| by Howard Gottlieb, President, Easy
Fundraising Ideas
The World of Fundraising Ideas: An Overview
Part One
Whether you are a fundraising expert or a novice fundraiser,
it never hurts to keep up to date with the industry, the
trends, and how it all goes together.
You would not want to use a CPA who is not up to date on
tax law or go to a doctor who has not kept current with the
latest trends in his field. It is equally unwise to assume
that fundraising is a stagnant entity.
That is why we want to spend time discussing the trends
in fundraising so that even readers with a lot of experience
can see what is working throughout the country. Those who
are new to fundraising will find this series to be a useful
tool when developing fundraising ideas for their organizations.
Fundraising typically falls into three distinctly different
groups:
It is important to learn the difference among these options.
Once we have explained their differences, we will continue
the series with more in-depth discussions on some suggested
fundraisers that fall into each category.
Direct Sale Fundraising
The best known direct sale is fundraising
with candy . Direct sale fundraising means you have a
product on hand that you give directly to your customers
when they make their purchases. In order to have a direct
sale fundraiser, you must have product in your possession.
That typically means you will need to have the financial
resources to purchase inventory in advance of your fundraiser.
Some public entities can get credit within the fundraising
industry, but typically direct sale fundraisers require an
upfront investment.
Since you are purchasing your inventory in advance, you
keep all the money that you collect when selling the product.
Your sale or fundraiser is complete when you have sold all
of your products. With direct sale fundraisers, the risk
is knowing how much inventory you should purchase. A great
fundraiser is one through which you sell your entire inventory;
you wish you had just a few more products, but not enough
to order more. You do not want a lot of excess product left
at the end of your sale.
Brochure or Pre Sell Fundraising
When you hold a brochure fundraiser you and the
members of your group are provided brochures with photos
and descriptions of the product you are selling and order
forms. You use this information to show people the products
offered. They place orders and pay you when ordering. The
money collected can then be used to pay for the product at
the end of your fundraiser.
The best-known brochure programs include cookie
dough fundraising , selling candles, flowers, frozen
foods, or seasonal gifts. Besides not needing upfront cash
to get started, brochure fundraising also eliminates the
need to purchase excess inventory. At the end of your selling
period - typically two weeks - pre sold orders are tallied,
a bulk order placed with the fundraising company and the
order is paid for with the cash collected. Your group keeps
the difference between the selling price and the cost so
it has its profits immediately.
Event Fundraising
Event fundraising may be the broadest category of
fundraisers. Typical event fundraisers include walk-a-thons,
dinners, carnivals, and other events held by your group.
Money is made one of two ways. Your group can create an event
like a spaghetti dinner and charge admission as your main
source of income or you can ask for donations based on results
such as a walk-a-thon or read-a-thon.
The popularity of the Internet offers great event options
online. You can even own a free online shopping mall with
hundreds of stores that pay cash back to your group based
on purchases in your mall. This service is provided free
by Visit Our Mall .
Now that you know the different categories of fundraisers
you should be well-equipped to make better fundraising decisions.
We invite you to check back here as we continue this series.
If you would like more information, click
here for a free fundraising catalog .
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