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Step By Step Fundraising NewsletterDecember 2007
- Holiday Season Wishlists - It's not too late! - Two Websites That Will Help Grant Wishes - Would You Wish for a Rusty Old Bike?
Maybe not; here are two quick tips that may just help you bring in some of those wish list items: 1. First, give your local TV and radio stations a call. Most of them run wishlists for various charities at the end of the year. You may still have time to get your items announced on the air. 2. Second, consider all of the "re-gifting" and retail discount opportunities that will be available after the gifts are unwrapped. In the original meaning of the Boxing Day holiday, which is celebrated in the UK and other commonweath countries, people could donate their unwanted gift items to charity. Perhaps your supporters got a gift card from a store they don't frequent. Instead of standing in long exchange lines they can give appropriate items to your cause and still get a tax deductible donation receipt for '07. The modern sense of Boxing Day simply means that on the day after Christmas everything is on SALE! Your supporters could purchase needed items at big discounts at the after Christmas sales and give them as in-kind donations to your group. So get the word out today about your wishlist. Send it to your supporters by email if you have an email list. With a little creativity you could bring in some extra donations for your group.
Granting Wishes and DreamsHere are two websites that I've come across recently that put a new twist on the wishlist idea. These sites are not restricted to just non profits either, individuals and families can benefit as well. ModestNeeds.org is a website that provides small grants to fill a variety of needs. Their mission is to prevent otherwise financially self-sufficient individuals and families from entering the cycle of poverty and help those who are permanently disabled or disadvantaged. They offer three types of grants: Self-Sufficiency Grants, Back-to-Work Grants and Independent Living Grants.
There are of course quite a few worthy needy wishes. There's some pretty pretty funny greedy ones too (a frying pan, a day at the spa or even new bras.) Each week the website's members vote and the wishes with the most votes in each category are awarded $100 each.
Would You Wish for a Rusty Old Bike?One item that most of us would not be likely to put on any wishlist is a used bicycle. But 100 old bikes meant the world to villagers in a distressed area of Indonesia. Read this story on my blog: A Rusty Old Bike Becomes a Priceless Gift
To Your Continued Fundraising Success,
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Has
your non profit published a holiday season wishlist? If not you
might be thinking that it's too late to do so. 
