fundraising?
Nathans Mom
We are trying to start a pro-humane animal shelter in
the city I live in. We started a year ago and luck has been on our side
to make this a reality. I need a little help with ideas for
fundraising. So far we have had a pancake breakfast, golf tornament
and the pet pictures with Santa just last week. They were all
sucessful but not huge money makers. We are now looking to do
something that will bring in lots of money. Does anyone have any good
ideas? any grants for building a shelter? All help will be
appreciated. Thanks Laura
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Lynn Kosmakos
Nathans Mom wrote:
> We are now looking to do
> something that will bring in lots of money.
The most lucrative, with the least effort, of all of our rescue's
fundraisers is the automobile donation program. The automobile
broker does all of the work, advertising, picking up and detailing
the cars, taking them to auction, etc.. We put in minor funding
for ads. The broker gets 1/2 of what the car brings at dealer
auction. It can really bring in far more money than any event and
the donor does better financially taking the tax deduction than
they would by using the car as a trade in. Someone told me on Sat.
that they were buying a new car and I mentioned the program and
gave her the phone number. The result of that 5 minute conversation
will be a check from the broker on Monday of about $2000. That's
pretty hard to beat.
Lynn K.
Chris Williams
every community.
Have you approached Maddie's fund BTW? The have stringent
requirements, I'm told, but can make a big difference. Their site is, I
think, just: maddiesfund.
While I agree with Lynn's suggestion, we were scammed our first time
out with auto donation which left a bad taste. So.. (networking, again)
we located an auto dealer who does repair and detailing and we auction
the cars ourself.*
This is done with our "old reliable", the community playhouse, which
does two performances a year for us and turns over their facilities to
us for auctions. Airlines and cruise ships have been generous.
When I approached a friend who works for Northwest Airlines, she
grumbled, "Northwest never gives away anything, but I'll try." They
donated two tickets to Paris!
*At one auction, a classic Jag went for $18,000.
Lynn Kosmakos
Chris Williams wrote:
>
> Have you approached Maddie's fund BTW? The have stringent
> requirements, I'm told, but can make a big difference. Their site is, I
> think, just: maddiesfund.
Be aware that Maddie's Fund is only interested in funding really
innovative solutions. If you're looking for underwriting of standard
operation costs of a traditional shelter or rescue approach, they are
not going to be interested.
Lynn K.
Nancy Holmes or Nelson Ruffin
the list so you will see three posts from me. I hope people find them of
use!
Nancy
Fundraisers
Subway Power Card
We've all heard of the Discount Card but there is a new
fundraising card for Subway stores. It pays for itself in 4 uses by
entitling the user to 24 punches. Each punch is for a buy-one-get-one-free
6-inch sub. The card costs between 1 and 2 dollars for your group,
depending
on how many you can order at one time. No money is due at ordering. The
card will be printed with your logo. We will be selling the cards for $20
each. That is an 18-dollar profit per card. People love it because it pays
for itself in 4 uses. Then they get 20 free 6-inch subs each time they buy
one. Denise Briscoe is the lady to speak with. Her number is
1.888.293.9290
(**This could be especially good if you have a Subway sub shop very close
to a school or large office building, etc. If Subway permits it, try to
get
an ad in you local weekly papers and college papers advertising this card.
You might even offer the newspaper a certain number of cards for their
office in trade for the ad. The same can apply to radio ads, which can be
surprisingly inexpensive.
Private Label Treat boxes
http://store.yahoo.com/candywarehouse/privlabgifbo.html -- May be
especially
good around Halloween. You get a candy assortment in plastic cubes and your
organization name is on the box. You can get chocolate candy, non-chocolate
or "gourmet." A 24-count box of non-chocolate candy is $68.40, which works
out to $2.85 per box. Suggested Price: $5.00
Example:
Morris Cookbooks
http://morriscookbooks.com/ -- I sent off for their information pack
and they sent a lot of stuff in it: sample cookbooks, sample pages,
a nice price breakdown, suggestions on how to gather recipes, etc.
This could be done in a couple of different ways: recipes could be
specifically animal recipes (treats for dogs/cats/birds/etc),
favorite recipes of the volunteers, recipes named after shelter
animals with maybe a little bio of the animal preceding the recipe.
Painting Program
One rescue group has been very successful with their Painting Paws program.
Their site is http://www.F4L.org and they have a section on the PP.
Basically they have dogs and cats walk through non-toxic paint and "paint" a
picture. They then mat it, frame it, and sell it for quite a bit of money.
Dog Houses
See if you can find several architects to design dog houses reflecting
local
style and auction them off. One affluent area got a high of $18,000 and a
low
of $11,000 for their auctioned doghouses
"Celebrity Server" night at a local restaurant
Find a local restaurant that participates. Line up some local celebrities
(we're thinking of McGruff the crime dog, our newspapers
"Rover", some of the ACO's, maybe some of the local TV news anchors...),
and the restaurant pays you all the tips collected during the event (I
think ours is 5-8 pm), plus they also pay you 10% of the total day's sales.
Have donation canisters there, and maybe a drawing also.
Frozen Dinner Sale
Cook and freeze all sorts of casseroles, lasagna, desserts, etc., and sell
them. All the items are donated. The food possibilities are endless.
Advertise for about two weeks. Suggested time: December because people can
just pop it in the oven or microwave after shopping. Advertise everywhere!!!
Raffle a Thanksgiving Day Dinner
Sell raffle tickets for $2.00 a piece and the winner gets a Turkey
(cooked),
Stuffing, Sweet Potato Casserole, String Bean Casserole, and Pecan or
Pumpkin
Pie. Draw winner early enough in November so they can be notified and not
have to purchase their food.
Brown Bag Lunches
Have a brown bag lunch one day. About two weeks prior to that, go to every
business, community college, doctor's office, hospital, etc. Take a menu
where they can pick out what type of sandwich they want (always a cold cut
deli menu), chips or pretzels, apple or orange, and cookie or cake. Sell
lunches for $5.00. Deliver them to the businesses. The mustard, mayonnaise,
salt, and pepper, etc. were donated. Try to get sub rolls donated. Make the
desserts. Take a picture of a cat or dog that has been helped by
organization
and attach it to the bag with a thank you from the animals.
Hold a Lock-Up
Get help from the mall and popular local personality. Try to get IAMS and
PEPSI donated dog food, cat food, and drinks. Build a house out of the cans
of food and drinks. Put personality inside. People will have to buy a crate
of drinks or a can of food (prices varied) before the person can get out.
Sketches
Find a local artist to donate his/her talents for a sketching. In the
sketch
(poster size) have two cats and a dog (etc.) and behind them a local scene.
Example for caption: "The Development of Society can me measured by the way
it treats its animals" a saying by Gandhi. The poster/sketch can sell for
$20.00 each. The printers may be willing to donate the plate and the
printing.
Make a chain
One Humane Society was trying to raise money for a no-kill shelter. They
found out the exact number of dogs and cats that were euthanized at the
local
shelter. They sold strips of paper for 50 cents apiece a blue one for a dog
and a red one for a cat. They stapled these strips together to make a chain.
Of course, most people gave a dollar. People have a tendency to say keep the
change for animals. They then had a candle light vigil and held the chain
for
the news to do a story one. They earned over $2,200.00 on this. A lot came
from donations too.
Paw Prints
Have little cut outs of paw prints. Ask customer to donate $1.00 to
purchase
a paw print. Their names are then written on the paw and hung on the grocery
store window or pet store. (We have seen this with MS and other Charities).
The cashier who could see the most paw prints would win a dinner for two and
Nathans Mom <natha...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:8vflop$upm$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...snip request for ideas
Nancy Holmes or Nelson Ruffin
Karaoke
Find a local bar that allows a karaoke night. Try to get local TV and radio
personalities to be the bartenders. Any tips that they made are donated to
the group. Some bars may be willing to donate 10% of the proceeds. All the
cover charges (ex: $5.00 per person) should go to group.
Have a plant sale
Many of the plants can be donated by a business or the majority of may come
from members who dug them up out of their back yards and planted them in
nice
pots. Excellent spring fundraiser.
Flower Bulbs
Apparently groups can make 55% profit using this product and the program
seems very well thought out. The website is http://www.touchofnature.com and
the deadline for fall fundraising is October 15. (The spring deadline is
March 15). This would be a nice fundraiser to undertake when the snows of
winter are hanging on (for all you easterners) and people are longing for
gardens.
Entertainment coupon book
This has hundreds of coupons for restaurants, hotels, and events all over
the area.
It's that time again, folks . . . Entertainment Book time! The new books
are out and available, and it's time for your group to give this excellent
fundraiser some thought. EB requires no money upfront, allows you to keep
50% of the selling price of the book (usually sells for $35) and will let
you return unsold books. In some cities there are great fall promotions
going on for groups that jointly sign up to sell Entertainment Books (in
Bakersfield, for example, the home of my favorite NPO, there will be a
highly publicized baseball game from which promoters hope to raise
$200,000 to be shared among the groups who sign up to sell EB). So do
inquire if there are promotions going on in your area. Go to
http://www.entertainment.com to look over the program and send for
information.
Diamond Pin Sale
Take a regular safety pin (not the little gold ones but the little larger
silver ones.) The width of the ribbon almost fits exactly the width of the
safety pin rung. Then take your ribbon and cut them into sections about 3-4
inches in length. With the safety pin closed, slip a piece of the ribbon
through the center and bring it down so that the two ends meet. Spread the
two ends apart a bit, so now you have the ribbon over the bottom rung of the
pin (not around the clasp end) and can see both ends of the one ribbon. Then
cut the two ends neat and diagonally. Now you have what sort of looks like a
"badge". Place a dot of super glue between the ribbon. Now place a shiny new
dime (Eisenhower head up) and super glue it to the front of the ribbon.
Voila
- now you have a "Diamond Pin" (actually it's a Dime & Pin) but no one cares
because they are so cute!! You can use a lot of different colors of ribbon
and you can make a lot in just a few minutes. We advertised them: "Get Your
Diamond Pin - $1.00 each". That's enough to get everyone curious to see this
"diamond". Most people bought four or five and wrapped them up for prank
Xmas
gifts. They reported that it was so funny to see them open it and look
confused, then they were able to say, "I bought you a diamond pin!" Each pin
was sold with a little gift card & the pin fit inside the card. The card's
front read
"A SPECIAL GIFT FOR YOU". Then inside the card it read, "All proceeds from
the sale of these DIME&PINs goes toward a SPECIAL cause, or something like
that to describe our fundraiser. Enjoy!
Birthday Party for Pets
Shouldn't pets have birthday parties too!!!! Advertise that you will have
birthday parties for pets at a certain price ($25.00 a party). Of course,
you have donated goodies made by members. Little party favors for other
animals attending. The price of the party includes 5 pictures that you have
taken and will get developed. Word will spread like wildfire if this is
successful.
Raffle off a "day of beauty"
Find a local beauty shop that offers hair care, massage, facials, manicures
and pedicures. Sell raffle tickets for $3.00. Convince the beauty shop to
give the day away for free!
Microchip Clinic- Would be good to do in conjunction with Rabies Clinic.
Avid Microchipping - Hold a microchipping fundraiser for about $5 per pet
Your shelter or rescue group can hold a community microchipping clinic for
a
cost of just $5 per pet chipped and earn $15 or more. Even charging $20 for
this service makes it about half of what a vet would charge, and it's a
great
way to raise money and draw attention to your group. You can use press
releases and public service announcements promoting a microchipping clinic.
AVID has two pricing plans for rescue groups (have to be 501(c)(3)):
$5 gets you just the chip and registration is extra, paid by the pet
owner, and you keep track yourself of your own rescue pets you chip
$10 gets you the chip and lifetime registration that includes pet owner,
alternate contact, administering organization (your rescue group) and
veterinary information (spay/neuter status, meds the dog must take, etc.)
The scanner is free, and they include videos and promotional materials, as
well as info on how to inject it. You also get to choose whether you want
the regular syringe type injector, or another kind that has everything all
in one fancy package if you do a LOT of chips at a time, like an assembly
line type of deal. I was at work when I wrote down the info, but Michael
will tell you about it when you call.
AVID's toll free number is: 800-336-2843
Ask for Michael Burns
Sport Fundraiser
Fundraiser at Baseball Stadium- work in the concession stand and get
a percent of the sales. May have the same opportunity at Hockey games, etc.
Benefit softball game
Have a benefit softball game. If you are lucky enough to have a spring
training stadium in your area, see about them donating the stadium for your
fundraiser. Organize 2 teams, maybe one police and one fire departments, or
for better media coverage of your event, one team of all media and the other
heads of industry in your area. Get a big prize to raffle off at the end of
the game using the entry ticket. With a big prize, you are sure to sell many
tickets and the profit potential is great.
Don't forget the kids!!
They love to help. Our local school had a dance. The admission fee was a
can
of dog food, blanket, toy, leash, etc. Post a wish list at the school.
Make a day of fundraisers
For example: Start at the park in the morning with a car wash/dog wash. Use
little baby pools for the dog wash. Have face painting and clowns for the
kids. Sell hot dogs. Have a dunking booth with local attorneys, doctors, and
TV personalities as victims. Try to get the police department and their dogs
to give a demonstration. Have a household pet dog show, i.e. biggest dog,
waggiest tale, dog/kid look-a-like contest, most talented dog, etc. End the
day with a parade of adoptees.
Rent-a-Pet
Many people cannot have a pet because their landlord will not allow it or
someone in their family is allergic to them or they simply do not have the
time for the commitment. So, you can have them adopt a pet that is in the
shelter. For $5.00 a month, they can adopt a cat or dog and that gives them
the opportunity to come to the shelter and play with the animal. It is a
win/win situation. The animal gets socialization and the person gets to
dote
on a pet --- groom it, walk
it, play with it, etc. It really works!!!!!
Monopoly
It is a board game played like your favorite game (monopoly) except it is
named after YOUR Town and has your local Merchants as the property spots. If
you do it right, you pay nothing to have the game made. You receive all the
profits for your organization. The business on the game get to be there by
paying for a simple ad. Cost of about $300.00 there are 40 spots on the game
to sell. 500 games bring in $10,000 at 20.00 each. Have an artist paint a
picture of cats and dogs watching a T.V. screen with the message of Spay and
Neuter your animals. Group can also took the draw card spots for more
exposure and named the draw cards after organization. Example: Eutha-not
Cards. For information on this great fundraising idea you can contact Pride
Distributors Inc. 1-800-451-5442. Tell them you are interested and they will
send you a package and a free game for you to use to sell the spots. If you
don't sell any ads, you don't get the game made. Just know that if you want
your game to sell, your going to want color on your game and box top, which
runs extra. My suggestion is first decide how many games you want and what
extras you want before you decide how much money to charge the businesses.
Good luck. any questions please e-mail Eutha-not Animal Shelter, Inc at
byp...@mail.com
Down the River Duck Race with a Twist
Find someone to donate 5000 tennis balls, which are then consecutively
numbered. The balls are sold for $2.00 each (suggested price). The balls
that
have been paid for are put in the scoop of a front-end loader and on "race
day" the balls are dumped down a hill in your community. The first ball to
enter the home stretch trough wins the 50% of sales prize money. Of course,
you can still do the down the river duck race if you have a nice river in
your community. Need community cooperation.
Waldenbooks sponsored Book Days
Stand out in front of Waldenbooks and hand out coupons to the people going
in the store. The group receives 25% from each book or magazine purchased.
Ask your local Waldenbooks if they have a Book Days. If they don't, ask if
they would be interested in starting one. Other charities such as schools,
boy and girl scouts, and church groups also participated (on a different
day)
with this fundraiser.
Community Matching Grants
The Community Matching Grant Program is the largest program funded by the
SAM'S Club Foundation. This program involves fundraising efforts by a
501(c)(3) organization at their local SAM'S Club with the participation and
support of the partners at that location. After approval for fundraising,
the
SAM'S Club Foundation will match up to $2,000 of the funds raised at the
SAM'S Club location.
Organizations qualifying for the Matching Grant Program are 501(c)(3)
non-profit organizations or organizations that are exempt from needing
501(c)(3) status, such as public schools, churches, and government
agencies.
To learn more about receiving a grant from your local SAM'S Club, please
see
the Community Involvement Coordinator at the location closest to you.
Rock Climbing
Rent a mobile rock climbing wall (at a discount) and set it up in front of
Wal-Mart. Charge $3 per person to climb the rock. Ask local business to
sponsor the wall so event can be pure profit for the program!
Personalized Children's Books
Can sell the books for $13.95 and make from $3.50 - $4.00 per book.
Have a Kitten Shower
Create a special kitten wish list, blankets, sheets, beds, kitten milk,
kitten food, play pens...etc. Call it a Kitten Shower.
Calendars
Make a calendar of adopted pets with a story about each one on the picture.
Save money by purchasing the Calendar Maker Program as well as having the
calendar bound at Staples.
Animal Express stuffed animals
No money required up front. They will send you a fundraiser pack. You
take
orders collect money. Call in your order, they ship with an invoice. You
then pay the invoice. You have already collected the money. Their web
address
is
http://animalexpress.com.
Garage sales
Mail out flyers to people advertising garage sales in your area & ask them
to donate the left over items and anything else they may have. Offer to
pick
up all items.
Have a Lawn Party
With a silent and live auction plus a dinner with lots of wine flowing.
Bingo
Bake Sales
BBQ or cookout
Hold a Bowl-a-thon
Dog Parade
SIGN UP FOR FREE DOG TOYS FOR YOUR RESCUES!
http://www.dogtoys.com/signuphere.html
This is first come, first serve...
Last month, they sent out
almost 1000 toys to their groups on there... and this
month looks even better!
If you do rescue or have a shelter, get them signed
up!!!!!
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE 501 (3) (c) TO DO THIS
Items to Sell:
Mouse pads and coasters that accept an iron on transfer.
The keychains and pencil toppers are two pieces of plastic that snap
together
with photos inside. To see what everything looks like go to:
http://www.edps-nj.com/cgi/store/perlshop.cgi
The key chains and pencil toppers are listed under snap in products along
with
napkin rings, mirrors, and snow globes. Can also use their brand of
hot/cold
peel transfer paper, mouse pads and coasters. Design the greeting cards and
print them on your printer using the cheaper card stock without the score
line from Staples and buy the envelopes from them as well. It costs about
$16.00 to purchase card stock and envelopes for 100 cards and if they are
folded correctly they look just as nice as the ones made with the more
expensive card stock. Make magnets using the magnet sheets that go through
the printer but
they are very light in weight. Try printing them on photo paper and
attaching them to magnetic material that has an adhesive coating. This is
the
best price I have found so far http://www.magtechmagnets.com/ and the
shipping is free with the minimum order.
Nancy Holmes or Nelson Ruffin
Nu Day Fundraising offers these and the company seems to have a first-class
product and be very well organized indeed. In addition to exceptionally
generous profit margins, Nu Day also provides a complete administration kit
including collection envelopes, tally sheets, and everything you need to
keep
your volunteers on task. This fundraiser would make a nice change from
candy,
as air fresheners are something everyone can use without guilt - one in the
car, one in your locker at the gym, and a couple beside the litter pans. So
go to Nu Day fundraising at www.nudayfundraising.com and take a look at this
very nice product. The air fresheners can be imprinted with your logo at no
extra charge - a nice touch.
Calenders: calendars@ under $1 each to resell.
This is a promotional products supersite. Wait! Before you dismiss it as
being something you don't need, do go and take a look at their 2001 cat and
dog calendars called Little Ones. They are extremely cute, and can, for a
sma
ll setup fee of $25, come customized with the name of your group and (if you
like) a humane message. Go to http://www.westsky.com, click on Calendars,
and
then look for Little Ones Pet. The minimum order is 300 but the unit price
is
only 98 cents each. There's good profit potential there!
(For those of you involved with groups other than cats and dogs, West Sky
has calendars featuring landscapes, ocean scenes, wildlife, gardens . .
.and
many more choices).
Kanine Kookie Kutters-
cookie cutters & recipes ... looks like it could be a $$ maker for the
holidays...
Cookie cutters are: Setter, Cocker, Sheltie/collie, poodle, Scottie,
schnauzer/terrier, hydrant, bone, cat & cartoon dog. For more info,
contact Kanine Kookie Kutters....717-691-3388.
The cutters are sold separately or as a set...
Funds to build a shelter: Bob Barker's foundation- the DJ&T Foundation at
http://www.djtfoundation.org. Go to the website, look over the application,
and read the FAQs. It may or may not come as a surprise to you that this
foundation really does want you to have all your ducks in a row. If you are
thinking of applying to the foundation for funds to build a shelter, you
have
to have done some fundraising on your own, gotten quotes on total costs for
your shelter,
have plans (by that I mean blueprints) - in other words, be very serious
about this. Browse around the site - DJ & T will provide funds for mobile
or stationary shelters nationwide.
Affiliate Programs
There are hundreds of affiliate programs online all claiming to give you or
your group a percentage of the sales generated from your website.
Petsmart.com and Petopia.com are two that are very generous. Igive.com is
another one to look at as well.
IMPORTANT SHELTER/RESCUE FUNDRAISING INFORMATION
Go to http://www.TheShelterProject.com for extensive fundraising resources
- see menu bar on the left hand side and scroll towards the bottom of the
page for the fundraising section.
Suggestions from 4paws fundraising:
4pawsfundraising - http://4pawsfundraising.com
Greetings, fundraisers! Hope your week was a productive one.
First, thanks very much to all the folks who replied to my appeal for help
from the gal who wanted to know about animal-themed certificates and Xmas
animal-themed computer paper. Here are various suggestions:
1. Barnes and Noble had animal-themed Xmas paper last year
2. Current always carries animal-themed Xmas paper (but is it computer
paper??)
3. Paper Direct has a large online catalog and has some animal themes --
they have a large certificate "department" and will let you create online
4. Idea Art will send you a catalog if you call them and they used to
carry animal themes
5. Pipsqueak at 570 253-4330 may have some animal themed
certificates/computer paper www.pipsqueakproductions.com
6. Print Shop (a great and very simple to use graphics program, available
at COSTCO and most computer superstores . . . or online) has a number of
certificate "templates". I fooled around with the one called Mother Cat
and produced a nice little certificate for a free dinner for my friend's
birthday. You can import your own jpgs into this program, as one of this
list's members pointed out, so this may be the answer.
7. MS Publisher has some animal jpgs and also has a certificate-maker
built into its program
Next, here's an interesting variation on a fundraiser. One of the groups
for whom I am ordering mailing labels is sending out Xmas ornaments to
members. I thought this was a very nice idea . . . who wouldn't open
something that looks like a gift? And of course you could include a BRE
for a donation. If you wanted to consider doing this, here's a website
that has a very cute Xmas ornament/stocking. It's called Three Dogs and a
Cat at http://www.threedogsandacat.com and has a small stocking for only
$1.50 wholesale. The paw-shaped stocking is red plush with white felt paw
pads and is nicely lined to accommodate treats. This would make a super gift
for your members, and might well result in more donations than a traditional
Christmas plea for money.
And speaking of Christmas, here's a site that has very inexpensive
wreaths, if wreaths are your cup of tea. Go to Brooks Wreaths at
http://www.brookswreath.com/wreaths.html and take a look at the huge
variety of sizes and products available.
Next, here's an interesting product - Wildside Salmon, a freeze-dried
salmon treat for dogs and cats. This could be a great fundraiser because
the wholesale unit price is very low, and people tend to spoil their pets
around Christmas time (as if we don't spoil them at other times!) The
packaging (very important!) is professional looking and very colorful. You
can order from the website http://www.wildsidesalmon.com.
That's going to do it for this week, fundraisers. Hope you are getting
your ducks in a row for your Christmas mailing . . . if you are doing
anything unusual (like mailing ornaments) would you write and tell me so I
can share the idea with the rest of the group?
Note: When considering going for 501 (c) (3) Non Profit Status, 4 Paws
Fundraising is a great resource. The Non-Profit packet is great, and it
took
me less than an hour. Very clear and concise directions. I paid 49.95 for
the packet, and it was well worth it.
Miscellaneous Useful Resources:
www.arrs.envirolink.org/Faqs+Ref/funding.html
www.idealist.org (recommended)
www.crt-stable.com/exceller/index.html
www.fundsnetservices.com/animals.htm
www.fema.gov/cgi-shl/dbml.exe?
http://wildliferehab.virtualave.net
http://wordanimal.net/wan.html
www.tiac.net/users/sbr/animals.html
http://webdirectory.com/Animals
http://www.nolo.com/product/NNP/forms_NNP.html?t=03140000003202000
Strategic Resources for Companion Animal Welfare Initiatives Run by Groups
and Individuals:
http://www.nvo.com/onlineshelter/puttingyourorganizationonoursite/
- If you're not a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization, you can now accept
donations of needed goods and services as a member organization. In order
to provide this valuable opportunity, we will be utilizing our non-profit
status on your behalf to provide your donors with the appropriate tax
deduction*
- Members will be able to Accept Donations by Visa, Mastercard and Check
Online, even if you don't currently have a website, thereby creating a new
revenue stream for your efforts. You can also join and benefit from
lucrative affiliate programs like those at PetSmart, Petco, Petopia,
and hundreds more
- Members Can Increase Adoptions, Financial and Other Donations, Publicity,
Community Awareness, Volunteers and Fundraising Activities using our site's
resources
NOTE:
In most cases, it takes money to earn money. You may spend a little, but
you
will end up earning a lot. For example, if you auction off a turkey dinner,
you may have to buy the turkey, stuffing, etc. So, we found that we held a
few fundraisers that cost us nothing --- the yard sale costs nothing and the
Christmas Tree fundraiser probably cost about $20.00 out of pocket. Take
some
of the proceeds and put into an account separate from your shelter
fundraising or spay/neuter so you can use that to conduct more fundraisers
that may entail expense. We basically had a Fundraising Account.
Tread Cautiously when Fundraising Online
More and more non-profits are using the Internet in new and innovative ways
to further their charitable goals. Not surprisingly, one of the strongest
growth areas of Internet use by non-profits is online fund raising, either
through solicitations on a charity's own web site, or by partnering with one
of the many online "e-commerce" sites. Although these mechanisms can
generate
new revenues in some cases, from a legal and self-protection standpoint
online fundraising is a relatively new and uncharted area. When
contemplating
online fundraising activities, non-profits should consider a variety of
issues before proceeding. Most non-profits in New Jersey are aware that they
must register with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, Charities
Registration Section, prior to soliciting funds in the state. However, many
may not know that a growing number of state regulators around the nation
have
concluded that a non-profit that requests donations online is "soliciting"
donations in any state whose residents actually access the site. The states
have taken this position whether the charity is soliciting funds via its own
Web site or on one of the growing number of "commercial donation" sites
(such
as www.igive.com or www.givetocharity.com), where donors can contribute
online to charities that are registered with the site. This means that
non-profits that solicit over the internet may be required to comply with
the charitable registration and reporting requirements of as many as 39
states. The state of Florida, for example, has begun to require
organizations to register in certain instances, and has actually taken
action against at least one charity that was enrolled in an online
"commercial donation service" but was not registered with that
state. New Jersey charity officials have told us that they, too, consider
any Internet solicitation accessed by New Jersey residents to be an
in-state
solicitation, requiring registration and reporting. In an attempt to
address
the problem, the National Association of State Charity Officials (NASCO)
and
the National Association of Attorneys General
(NAAG), in partnership with non-profit leaders and others, have developed a
Unified Registration Statement (URS), a standardized registration form now
accepted by 33 states including New Jersey. The URS is one part of the
Standardized Reporting Project, a larger NAAG/NASCO effort to streamline and
standardize compliance under the various state solicitation laws. The URS is
useful for organizations that solicit funds in multiple states, whether
online or via other means (such as direct mail). However, the URS alone
provides only limited relief to the burdens of multi-state filing. Even if a
charity uses the URS it must still pay the necessary filing fees of each
state in which it is required to register, and these costs can add up
quickly. It is also important to note that the URS is a registration
document
only. It cannot be used to satisfy annual financial reporting obligations
of
a given state. Efforts are underway to develop standardized financial
reporting forms, as well as registration and annual report forms for
independent paid fundraisers and fund raising counsel. Non-profits seeking
to
partner with a for-profit entity in an online cause-related marketing
venture (for example, a percentage of the sale of the for-profit's goods or
services will be donated to the charity) should carefully examine the legal
and tax implications before proceeding. Just as is the case with such
partnerships "offline," revenue derived from these arrangements may be
subject to Unrelated Business Income Tax, depending upon how the arrangement
is structured. The Internet holds many exciting possibilities for furthering
a non-profit's goals. But as with any evolving field, exercising due caution
is always advisable. A little up-front investment in time, research and
consultation with appropriate professionals such as attorneys, accountants
or
the Center, can help your organization avert a great deal of trouble in the
long run. For a more thorough discussion of the pros and cons of online fund
raising, see "Using the Internet for Fundraising," by Eric Mercer. The
article is available online at the Internet Nonprofit Center's Web site at
<http://www.nonprofits.org/misc/981027em.html.
Who Wants to Be a Fundraiser?
It may not win you a million dollars from game show host Regis Philbin, but
a new publication from the Nonprofit Risk Management Center can certainly
help you raise more funds for your organization.
At a time when foundations often reward specific programs and expect
definitive outcomes, fundraising can be a laborious task. No Strings
Attached: Untangling the risks of fundraising & collaboration suggests ways
to make the process a bit easier.
Covering everything from corporate to individual donors, the book
recommends
doing your research to make sure potential donors share your organization's
goals. Chapters are devoted to such topics as the budgeting process, the
solicitation of foundation grants, different contribution arrangements for
individual donors, partnerships with corporations, and restricted grants
that
require funds to be designated not for general use but for specific
projects.
No Strings Attached also provides a list of resources for fundraising
organizations. To learn more, contact the Nonprofit Risk Management Center,
1001 Connecticut Ave., NW, Ste. 410, Washington, DC 20036; 202-785-3891;
www.nonprofitrisk.org.
Chris Williams
The painting's got me going. Bet i can train a member of the pack to
paint at fundraisers.
Nancy Holmes or Nelson Ruffin
Also I suggested to petfinder.org that they add a fundraising ideas section
and they added it to their message board area - I don't know what is there
and have not posted this stuff there as yet - feel free to do so if you want
:-)
Nancy
Chris Williams <k9a...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:26849-3A...@storefull-113.iap.bryant.webtv.net...
spank...@webtv.net
I noticed quite a few excellent ideas. I hope I don't repeat any. Some
of the things our shelter does in this area(Northern WI)is:
--"Courtesy Card" --that is where area businesses offer discounts and
free services and they are listed on a little pamphlet/card. People buy
them from volunteers and the money all goes to the humane society.
Businesses benefit from the free advertising and it might be tax
deductible too.
--recycle aluminum cans--our shelter had donation sites for people to
drop off aluminum cans for recycling. Sometimes volunteers go and pick
up the cans too. This isn't a big money maker, but it usually is a
constant one and every little bit helps.
--Get the dogs involved in the public. A lot of people take dogs to
nursing homes, hospitals(if allowed), schools, and camps.(I actually
take my Collies to many of these places). When someone does this-call a
local newspaper and have them cover the story-advertising is a big help.
This will also put your adoptable pets in the public's eye.
--Ask businesses for donations of products(cleaners, pet food, toys,
bedding, ect). Also ask businesses like hotels, carpet manufacturers
ect. for donations of used or non saleable items. I worked in retail
for some time and I know that a lot of manufacturers prefer that the
stores destroy the defective merchandise rather than send it back.
Hotels often replace the bedding materials they use, these make
wonderful mats for pets.
--do you accept Snuggles donations??? If you don't look up the Hugs for
Homeless animals website and sign up.
--Ask businesses to sponser ads in the local newspapers for adoptable
pets. Many area businesses here do that for the free advertising it
provides.
--Get volunteers to design posters advertising the animals-many public
places provide bulletin boards where you can put them.
--Portray the animals in a personal light. People are more apt to help
a pitiful story than a basic good pet. Give people a feeling that they
"know the animal". Our shelter here is not too familiar with the
personalities of the animals they house.(Trust me, my first collie was
from their facility).
--Increase public awareness about adopting a pet from a shelter-many shy
away from things they do not know or understand.
--I have a thousand more ideas, if you would like more I would be happy
to brainstorm and send you some more.(I enjoy looking into other
shelters websites--wanting to help and have found many ideas there. If
you would like some more ideas-please email me at spank...@webtv.net
and I would be happy to do some research and brainstorming on your
behalf.
The best advice I have for you is to keep the public involved. Our
sheter here is a bit resistant to new ideas. Their idea of volunteering
is to wash and walk the dogs or write a check. With 3 collies and a
full time job I don't have a lot of time or money, but have a lot of
ideas and a willingness to help. I have tried to offer my help in other
ways with ideas but they had no interest whatsoever. I hope I can be of
help to you in any way.
Thanks
Deb
http://community.webtv.net/spanklefish/DebsPictureGallery
Milliemah
>something that will bring in lots of money. Does anyone have any good
>ideas?
How about establishing a thrift store as some steady income? This can also
help in reaching memebers of the public with information about your
organization
Chris Williams
> some steady income? This can also
> help in reaching memebers of the public
> with information about your organization
ability to staff if with enough dependable volunteers.
Perhaps recruitment should be our priority?
S.Dunlap
One group in my area has managed to get some space donated where they can
arrange and store thrift store type things. They have once a month regularly
scheduled "garage sales." It combines the thrift store idea (inside,
everything on shelves or hanging) with the garage sale schedule. The benefit
with this is as you get volunteers who might be willing to run a thrift
store, you already have it set up. You might try recruiting for thrift store
volunteers at local retiree organizations. There is often a lot of great
experience there in the way of retired shopkeepers, clerks, etc. who can set
up a store to be most productive.
Sandi
Chris Williams
> volunteers at local retiree organizations.
resource in rescue.
epic...@earthlink.net
Chris Williams wrote:
>
> >How about establishing a thrift store as
> > some steady income? This can also
> > help in reaching memebers of the public
> > with information about your organization
> That's a good idea, and one we've considered. But we doubt our
> ability to staff if with enough dependable volunteers.
> Perhaps recruitment should be our priority?
Off hand idea. How about some Boyscouts trying to get their Eagle badge?
Wayne
Milliemah
>ability to staff if with enough dependable volunteers.
> Perhaps recruitment should be our priority?
Yes, a very good idea. You need to establish someone as a volunteer
coordinator. You might start out with less hours to begin with. How about
yard sales? Also, check with local merchants who will sometimes have a special
night for your group with some of proceeds going to your organization.
Milliemah
>resource in rescue.
>
S.Dunlap
> >You might try recruiting for thrift store
> > volunteers at local retiree organizations.
> resource in rescue.
>
almost exclusively by seniors. And...many of them know what some of the odd
antique things that often show up in stores like that are! I found a pair
of antique sheep shears in one animal rescue place..the younger volunteers
had no idea what it was, put the seniors did! LOL
Sandi
Sandi