FastTrack Fundraising Tips and Articles

The best type of fund raiser would be a party. Everyone loves a party. It is a way to unwind and have fun with friends. So for this, the organizers should choose a theme. After deciding on one theme, they should decide on a certain group of people they would want at that party as these people would want to be with other people whom they have something in common with. An example would be a party just for employees of a certain company. Another example would be a party just for bloggers. Only certified bloggers would be allowed to participate. This would ensure that the people would more or less know each other hence bringing together more people as it targets a certain audience.

The next thing would be to get a location for this party. It could be at an open air venue or a big function room. It would depend on the number of people the organizers are expecting to attend. After which they must find sponsors to be able to pay for the location and other expenses that might occur while planning this event. The sponsors will also pay for the costs of the sound systems and lighting systems as it is important that a party have a good lighting and music. Also check if you will be able to get disc jockeys or DJs to mix music for your party because that would add pizzazz to the whole event. If not ensure that you would have a good sound system that would produce good sounding music for the people.

As it is a party, it should be decided as to whether food and drinks will be free. If food and drinks will be free, it will definitely bring people flocking in. Freebies and raffles are also highly recommended to entice people to come. An example would be a free case of Coke for those who bring two more friends along. This would urge people to bring their friends along. It could also be done that free flowing drinks will be given instead of food and drinks. But do check out the age range of the crowd that you would want attending your party. If you do have a party with free flowing drinks, it might be advisable that this party be for people of a certain age only. You can also opt to have a limited amount of food and drinks to be able to cater to both needs of the group. Just make sure you take into consideration the type of group you would want at your fundraiser.

The costs of the tickets should just be at a minimum level in order to make people want to go. If it were too pricey, they will opt to not go instead of spending such a big amount. This sort of event could be advertised through flyers. It is highly advisable to get volunteers to go around selling tickets to different people. Also send out mass electronic mails (emails) to friends to urge them to attend and bring other friends.

One of the most common ways to raise funds is through a concert. Everybody loves good music once in a while. For this type of fundraiser, it would be good to get an array of singers and musicians. The organizers should choose a venue for this event. An open space area would be good for it can accommodate a lot of people. Furthermore it would not be so cramped. The organizers should already have an estimated number of attendees so they can choose a place for this. However if you would choose to have this concert done outdoors, make sure that it is not during rainy seasons as no one would go if it does rain.

The next thing the organizers should look into would be which musicians and singers to ask. It would be good to pick current artists and classic artists to be able to bridge the generation gap and get people from different generations. Look for artists that are willing to sing for free or a very very low cost to help out your cause. Decide on the number of hours you would want your concert to last and from there decide on how many artists and singers you would invite over. Do invite more than the allotted number of artists in case one or two might cancel out last minute. If all artists do confirm, fix the schedule by giving each group or individual a lesser number of sets to sing. If someone would cancel, then arrange with the artists or singers to probably sing another extra one or two sets each.

Most importantly do get sponsors to pay for the venue and the costs of the preparation for the stage, sound system and lightings. As it is a concert, each company or individual that would sponsor would definitely get full exposure and it would aid them in their business. So finding sponsors would definitely be easy. Also invite some food establishments to sell their wares at the venue. Arrange with them that a certain percentage would go to the cause in order to add to the expected amount for the cause.

As it is a concert, it would be advisable to advertise at malls, schools and heavily populated areas. Do not make the prices very expensive to ensure that many people would be able to attend. Posters should be placed at different venues to ensure that many people would indeed know about these events. Also try to advertise over the radio. Contact radio stations that play music in order for listeners to be well aware that there is such a concert that would be held at a certain date. Do regular radio advertisements to reach out to many listeners. Lastly spread out the word through emails and websites. It will be able to reach people who do not regularly go to malls and listen to the radio. But the best form of advertisement would be through word of mouth. Talk to friends about it and get them to tell other people about it too.

The best way to learn more about another culture and another country is by eating their cuisine. Their food would give you an idea of how their country is and what type of food they like. The type of food they like says something about how they are as a race and as people that are a part of this world.

A good and innovative fundraiser is a food sale. But this is not just any food sale but rather an international food sale. One can advertise this to be an educational and worthwhile experience. While one is learning about different cultures, one is also helping a certain cause.

For this sort of fundraiser, the organizers would need to decide on a venue. A school with an open field would be good. One reason would be because students do need to eat and the food sale would be something new for them. Rather than eating at the cafeteria, they can be tasting something new.

The second thing the organizers need to decide on a time and the duration of the food sale. A good duration would be five days. This will give the organizers time to raise enough money and give them a chance to rotate the menu as to ensure that people will keep coming back for more educational and gastronomical experiences.

Organizers should also decide on the type of food that would be served. One day could be all South east Asian food. They can sell sinigang from the Philippines, satay from Malaysia and curry form Singapore. Another day could be devoted to Asian cuisine. This would include food from other parts of Asia. Another day would be solely about Mediterranean cuisine. They could serve kebabs among others. The fourth day could be the rich Western food. They can serve Italian, French and Spanish food. The last day could be a mixture of the bestsellers from the past four days. The organizers should also find out and get an estimate of the possible population they would get in order for them to choose how many types of foods to sell. They should also have desserts apart from the usual savory dishes.

For sponsors, they could talk to different restaurant owners and culinary schools because this is more along their line of business. These sponsors could advertise themselves and have booths along with the food sellers so the buyers would have an idea. In turn these sponsors could also help the organizers by advertising the food sale in their establishments or schools.

In promoting this fundraiser, it is important to stress out that this food sale does not only give back something to a cause but it also allows the participant and buyers to have a peek of different cultures. Make it sound like an enjoyable learning experience so that people would go and check out what it is all about. Just make sure that the prices are reasonable enough to make sure that people would indeed buy the food being sold there.

One of the traditional fund raisers is to conduct a bake sale. During bake sales, people would come together with their baked goodies and sell them off to people for a certain cause. For this sort of fundraiser, one would need about a month to organize this event. One would need to find a location that is accessible to many people. If it is to be held at a public park or open space, the organizers would need to talk to people in charge of those areas to discuss possible charges and how they can go about.

There should be different people who would be assigned to make certain baked goodies that would cater to the market that they are selling to. It would be a good choice to make sure that the consumer would have different choices. It would not be advisable that three women be asked to bake apple pies. So discuss in advance what the types of baked goodies would be made to ensure that everything will be finished and nothing will go to waste. Create a budget for the bakers to follow so that you would be able to minimize the cost and make maximum use of the profit which would just go straight to the cause.

Get sponsors for this bake sale. Find companies and individuals that are willing to support your cause. These sponsors would shoulder any possible cost that might come about while preparing this bake sale. The sponsor and the organizer should come up with a scheme as how they would be able to repay the sponsor for shouldering the costs. An example would be by placing tarpaulins up around the area advertising the company or individual who sponsored the bake sale. Call up companies which are known to sponsor causes so that you will have an easier time convincing them about your cause.

Make sure that the bake sale is advertised. Make flyers and pass it around to people who might be interested. If you are holding it in a residential area, pass it around to all the houses to ensure that you will get some people to come over. If you are holding it in a public area, pass the word to people whom you would see around the area. It would also be good to hold this bake sale in a school because one could be sure of a crowd due to the number of students. But always put up tarpaulins or give away flyers to give the people in that area an idea that a bake sale will be taking place.

It would be good to have a bake sale during a weekend to make sure that everyone will be rather free to attend and check out the goodies. Also have a day end sale to ensure that all the baked goodies will be disposed of. About two hours before the bake sale ends, cut everything by 20 to 50 percent to ensure that people will buy these.

Ever since China started mass producing those extremely cheap DVD players, the number of movie goers have dwindled down. Many people would opt to buy a cheap DVD and watch their favorite actors and actresses at the comfort of their own homes in their pajamas. Another reason would be due to the fact that the price of movie tickets have gone up as compared to before. In the past, movie tickets were rather cheap which was why it was easy to simply go to the movie house and catch a movie to distress.

One good way of raising funds would be to have a movie premiere fundraiser. As it is for a good cause, people would think twice and opt to watch their favorite stars on the big screen instead. To go about with this sort of fundraiser, one would need to tie up with a cinema that is accessible to many people. They could slightly bring down the price of a movie ticket for people to be more interested to watch the movie at that particular movie house. They could throw in a couple of freebies with each movie ticket to make it more enticing. For example, the cinema could throw in a hotdog and a Coke with each movie ticket. It would also be good to give the movie goers choices for their freebies. Aside from just a hotdog and a glass of Coke, they can opt to have a tub of popcorn and a glass of Coke that would come free with the ticket. To make it even more enticing, they can add another freebie that would be limited to the one hundred buyers. It could be an extra tub of popcorn or another hotdog. If that would not be amenable, one could opt to have discounted tickets. For example, for every ticket they buy, they get a 5 percent discount off a tub of popcorn.

If the movie is a local film, it would be good to invite local movie stars involved in the movie to participate in these kinds of fundraisers as it will bring more people to come ad watch in order to hopefully get a glance of their favorite star. This will be a bonus too for the actors as this could serve as a promotional campaign for their movie.

To spread the word, one should go around populated areas such as schools and malls. Get volunteers to help sell these tickets to be able to reach more people. Start organizing this fundraiser a month to two in advance. This would give the organizers time to get the cinema involved and make a deal with the cinema. To give the organizers enough time to go around and spread the word, two weeks to a month would be ample time so they can make sure that the cinemas would be full. Careful and detailed planning needs to be done so that ample proceeds would go to the cause that you are raising funds for.

When it comes to October, most of us are thinking ghouls, goblins, and the fun of Halloween. While there are non-Halloween holidays in October, they’re not exactly the best theme for fundraisers (Columbus Day just doesn’t quite work out when it comes to fun). However, October is also known for a critical health awareness issue, and it’s something that your organization can tap into while raising funds.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This topic has touched the lives of so many people worldwide and it’s a good topic to engage the community with. Even if your organization has nothing to do with health-related issues, the universal nature of breast cancer concern can always use more exposure.

The simplest way to get involved is by contacting your local breast cancer organization. There are national groups, local groups, and educational classes at local health centers. It could be as simple as getting in touch with a local group and saying you’d like to do a joint fundraiser that is mutually beneficial to both organizations. These groups might have partner programs or outreach events where a little bit of synergy can take place. You might even be able to get bulk pink awareness ribbons to sell. Sometimes, all you have to do is ask.

Of course, you can take matters into your own hands too. By publicizing any fundraising event - from a World Series watching party to a Halloween-themed fundraiser - as a breast-cancer awareness special where you split the profits or provide education, you’ll almost certainly get more attention from a wide range of audiences.

There’s no doubt that your organization’s cause is important, but there’s no reason why it can’t share the spotlight to join in on National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Because at the end of the day, it’s an issue that affects every one of us to some degree.

Laws and Legislation

Abstract:

Mandates food standards for all schools in the state of California. Food sold in all K-12 schools must have limited fat, calories and sugar.

Author: Escutia, Martha
Publication Date: Dec/06/2004
Source: Sacramento, CA: State Senate
Contact Info: California Center for Public Health (530)297-6000

Full Text:

SB 12 (Escutia) – School Nutrition Standards
SB 12 Summary
1. FOOD STANDARDS FOR ALL SCHOOLS K-12
• Strengthens and implements the competitive food standards
originally described in SB 19 (Escutia, 2001).
• An individually sold snack may have no more than:
• 35% of its calories from fat (excluding legumes, nuts,
nut butters, seeds, eggs, vegetables that have not
been deep-fried, and cheese packaged for individual
sale).
• 10% of its calories from saturated fat (excluding eggs
and cheese packaged for individual sale).
• 35% sugar by weight (excluding fruits and vegetables).
• 175 calories (elementary schools)
• 250 calories (middle and high schools)
• An individually sold entree may have no more than:
• 4 grams of fat per 100 calories
• 400 calories
• And must qualify under the federal meal program
2. FUNDING: SB 12 does not contain a requirement that the state
increase funding to the federal meal program before
implementing nutrition standards for competitive foods.
3. IMPLEMENTATION DATE: All food standards become effective
July 1, 2007.
4. SALE TO PUPILS: Nutrition standards apply only to the sale of
items to pupils and do not apply to foods brought from home. All
groups selling or serving food on campus to pupils are required
to follow the standards.
5. FUNDRAISING EXEMPTIONS: Foods that do not meet the
standards may be sold at least one-half hour after the end of the
school-day or off the school premises
August 2005

URL: http://www.fasttrackfundraising.com/documents/sb12-fundraiser-summary.pdf

Notes:

Related Names: Alquist, Elaine|California School Board Association|California Center for Public Health Advocacy

Contact Info: California Center for Public Health (530) 297-6000

SB12 Compliant Fundraiser

SB12 Fundraiser

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Over the past three decades the childhood obesity rate has more than doubled for preschool children aged 2-5 years and adolescents aged 12-19 years, and it has more than tripled for children aged 6-11 years (Source: U.S. Department of Health). For years, children have been school fundraising with chocolate, cheesecake, frozen pizzas … and more chocolate. Even with the alarming statistics on childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes, parent-teacher organizations and coaches had few alternatives to the constant “obesity fundraising.” That is, until FastTrack Fundraising came along.

FastTrack Fundraising, an online provider of fundraising ideas and solutions, offers a variety of alternatives to selling fat-laden chocolate and cheesecake. Among them are the recently launched “CalPak Healthy Snacks Fundraiser,” which contains popular treats such as Chex Mix and Pepperidge Farms Goldfish. Each snack contains less than 30% fat, less than 35% sugar, less than 10% saturated fat, and less than 250 calories. One master case contains 66 treats and raises $264. The CalPak fundraiser is guaranteed to meet all SB12 laws and nutrition regulations, so fundraising leaders can ease their policy worries.

“Now school groups are free to choose from a wide array of fundraising options. With the California SB12 regulation in effect, and many other states following suit, groups need fundraising alternatives more than ever,” says Harold Y. Tan, CEO of FastTrack Fundraising. “We’re glad to work with huge brand names to provide a healthy selection of fundraising ideas to the fundraising leaders.”

School fundraising is critical to funding education in schools nationwide, and has traditionally been dominated by the same fundraising products year after year. Almost every parent has experienced their child coming home with several candy bars or brochures featuring high-priced cheesecake. Now kids and parents can finally take a break from selling obesity and choose a fundraiser that won’t result in unnecessary health concerns.

By Patrick Cole and Leon Lazaroff

Sept. 17 (Bloomberg) — Marc Friedman, who runs the nonprofit Building With Books, witnessed the severity of Lehman Brothers’ situation firsthand last week at the investment bank’s Manhattan headquarters.

“It was surreal being in their offices,” said Friedman, Building With Books’ chief operating officer who used a Lehman conference room for a board meeting last Wednesday. Two Lehman executives are on the board of the Stamford, Connecticut, organization that runs after-school programs.

Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. was scrambling at the time to shore up its capital, though the securities firm collapsed and declared bankruptcy on Monday.

Building With Books, like many nonprofits, is now looking ahead and bracing for a pullback in corporate donations following Lehman’s demise, Bank of America Corp.’s purchase of Merrill Lynch & Co. and the government takeover yesterday of American International Group Inc.

Friedman, like others, said his organization is making sure its donors are varied. Individuals cover 35 percent of its $6.4 million budget while corporations, foundations and government aid make up the rest, he said.

“What’s happening on Wall Street is challenging for us, but our revenue base is diverse,” he said.

Corporations accounted for 5.1 percent of all donations to U.S. nonprofits in 2007, according to GivingUSA Foundation, a research group in Glenview, Illinois. Individuals were the largest donor group, contributing $229 billion, or 75 percent, of total philanthropy.

More Competition

Economic troubles are expected to increase competition for funding among nonprofits that operate everything from museums to homeless shelters.

“If companies are in trouble, corporate philanthropy is one of the first things to get cut,” said Tom Pollak, program director at the National Center for Charitable Statistics at the Urban Institute in Washington.

The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, serving 11 counties in southwestern Pennsylvania, is bracing for a decline in donations.

“Some corporate donors are telling us they’ll have less to give next year,” said Joyce Rothermel, the food bank’s director, without naming contributors. “The length of this economic downturn will definitely have an impact on our future and where our energies go.”

Donors, too, have a wait-and-see attitude.

The Wells Fargo Foundation, an arm of San Francisco-based Wells Fargo & Co., is unlikely to increase its donation total next year from a current $104 million, said Tim Hanlon, the foundation’s president.

No Increase

“It’s hard to know in this economy what’s going to happen,” Hanlon said. “I don’t expect a decrease, but I’m not so sure about an increase.”

Procter & Gamble, the world’s largest consumer-products company, increased its charitable contributions 5 percent in 2007 to about $115 million, a total that won’t change this year or in 2009, said Brian Sasson, global manager of the Cincinnati- based Procter & Gamble Fund. P&G gives mainly to educational and public-affairs groups.

The General Mills Foundation, the charitable arm of Minneapolis-based General Mills Inc., also projects its giving to nonprofits next year to remain at about $21 million, Executive Director Ellen Goldberg Luger said in an interview. Its donations focus on fitness, education and the arts.

Plan B

The importance of corporate donations to nonprofit groups varies widely, said Tim Delaney, chief executive officer of the Washington-based National Council of Nonprofit Associations.

Medical institutions and private universities rely less on corporate giving than social-service nonprofits, he said.

The Pittsburgh food bank, for example, gets 9 percent of its $10.6 million budget from corporate donors including Comcast Corp. and US Airways Group Inc.

The New York Restoration Project, an environmental group founded by Bette Midler, will receive 20 percent, or $1.7 million, of its $8.3 million fiscal 2008 budget from corporate donations, Executive Director Drew Becher said.

“We’re putting together a Plan B in case some of what we have in the pipeline doesn’t come in,” Becher said. “Everyone is going through cost-cutting, and we’ll feel it in ‘09.”

To contact the reporters on this story: Patrick Cole in New York at pcole3@bloomberg.net; Leon Lazaroff in New York at llazaroff@bloomberg.net.

Source: Bloomberg.com

You have found yourself in a scenario where you or your organization is holding a fundraiser to solicit donations so that your operations can be kept afloat or a special goal needs to be met. In this situation you will have to be creative and dedicated as to how you approach fundraising and that eventually translates into failure or success in the end. How about we use a sample such as soliciting monetary donations in your fundraiser. This asks potential donors to give either small or large sums of money to help you cause. Either way, the event has to be attractive and appear worthwhile to donors. Here are some tips to achieve an attractive and successful fundraiser.

-Be extremely organized as to what your fundraiser is aiming for and how you aim to achieve a specific goal. Share this information with potential donors as it familiarizes them better with your cause and how they can help, providing they agree that your cause is worthwhile.

-In the case of accepting money donations, figure out if you want to only accept set amounts or allow donors to choose what amount to give. Both scenarios have their advantages and disadvantages, some of which may be obvious.

-Consider hiring a professional fundraising service to run your event. Services can be had that are well organized by experts and possibly more successful than fundraisers held by those who are inexperienced in the field. You will need to decide whether or not you can factor in the cost of hiring a professional service will cut into your funds too much, or if even at a risk, it could result in a more successful fundraiser.

-Advertise as much as possible. Get the word out about your event to all of your contacts and ask them to pass along the word to theirs as well. Write up a press release designed to have reporters mention your event on the news and internet.

-Always be extremely courteous, understanding, and gratuitous with donors. Do not force them into them or make them uncomfortable in any way, and thank them for their time even if they decide against donating. Making a good impression is always going to work in your favor in the long run.

As you can see, there are several ways to approach fundraising. By following these tips you just may find that fundraising is fun, easy and the best bet in having your goals reached.