FastTrack Fundraising Tips and Articles

Today (Thursday 26th May 2011) is Bag A Bra Day. This is perhaps one of the most unusual charity fundraising ideas so far.

Do you have bras which you no longer need? Rather than throw them away, why not donate them to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.

You might wonder why they would want them, and here is why.

Recycling raises cash for charity
Like most textiles, bras can be recycled to raise much needed funds for the charity. But better than that, they are worth a great deal more than ordinary textiles, and once they have been sorted and distributed, they are sold on to women in West Africa who can seldom afford new bras.

This is not only good for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, but also allows West African women the opportunity to buy and wear bras which can help them in many ways, including increasing their self esteem.

Many companies, groups and individuals around the county are involved in Bag a Bra Day each year and have invented clever ways to collect the bras, such as Colden Common WI, who delivered their bras to HIOWAA in a decorated Veolia truck!

Donations from all over the World
Donations of bras are coming in from as far away as Wales, and New Zealand! Bag a Bra day happens every year to highlight the campaign to collect bras, but Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance collect them all year round.

John Perry, CEO of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance said, “This is a fantastic initiative which is so worthwhile, and has advantages for us all. Our recycling partners Bag It Up, have arranged for these bras to be sent out to Africa, and we are very pleased to be able to do something for others, whilst raising funds to help keep your Air Ambulance flying and saving lives.

“Please help by bagging up all your unwanted bras and placing them in one of our yellow recycling banks, and we can give you the location of your nearest bank. We will also send you one of our pink bra bags to put them in. Don’t worry if you can’t do this now, as we will continue to collect bras throughout the year. Thank you ladies, for all your ‘support’.”

Sourced from: http://ventnorblog.com/2011/05/26/have-you-bagged-up-your-bras-for-the-air-ambulance/#ixzz1NV32bfla
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Students used a ruler, scissors and dozens of rolls of duct tape for the fundraising event on Tuesday. (N-J | Peter Bauer) 

Woodward Avenue Elementary School children duct tape Assistant Principal Shannon Hay to a tree recently as part of a fundraiser for a summer trip to a national competition for the Odyssey of the Mind winning team in DeLand on Tuesday. (N-J | Peter Bauer

Children from Woodward Avenue Elementary in DeLand tried out a new use Tuesday for that universal household repair item — duct tape.

They used the sticky stuff to attach Assistant Principal Shannon Hay to a tree as a fundraiser for the school’s Odyssey of the Mind team that’s headed to a national competition in Maryland later this month.

The students sold strips of duct tape to add to Hay’s restraints. They needed $3,665 more to pay for the trip going into Tuesday’s event. More information on how to help them finance the trip is available by calling the school at 386-740-7910.

Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Team members solve problems ranging from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics, according to the organization’s website.

May is Mid-Year

May is the mid-year point for your fundraising. Now is the time for your fundraising committee to sit down together and ensure you are meeting your goals for your fundraising efforts.

Things to consider include:

1. Are you meeting the goals set at the beginning of the year? This is the most important question. If you are not, then you need to reconsider and re-evaluate your goals. Are they unrealistic or can you work harder?

2. Is your staff happy? If there are disgruntled members working, they are not as efficient as they could be. Are you listening to your staff?

3. Are you choosing effective fundraisers? With the economy still slowly recovering, are you choosing the correct fundraisers? Many inexpensive fundraisers are often more effective than a few expensive ones.

More candy and flowers are purchased in February than in any other month. Take advantage of this statistic and come up with some unique ways to earn money this month. In addition to the lollipop fundraiser, think of other ideas for your club or organization.

Romantic Raffles - Purchase two movie tickets, a gift certificate to a local restaurant, candles, a “mood music” cd and arrange attractively in a basket. Sell tickets for the basket and announce the winner several days prior to Valentine’s Day. Many businesses and movie theaters are willing to donate gift certificates and small items such as candles to a worthy cause.

Dinner for Two - If your club or organization is large enough, try opening your own Valentine’s Day Restaurant. See if you can get local grocery stores to either donate steaks, potatoes, and salad ingredients. If not, most will give a worthy cause a discount. Sell tickets to the dinner and then have the members of your club or organization act as wait-staff. Dinner doesn’t have to be steak, you could do a “heart-warming chicken soup for the soul” or ” a spicy-hot love chili” dinner. By sitting down and brainstorming with your members, you are sure to arrive at a menu that fits your budget. Be sure to have your members stress as they sell tickets that all restaurants will be crowded on Valentine’s Day weekend. By purchasing your tickets, guests are guaranteed a leisurely, romantic dinner with excellent service.

The start of the new year is the perfect time for your club or organization to sit down together and plan your 2011 fundraising strategy. With a solid plan you can venture into the new year knowing that you are ready for the tasks that lie ahead. When planning ahead, there are a few things to consider:

• What holidays fall when? The holidays are undoubtedly the best time of year for fundraising. Sweets for Valentine’s Day, flower seeds and pots for Mother’s Day, cookie dough for Christmas, go ahead and fill in your major holidays and plan for them now.
• What about planning the rest of the year? While the holidays are an excellent choice for fundraising, don’t neglect to plan for your other months. There are many different ideas for these months also, so don’t let the ease of holiday planning stop you from devising a strategy for the rest of the year.
• Look back on last year. What fundraisers performed the best for your club or organization last year? Which ones didn’t meet your expectations? By looking back, you cannot only see what worked best for you, you can also analyze the fundraisers that didn’t work as well as you thought. By analyzing these, you can make the proper corrections to ensure that your fundraising goals are met each month.

Cultivate your supporters: Let them know they are appreciated. A small holiday thank-you card is nice, or perhaps a mini candy cane. Both of these ideas are festive, inexpensive, and seasonal.

Don’t discount social media sites: You can reach hundreds of potential supporters by joining Twitter and Facebook. Remember to post and “tweet” your fundraising information. Make sure you “follow” others on Twitter and “friend” as many people as you know on Facebook. Please note that it is considered rude to only “tweet” about yourself and what you are doing. Be sure you “retweet” other relevant issues posted by people you “follow.”

Thank your volunteers: Your volunteers have worked hard for you all year. Plan a special outing for them, or handwrite each of them a special note, thanking them for their loyalty and service throughout the year. Showing your volunteers that they are appreciated will mean a lot to them.

It’s a seemingly simple transaction – you purchase a great FastTrack Fundraising product for $5, you sell it for $10, and you keep the $5 profit for your fundraiser. Sure, the math part is easy, but how does the government look at it? Fundraisers have their own set of tax rules and it’s critical to have a basic understanding of what’s going on. Here are some simple standard guidelines to go by:

Track the numbers: This goes without saying for individuals, but it’s even more critical for organizations. Keep tight records on total contributions, grants, and gifts received.

Know who’s giving: Large contributors (individuals whose total contributions during the most recent four years are greater than or equal to two percent of the organization’s total contributions over that same period) should receive specific emphasis. Take note of every person or group that contributes to your organization, even the small ones – you never know who will turn into a large contributor!

Record your expenses: Promotion, administration, fundraising products – it’s all money well spent, but the IRS needs to know HOW you’ve spent that money. Keep those receipts and keep them sorted out into proper categories.

Stay up to date: Tax laws are a changing beast, and it’s good to have at least one expert on staff that can stay familiar with how and why things change from year to year. Like the Boy Scouts say, be prepared.

As with all tax-related legal issues, fundraising tax laws are constantly evolving over time. In some cases, organizations may have to face industry-specific rules (e.g. non-profit hospitals and their charity rule requirement). The best bet? Educate yourself on the basics of fundraising tax law, then consult a CPA to prepare your financials.

If the summer flew past you without the opportunity to plan the rest of your fundraising goals for 2010, take this opportunity to do it. Fall and winter are rich with chances to hold holiday themed fundraisers. So, get the gang fired up for a fantastic fundraising fall. Remember the old adage “those who plan to fail simply fail to plan.”

So, let’s plan. September and October usually mean local street fairs and county carnivals. Appoint a team within your group’s structure to set up table space and feature easy fundraising products, like Fasttrack’s Fundraising Bracelets. Contact the community’s chamber of commerce for more information on renting booth space. Here are a few points to remember:
• Many fairs have their own rules and requirements. Follow these carefully; you may be invited back next year based on the relationship you build now.
• For a nominal fee, you are usually provided with a space large enough for a folding table and a few volunteers. Make the most out of your space.
• Set up a tasteful, decorative space that will draw fair browsers to your table. Limit the amount of helpers to those who are essential. Too many bodies make a cramped space look unprofessional.
• Encourage members and volunteers to promote your events on their social networking sites.
Halloween is another great opportunity to bring in donations. Many communities hold safe trick-or-treating celebrations. Check with area churches that hold fall celebration carnivals. School and community groups hold a “trunk-or-treat” get together to provide area kids and parents with a safe alternative to door to door trick or-treating. These activities provide your group with a readymade audience. Most groups are anxious for sponsors and volunteers to help the event go smoothly. Take advantage of the chance to pass out your group’s literature along with a small treat. Attaching a small note to the treat almost guarantees that your message will end up in the hands of an adult.

Do not let the dog days of summer put a damper on your fundraising efforts! Take advantage of the sunny days left to raise a few more dollars with a mid-summer fund drive, starring our featured product. Before you know it, your core volunteers will be back to the busy lives a new school year brings. Sit down during the summer downtime to plan your strategy through fall and into the holidays.

Before you know it, your core volunteers will be back to the busy lives a new school year brings. Sit down during the summer downtime to plan your strategy through fall and into the holidays. So, call in the team, get out the calendar, and work a plan. The better your plan, the higher the return on your fundraising efforts will be.

Check the calendar for great ideas around every turn. Map out the big dates like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the Christmas gift giving season. All of these dates provide excellent opportunities for raising funds with products your donors will appreciate. Be sure to plan enough time to get the word out, and leave time for the products to arrive and reach the donors a few days before each holiday date. Great customer service is an investment in future sales with satisfied consumers.

Take a look at your local school calendars and community pages for more chances to get out into the public with your fundraising efforts. Small communities all over the country hold annual craft and community fairs. Check now for table space and fees. Brainstorm on products that will work well within the theme of each fair.

Nothing goes with the hot summer sun like cool water sports. Set up a neighborhood water theme park! Ask volunteers for wading pools, super water guns, and water balloons. Set us several games with whatever you can find. Ask visitors for a good will donation for participating in the festivities. Be sure to clearly advertise the intention of your fundraiser. Give donors a chance to give in the spirit of summertime fun.

• Super-soakers are the perfect weapons of chose for water war. Divide participants up into small teams, the idea is similar to tug of war, in reverse. Opposing teams spray each other, trying to prevent the other team from crossing the center line into their territory.
• All you need for some serious summer fun is a few inexpensive water balloons, a garden hose to fill the balloons, and a few empty wading pools to store the ammunition. Ask volunteers to fill as many water balloons and store them in the wading pools. Teams will divide up, facing each other about 10 feet apart. Limit the amount of water balloons for each team to about twenty. Blow the whistle (or simply shout, “Go!”) and stand back. Cheer each side on as they try to pulverize each other with flying water balloons. Lightheartedly declare a winner, and let that team face the next challenger.

The benefit to easy summer games is the enthusiastic participation you will encounter, especially from parents looking for easy entertainment for their kids. Keep the costs to your group low and the fun high. For an afternoon of wet and wild fun, your organization will walk away with fresh donor dollars, community exposure, and very little stress on your fundraising budget.