Charity & Non-Profit Fundraising Ideas 

Fund raising can be a pretty competitive business .

If you are considering a major capital program, it may well be worth considering the investment of a fundraising consultant.  Not only will this save you valuable time,
but will help concentrate your efforts in the most profitable direction.

There are some definite "dos" and "don'ts" when it comes to soliciting major gifts from benefactors - an hour or two with a  consultant will help to develop your skills and give you the best chance of success.

If you are considering applying for grants from trusts and foundations, consider appointing someone to write the application.  Take time out, research your case, the local background & circumstances, present an unbiased case without "begging" for the money.  

Often letters are written along the emotive lines of "Fred will die without your money ..." whereas a funder is more likely to respond to a well-presented and informed application full of facts that support the work that you do as well as showing your success to date.

Investing in Fundraising Resources

It's well worth investing in a couple of books about raising money and applying for grants from some of the local and national grant making trusts and companies.  

Even just having a list with up-to-date addresses, aims and current interests of the trust can save hours of your time making applications to trusts who are temporarily not accepting applications or who have changed their areas of interest.

Also, you'll want to tailor your applications to specific trusts or foundations - for example, one may sponsor church buildings, another church music.  If you're asking for money to help repair the organ, you may wish to put a slightly different slant on your application.  

For the first, explaining how important your building is, historically, to the local area.  For the second, talking about how your choir makes a real contribution and how local bands use the building for small concerts.

Again, if yours is a womens charity , then don't apply to an organization that funds youth or education, but one that targets specific groups similar to yours.

Looking Professional  

Make sure that your application looks professional. 

Ensure that your letter is on your headed paper and that the application itself is signed by the head of your organisation, this is one time where a "pp" from the secretary is not appropriate!

Do make sure you send all the documentation that has been requested, whether it's accounts, photos, details of funds raised so far, etc.

For more ideas on raising funds for your chosen charity, visit About.com


Fund Raising through Online Shopping Malls

There are an increasing number of companies offering you the opportunity to raise funds with online shopping.  This can be one way of cashing in on the massive boom in internet shopping.

For example, Donation Street offers Charities & other Organizations an opportunity to earn extra donations with their own personalized shopping mall.   Your online shopping mall can have access to over 300 top retailers - from Macy’s to Land’s End, LL Bean to Gap, Hammacher Schlemmer to Best Buy and Wal-Mart.

Check out the different companies and their track record - ask other organisations similar to yours what success they have had - don't waste valuable resources if it doesn't look like the right way forward for you - instead, invest your resources where they will be most effective.

Do shop around and carefully consider this option - one charity that we heard of tried this method and raised less than 10 cents with over 600 supporters - simply because their supporters were mostly of an age where they didn't make use of internet shopping, but also because it can be hard to promote, when people are used to going direct to their favorite websites.

Printing & Selling Your Own Charity Christmas Cards

If you have a large group of supporters or members, this can be a simple way of raising significant sums annually .

Purchasing pre-printed packs of card which have your charity name on the back.  Although we're probably more familiar with seeing this for the bigger charities, it can also work well for small more focused groups with a good base of support.

For example, most of us have heard of the foot and mouth painting artists, as we are familiar with seeing their works on both Christmas and other greetings cards.  So this can also be a good way of raising awareness of your work in a small way too.

If possible, work with a printer or supplier that can supply further packs at short notice, to reduce the likelihood of you being left with unsold stock by having purchased too many.

Once you've sold cards for a couple of years, your supporters will expect to be able to purchase your cards as a way of supporting you and you will have a good idea of how many packs to order  .

Look at what other charities are selling their cards for, to give you an idea of how to price your card competitively, but giving you a sufficient margin to make it worth your while.

It may be possible for small local charities to have market stalls or to sell them via other stores - why not brainstorm some ideas as to how you can sell them ?

Car Donation - How to Raise Money with Used Vehicles

Many people are not in a financial position to donate large sums of money to charity.

However, when it's time to replace your much-loved automobile, even if it's destined for the scrap heap, it can be worth something to your favorite charity.

Just type in " donate car " to any search engine to find a long list of non profit organisations that are set up and ready to receive your donated used vehicle - or to see which of your favorite charities you'll be able to nominate.

It may even be tax efficient - get in touch with the IRS to see their latest position on tax deducations for this.

To find out how to make donations in this way, contact the charities directly. 

Don't forget that it's also possible to get involved by donating other household items, such as furniture and clothing, with much of the revenue going to help worthy causes .

Charity fundraising - ideas for adventure or challenge activities

It's increasingly popular to include some fun or adventure in the way that money is raised for charities .

This can range from trekking, cycling or horse riding, to intrepid expeditions to the extremes of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro or Everest .

Find further information on challenge events and how they could be effective helping your charity.

Recommended Resources

Christmas wreath fundraiser  - similar to the Christmas cards in making use of your supporter base to raise money for charity organizations     

Fundraising Golf Tournament - why not consider setting up an annual golf event to raise money for your organization ?

Online Auction -running your own auction has big potential for fundraisers in the right areas