Nonprofit – Red Hot Fundraising

Different Avenues for Non Profits Fundraising

Non profits fundraising usually revolves around specific projects, which are taken up primarily to serve the society. There are varied techniques of non profits fundraising. Every now and then, we hear of new methods that are used to raise money that is contributed towards non profits funds. The biggest source of funding in case of a non profits making organization is the individual. There are many persons who keep contributing towards charity on a frequent basis. Infact, in US, individuals make the maximum contribution towards the non profits fund.

Another avenue for non profits fundraising are the corporations, which usually look towards such funds as means to enhance their goodwill and credibility. The higher the credibility of the firm, the more will be the number of stakeholders. The basic idea is to show that they are responsive towards the needs of the society. Non profits fundraising provides these corporations an opportunity to earn community respect. Corporate funding is the best for initiating new projects.

The local and state level Governments also make an incredible contribution towards the non profits funds so as to fulfill their commitment of serving the nation. Government has large sums of money, a major part of which mostly goes in granting aids. Strong backing of politicians indeed helps in procuring money for non profits fundraising. A large number of social service campaigns are organized including the educational ones to raise money for noble causes.

There are federal funds like United Arts, Combined Health Appeal and United Ways, which serve as potential sources for furthering the social causes. However, these funds are more often used to provide aids to the well established non profits making organizations. It is undoubtedly a challenging task to obtain money from federal funds, due to the lengthy procedure involved. These funds are used merely for providing social services and therefore they have a well defined priority focus.

There are several foundations, which can make an immense contribution towards the non profits fundraising. However, their grants can differ substantially. Private foundations have enormous assets and making donations for them is not such a big deal. In a similar way, there are corporate foundations that have their endowment funds, which serve as wonderful sources for making contributions. Even, the community foundations render tremendous support to the non profits funds. Community foundations are almost similar to large foundations in terms of set up. These foundations usually pool the assets of a large number of donors.

There are family foundations which receive donations from individuals as well as families. Large family foundations have a professional staff and thus, approaching them is not very troublesome. As regards donations, they usually have clear cut policies. Even, the small family foundations are highly cooperative, when it comes to making grants for non profits fundraising. In such foundations, personal relations with the board members is of great value. When it comes to providing in kind services, the churches and social institutions more often occupy the vanguard position.

Finding Unique Fundraising Ideas

There are numerous unique fundraising ideas that can be used to raise money for varied purposes. The purpose can be anything, ranging from contribution towards charity, funding a high school trip, organizing the youth camp and last but not least rendering support to the poor, needy and victims of a catastrophe. Fundraising indeed requires a concept that can be used to raise money from the target audience. Fundraising is not everyone’s cup of tea and requires an idea, which is unique but at the same time easy to understand and implement.

The theme that you choose to raise fund must have some relevance. To put succinctly, the idea should be in accordance with the purpose for which the money is being raised. Fundraising has become a very common thing in the contemporary times. It can be for the attainment of social as well as professional goals. There are large number of non profitable organizations, which collect money to help the underprivileged people, who truly need our help and support. For social causes, no one really minds contributing a small amount, which is very meager for the rich and affluent people, but can bring a smile on the faces of many unfortunate and deprived people.

One of the prime considerations that one has to bear in mind, while choosing the idea for fundraising is the size of the target group. Some ideas that can prove to be useful for making the fundraising campaign successful are:

Fundraising Ideas for Small Groups

In case of small size groups, where the target audience is not more than 50 people, it is better to avoid selling as the strategy to raise money. However, those who have a prior experience of earning profit by launching direct selling campaigns can use this idea for fundraising. Scratch card campaigns have been increasingly gaining popularity, due to the ease in set up. Do not forget to invite the sponsors of your campaign to be a part of it. You can even team the scratch card program with the free online magazine fundraiser program.

Fundraising Ideas for Medium Groups

For medium size groups consisting of near about 60-100 people, it is best to combine scratch card program along with personalized chocolate hampers. Online magazine fundraising also serves as a great idea to earn profits. You might even come across some people, who are ready to extend their help but do not wish to buy any of the products offered. For such people, scratch card program is the most excellent option.

Fundraising Ideas for Large Groups

If you have a large number of volunteers to deal with large audience consisting of more than 100 participants, it is best to organize a sales campaign. If the target audience is quite large in number, selling frozen foods can be pretty beneficial, as the profit margin is high. Pre prepared frozen food has most of the times been a big hit amongst people, especially youngsters.

These are only a couple of unique fundraising ideas, but there can be much more ideas for fund raising that are even beyond our imagination.

Need A Great Non-Profit Fundraising Idea?

Are you looking for a non-profit fundraising idea? More often than not, such groups have very limited budgets. Not always, but as a general rule of thumb. After all, the Red Cross and UNICEF are non-profit, yet they definitely do not lack for funds.

But, we’ll focus on the small-scale non-profit groups here, as they are the ones with the least resources and the greatest need for raising money. A lot of such groups, look for some kinds of simple fundraising methods. It makes sense. A new group usually has very few members, limited resources and almost no money.

First, what is a way for a non-profit group to raise money? Often times they are grade, middle or high school organizations and need ideas that are low cost. The students can hold a bake sale, paint artwork on t-shirts, have a turkey shoot, even sell candles, nuts etc. Turkey shoots are an excellent way to involve the students who are members of the school’s JROTC program. All it requires are some frozen turkeys (normally donated from a local grocery store) some cards for people to buy little targets on, and then the students to shoot a hole in each card.

Then there is the fundraising gift card. There are a wide variety of national companies that will give "two for one" cards for pizza, soda, sandwiches, movie tickets etc. Many have websites and/or 800 numbers to allow groups to easily contact their Public Relations (PR) Departments. For a non-profit group, fundraising cards are an excellent choice. Many of these companies even prefer to deal with small non-profit organizations; they like to feel they are helping local groups working to aid their communities.

For church and other charitable groups, many other kinds of fundraisers are possible, beyond those listed above:

Door-to-door sales
Letter writing campaigns
Holding a fair or bazaar
Rummage sales
Raffles

So, no matter the size of the group, not matter the makeup of its members, there is a non-profit fundraising idea out there that will help just about any non-profit group to raise money. It all comes down to the members, what are they willing to put into it?

Fun Ways to Raise Money for Your Organization

Nonprofit organizations always need money and resources, and finding fun ways to raise money is an important task. Fun money raisers keep everyone excited about participating in the fundraiser and will earn your more donations in the end. The key is to plan the event well, use creative ideas, and make sure everyone is having a good time.

Here are a few fun ways to raise money for your organization or club:

Have a talent show: this works especially well if you have a number of creative people in your group. Have people pay to enter and to attend. Ask local businesses to donate prizes. You can also sell refreshments and food.
Host a themed party where participants pay a certain amount to attend or participate. You could have a casino night or a luau. Encourage individuals to dress up according to the theme.
Throw a carnival or festival. Include games and activities for different age groups. For example, you could have a fortune teller, face painter, and puppet show, to name a few activities.
Get someone to do something for donations. This works great if you can get a local celebrity or someone well-known to the organization. Have them volunteer to do something like spend time in "jail," shave their head, or any other embarrassing activity if donations exceed a certain amount.
Plan an excursion and collect a participation fee. Make sure that the fee covers all activities and supplies for each individual and makes the organization a little extra donation. You could have a scavenger hunt at a local park or take the group to a museum or amusement park.

There are many fun ways to raise money for your organization or group. When you are considering ideas, think about your organization and the donors you are trying to attract. What is fun for a group of five year old may not be fun for a group of retirees. You might ask your target demographic about some of your ideas and see which ones they like.

Get creative when thinking of ways to raise money and don’t be afraid to try something new. Innovative, fun ways to raise money will keep everyone interested in participating and will increase the publicity for your group.

How to Get People to Your Nonprofit Fundraising Events

To succeed with your nonprofit fundraising events, you need to get people to them. Even the best idea won’t bring in money unless you have people attending your events and donating money at them. Without an influx of money, your nonprofit will be dead in the water. So how do you get people to come?

Here are a few ideas to get you started on promoting your nonprofit fundraising events:

Start planning as early as you can. Waiting until the last minute will leave you few advertising options. Being prepared will give you more time to put the event together well, ensuring that people will be excited about the next event.
Keep your target demographic in mind when choosing the type of nonprofit fundraising event to have. If your organization draws on older women, you probably don’t want to have a skateboarding competition. Likewise, if you are looking to draw in a wide range of people from the community, avoid niche events and focus on offering multiple activities that will appeal to a broad range of people.
Create a press release about your fundraising event and send it to local newspapers, radio stations, TV stations, and online sources. Come up with a great headline that will attract attention and make people want to read the rest.
Get everyone in your nonprofit organization involved and keep everyone informed. Even if someone isn’t actively involved in the planning, he or she can still tell others about the event if they are kept informed. Word of mouth is a great way to get free advertising.
Write personal letters to influential people who might attend. Think about town officials, organization leaders, and other noteworthy people. Not only will you be giving them information about the event, but they might pass on that information to their friends. You’ll also gain recognition and support if you have important people there.
Print flyers and put them wherever you can. Ask businesses if you can post them. Don’t forget about online bulletin boards or other sources.
Make it worthwhile for people to attend. Depending on the event itself, you can offer incentives to get people to attend. Maybe you’ll give away free stuff. Maybe fun activities will keep children entertained and give parents a break for a few hours. Whatever you choose to do, include information about why people would want to attend in the advertising that you do.

As you can see, there are many ways to attract people to your nonprofit fundraising events. Keep your focus on the people you want to come and get the word out through various sources. You’ll find that your fundraising event will bring in people and donations.