Posted by Fundraising Pro on June 19, 2009
Here are some additional ideas for Christian fundraising:
Christian raffle
Ask local businesses for donated goods and services in exchange for free publicity. Put together a spreadsheet with dollar values of all prizes and assign them a position in the prize hierarchy.
Select your financial goal and price raffle tickets accordingly. Bear in mind that lower-priced tickets appeal to a lot more people, but you have to sell a lot more of them to raise the same amount of money.
Sell raffle tickets not only to friends and neighbors, but also to the general public. Get permission to set up sales tables outside popular retail locations. Use big signs explaining why your Christian group is raising funds.
Use a raffle flyer that describes the top prizes, recaps the funding need the raffle ticket sales will help meet, and asks for their support.
Bingo Night
This is a fun family night that, due to Bingo’s popularity, can draw several hundred people. You can find bingo game forms online or buy them from party supply stores. You can charge a small admission fee plus a dollar or two per game.
Keep things moving by using an experienced caller and a PA system that can be easily heard above the crowd noise. Consider making extra money through food and beverage sales, silent auction items, or with raffle tickets.
With a large enough crowd, you could also sell other fundraising products like Christmas ornaments or bracelets with phrases like “Got Faith?” or “What Would Jesus Do?”
In some areas, you may need a license for this event, so be sure to check local regulations.
Christian Event Summary
A fun, family-oriented Christian event that’s properly promoted will always raise substantial funds. And anytime you can get a big crowd together, you can include several more fundraising activities into the mix.
Divide the work so that the same people aren’t doing all the preparations and then working the event as well. That means recruiting twice as many volunteers as you think you’ll need.
And keep in mind how easy fundraising can be if your Christian group sells the Samaritan Card, a wallet-sized discount card good at over 100,000 retailers.
Once you’ve found a successful niche, make your Christian fundraising event an annual tradition.
Posted by Fundraising Pro on June 15, 2009
Christian-based fundraisers are not always limited to churches; in fact, there’s a whole world of Christian organizations out there, from mission groups to elementary schools. Often, these groups are not-for-profit and privately funded, so like daycares, they often need extra funding to keep going. Many church-based organizations, like youth groups or universities, ask for donations on a regular basis from their members to cover the activities and ongoing costs.
However, when items such as rent, employee salaries (if the group is a school or other business-based organization), and travel expenses come up, they need more than what they get from tuition costs and their diocese. That’s when a fundraiser happens – and it can be a challenge for organizations to drum up enough interest in the non-Christian community to actually make the money that they need.
When you host a Christian-based fundraiser and you want to attract the general public, don’t be too heavy-handed with religious platitudes. You will lose your fundraising potential before you even begin. Instead, tell people what the end result will be – you’ll have a youth group for teenagers to attend one night a week; you’ll be able to send a certain number of people overseas to help build houses; or your school will be able to fund some extra-curricular activities for its students.
If you host an attractive fundraiser, you may get people who like to travel, or who want to see a performance or sample a certain type of food food, or even those who just want to expand their intellectual horizons. Play your cards right and you may get these people coming back for future fundraisers, and may even be able to help you with your next one, if they have knowledge of the area.
Christian-based fundraisers don’t have to stay in the Christian community, or only deal with members of churches. When they appeal to everyone, like the Samaritan Card, you will find that non-religious people may actually be interested in your cause.
Posted by Fundraising Pro on June 12, 2009
Schools may be out for summer and church activities may slow down as families go away on vacation. But this a vital time for school fundraising groups and Christian fundraising groups to plan their key fundraisers for fall.
Never has there been a better time to sell the Samaritan Card as your group’s major fundraising activity. Newly released data for 2008 reveals that charitable giving by Americans fell by 2 percent last year.
The Giving USA Foundation, which has conducted the survey since 1956, expressed relief that 2008’s decrease was not steeper, considering that many Americans lost more than 2 percent of their wealth during the year.
However, the report highlights the challenging circumstances facing America’s nonprofits, many of which have been forced to lay off staff and cut programs because of declining revenue.
Particularly hard hit were social services charities which suffered a 12 percent drop in donations at a time when most of them were experiencing increased demand for their services.
The last similar overall drop in giving was n 1987, the year of the Black Monday stock market collapse.
Although experts agree that this past year’s drop could have been worse, it still means that nonprofits will have to do more with less.
The Samaritan Card, a wallet-sized discount shopping card, offers people a way to be charitable in difficult times and a way for organizations to easily raise the money they need for their causes.
Posted by Fundraising Pro on June 10, 2009
The Internal Revenue Service is working to help “protect the trust and confidence” in nonprofit organizations during the current economic crisis and will be watching for possible abuses, said Lois G. Lerner, who oversees the IRS office that monitors charities and foundations.
“During hard times, there is often a rise in questionable or fraudulent activity, in overly aggressive or inappropriate fundraising, and in tax-avoidance accommodation schemes of less than sterling character,” Lerner told a conference of tax-exempt organizations in Washington held by Georgetown University’s Law Center, according to media reports.
“We are trying to stay ahead of the curve to curtail predatory abuse of tax-exempt organizations,” she said. “Consequently, we are looking very closely at applications from new organizations, and at activity being conducted by established organizations.
Lerner emphasized how important it is for the nonprofit sector to maintain the trust of the general public. “The IRS can help instill and maintain this trust by promoting compliance and transparency. Organizations can build and maintain this trust by doing the right thing – operating consistently with their long-held beliefs and missions, promoting transparency and accountability to the public, and resisting the temptation to sacrifice principles for short-lived and perhaps ill-gotten gains.”
It sounds like she was talking about Christian fundraising groups. Christian fundraising groups are committed to their long-held beliefs. These beliefs guide them to resist temptation and never sacrifice principles.
Christian fundraising groups that sell the Samaritan Card will find that the success of this easy fundraiser will further help them meet their obligations to their mission, their boards, the Lord – and the IRS.
Posted by Fundraising Pro on June 8, 2009
Christian non-profit groups and charities planning to start a business or keep one afloat are confronting daunting economic challenges. Experts in the field offer the following fundraising tips:
Don’t panic. The fundamentals of business don’t change, even in a downturn. To be successful, businesses still have to lure and keep customers, provide good service and keep prices competitive.
Watch the numbers. Keeping an eye on costs and cash flow takes on increased importance in a tough economy. Nonprofits that typically run their financial reports every couple of months should move to a monthly or even weekly schedule.
Planning is important. More charities are creating a range of contingency plans for their businesses now. It is important to outline courses of action for different levels of increases or decreases in revenue.
Be realistic. Many nonprofit groups are reeling from drops in their philanthropic support, but organizations in financial crisis should not start a business simply because it seems an easy way to make money. It could drain resources and create a worse situation.
Look ahead to the economic recovery. The downturn provides a valuable opportunity to plan and lay the groundwork for a new business to start in the near future.
Mission is key. To make smart choices in response to the economic crisis, nonprofit organizations need to remember why they started their businesses in the first place.
Sell the Samaritan Card. This wallet-sized discount card makes it easy to generate revenue. There’s little overhead and it offers your community a way to donate during difficult financial times – the card pays for itself after only several purchases.
Posted by Fundraising Pro on June 5, 2009
Many Christian fund-raising groups and other nonprofits run thrift stores as a way to generate income to serve their communities and causes. St. Vincent de Paul, the Salvation Army, Goodwill and the Hospice Shops are known nationwide but in every town various churches, hospitals, symphonies and animal protection groups run small thrift stores.
The current economic climate is good news for these charitable businesses. When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping. It’s a jest, but it’s true, at least in this sense: When the economic going gets tough, the tough go shopping at thrift stores.
Millions of people have less to spend, so they spend more where goods cost less – at retail secondhand stores run by charities or for profit.
“Now that the economy is doing poorly, our stores are doing well,” Wendy Steinmetz, spokeswoman for the family-owned Thrift Town, a four-state chain with 15 stores, said in a recent newspaper article.
Some stores have been setting what Thrift Town dubs “world records.” Their weekly sales have hit all-time highs.
Similarly, sales in the Salvation Army’s thrift stores in are up from over a year ago, said Dawn Marks, a regional spokeswoman.
“Our clothing sales, our necessities sales, are up,” she said.
While thrift shops provide a wonderful service to the community by offering everyone a way to shop for very little money, a way to recycle and a way to raise money for good causes, they are very labor-intensive.
Thrift shops require many volunteer hours to sort and price donations and mind the store. Overheads can be huge too, if rent has to be paid on the store space and if a commercial truck is needed to pick up donations. And there are utility and insurance bills to pay.
Selling the Samaritan Card, a wallet-sized discount card, might be a much better fit for your nonprofit organization.
Posted by Fundraising Pro on June 3, 2009
Christian fundraising and school fundraising groups can take heart. President Obama and his wife Michelle, last year donated 6.5 percent of their income to charity, according to figures the White House recently released.
Vice President Biden and his wife, Jill, donated less than 1 percent of their income to charitable causes, reported the Chronicle of Philanthropy in a summary of the White House data.
The figures come from the release of tax returns filed by the President and Vice President. The Obamas reported giving a total of $172,050 to charitable organizations. Their adjusted gross income last year was nearly $2.66 million.
The Obamas donated to 37 organizations. Their largest contributions were $25,000 to CARE and $25,00 to the United Negro College Fund.
The Bidens took a charitable deduction of $1,885. Their adjusted gross income last year was $269,256.
However, the Vice President’s office said that the Bidens also donated to their church, and that they contributed to their favorite charity causes “with their time, as well as their checkbooks.”
The tax return filed by the Bidens shows they made cash gifts of $1,335 to organizations whose names they did not disclose and $550 in clothing to Goodwill Industries.
Clearly, the President and Vice President are setting a good example for all Americans with their donations to charities and nonprofits. Now if only someone would approach them about purchasing a Samaritan Card, we’re certain they’d be happy to add the purchase price to their list of donations. Donors love the Samaritan Card, a wallet-sized discount card, because after only a few uses, it’s all ready paid for itself.
Posted by Fundraising Pro on June 1, 2009
As revenues fall for many non-profit businesses, their leaders are taking steps to limit losses, hold on to customers, and try to ride out the financial storm. Christian fundraising groups and school fundraising committees are not immune from having to come up with new fundraising ideas.
But the news isn’t all bad. Some business run by Christian fundraising groups and other nonprofit groups, like thrift stores, have actually been boosted by the recession, and a growing number of groups are turning their attention to newer industries, such as recycling and clean energy, that they think will grow in the near future A survey of 848 charities released last week found that 54 percent now run businesses. Of the groups that did not already run a business, 57 percent said they were think thinking about starting another one.
Some charities find that with a well-thought-out plan, now can actually be a good time to build or carefully expand a business, as many basic costs, such as rent or employees, are lower than they would be in a booming economy.
For some charities with more than one business, growth in one can cushion the organization against losses in another – and even in fundraising.
To attract more business and increase the funds that can go towards their mission and achieving their goals, many nonprofits are selling the Samaritan Card. This discount shopping card not only pays for itself after the first few uses, but organizations do not have to burden volunteers with the complications of storing and distributing bulky items such as tubs of cookie dough and rolls of wrapping paper. The wallet-size Samaritan Card is a great way to support great causes.
Posted by Fundraising Pro on May 29, 2009
For Christian fundraising and school fundraising these are trying but important times. Never in our lifetimes has the need been greater nor more challenging to meet.
Here are some innovative easy fundraising ideas suited for our times:
Giving Circles – Don’t have a lot of money to give? One option is to pool your funds with others in a giving circle, a group of donors who join to support the same causes. Groups can be as formal or informal as you want. Some meet regularly, name leaders and solicit matching donors, others meet less frequently. Groups also volunteer for the organizations they support.
Learn more about starting or finding a giving circle at GivingForum.org/givingcircles.
Matching Gifts – You may be able to double or triple your donations by getting a matching gift from your employer. While many companies have cut back on their programs in the recession, about one in ten charitable donations still can be matched by a corporate gift, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article.
Contact the human resources department of your company. Some limit contributions to certain categories such as education. You will probably have to fill out a form that can be found on your company’s website.
Samaritan Card - The Samaritan Card is a unique fundraising idea for churches, ministries, and other outreach organizations because it gives back to your donors. It makes fundraising easy and fun. It virtually sells itself.
One of the reasons fundraising is such a chore is because donors simply don’t want or need what most fundraisers are selling. Does anyone really need more chocolate or wrapping paper? People want the Samaritan Card because it offers up to 50% off at over 100,000 locations. Find out more at www.samaritanfundraising.com
Posted by Fundraising Pro on May 27, 2009
You don’t have to be one of the rich to give like them, according to a recent article on charities in the Wall Street Journal. Even philanthropists of modest means can direct giving after they pass away through “donor advised funds” – charitable giving accounts set up with community foundations or some investment firms.
With as little as perhaps $5,000, you can set up a fund to help inner city after-school sports programs or other causes you select. You get an immediate tax break and because you’re donating through an existing entity, your money won’t be absorbed by administrative costs (although you will pay a small annual administrative fee).
The mechanism is fairly easy: You donate to a local community foundations or charitable fund set up by an investment firm such as Fidelity Investments, Vanguard Group or Charles Schwab. They will invest your money and make grants supporting the causes of your choice. This way you get a multiplier effect on your charitable dollars because investment gains can accumulate before the money is distributed.
Whatever charity or nonprofit you are considering donating to, please meet with them first and suggest that as part of their fundraising efforts they should sell the Samaritan Card. This wonderful fundraising instrument gives back by providing up to 50% discounts at over 100,000 merchants and yielding up to 70% profit. There’s no paperwork so it is a wonderful way to make money without a lot of administrative costs.
