You’re not the only one. The good news is that there are other school fundraising ideas besides coordinating a special event or conducting a catalog-based fundraiser.

These often end up overwhelming your supporters with multiple fund raising products that aren’t everyday items for most people.

In this series, we’ll take a look at three school fundraising ideas. Part One looks at Discount Shopping Cards.

These are simple products that your group can offer that provide these benefits:

1) They are easy to sell 2) They offer good value 3) They produce excellent results

Using Discount Shopping Cards for your school fundraiser has benefits that are easy to explain to your supporters, they have widespread appeal, and each can be offered for immediate sale or sold via a simple brochure.

School Fundraising Ideas: Discount Shopping Card

What exactly is a discount shopping card?

It is a wallet-sized card packed with a selection of prearranged discounts at local and national merchants in your area. Most usually contain a dozen special offers that save the bearer either a fixed amount or a percentage discount.

Each card usually retails for $10 and provides for almost unlimited usage of the special offers. The only exception is when you custom design a card to feature a special one-time only discount from a sponsoring merchant.

This type of premium offering is often worth half the purchase price all by itself, such as a $5 discount from a national oil change company.

Other money saving examples include free drinks with a fast food order, $1 or more off on a submarine sandwich, savings on video rentals, haircut discounts, free ice cream, and other special offers.

Because of their high perceived value (what family doesn’t want to save money these days?), these are excellent fundraisers.

Discount cards can often produce impressive unit sales per participant. It’s not unusual for each seller to make ten or more sales.

Another interesting benefit is the unique customization of the discount card. Many suppliers can place your schools’ name and logo on the front side of each card. This firmly affixes your group’s value proposition in their minds for the next time around.

Cards are usually good for a one year period and bear an expiration date on the front. This creates a built-in market for repeat sales.

In the supplier cross-reference section of my book, Fundraising Success, I list 27 suppliers for these discount cards.

As with any type of fund raising product it pays to do more than a little supplier research.

Costs for 1,000 unit batches begin at $6 with many of them and drop as low as $1.00 from the best suppliers.

Among school fund raising ideas, discount shopping cards are a perennial favorite. They also make a good overlay or add-on item for a catalog fundraiser.

Using Discount Shopping Cards for your school offers a great profit for the school and a great value for your customers.

Product Selection In youth sports fundraising, it’s so important to select the right products to sell. The right selection is one that has mass appeal, an above average price point, and good profit margins.

Don’t sell what’s always been sold every year. Consider choosing items that meet the criteria below.

Product Price Point Your product offering should be at an attractive price point. This means it should be neither high nor low, but rather right in the comfort zone that encourages people to open their wallets.

If you’re selling a low-priced product, you are at a disadvantage because you aren’t maximizing your revenue from each prospect. In this situation, try bundling a small quantity together and ask for more dollars.

For example, if candy bars are being sold for $1 each, put together variety three-packs or a family ten-pack. Get your prospect thinking bigger numbers. Many of them will step up to the bundle.

Product Profitability It’s important that your fundraising product has a high profit margin. Ideally, you’d like to make 80% or more if you can. This would be products like discount cards for two-for-one deals at fast food places.

Many standard items have a profit margin of 50% and that’s OK. It just means that you’ll have to pump up the volume to make the same net that you would with higher profit items.

If the product chosen is one with a lower profit range of say 40%, then it needs to either be a higher-priced item or it needs to be likely to inspire quantity orders from each prospect. For example, cookie dough is often in this range, but price points are $10 & up. Many families will buy two or three units.

Sales Script Don’t send your sellers out unprepared. Part of youth sports is teaching and helping kids with their sales skills goes a long way toward building self confidence.

Here’s what to tell them: 1 – Make eye contact, smile and introduce yourself. 2 – Say one sentence about why you are raising funds. 3 – Say second sentence that asks for their help. 4 – Make sure that sentence includes the word “because”. 5 – Extend sample item, catalog, or order sheet. 6 – Suggest a personal favorite item or bundle. 7 – Always ask for the order.

Prospect, Prospect, Prospect Now that your kids know what to say, they have to have prospects for their sales pitch. You can’t set sales records without having a large supply of prospective customers.

Have everyone make a list of their potential customers. Have them do it as a team exercise and make sure they write them down. It’s very important to do this and to have each seller commit publicly to doing their part.

Have each seller stand up in front of their teammates and state how many prospects they have. Then have them make a commitment to raising a certain financial amount. Set minimum amounts and encourage competition by offering prizes for various achievement levels.

Location, Location, Location Another way to boost your youth sports fundraising is by going where the prospects are. Your group can reach incredible numbers of people just by setting up fundraiser sales tables at entrances to high-traffic retail locations.

Grocery stores, home improvement stores, and mass merchandisers are all places where hundreds of prospects are available. Get permission well in advance from the store manager.

Set up a small table to display your fundraising product items. Staff your spot with two adults and two kids for each 90-minute shift.

Decorate the area with league banners and large-lettered signs explaining your offer. Your signs must inform them well in advance of reaching your display and sales table. That way, those interested in helping your sports team will be primed to stop and will be more receptive to hearing each youth’s sales pitch.

Example: “New Uniform Fundraiser” “Tasty 3 lb. Cookie Dough – $10″

Imagine how many potential prospects there are at those locations who are completely outside your normal range of contacts. Now, go out there and sell them something!

Have Fun Always make raising funds fun for the kids. Their emotions are subconsciously communicated to each potential prospect.

If they are smiling while cheerfully communicating your team’s need and asking for help, then chances are good they’ll get a favorable response.

If they’re looking down and mumbling some garbled sales spiel, then chances are more people will pass on the offer. The way to get them involved is to have some competition going, have some fun activities built around the process, and have some rewards waiting for success.

For example, post a list at each team practice of the top sellers. Everybody loves to be recognized!

Do a fun activity just for those who help out by working the retail location sales table. Take the participants bowling or to a batting cage or a golf driving range. It’ll bond fathers and sons and encourage increased participation.

Have a rewards party after the fundraiser wraps up. A simple pizza party or group picnic is sufficient. Just make sure that everyone gets recognized for pitching in.

Allow the kids time to run around and enjoy themselves. After all, isn’t youth sports all about having fun?

Follow these seven tips and your team’s fundraising effort will be a big success.

Are you a church leader or are you a member of a church group that is actively looking for ways to improve your congregation, your community, as well as the world in general? If you are, you may be looking to raise money. Whether you are interested raising money that can be used to performed needed church updates or repairs or if you are looking to support a worthy issue and cause, such as cancer research, you may want to examine community dinners, especially those that are used as fundraisers.

Before further examining why community dinners make for the perfect fundraisers, it is best to focus on fundraising first. Does your church regularly hold fundraisers? While many church groups do use fundraisers to their advantage, there are many who prefer to not burden the community. Of course, it is your decision or the decision of your church leaders, whether or not you want to hold fundraisers. With that in mind, you should know that most fundraisers are successful. Individuals, companies, churches, and other non-profit organizations have been relying on fundraisers to help them raise money for decades now. That just goes to show how successful they can be.

If you are still unsure as to whether or not a fundraiser is right for you, you may want to consider brining fundraising to the attention of your church congregation. Although community dinners are a great fundraiser to have, you will find that they are not your only options. That is why it is advised that you do not limit yourself when it comes to fundraising. Asking your church members at your next church meeting or service if they feel that fundraising for your local church group or another needy non-profit organization is a good idea. If the overall feeling is that it is okay, you may want to ask those in your group for suggestions. As previously stated, community dinners are a great fundraiser; therefore, it is likely something that you will hear as a suggestion.

As nice as it is to hear that dinners make for great fundraising events, you may be wondering exactly why that is so. For starters, it is important to focus on the costs. When hosting a community dinner, you do not have to go with fancy or expensive foods. Popular community dinner foods include pizza, affordable barbeque foods, as well as spaghetti. The ability to purchase your food and drinks in bulk may make your next fundraiser an affordable one. It is also important to mention that your church should have tax-exempt status; therefore, many of your needed supplies should be tax-free.

Another one of the many reasons why a community dinner is ideal for a fundraiser is because they are relatively easy to organize. As long as you carefully choose which foods you plan on serving, you should find that planning for and preparing for a community dinner is relatively easy. This also including the cook time. If you would like to offer side dishes or desserts, you may want to ask that some of your congregation members bake a few items for your next community dinner.

To ensure that your next community dinner, should you decide to have one as a fundraiser, is popular, you may want to consider examining large dining areas in or around your community. Many times, you may find that some business owners or hotels will donate the use of their banquet rooms for a few hours, especially for a good cause. A change of scenery may attract more eaters. It is also important to ensure that your meal prices or requested donations are affordable. You may want to consider offering discounts for couples or families.

As outlined above, community dinners can make for some great fundraising events. With that in mind, it also important to remember that you do have other options. For more information on those options, you can use the internet to your advantage or ask those that you know, preferably other church goers, for recommendations.

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Starting in 2005, if the claimed value of your donated car exceeds $500 and the item is sold by the charitable organization, your tax deduction is limited to the amount of money the charitable organization actually receives from selling the vehicle.

The charitable organization must provide you (the donor) with a written acknowledgement within thirty days of the sale, specifically stating the net amount they received for selling your donated car.

As an example, let’s say you make a car donation to a non-profit charity, and the fair market value of that car is $5,000. The charity then sells the car without “significant use” or “material improvement”, for a total sale price of $2,500. Your deduction is limited to $2,500, not the $5,000 fair market value.

This is substantially different than earlier years when you could deduct the entire estimated fair market value instead of the amount that the car donation actually raised for the charity.

Another caveat is that many non-profit organizations use a third-party administrative service to handle the pick-up and auction sale or your car donation. The resulting administrative fees are often 20% or more of what the car sells for at auction.

Your tax deduction is correspondingly lowered by the amount of third-party fees because the net amount the charity receives has been reduced. In the example above, your car donation deduction would be reduced from $2,500 to $2,000.

There are a few exceptions to these car donation tax deduction rules of thumb that are recognized by the IRS.

Car Donations: Significant Use & Material Improvements If the charity significantly uses or materially improves the vehicle, they must certify that in the form of an acknowledgement to the donor (within 30 days of the contribution).

In the case of significant use or material improvement, the donor may usually deduct the vehicle’s market value ($4,000 in the example above).

To be considered “significant use”: An organization must use the vehicle to substantially further its regularly conducted activities.

The recipient organization’s use of the vehicle:

1 – Must not be insignificant 2 – Must not be intended at the time of the donation

Significance also depends on the frequency and duration of use by the non-profit organization.

“Material improvement” includes major repairs or other improvements that significantly increase the vehicle’s value. Cleaning the vehicle, minor repairs, and routine maintenance are not material improvements.

Make sure you don’t get misled by a car donation sales pitch claiming higher tax deductions than the IRS allows.

See IRS Publication 561, Determining the Value of Donated Property

Whichever fundraiser you choose for your group, consider the amount of time and resources you will need to accomplish your goal. Ask anyone who has organized a quick and easy fundraiser, and they will tell you there was not much quick and easy about it. That’s where tried and true fundraisers come in.

Try one of these ideas for your next fundraiser:

Yard Sale/Garage Sale Athlet-A-Thon Events Product Sales Car Wash Overlay Fundraiser

Yard Sale/Garage Sale Parents, neighbors, family members all donate their unneeded belongings to the cause. Locate a site to hold your sale. One person’s yard or the parking lot of a business work well, with permission of course. Advertise cheaply in the local newspaper and by using flyers.

Increase your traffic by advertising that this is a multi-family sale. Each family can attend their own table or you can schedule block times for groups of volunteers to work. How many working volunteers you need will depend on how much stuff you collect. By the end of your sale, you will see that, indeed, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

Athlet-A-Thon Events Called by various names, these “thon” events not only raise money, but showcase the talents of the team! Each team member gets sponsors to sign up for a flat amount or a certain amount they will pay per lap, distance throw, accurate kick, whatever talent or group of talents works best for your team.

Your target sponsors can be local businesses, neighbors, family members, and so on. Save money by making your own pledge forms.

Product Sales Product sale fundraisers can vary in duration and complexity.

There are three basic categories of product sales:

Immediate sale Flyer sale Catalog sale

If simplicity is your goal, go for the immediate sale, or cash and carry items. These are usually low ticket items and often involve something edible. Consider the size of your target audience and order products accordingly. You don’t want to get stuck with leftovers.

For medium complexity and higher revenue and profit than immediate sales, is the one to two-page flyer offering products from a similar category. This is more complex than a cash and carry sale because a second visit to the customer is required to deliver the products they bought.

The more complex product sale fundraiser is the catalog sale. Suppliers offer all kinds of product catalogs from candy or seasonal items to safety and first aid kits. Because catalogs offer a wider variety, the first sales call is more involved. Before choosing which catalog your team offers, consider who you will be selling to. The usual suspects are family members, neighbors, co-workers and local businesses.

Knowing what other area groups are selling or have recently sold can help determine what kind of product you choose to sell. Imagine trying to sell sweet treats on the heels of the Girl Scouts cookie sale. Knowing your competition can determine your level of success.

Car Wash The most tried and true of them all, the car wash stands true as a great way to raise money. Some advanced planning is involved and getting your volunteers lined up is an important step. Secure a place to hold your car wash; many gas stations and convenience stores are very approachable about having a car wash at their site. It increases their traffic and brings in more potential customers.

You will need a water source (or two), cleaning supplies, promotional posters, and plenty of car washers. Be sure to have some of your volunteers holding signs where passing traffic can see them. Waving car wash signs at a safe location near a busy intersection works well. You can charge a certain amount per vehicle, or simply ask for donations. Often, taking donations reaps more money than a flat fee per car.

Profit Tip: Use An Overlay Any of these tried and true fundraising methods can be enhance by doing an overlay fundraiser. Do a cash and carry product sale or bake sale at your yard sale, car wash, or “thon” event. While you’ve got your resources gathered, take advantage of it and make as much money at one event as possible. Who knows, you might not have to do that second fundraiser after all!

For any fundraising effort, always make sure your team members are safe and supervised. Be sure each team member can tell a potential “customer” what group they represent and why they are raising money. Everyone should also know what the collective goal is, and the average amount each individual needs to attain to make that collective goal.

By using a tried and true fundraiser, you are using a proven method for your team’s fundraising success.

Offering something families use and spend discretionary income on is a great idea. The good news is that there are other school fundraising ideas besides coordinating a special event or conducting a catalog-based fundraiser.

These often end up overwhelming your supporters with multiple fund raising products that aren’t everyday items for most people.

In this series, we’ll take a look at three school fundraising ideas. Part Three looks at Prepaid Phone Cards.

These are simple products that your group can offer that provide these benefits:

1) They are easy to sell 2) They offer good value 3) They produce excellent results

School Fundraising Ideas: Prepaid Phone Cards

What do I need to know about prepaid phone cards?

Phone cards can be used for fund raising purposes just like the discount cards. Several suppliers offer a $10 card that can be customized with your group’s name and logo.

For an extra fee, you can even get custom artwork on the front of each card, thereby reinforcing your “brand.”

Prepaid phone cards are also available in different face values with variations in minutes included, international rates, access charges, etc. Most common are denominations of $20, $25, and $30.

Profit margins on prepaid phone cards are similar to other school fundraising ideas that are product-based. The trick is to source ones that offer excellent value to your supporters.

Think in terms of potential users, i.e. families with college students, distant relatives, people that travel frequently, or individuals who make international calls.

Look for features and offerings that would appeal to these user groups. Because of the variety, customization, and large market, phone cards are great school fundraising ideas.

What you’ll usually find is that you can’t equal the best deal offered by mega-retailers like Wal-Mart, Target, and K-Mart while still maintaining a desirable 40% profit margin.

So, in evaluating school fundraisers like phone cards, you face a choice of staying with a $10 card that offers decent value or leveraging the best offerings available in the retail market.

Consider putting together a one-page brochure based on the AT&T phone cards offered by Wal-Mart. Instead of a 60-70 minute card that sells for $10, think about reselling the AT&T 120 minute card for $15.

While putting together your sales pitch, play up the value of being able to add additional minutes in the future either through Wal-Mart or AT&T at a great per minute rate.

You can make a three or four choice brochure with profit margins in the 25% to 35% range. The phone cards still offer excellent value and name brand recognition. A 120-minute card costs $10, a 250-minute card costs $18, and a 500-minute card costs $30.

Use your brochure for order taking and try to arrange a special bulk discount with your local Wal-Mart. They are fundraiser friendly!

Phone cards are also among the top school fundraisers for overall profitability each year.

Selling discount cards and prepaid phone cards positions you for a better chance at a larger portion of your supporters’ spending.

And, because of their high unit volumes, healthy profit margins, and ease of sale, they are excellent school fundraisers because they’ll produce exceptional profits.

Make sure your group gets your share!

Both are important to any fundraiser, but they are absolutely critical for pulling off a successful event. You have to generate enough publicity to draw a sizable audience and you must motivate the attendees to support your program.

So, which fundraising events shall we talk about?

Three Event Ideas:

1- Get The Picture 2- Rubber Duck Derby 3- Clean Comedians

#1 – Get The Picture Get The Picture is a name I coined for portrait event fundraisers. The idea here is to offer family portraits, glamour shots, vintage photos, and other “dressy” pictures.

You’ll need a central location with plenty of room for costume changes, picture-taking backdrops, and a waiting area. The best times are usually Saturdays. Pre-sell the event with flyers and reserved session” tickets.

You’ll want to get photo commitments up front from 250 people to make this worth your while.

Your sales pitch should “Focus on the Fun:” Capture The Moment (before it slips away) Dress up Picture Party (be there or be square) Goofy Faces Wanted! (yours included)

Or tug at the heart: When’s the last time you sent a family photo Christmas card? They’re not getting any younger… Get a portrait! Mother/daughter, Father/son – Pictures last a lifetime!

Your group can coordinate with a local photographer or partner with a national photography chain. One that I recommend is Vista Studios. They offer a 10×13 family portrait for $8 and your group gets paid $6, plus additional performance bonuses.

#2 – Rubber Duck Derby The Rubber Duck Derby is an easy and fun fund-raising event that can be scaled in size to fit your group’s supporter base. The actual event, crazy as it may sound, involves racing rubber ducks down a local waterway.

Your local community “adopts” the ducks for a chance to win valuable donated prizes. Duck races have become a unique and profitable event for many charities.

Your group sells a ticket linked to a number that’s painted on one of the racing rubber ducks. Depending on the prizes involved, tickets are priced somewhere between $5-$10 a ticket.

A standard size for a race is 3,000 rubber ducks, but you can adjust that up or down depending on the size of your group and the amount you need to raise.

Large plastic bags full of the ducks are simultaneously emptied into the water. The winning duck is the one that floats to the finish line first.

It adds a little extra zing to the old-fashioned raffle ticket sale. Prizes can also be awarded in various categories to add to the festivities. Many groups organize their “race” around a group picnic near the waterway and make a leisurely afternoon out of your fundraiser event.

A company called Great American Duck Races can supply you with everything you need.

#3 – Clean Comedians The third of our fundraising events is Clean Comedians. They offer over 50 performers capable of meeting almost any entertainment need. These hilarious entertainers will have your audience rolling with laughter — and no one will be offended!

All you need to coordinate is a hall or auditorium and arrange an audience. Sell tickets up front or at the door. If you want to make additional funds, you can also offer food items as well.

If your group is small, partner with another organization and split the profits. Many groups are reporting record giving with this unique “Bucks through Yuks” approach.

Hundreds of schools have used Clean Comedians for years to provide top quality entertainment for their students. From stand-up comedians and impressionists – to musicians, magicians, and jugglers – their performers provide outstanding, clean entertainment for any group.

Not only are these guys hilarious entertainment, but each performer also has several messages focusing on important issues students face today.

Performances can be arranged at this web site: Clean Comedians

Special Events – Wrap-up Pick an event that suits the talents and size of your group. Then, focus your energies in getting your message out to your potential supporters. These fundraiser events will do the rest.

So the critical question is: how do you maintain real interest on the part of customers so as to keep support for your group strong, and how do you keep your salespeople from flagging, losing energy and interest in raising money for your organization? Although there are many potential solutions, here are just a few examples to get started with.

In order to keep customer interest high, and as a way of maintaining goodwill, sell different products during each fundraiser throughout the year. There’s nothing wrong with repeating a successful fundraiser, but once a year is probably more than enough – even an extremely popular fundraising option can quickly lead to customer burnout if it’s repeated too frequently.

As a matter of maintaining customer goodwill, offer useful products and services in your fundraisers – everyone loves cookies and chocolates, but there comes a point where customers will only be buying them to support the organization; some will just quit buying them at all. If you find a way to provide goods or services that supporters of the organization already want, then they are able to support your organization by buying something that they might have somewhere else anyway – a win-win situation.

As a corollary of this, be sure not to have too many fundraisers – you’re better off with a few wildly successful ones than a dozen mediocre fundraising programs – customers will buy more readily when they’re asked to buy less often, and salespeople can stay excited if they’re not asked to sell constantly.

To keep your salespeople excited, offer creative incentives to encourage them to compete with one another. Depending on your organization, the chance to throw pies at a principal or dunk some other authority figure could go over very well. Also, make the connection obvious – show your salespeople the benefits that the organization will see from fundraising and by extension the benefits that they themselves will see.

There are many other ways to keep fundraising fun and ensure that your customers and salespeople stay interested – just make sure to use common sense and think positively and creatively – your organization is bound to be successful!

Many people carry the belief that people who own Harley Davidson motorcycles are hardcore, tattoo-laden, testosterone-filled men who drink hard liquor and end up in bar room brawls. While this profile makes for a good Hollywood movie, the vast majority of Harley owners are laid-back, friendly individuals who give back to the community.

Harley Davidson has gone to great lengths to build a community of camaraderie amongst those who own a harley. The wildly successful Harley Owners Group (HOG) has over 1 million members worldwide. With local chapters around the globe, members unite to share their passion for the Harley-Davidson lifestyle.

Harley Davidson owners include men and women who range in age from 18 to 88. Some harley owners have been riding Harley Davidson motorcycles for more than 50 years. Many of the soldiers who served in WWII became avid fans of the motorcycle, as they were frequently used for transportation during wartime. A few of these soldiers still ride today.

The female population of harley riders has significantly increased during the past two decades. Perhaps the most famous female Harley motorcyclists are Avis and Effie Hotchkiss. In 1915, this mother and daughter duo traveled from New York to California on a three-speed V-Twin with a sidecar.

Another female trendsetter was Linda Dugeau, co-founder of the Motor Maids, Inc. Linda began riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle in 1932. She traveled around the United States and stories about her travels were published in Motorcyclist magazine. In 1938, Dugeau began establishing a network of female motorcyclists, which officially became The Motor Maids. The organization was chartered with the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1941, making it the oldest motorcycle organization for women in North America.

Women of all ages and backgrounds are showing an interest in motorcycles and the lifestyle they offer. Not only are more females riding street bikes, they are also participating in motorcycle racing. Female celebrities, such as pop singer, Pink and supermodel, Niki Taylor, are jumping into the driver’s seat of harley’s and encouraging other women to ride.

Harley-Davidson dedicates an entire section to women harley owners, where women can learn to ride, connect with others, read inspirational stories, and get involved with the many activities Harley Davidson has to offer.

Motorcycle riding is quickly becoming a favorite family activity. Safety equipment is available to protect children while riding and include tether straps, helmets, jackets, chaps, and gloves. Touring bikes and cruisers make it relatively easy to take the kids on a weekend camping or road trip.

Many members of the military are avid harley riders. They love the feeling they experience when they hit the road and connect with their fellow brothers and sisters through sponsored events or charity rides. Harley-Davidson promotes multiple rides for U.S. troops and Veterans.

A common trait of people who own Harley Davidson motorcycles is that of a giving nature. Harley owners frequently embark on charity rides to help national organizations or to provide for the needs of someone in their local community.

Harley owners have raised millions of dollars in their fundraising efforts and have donated to cancer research, Alzheimer’s research, Autism and many other worthy causes.

There is a tremendous amount of camaraderie and friendship amongst harley owners. They are a group of passionate people who love the thrill of adventure. One thing is for certain… there is no other sport that brings together such a diverse group of people from all backgrounds and ages.

Here are some fundraising publicity tips:

Publicity Tip #1 – Use your website If you don’t have one, get one. Use it to communicate your goals,thank your sponsors, highlight periodic offerings, recognize successes, honor individual contributors, etc.

Promote your web site on all your materials.

Publicity Tip #2 – Actively seek more publicity Get the word out about your fundraiser in as many ways as possible. Get into as many neighborhood newsletters and other public forms of communication as you can.

Send out press releases to the local media and invite coverage with photo opps at your fun events.

Publicity Tip #3 – Utilize any gathering Make announcements at other events to spread the word, display products, take orders, make sales, and recruit volunteers.

Take a joint venture approach to marketing your group by giving something of value back to all those who join your team.

Publicity Tip #4 – Goal awareness Heavily promote the goal of your fundraiser in all communications, particularly between sellers and buyers. A good cause gets the money out.

Make sure that all participants know the specific reason why the money is being raised.

Publicity Tip #5 – Communication Use all available means of increasing awareness of your group’s efforts including roadside signs, e-mail lists, phone calling tree, newsletter, flyers, posters, bulletin boards, recorded hotline messages, etc.

Publicity Tip #6 – Sponsorship decals Offer these free to supporting merchants. Sell to membership level supporters. Use the glass stick-on type for storefronts or vehicle windows.

This “branding” gets the word out to the community that your organization has a strong support base.

Publicity Tip #7 – Bumper stickers Sell your organization year round with every fundraiser by offering one that says “Proud Supporter of _____.” Give one to every volunteer and group member.

Publicity Tip #8 – Flyers everywhere Hit local mailboxes (follow postal regulations) and car windshields in shopping centers. Give fundraiser details in your flyer in a way that promotes sales and gives contact information.

Put a coupon or free gift offer into the flyer that will keep it from being thrown away. Your merchant base will help provide the offers because this is free advertising for them.

For example, a flyer including a car wash, dry cleaners, or oil change coupon. (Or even all three!)

Publicity Tip #9 – Build an e-mail list Ask for an e-mail address for a newsletter distribution when you’re fundraising. Have opt-in links on your web site.

Build an online community of supporters by offering them extras available only at your site.

Put your fundraising publicity plan in place today. You’ll reap the benefits in continued growth and additional fundraising success for years to come.