You Can Be A Fundraising Star (easy fundraising for Team in Training and Other Charities)

Easy Fundraising (for non-fundraisers)

Congratulations on wanting to raise money for your favorite charity. You want to do the right thing and help others, but, let's face it, fundraising can be downright scary. The purpose of this lens to to help you come up with ideas to help you raise as much money possible. Please help me make this lens better by ranking it and leaving your comments in the feedback area.

Why do you give your time to charity?

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Dust Off That Little Black Book...

It is all in the list...

Get out that address book (both the little black book and the one in your email program)-- it will be your most important tool in your quest to raise money. Once you have your preliminary address book, start thinking about the people you run in to day to day, the dentist, the person who sold you your car, your insurance agent, your neighbors (often you can get their names by searching the property records on your local government website. By the time you are done, your list should have at least 200 names. I know you think you do not know that many people... but trust me, you do...

Help, I don't know anyone...

Five Ways To Grow Your Mailing LIst

Do you want to send your fist 100 letters out, but you don't have 100 people on your list? Here are some tips on growing your mailing list. The most important thing to remember is that even if they don't give, most people will be happy to hear about your efforts to help find a cure for cancer. You may even find yourself reconnecting with old friends.

1. Call Your Mother Start gathering all the family mailing lists; the holiday card list, your wedding invite list, etc. This is a great way to reconnect with people that you haven't been in touch with for a while.

2. Say "hello" to your neighbors Send a letter to your neighbors introducing yourself and asking for help. If you live in Bernalillo County, you can get the names and addresses of people who live by going to http://bernco.gov then clicking on residents and then search records. At the records menu, choose search property records. Put your street name in the box - click the number next to the box and you'll find out who owns the property. A lower tech way to do this - is to hand deliver the letters%u2026

3. Clean Out Your Inbox Send some of your letters by e-mail. Go into the contact list in your email and send a e-letter to everyone who has sent you an email. These are much more effective (and less likely to be flagged as spam) if you send these e-mail individually rather than one huge email to everyone on your list.

4. Ask Your Peeps Be sure to send letters to the owners of businesses that you frequent. Send one to your doctor, your dentist, your hairdresser, the owner of your local bookstore, the manager of the local grocery store, the owners of your favorite restaurant. Better yet, send along a corporate sponsorship proposal. The LLS sponsorship package is pretty generous and corporate donations tend to be larger than regular donations. Business owners may also be able to help you with fundraisers.

5. Go Clubbing After sending letters to the members of any groups that you belong to, start sending out requests to service organizations (Rotary, Civitan, Optimist Club, Zonta, etc.) Often, these groups have money set aside to give to people who ask for it.

Time for an Attitude Adjustment

You are not begging people for money...

Many people shy away from fundraising because it feels like they are begging people for money. The key is that you are not asking for yourself, but as an advocate for those in need. Think of how you feel when you receive a charitable solicitation. Worst case, you are not interested so you do not give a donation. Usually though, you admire the asker for trying to make a difference.

Remember... you are giving people the opportunity to help.

Write A Great Letter... Send It Out to Everyone!

Characteristics of An Awesome Fundraising Letter

Here are some hints for an effective letter. Feel free to add your own or vote which ones you think are the most important.

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Share your knowledge. Make a difference.

You Can Be A Fundraising Star (easy fundraising for Team in Training and Other Charities)

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Easy Fundraising (for non-fundraisers)

Explore related pages

Why do you give your time to charity?

Dust Off That Little Black Book...

It is all in the list...

Help, I don't know anyone...

Five Ways To Grow Your Mailing LIst

Time for an Attitude Adjustment

You are not begging people for money...

Write A Great Letter... Send It Out to Everyone!

Characteristics of An Awesome Fundraising Letter

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Keep It Real

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Keep it Short and to the Point

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Don't Forget To Say Thank You

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Tell a story

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Gift Cards - charitygiftcertificates.org

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Keep It Personal

#7

Write Them Out!

#8

Make It Attention Getting!

#9

Make It Easy

#10

Keep Everyone Updated

#11

Set Your Goals High

#12

Use Your Support Staff

#13

Get the Word Out

Voila: Just copy and paste this code into your own site. Have fun!

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Parade of Fundraising Videos

Do you have a fundraising video? Show it off here.

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More Fundraising Ideas

OK, you've sent out your letters, what is next?

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Voila: Just copy and paste this code into your own site. Have fun!

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Even More Fundraising Ideas

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Restaurant Night Fundraiser

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Tailgate Sales

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Car Wash

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The Big Event

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The Proverbial Bake Sale

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