On March 31, 2006 the Business & Professional Women club of Wichita Falls, TX gathered for a night of food, fun and friendly competition. The funds raised for this event went to support our club’s college scholarship fund.

A Fun Night Out

Most couples like to dine out on the weekend, so why not do so with friends and for a good cause? It was a casual evening and an easy event for club members to bring friends and spouses to.

We reserved the party room at a Ruby Tequila’s Mexican restaurant, and around 35 people attended on the night of the event. The ticket price of $15 per person included a fajita buffet, tea or soft drink and admission to the trivia game.

Team Competition

When dinner was winding down, we began the trivia game. It’s played in teams of two and singles were matched with teammates. There were four rounds of questions with a winning team declared at the end of each round. The game is available with 15 or 8 questions per round and we chose the 8 question style.

Team members work together to come up with an answer and everyone writes it down on an answer sheet. Two heads are usually better than one, but some of these were really difficult questions!

At the end of each round teams switched sheets with another team and “graded” them as the correct answers were called. A round winner was then declared and prizes were awarded.

Gary Lucus teamed up with his sister-in-law Shirley Gray (right) who really is a trivia queen!

Each team could only win a prize for one round, so Gary and Shirley had to share some of the glory with everyone else!

Though no one was surprised when they were named the grand prize winners at the end of the night.

Prizes

During the weeks prior to the trivia night our fundraising committee gathered prizes from area merchants. We sent out some letters of request, but did most of the asking in person. All of the prizes were gift certificates and most were for restaurants. In most cases there was $20 in prizes for each round made of up two $10 gift cards, so each team member could have their own prize. Then the grand prize was a little bit higher in value.

Fundraising

The funds raised from this event came from three sources:

1. Ticket sales - The event tickets were marked up from the price of the food charged by the restaurant. Since this was a small event, we didn’t print tickets but just took down RSVPs a week before the dinner.

2. Raffle - We held a raffle of two donated gift baskets. Everyone who came to the event got a free raffle ticket and they could purchase additional tickets for $1 each. We actually didn’t give away the baskets until a few weeks later at another event. This gave us time to sell more tickets.

3. Sponsors - We solicited sponsors for several weeks prior to the event. Our goal was to have at least four sponsors, one for each round. Each sponsor received a business card size ad on the program and their name announced at the event in exchange for the $50 sponsorship.

Event Planning Tips

Here’s a few Trivia Night planning tips based upon our experience.

1. We did a few practice trivia games prior to the event night, one at a regular club meeting. This helped us get familiar with how the game is played and generated excitement about the upcoming event.

2. Holding the event at a restaurant meant no cooking and no cleaning!

3. Having sponsors was one key to making this fundraiser a success. Next year we may add other sponsorship options and side fundraisers too.

The trivia night was one of the easiest and most enjoyable fundraising events our club has done in recent years. In fact we’re already planning another one for this fall!

Find Out More About How to Host Your Own Trivia Night

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For anyone who has been considering a candy fundraiser for late summer / fall, you can just barely get in on this deal from World’s Finest Chocolate.

Selected variety packs of $1 and $2 chocolates can earn your group up to 60% profit. But time is very quickly running out - the special ends Friday July 28, 2006.

Call 1-866-450-5794 or if after hours request a call back.

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Discount cards are one of the best fundraisers that can be used by a wide variety of groups. A discount card is a custom printed plastic card that volunteers sell to residents in the local community, normally for $10. The cards have coupon type offers with unlimited use for a specific time period, usually one year.

High Profit Potential

The discount card program offers so many advantages as a fundraiser. First and foremost, this fundraiser has a very high profit potential compared to other fundraisers. Discount card companies vary but most offer anywhere from 50 to 90% profit.

At the highest profit percentage, your group sells a card for $10 and retains $9. Your group and those who purchase cards will know that the majority of the funds will go directly to help the cause.

Strong Appeal to Buyers

Discount cards are easy to sell because they offer such great value to the consumer. Last year I bought a discount card for my local area. While not all of the offers on the card appealed to me, there was one that I really liked - “Free Dessert with Purchase of Two Entrees” at Johnny Carino’s Italian restaurant. Since that is one of my favorite restaurants and they feature one of my favorite desserts - Cannoli - I jumped on this deal! I’ve probably used the card there at least 6 or 7 times in the past year which did save me money (and gave me an excuse to have dessert!)

It’s likely that your buyers will find the offers on the back of the discount card to be worthwhile for saving them money too. When you use custom discount cards the offers all apply to your local area. You can recruit local businesses and not just chain outlets which are offered on stock cards. This definitely increases the value of the cards for your buyers

Custom discount cards appeal to businesses too because they give them an economical way to promote their products or services. They will likely attract new customers and future repeat business because of the card.

Easy to Deliver

Not to be forgotten is the fact that discount cards are easy to carry when you are selling them. They easily fit into a pocket or purse - unlike other products that can be heavy, cumbersome or perishable. Since you collect money at the same time that the card is sold, you don’t have to return to the customer again to deliver the product. This makes selling them easier and quicker than pre-order programs.

Recommended Discount Card Provider

FastTrack Fundraising offers custom discount cards at up to 90% profit. Your group can customize the front and back of the card entirely.

There’s no initial investment and no additional fees. In fact, with there is no minimum order either. The cost of the card depends on the quantity of cards purchased - anywhere from $3 to less than $1 per card. Even at the entry level a profit of $7 per card is still very good.

A Discount Card Fundraiser benefits everybody:

• Businesses like them because they bring in more customers.
• Supporters like them because they save money.
• Fundraising groups like them because they are highly profitable at up to $9 per card, customizable, and easy to sell.

Request a free fundraising information and samples now

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Last week I attended the national convention for Business & Professional Women/USA. I was especially proud to be a sponsor and exhibitor at the conference. I talked with many attendees about how they fundraise both for BPW and for other causes that they are a part of and shared some of my favorite fundraising recommendations.

One of the fundraising options that I highlighted was World’s Finest Chocolate products.

It was interesting to see people’s reactions when they saw the 5 pound chocolate with almonds bar that was on display!

Vicki Silkwood (right) of Missouri was also quite surprised when she found out that she had won the chocolate in the drawing.

Many attendees saw the name World’s Finest and instantly recognized it. The name and the distinctive white label and silver foil chocolate bars are memorable to anyone who ever sold this candy as a student. WFC has helped generations of students raise funds. In fact they have been doing so since 1949 and over the years they have helped organizations raise over $3 billion!

Several ladies told about how they sold World’s Finest in high school for band trips. Bands are one of the groups that can be particularly successful selling candy because of the large numbers of students and parents usually involved with band. Athletic boosters and PTAs are other types of groups that WFC regularly works well for.

Another attendee told me how she’d always been a great salesperson and regularly sold the most candy for her school. The principal even took her out of class so she could count boxes and tally orders.

If you’d like to find out more about how your group can use World’s Finest Chocolate as a fundraiser, visit this webpage for more information or call 1-866-450-5794.

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It’s always better to give than to receive, we’re told. But what if you could do both?

And what if it was possible to be positioned squarely in the middle of that intersection of giving and receiving, helping non-profits and making a profit at the same time?

Meet cMarket, currently enjoying the best of both worlds.

Launched in 2003 with an impressive “nut” of venture capital, the Cambridge, Mass.-based company sets up and helps manage on-line auctions for non-profit organizations. Period.

“That’s basically all we do,” said David Mello, vice president of client services for cMarket. “It keeps us pretty busy.”

Indeed. Over the past three years, cMarket has staged over 1,500 auctions — and the repeat customers are already lining up.

“We’d definitely do that again,” said director David Drake of the Maryland SPCA, which raised nearly $35,000 the first time it took its annual auction on-line. “In fact, we are doing it again — this year.”

Of the 180 items made available in the SPCA’s “Shop-a-Paw-Looza,” all but 15 sold.

“We tried to be creative,” Drake said. “We had a lot of pet-related items, and those went over very well.”

Dog birthday parties, for example, and free neutering. By the time it was over, according to assistant development director Elizabeth Johnson, “We made enough to feed all our animals for a year.”

Why Online Auctions Work

The word “charity” is out of fashion in the early 21st century. “Partnership” is in. In other words, donors like to feel that they’re getting something back for their contribution, and recipients like giving it to them. As an added benefit, preparing for an auction or other event can get volunteers a lot more involved than simply tearing open envelopes and hoping for checks.

Sometimes, if it’s promoted successfully, a non-profit’s auction can transcend charity altogether.

As cMarket founder Greg McHale explained in 2005: “Auctions tap into dollars that are often separate from the ‘charitable giving’ budget: household discretionary spending.”

Writing checks to non-profits is good for us, but not always pleasant. An auction, on-line or otherwise, can be the orange juice that disguises the taste of the medicine.

Moreover, doing it on-line, is one way to shrink the administrative cost line on a non-profit’s budget. These days, the more of the donated dollar that disappears between the contributor and the intended good works, the less attractive a cause can appear.

“It was a lot cheaper to do it this way,” said David Drake. “We used to have a silent auction, but it was just bringing in the same people. This allowed us to tap into a larger base, at much less cost.”

Setting Up the Online Auction

What cMarket offers is a sort of template for staging an auction, augmented with suggestions that match the individuality of each group.

“We help non-profits set up an online auction Website,” explained company spokesperson Shawna Stevenson, “with buttons people can use to donate items, refer a friend, e-mail an item page and sign the guestbook.”

cMarket does its work for a flat fee and nine percent of the take, none required on the front end.

“To tell you the truth, we really didn’t need to call on them (cMarket) very much,” said the SPCA’s Drake, “because the software was quite user-friendly.”

Auction Training & Support

cMarket also supplies on-line training and advice to non-profits to make the most of their auction.

“We’re available 9 to 5 by phone,” said Mello, “and you can e-mail somebody 24/7.”

“A lot of organizations have no trouble coming up with items to auction off,” Mello said, “but others do. That’s why we have an on-line store where you can purchase items at wholesale cost or below. If you’re in St. Louis, for example, we can offer some baseballs autographed by Albert Pujols. But we have all sorts of things.”

One advantage of an on-line auction, Mello said, is that its duration keeps the name of the organization in front of potential benefactors far longer than a one-shot gathering would do.

“We advise people to stagger the bidding time on various items,” he added, “to keep the interest up. It’s also good to include a few ‘buy now’ items that can be purchased for that price without bidding.

“Promotion is the key,” said David Mello, “and we have a lot of suggestions for that.”

So the options have multiplied for non-profits planning an auction — put it all on the line with a live auction, or put it all on-line.

Or maybe a little of both. It’s a brave new world.

Get more information about cMarket online auctions services

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Whenever non-profit boards hunker down to discuss fund-raising options, one suggestion invariably floats to the surface.

“Hey,” someone always says, “why don’t we have an auction?”

A good idea, on its face. Get some items donated, invite the public, then hope that spirited bidding sends the prices soaring.

The devil, however, is in the details. Auctions can be volunteer-intensive, especially if a lot of items need to be moved into a central area. An auction on a given day or night must be publicized, and is then at the mercy of how many people decide to show up.

In the case of the Ethel Walker School of Simsbury, CT, a traditional auction just wasn’t feasible — the school was trying to target its alums, who were scattered all over the country. That’s when board member Donya Nagib Sabet, acting on a friend’s recommendation, decided to try an auction online.

“We were looking for something new,” Sabet said later, “a fundraising event that could engage Walker’s geographically diverse community. Something that would be accessible to everyone, and would be exciting, different and fun.”

And it worked. School supporters not only bid but donated items on-line — 153 of them. Over 1,000 bids were placed, and the school wound up raising $62,500.

“We had some nail-biting about midway through,” Sabet said, “but we stayed the course, and the last week, it just exploded.”

Meanwhile, in Boca Raton, Fla., the Adolph & Rose Levis Jewish Community Center tried a different wrinkle. The group continued to hold its annual ball and live auction, a perennially successful tradition used to attract scholarship money, but augmented that with an earlier on-line auction. As it turned out, according to group member Janet Oppenheimer, the on-line auction outperformed the live one.

In some ways, this isn’t surprising. While the extroverts among us may thrive in the spirited competition of a “real” auction, other people can find it intimidating. We’ve all seen too many movies where an ill-timed twitch or toss of the head winds up inadvertently purchasing a Ming vase or a Picasso.

On-line, the pressure is off. You bid at your convenience — and if decide to back off your bid, you won’t look like a coward in public.

Then, there’s the convenience aspect. As Janet Oppenheimer put it: “We wanted to reach people who might not be interested in a $500-a-plate dinner.”

Forget the black tie. With an on-line auction, you can bid in your pajamas.

“I was shocked at how little investment it cost us,” said Susan Neumann of the National Trust for Historic Preservation after her group tried an auction on-line. “It depends on how much you want to invest in the Web site. We didn’t invest anything. We built it ourselves using two staff people. We wound up paying less than $2,500. So it was an excellent investment for us.”

Like the Jewish Community Center in Boca Raton, the NTHP used the Internet to augment its normal dinner/auction. According to the Non-Profit Times, “By placing auction items online 3 1/2 weeks prior to the event, it allowed online bidders to place a maximum bid that would then be conveyed by proxies standing in against the silent auction bidders at a live event.”

“The economics of an auction are that fundamentally, the more people you have bidding, the higher the bids,” says Greg McHale, co-founder of cMarket in Cambridge, MA, by all accounts the leader in staging on-line auctions for non-profits and the group hired by both the Jewish Community Center and Ethel Walker School.

Non-profits can also use eBay to sell donated items with a time bound auction or over a longer haul.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation raised $200,000 on e-Bay, baiting their cyberhooks with such “experience” prizes as lunch with singer Avril Lavigne, a photo shoot with skateboard hero Tony Hawk and a tennis match with Donald Trump.

Of course, that organization is based in Santa Monica, CA. It would be a lot more difficult to pull in that star power from, say, Ottumwa, Iowa. That’s where MissionFish comes in. Since 2003, the company has worked together with Giving Works, a charitable arm of e-Bay, to multiply the options open to even small non-profits.

According to the MissionFish Website: “We created MissionFish because our years of non-profit work led us to realize a few things:

1.There are a lot of good people and companies that support non-profits, and they have a lot of good stuff to give away.

2. Most non-profits can’t use the things that those people and companies want to give away as in-kind gifts.

3. Nonprofits don’t generally have the time, the people or the infrastructure for dealing with these in-kind gifts even when they can use them.”

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Looking for a donation request letter template? The following is a general donation request letter asking for a financial gift to a non profit organization.

This template simply provides a basic place to get started, so you don’t have to stare at a blank screen dealing with writer’s block!

As you will notice there are spaces to fill in details and personal accounts about your cause. It is important that you tailor the letter to your own cause and to the audience that will be reading the letter. Make it specific to your own needs and circumstances.

Print your donation letters on your organization’s letterhead or paper that was printed just for this particular letter appeal. Each letter should be hand signed or a scanned image of the signature should be inserted into the document before printing. Finally, send the letters in envelopes that are specially printed with your organization’s name and return address.

[Name of Organization & Address on Letterhead]

[Date]

[Address of Donor]

Dear [name]:

Each year [name of organization] continues to advance the cause of [cause]. Through our programs [name of programs] we have seen many lives changed for the better.

Let me share with you the story of [story of someone affected by the issue / or helped by your organization]

Fortunately, we were there in time to help [name]. Now [he/she] is [status].

[Name of organization] continues to work to help make a difference in the lives of people like [name of person listed above]. Each and every person affected by this [disease/condition] has reason to hope because great advances are being made in [issue].

However, continued [research/outreach/work] is essential to help the over [number] of people are affected by [cause] each year.

Today, you can make an immediate difference in the life of a [child/etc.] Each [$ amount] you send provides [specific goods/services] to [number of people].

I hope we can count on you to help. Please send the most generous gift you can, as soon as possible.

With grateful appreciation,

[Signature]

[Name]
[Title]

P.S. So that as many [people/children] can be helped this season, please send your gift in the envelope provided by [date] so that it can have maximum impact. Thank you in advance for you kind support!

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When was the last time you invited a journalist to lunch or coffee?

I can just see lots of you squirming in your seats as you’re reading this. Some of you are even starting to perspire.

A few of you, I bet, are paralyzed at the thought of eating lunch for an entire hour with a journalist because, well, what would you say? How would you act? And what happens if they back you into a corner and you’re stuck there in the restaurant with way no way to retreat?

Well guess what? Lots of savvy Publicity Hounds are using these slow days of summer to invite reporters to lunch or coffee. When I worked as a reporter, I almost always accepted people’s invitations for lunch because it helped me learn more about them and how they could help me. And every reporter knows they’re only as good as their sources.

If you’re inviting a reporter to lunch:

–Remember that your Number One goal is not to encourage them to cover your story. It’s to find out how you can be helpful. So ask the question, “How can I help you?” If you can help them, I can almost promise you that, eventually, they will cover you because they’ll know you’re a valuable source who they can come back to again and again.

–Don’t dive for the check. Many print reporters work for newspapers and magazines that have ethics policies prohibiting them from accepting anything of value, even free lunches. So before the wait staff comes to the table, say: “I’d be happy to buy your lunch, but I know you might not be able to accept free lunches. So how would you like to handle the check?” Then do whatever they prefer, and don’t worry that you’ll look cheap. The last thing a reporter wants is to be put in the uncomfortable position of arguing with you over who pays.

–Bring story ideas, information about trends you are seeing in your industry, and contact information for other sources the reporter will find helpful. Reporters love it when you tip them off to trends, and you’ll score valuable points that will make them remember you.

The etiquette of breaking bread with reporters is only one of many topics I covered when George McKenzie interviewed me for the CD we produced called How to Get Free Publicity in Print It’s available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can download and be reading in a few minutes.

About the Author: Reprinted with permission from Joan Stewarts’s “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,” a free ezine featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity. Subscribe at PublicityHound.com and receive free by email the handy list “89 Reasons to Send a News Release.”

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Want your next fundraiser to run more smoothly? Here are ten tips to help you create a successful marketing plan.

1. Put your project plan in writing - Run your fundraiser like a business. A written project plan that spells out all roles and responsibilities is your blueprint for success.

2. Create a timeline - Make sure that your start date and end date are both firm. Make sure your project does not conflict with other major events where your constituency is likely to participate.

3. Recruit, recruit, recruit (volunteers that is) - Let the community you serve know that you need more caring individuals to help with your goals. People who volunteer do so because they are asked. So ask! Use your newsletter, website and word of mouth to help in your recruitment efforts.

4. Incorporate your website - Don’t have one? There is no better time than the present to create one. Your website should be used to communicate goals, thank your sponsors, recognize successes, honor individual contributors, tell about upcoming events, etc. Be sure you promote your web site on all your marketing materials.

5. Look at the past to plan the future - See what’s been successful before. Review your records. Find areas that need improvement. What did you do best? Do it again! Is there something you have always done that is on the decline. Examine the reasons for the decline. Perhaps it is time to change course or find a new event. If your stakeholders are bored with a project, chances are, so is the audience you serve.

6. Define Roles - Match the needs of your organization with the volunteer’s skills and availability by including it in those written volunteer position’s description.

7. Move people around - Unless you have a good reason not to switch roles, put new people (with a good track record) in those organizational roles that will move your fundraiser forward. Do this ahead of time. Provide proper training.

8. The early bird gets the “volunteer” - Let the community know early and often about what volunteers you need. Recruit more volunteers than you think you will need. This way, no one feels overworked. And of course, those volunteers will be able to pick up the slack in the event others don’t follow through as expected. Have volunteer sign-up forms at every event and meeting your organization hosts.

9. Recruit a volunteer to be the volunteer coordinator - A strong communicator that will help assign and place volunteers would be the best choice. Some people are a natural for this key role.

10. Set realistic goals - Break those goals down into what’s needed from each sub-group. Tell them the consequences of their participation as well as what could happen if they don’t follow through. Let the volunteers know the importance of their roles and what’s in it for them. Reward volunteers based upon their individual and group success.

About the Author: Heidi Richards is the author of The PMS Principles, Powerful Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business and 7 other books. She is also the Founder & CEO of the Women’s ECommerce Association, International www.WECAI.org (pronounced wee-kī) an Internet organization that “Helps Women Do Business on and off the WEB.” Basic Membership is FREE.
Article Reprinted with Permission

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There are many great fundraising ideas for Relay for Life Events. Most teams do fundraising for the weeks or months leading up to Relay. Teams that have been participating for years may even start fundraising for the next relay as soon as the last one is over. Other teams may have come together just before the deadline and need some last minute ideas. So here’s 5 last minute ideas and 5 ideas for the night of the relay event:

Last Minute Fundraisers:

These fundraising ideas can be put together pretty quickly…

1. Krispy Kreme Donuts - This is a good fundraiser if your workplace will let you sell them there and even better if your team is made up of people from different jobs. Announce that the week before relay is Krispy Kreme week and that each day you’ll have donuts available for a $1 donation each. There are several ways that you can use donuts as a fundraiser - find out more about Krispy Kreme Fundraisers.

2. Game Night - Choose a game that your group of friends like to play such as bunko, dominos, or trivia and invite everyone over for a night of fun. You can ask for a flat donation for the entire evening, or for games like cards or dominos, players can chip in $1 for every hand or round.

3. Ice Cream Socials - There are many ways that simply sharing in a bowl of ice cream can raise money for Relay. Find out more about ice cream fundraisers.

4. Movie Night - Host a movie night at your home screening a popular recent new release DVD or a classic movie and charge admission. For fun have a mini concession stand where everything is only 50 cents.

5. Friday Fun Day - If you’re in a management position at a company, make an executive decision that Friday will be fun day! Let employees wear flip-flops and silly hats and have a water balloon fight at lunch time.

Fundraising Ideas for the night of the Relay for Life event:

Some fundraisers can take place at the Relay, as long as they are pre-approved by ACS. Here are some fundraising ideas for the weekend of Relay for Life:

1. Food booth - Sell BBQ, hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream, funnel cakes or anything people would like. It’s best if you can find out what other groups are doing so you don’t end up selling the same things!

2. Blow up Obstacle Course - Check party rental places for a blow up obstacle course. It’s like a bounce house but adults AND kids can play. Charge $1 each time someone goes through the course and time them. Have a board with the best times and prizes for the top 3 competitors. Of course let people go through as many times as they want until the cut-off time when you give out the prizes.

3. Do a Jail N Bail or a Luxury Lock-Up the night of relay.

4. Face Painting - Kids love it! Glow in the dark sticks, necklaces or Princess garlands are also good sellers.

5. Carnival Games are always fun!

Related Articles:
Relay for Life Fundraiser Success Stories
Traveling Potty Fundraiser
Party Fundraising Ideas

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