Aplos Software » Fundraising

3 Risk Free Online Creative Fundraising Ideas for Nonprofits

Michele — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 14:32:17 +0000

I believe there are better ways to fundraise for your organization than the typical bake sale or car wash. Below are some great fundraising suggestions that may prove to benefit your nonprofit.

3 Risk Free Online Creative Fundraising Ideas for Nonprofits

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Timothy Spell

Everyone is having a hard time making ends meet in this recessions. Implementing low risk and creative fundraising ideas for nonprofits is critical to the success of an organization. Nonprofit CMS has found 3 cool nonprofit fundraising ideas that your nonprofit can start with today.

Coffee With A Cause
CoffeeWithACause.org is a unique fundraising program that has one goal: Help Nonprofit’s Raise Money. Your nonprofit organization can get into the program for no cost. You make money by putting a banner on your website (or include it in your email blasts or other marketing material). Every time one of your supporters purchases coffee through CoffeeWithACause, your nonprofit gets over 10% of the proceeds! Everyone buys coffee anyway, so why not give it a shot?

Network For Good
Have a “donate now” button on your website. Network for Good has weekly free webinars with tips and trickets for boosting your online donation efforts. Their free service (Basic Donate Now) includes recurring donations, online donation tracking and gives donors automated tax receipts. More information can be found at Networkforgood.org.

iGive
iGive is an online fundraising service that returns a commission to your organization when your members or supporters make online shopping purchases through their network of online stores. Not all nonprofits are comfortable working with charity malls. Some NPOs feel that it’s akin to a form of advertising or corporate sponsorship or that it supports consumerism, which may not mix well with your organization’s mission. Your staff and/or board should debate the issue and develop a policy.

So there you have it, 3 online creative fundraising ideas for nonprofits. These online fundraising programs should not the be ‘end all be all’ of your fundraising efforts, but implemented correctly, can send recurring revenue into your organization quickly.

Remember to say “Thank You”

Michele — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 15:40:14 +0000

I am a southern girl and manners were a big deal to my mom. She taught me the importance of respecting individuals in positions of authority with my words. There was value placed on responding to questions with “yes ma’am, no ma’am, yes sir, no sir”. And upon being the recipient of a gift whether tangible or intangible, she taught me to follow up with a thank you note. I offer that we have lost this sort of common etiquette somewhere in the efficiency and convenience of texting and email. As a nonprofit or church organization, you better believe your donors would appreciate more. I love the article below as it communicates with passion why thank you’s are important for your organization’s reputation. The article also gives some tips on what content to include in your thank you.

Article by Lisa Sargent

Head of Lisa Sargent Communications, copywriter Lisa Sargent publishes The Loyalty Letter, a free e-mail newsletter for nonprofit and charitable organizations, which is read by subscribers all over the world. Sign up free on her website.

Fundraising and Legal Issues

Michele — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 14:23:29 +0000

Sometimes what sounds like a truly wonderful idea in theory begins to seem impossible down on paper. While venturing down different avenues to pursue goals, you might be surprised at how much “red tape” you have to navigate. You also might find yourself extremely discouraged to find out that a great idea is going to take a great deal more work in order to see the payoff. You and I both know that anything worth having, though, takes perseverance and stamina…and some insight into how others have mananged to push through despite discouragement. One of the most frustrating tasks I have found myself are understanding the legal issues in many situations. Below I have linked to a great article from the “Nonprofit Law Blog“.

While the article may not completely resolve the red tape issue, you might find some ways to avoid potential legal pitfalls.

Top 5 Fundraising Legal Tips