I’ve recently received several questions via email from several Step By Step Fundraising readers about different aspects of raffles. So I decided to create a Raffle Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). It’s by no means exhaustive so be sure to contact me if you have other questions so we can continue to update it.

Juan recently sent me some comments about his organization’s raffle. For a first time raffle it was certainly a success!

Hi Sandra,

First and foremost, I want to thank you for creating the website and all the time you invest. It is very much appreciated by this new user.

I have found your website very helpful in planning my first raffle for a non-profit youth basketball organization in Leesburg, VA and plan to refer back to it often as my fundraising efforts continue.

Your site is terrific and was a great help with our raffle, which went well. We were able to raise $2000, which was a little lower than what I was expecting, but overall a success. I’ve already noted some things that we can improve upon and I am confident it will be a bigger success next year.

Sincerely,

Juan
CLBL Fundraising Director

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Scrip Fundraising began in Petaluma, California in 1988 as a bright idea to raise funds for an ailing private school. Parents and supporters purchased grocery store gift certificates, with a portion going back to the school. The funds added up and $30,000 was raised - and a new fundraising concept was born.

Now a revolutionary program from FundScrip brings the power of scrip to Canada. The program enables groups to raise continual income for a school or non-profit group, by retaining a percentage of supporters’ shopping dollars.

Every time your supporters purchase groceries, fill up at the gas station, or shop for just about anything, they will actually raise funds for your cause.

Once your school or non-profit group has registered for free with FundScrip, your supporters join for free. They then order gift cards in advance for their everyday spending. These gift cards come pre-packed and sorted for each member – ready to be handed out. Each retailer offers a rebate to your group, on the face value of each gift card.

FundScrip makes raising funds with scrip EASY:
• Online reporting for administrators and supporters.
• All orders are pre-sorted and packed upon delivery, ready for immediate distribution
• Parent/supporter participation is maximized through FundScrip’s unique profit-sharing program.
• All groups are sent monthly cheques.
• Online ordering 24/7.
• ‘Out of office’ support for administrators.
• Accurate order fulfillment and shipping.
• Highest earnings for national retailers, where it counts (grocery).
• Friendly, knowledgeable staff on hand to assist.

Like other scrip programs, the idea is to promote the program all year long. It’s continuous revenue once it’s established and usually increases steadily over time. You may start out with just a few families on board, but that’s okay. Once your group sees how easy and profitable the program is, more people will join over time.

Unlike most fundraisers, your supporters are not being asked to spend additional money. They already know where they want to shop, and for what; and when they buy a gift card for $100, they will receive the full $100 value. Gift Cards can be redeemed just like cash, which means that your supporters can still use coupons, buy things on sale, and collect store loyalty points.

Get More Information About FundScrip

Related Articles:
What is Scrip?

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When non profit organizations seek to find businesses to provide donations the first ones discussed are often large corporations. It’s true that retailers like Target and corporations like Microsoft have community grant programs.

But don’t over look the local small business owners right in your area. These entrepreneurs often enjoy the opportunity to give back to thier local community. These are also the businesses that benefit most from the advertising and promotion possibilities that a partnership with a non profit can provide.

Cathy Bentley’s coffee shop in Capitola, CA has partnered with a local school to provide them a fundraising opportunity and help her shop boost sales at the same time. It’s a win-win situation.

To Cathy Bentley, coffee is more than a drink she serves; it’s a way for her to give back to the community that has supported her Capitola Village shop.

Bentley, owner of Capitola Coffee Roasters, has an unusual way of helping local students raise money for programs and activities.

Her coffee fundraising program lets students pocket 50 percent of the price of each bag of coffee they sell.

Her program is similar to selling candy. But instead of chocolates, students pre-sell 12-ounce bags of her three specialty coffee blends for $12 each. “My philosophy is I want to support my community,” she said from her shop, where she roasts her coffee. “This is the way I can do it.”

Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel - Capitola coffee shop perks up school fundraising

So how can non profits connect with business owners who would be willing to set up a fundraiser? Just one way — ASK.

Retail stores and restaurants often have an incentive to set up a non profit partnership. They always like to see new customers coming through the door. They are usually the best ones to contact for auction or raffle items.

There is one catch though. Whatever you offer to the company has to be of real value to them. Business owners, even locally owned businesses receive many requests for donations. Make your offer stand out by showing how it will be a true partnership. Fundraisers that are designed to send customers their way, like the coffee shop fundraiser, often offer the most benefit to the business. Approach the business with a general idea and then be open their ideas and what will work best for them.

Finally, the best local businesses owners to approach are those that have a connection to you, someone in your organization or to the cause itself. People who know, like and trust you are more likely to be open to helping.

Related Articles:
Sip for the Cure - A Lesson in Corporate Partnerships
Boost Your Business By Partnering With a Non Profit Organization
Getting Corporate Sponsors

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Did you catch this month’s newsletter? In it I describe one of my favorite sales techniques for product fundraisers. It’s a very simple and yet highly effective idea - give away free product samples to encourage supporters to buy from you.

Find out more about Sample Fundraisers from the article in the March Step By Step Fundraising newsletter.

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Have you heard about the Entertainment Book Fundraiser? It’s a big book of coupons that is published each year in 159 cities across the United States. You”ll find great coupons with 50% OFF or Buy One, Get One Free at restaurants, car washes, movies and more. My husband and have used the book many times to try out new restaurants and get discounts at our favorite places. It’s a real money saver.

It can also be a money maker for schools, preschools, clubs and other organizations. Groups can sell them as a fundraiser and earn a commission. They are normally sold in the fall for the next year’s book.

Now you have a chance to try out the Entertainment Book for yourself if you haven’t already. Then you’ll be able to recommend it for your group as a fundraiser for next fall.

Dine. Shop. Travel. Save. The NEW 2007 Entertainment edition is here! Filled with discounts on everything!

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You may have heard of the three R’s of education - Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. Today we’ll look at what I call the “Three R’s” of Fundraising Letters and hear from one non profit who implements all three of these ideas.

1. Reading

In our case reading means being able to read, or understand, your target audience. Get to know the people who are most likely to respond to your letter. Find out what motivates them. Is it a membership? Is it personal satisfaction of helping the cause? Discover all you can about how you can connect with your constituents.

Here are some ways to use better read your audience:
1. Short surveys which ask specific questions and for feedback. This could be a written survey, a discussion group or a few questions or checkboxes added to response cards.
2. If your organization purchases a mailing list to find new donors, be sure that recipients are those who will be most likely to be interested in your organization by specifying location and/or interest groups.
3. Sub group mailings can be done for specific niche interests. For example a humane society could send a special mailing to dog owners with a specific offer just for them.

2. Writing

Effective writing is not just about grammar, punctuation or even format. Speaking directly to the heart of the reader, to his or her interests and motivativations is much effective. While it’s easy to state the case of why your organization needs support, show the reader why it matters to them. How can they directly benefit from giving support to your cause?

Effective writing techniques include:
1. Personal stories from those who have benefited from your organization’s efforts.
2. Quotations from volunteers, donors or constituents.
3. Photographs - a picture’s worth a thousand words.
4. Emphasize the benefits the reader receives by donating.

3. Relationships

Building relationships with donors, volunteers and the community is the most important thing that you do in any of your efforts.

A letter can help build relationships with your donors by demonstrating your organization’s effectiveness, asking for their feedback or thanking them for their previous support.

A recent e-mail that I received from Dale A. Albertson of Quest Outreach Society, a hunger relief agency, illustrates all three of these points.

Hi Sandra,

You know we are not very adventurous with our fundraising techniques, and typically, we do the quarterly campaign letter with our Newsletter. We keep it grassroots, yet professional, with human interest stories, and a few facts and stats woven into a narrative. The campaign letter is bit of a tug on the heartstrings, mixed with a bit of success and lots of potential. We emphasize the multiplication aspect of donating to our organization - your donation goes further.

We see our revenues grow steadily with this approach. We know our constituents though, and this is the key. We have built relationships with them based on shared values and interests. There simply is no substitute for that. Our success is not an “exciting” read, it is methodical, strategic and planned.

We supplement fundraising campaigns with grants from foundations and companies, again, methodical, strategic and planned. This grows steadily as well, and some Funders are now multiple year donors, with only a friendly reminder required to receive annual grants. These are also relationships that have been carefully built and nurtured.

I hope this helps, and all the best to you and your readers.

Regards,

Dale A. Albertson
Director of Public Relations
Quest Outreach Society “Rescuing Food, Reducing Hunger”

As Dale’s description of Quest Outreach’s methods shows, the three R’s of fundraising letters often overlap and reinforce one another.

When you have a strong understanding of your audience, you can write in a way that speaks to their interests and desires. Human interest stories and evidence of your organization’s effectiveness strengthen the relationship with your donors.

When a person believes strongly in your organization and sees it as a partnership, they are more likely to be motivated to donate.

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What better publicity could your cause get than a celebrity endorsement? Getting a celebrity to endorse a company’s product or a non profit organization’s cause is usually no small task. Celebrities get such requests quite frequently. But when that lucky break happens it can be a huge boost.

An example I heard about recently comes from Contact Any Celebrity, a company who specializes in providing contact information for high profile figures.

Donna Gummelt’s small publishing company had just published a children’s book written by eight-year-old Nicholas Alexander Sinclair. In the story Martha Stewart was referred to as “The Queen of Cookies.” So on a whim, Donna decided to send “The Cookie Story” to Martha.

Nick and his book were later featured on the Martha Stewart show!

This story reveals two secrets to landing media coverage - celebrity or otherwise:

1. Have a Hook (or even several) - “The Cookie Story” appealed to Martha (and her audience) because it was written by a child, it mentioned Martha Stewart and it was also bilingual (Spanish and English).

2. Stories that match the target audience of the media or person you’re contacting are more likely to get coverage.

Find out more about Contact Any Celebrity

Related Articles & Resources

Online Publicity for Fundraising Events – Part 1: Other Websites
Online Publicity for Fundraising Events – Part 2: Your Organization’s Website
FREE Press Release Tutorial

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