge Shop, Scan, and Give service attempts to tackle this problem while enabling nonprofits to engage small merchants in the donation process by using a patent pending system that is a win-win for all parties.

What is the Donorcharge QR Code Program?

The DonorCharge QR Code Fundraising Code program uses QR Codes to initiate donation rewards from merchants.  Traditionally a customer would make a purchase from a merchant and the merchant asks a shopper to donate $1.00 to a cause that is already chosen by the merchant.  The customer has little choice in the matter and initiatives that are not favored by the merchant go unsupported.   The DonorCharge QR Code Program reverses this scenario by putting the power back in the shopper’s hands.

What core problem does this address?

The Donorcharge QR Code program reverses the typical  “donate at the point of checkout “scenario by enabling the shopper to login to DonorCharge, choose one or several their favorite causes, and when the shopper makes a purchase they receive a donation from the merchant as a reward for doing business with them.   DonorCharge also makes joining as a merchant easy by not requiring the merchant to reprogram their credit card machine, or purchase and design expensive custom gift cards for charity, or pay any expensive setup or monthly fees; DonorCharge asks the merchant one question:  “Are you willing to give something back to your shopper’s favorite charity when they purchase from you? “ .   The merchant doesn’t have to know the charity; they only agree to give back their own small amount by issuing a DonorCharge QR Code back to the shopper.   Each sale has its own custom QR code that can only be scanned once; this is to keep a QR code from being scanned over and over.  Each merchant has access to thousands of DonorCharge QR codes which addresses the potential for fraud from those that would like to scan codes again and again dishonestly.   Again, a merchant just agrees to give back any small amount (10, 20, 50 cents), doesn’t pay a setup or monthly fee, and doesn’t have to accept a special type of payment or reprogram their system.  Small merchants like flea market merchants, very small salons, craft merchants and more can participate because it is inexpensive, and easy to join the program.

How do causes benefit?

Because of the fact that a merchant simply agrees to blindly give back, and not donate to a specific charity; shoppers that support event the smallest, unknown charitable cause can select those initiatives online, visit the nearby merchant that knows little of the cause (but agrees to give back to their shopper’s charities), and those chosen causes can earn a donation.  Donation tallies are deposited electronically to the cause’s checking account at the end of the month.   Imagine your supporters being able to include your nonprofits in point of sale fundraising process.  This increases support for the merchant while also increasing donations for the chosen nonprofit.

How can businesses benefit?

Studies have shown that most consumers prefer doing business with someone that supports worthy causes.  Not only does DonorCharge enable support of worthy causes, but it enables support of that shopper’s own chosen favorite causes; large or small.  So shoppers have even more of an incentive to do business with participants; knowing that their own chosen causes benefit directly from them buying from supporting merchants.  Plus, businesses are not required to setup any special gift cards, install expensive terminals, etc.   The DonorCharge QR Code Program also offers ways for retail, mobile, or even online merchants to reward charities with this program with no setup, monthly, or annual fees to participate.

How does this work?

1

Cause joins DonorCharge and encourages their supporters to participating in the DonorCharge QR Code program.

2

Supporter registers, chooses their favorite causes, finds participating businesses via the DonorCharge and proceeds to do business with that merchant.

 3

Supporter receives a DonorCharge QR code from the business as a reward for shopping with them.

4

Supporter scans the QR code via any smart phone QR code reader OR manually enters the numerical code if no smart phone or scanner is available.

 5

The donation is tallied and the cause receives their donation totals at the end of the month via electronic deposit!

6

The business gives a little but earns a lot in the form of referrals from other causes and their supporters.   This increases their customer base almost instantly.

Using the DonorCharge QR Code Program benefits both small business and small nonprofits; making it cost effective for all parties by not charging any setup fees, monthly fees, or annual fees.  This program makes it easier for nonprofit to engage business support in their community at no cost or obligation to get started!  It just makes sense to give this a try so they can earn small donations with little effort while they devote resources to go after those large donations.

Do you have any questions?

If you do, learn more at www.ShopScanGive.com


Planning for Effective Fundraising

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Planning for Effective FundraisingThe reason fundraising campaigns fail is they are not planned well.  Let’s plan for a successful annual fundraising campaign. (At another time, we will plan for successful special events.)

Spend time gathering names, mailing addresses and e-mail addresses of potential donors

  • Volunteers for the agency
  • Board members
  • Attendees at agency functions
  • Families of clients, former clients, as appropriate
  • Individuals who have given to other groups (arts, universities, United Way)
  • Representatives of businesses which have given to other groups.

Divide the names you have gathered in three groups:

  • Potentially large donors- These are individuals you will visit
  • Potentially medium donors-These are individuals you will call
  • Potentially small donors- These are individuals you will send a mailing to

Factors in deciding who should be in which pile are the time available to make visits, phone calls and mailings.  Another factor is how much these individuals have previously given to your campaign and that of other agencies.

Make sure to involve potentially large donors in your agency before you visit them:

  • Invite them to an open house
  • Send them materials about your program
  • Include them on an advisory committee
  • Invite them at no cost to any programs you offer

Learn as much as you can about businesses before you visit:

  • Services
  • Profitability
  • Past giving
  • Procedures for making requests

Once you begin an Annual Campaign with careful planning, you are on your way to success.

Visit as many potential donors as you can.  Call them to set up appointments in their office or home.  Begin by asking them to discuss any contacts they have had with the agency such as visits to an open house or an agency special event.  Describe briefly the programs that could be undertaken if the agency raised the funds included in the budget.

Ask for a specific gift as an “investment in the community.”  This number would be the largest amount you think they might contribute.

Thank the donor for any amount they pledge.  When you return to the office, confirm the amount of the pledge and thank them again.

If the prospective donor does not make a pledge, do not get discouraged. Perhaps they will give next year.

Meet with the planning committee again to share what you learned at each visit.

By spending quality time planning for fundraising, you will avoid the major reason why fundraising campaigns fail.


The Dos and Don’ts of Grant Writing

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Grant Writing TipsThere’s a common misconception floating in the ether that grants are free, easy money. That’s simply not the case. Grants are awarded through an increasingly competitive system that favors only the strongest proposals. Here are some tips for making sure your proposal is in tip-top shape.

Do your research on the funder you’re approaching.Make sure the request you’re submitting is appropriate for the foundation, corporation, or other grant program you’re applying under. Read the guidelines carefully and thoroughly, and research past grants to make sure your request fits both in terms of the content of the proposal and the grant amount. For example, don’t ask for a $50,000 grant from a family foundation that only gives grants between $5,000 and $15,000.

Don’t wait til the last minute to start writing. Prepare your materials well in advance of the deadline, leaving yourself time to ask questions of the funder, to double and triple check your information with program officers, and to feel stress-free when you’re preparing the proposal or application.

Do thoroughly discuss your program. Write details of the who, what, why, when, where, and how of the proposed project. This will help show that your organization is prepared and capable, and that plans are in place to undertake the program. You want to show your ideas are not theoretical; prove they are real, well thought out, and practical and that you’re ready to hit the ground running

Don’t frame the proposal in terms of your organization’s needs. You don’t need money because you’re out of printer paper. You need money because you are working to solve an important, pressing, dire problem, and without money to keep the lights on and buy that printer paper, this problem will go unaddressed and people in need—not your organization—will suffer.

Do use outside research to justify your project. Show that there is widespread, well documented need for the program you intend to run, and that that program draws on experts and scholarly research in determining the best course of action to meet that need.

Don’t overstate or estimate your budget. Be precise with your budget numbers and don’t build in money for contingencies. Ask for only what you need, and make sure that need is justified. Don’t write that you need four reams of paper at a guesstimated $8 each. Go online, find the exact price, and quote that price.

Do consider hiring an outside eye to read through your proposal before you send it in. Often people who are close to the program they’re writing about fail to see gaps in their argument and may leave out important details inadvertently. A fresh set of impartial eyes can help strengthen your proposal.

Don’t mail lots of extras with your proposal. An attachment such as a DVD, annual report, or letter of support can be a good idea, but don’t overload your proposal. Let the writing stand on its own, and pay attention to the funder’s guidelines; often, funders specifically state whether they want attachments or not, and if they do, what to send. Stick to the guidelines.

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