Hop E Works Community

The problem with community level fundraising has always been the volume of support available. You will always be limited to the individuals that you can reach with your fundraising events in the local area. Now with the internet, your area of influence and potential participants has increased from hundreds, to millions. When the internet was in its infancy, it wasn’t possible to incite such a level of participation that social networking and community websites have done. In this article I will explain the methods that you can use your online connectivity to expand your fundraising efforts.

The first, most obvious advantage is the fact that you have such a massive audience to hear all of your great ideas, and there is already a plethora of organisations and websites dedicated to helping the destitute and needy. Online fundraising is now so incredibly easy there are websites that provide you with a direct money transfer to your chosen charity once the act of arranged fundraising has been completed. These websites have proven incredibly effective in online fundraising efforts the site “JustGiving” was used in collaboration with the 2009 ‘Rage Against The Machine’ UK number 1 chart attempt and raised over £40,000 in correlation with this event and considering this was a fan lead movement shows just how powerful an idea or event can become if people get involved.

The downside of having so many online charities to donate to is that they aren’t subject to as much external auditing and accounting checks as well-known community based charities. There have been many reports of fraudulent online charities being set up not for maximising human well-being, but to purely pull a profit for the owners of the website. You would be highly advised to investigate a charity that you’ve heard about online thoroughly before running a fundraising a campaign for them. Do they have charity status and certification? The charities that have this status are regularly audited and could be considered trustworthy. If you are ever unsure of a charity’s full credentials you should check with the authorities before giving them your account details or giving a donation.

With the sheer scope of the internet you’re bound to find thousands or even millions of people with the same passion for cause related fundraising as you do. It’s simply about getting your message out there on the new generation of charity social networks, videos on YouTube and articles online. Feedback to the people who are supporting you can be given through blog posts, images or even videos. Participating in the online community for raising money has never been easier, and is only a few clicks away!

When you take a look at elementary school fundraising activities in our community, you might think that the benefits of these events are for its beneficiaries only. Yes, the main purpose of a fundraiser is to raise funds for the benefits of a group’s beneficiaries or to jump-start a community event that will benefit everybody. But you have to understand that fundraising also benefits local business establishments as well since most organizers obtain their fundraising products locally. This makes sure that the business is alive for these companies and thus providing people in the community with more than enough job opportunities.

You have to understand that even though elementary school fundraising events are for non-profit purposes, the effect of these events in community is massive. The first visible benefit that fundraising events provide the community is a training ground for future professionals and leaders. Young individuals can take part in these events so that they can develop their leadership skills, communication skills and social skills needed in their respective careers in the future. Fundraising events can teach them these valuable skills so make sure that you as a fundraising organizer can give them ample training and opportunity to develop themselves. Academic training is not enough to make sure that young individuals can develop into mature adults; these people also need practical, true-to-life experiences that will help grow into respected citizens in the community. Aside from personal development, fundraising events also provide opportunities for aspiring sales people to hone their skills and talents in the art of selling. Most fundraisers nowadays focus on selling fundraising products to customers; this provides a good training ground for novice salesmen that want a risk-free selling. There are numerous risks that involve selling such as going bankrupt; fundraising events can provide these people a free training in learning how to sell properly and what kind of strategies to apply in order to become successful.

Another noticeable effect of fundraising in the community is that it provides a good business opportunity for businesses to flourish. Since most fundraising organizers would want to look for a supplier for their fundraising merchandises, fundraising companies in your community can provide you with your much-needed products. And when there is a company, there are job opportunities waiting for the people in the community. Without fundraising events in our community, these companies would close down since they won’t have customers that would help them keep the business alive. You also need to understand that most owners of fundraising companies are past fundraising organizers as well. This gives you the idea that if you want fundraising as a lifetime career you can do so. You can make use your knowledge and experiences in fundraising as a way to make money. As you can see, the impact of fundraising events in the community is very huge. There are literally hundreds of benefits in organizing fundraising events. Not just for yourself and your sales volunteers, but also for the whole community as well.

I’ve seen lots of great, unique fundraising ideas out there, targeted at schools, churches, small non-profits, sports teams… you name it. But I’ve yet to come across a good list of ideas for community and civic organizations.

These groups provide much of the heart and backbone of neighborhoods around the country. Sadly, many are grossly underfunded and in dire need of resources to continue serving. In this current economy, relying on the old standard strategy of holding an event or two and finding a few civic boosters to adopt your non-profit isn’t enough. Community groups need to expand their reach and grow their fundraising base. Use the following unique fundraising ideas to help get you started:

1. Block or Area Captains

One great method is to appoint block or area fundraising captains from within your group’s membership. Each captain is asked to raise a small amount from their own block or area. The fundraising goal for each volunteer captain is small, usually somewhere between $25 and $200, but by appointing enough captains, this tactic really adds up.

2. Mayor for a Day

Another unique idea that works well is many areas is asking people to contribute a certain amount to be appointed the neighborhood’s “Mayor for a Day.” The donor is asked to give a certain amount, and in return receives a certificate naming him or her mayor of the neighborhood, recognition on your website’s list of “mayors of the day,” and other accolades. Obviously, as “mayor,” the donor doesn’t have any real power or responsibilities.

3. Door to Door

While door to door fundraising doesn’t work well for the majority of organizations, neighborhood civic and community groups are one type of non-profit that can sometimes pull this off successfully. Engage volunteers to go door to door in the area telling people about your group, letting them know why you raising money, and asking them to give a small amount ($5-$25). Be sure to thank those that give and go back to them later for future fundraising efforts.

Fundraising for a community-based non-profit need not be tedious or overly difficult. By using a little creativity, these unique fundraising ideas, and mobilizing your volunteer workforce, your group can raise enough to not only survive, but to thrive.