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School fundraisers that are lucrative, easy to set up and on-going. Free one on one help available.
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School Fundraisers - How To Raise Twice The Money With Half The Sweat
If your members, parents or donors wear clothes, watch t.v. or read books you have the beginning ingredients to a sweet
recipe for a great year-round school fundraiser.
How so?
By taking advantage of what's known as an affiliate program or in more common lingo - partnering.
How would you like to partner your school with the bohemoth Amazon.com? Blockbuster? Disney? or even the giant Wal-mart? Your school would receive a commission or fee for every paying customer you sent their way. No products to deliver, cakes to bake or cars to wash. In short none of the headaches of traditional school fundraisers.
It's easy to do, it's free, and is earning a lot of private individuals in the know a mountain of money.
Here's how it might work for your school: You partner with Amazon.com by filling out a simple form and setting up an account
where your checks will be sent. And then let's put a link up on your school website to Amazon.com that is linked to your affiliate account.
Now what if you told your donors, church members or other friends of your cause that they could get great books, gifts, cd's
and videos through your site and help your school with its funding needs at the same time? Do you think you'd have
any takers? I think you might have a lot!
Now Amazon.com may or may not be a match for you. But...the good news is there are literally thousands of affiliate
programs, many of which are bound to fit your school like a glove and make a smashingly successful school fundraiser.
Maybe you would like to get involved with something to do with pets...you could partner with PetSmart or PetMeds. Would you like to do something related to kids?...lots of great programs, like Ident-A-Kid, to keep kids safe. Of course try to match your affiliate programs to interests that many of your donors share.
Here are a some places that will get your creative juices going. One of the biggest managers in the affiliate programs is
Commission Junction, you can find them at www.cj.com, you will find hundreds of partnering opportunities from brand names
you know and trust. Another great resource to checkout is www.clickbank.com, known as Clickbank, they specialize in
electronic books and software with thousands of titles to choose from. Also many companies, such as Wal-mart manage their own affiliate program which means you can partner up directly from their site. It's great fun and can be highly profitable to look for the words "affiliate program" on a web page. Commission Junction is a smorgasboard of school fundraiser ideas you should definitely check out.
How much can your school earn? Earnings vary widely with commission ranging from 2% to 75%. Some pay flat fees, for example some satellite companies pay up to $100 for giving away free installations of their system. Wow! Print some flyers
give away free satellite and your school receives $100 for each installation--very easy school fundraiser!
Now a word to the wise is play it safe. Stick with the companies you know. You will have better success at raising funds
with well known and respected companies and you won't have to worry about your funds reaching your school.
So the secret to school fundraisers is out. Find a great partner, let folks know they can get great products and services
they were going to purchase anyway, and help a school at the same time.
Want more fundraiser tips or help? Click over to www.MyUltimateFundraiser.com
Article by Travis Sago a veteran fundraiser for several non-profits including The Special Olympics, Battered Women's Shelter
and Arkansas Fraternal Order of Police. Contact Info. travis@myultimatefundraiser.com
How to Write a Fundraising Letter.
How to Write a Fundraising Letter
(c) 2002 By Linda Elizabeth Alexander
The key to a successful fundraising campaign is writing a good letter. This may sound intimidating at first, but fundraising letters contain many of the same elements as any good sales letter.
First, know your donors: Beginning with an updated list of past donors is key -- they will likely give again and may even increase their donations over time. Make sure to have a good, well-targeted, updated mailing list for new prospects as well.
In order to get people to read your letter, they must first open the envelope. Include teaser copy on the outside of the envelope. This can be as simple as a printed line saying, "We need your help."
Early in the letter, make your case -- quickly. Don't beat around the bush. Tell about your organization or project at the top of the letter and get to the point right away. What problem will this project solve?
What need will it fill?
Appeal to your donors' hearts first with descriptions and anecdotes, then their heads with facts and figures.
If you are writing to previous donors, be sure to thank them first before you ask for more money. "Thanks for being such an important influence on our program in the past. Last year's fundraiser was such a success, we're inviting you to help again ..."
Also, lose the hype. Don't exaggerate or over-extend yourself. Nothing will destroy your credibility faster than sounding like a used-car salesperson when raising funds for a good cause.
As with other sales letters, longer copy pulls better in fundraising letters. I know, I know, "Nobody reads long letters." While most people won't read every word, the more you can tell the reader about the benefits of giving, the better response you will receive.
Another reason for long copy is with a good fundraising letter, you should be able to start reading at any point in the letter and still know what it is about.
It's much harder with a one or two page letter to state your case in a number of different ways than it is with a four page letter. With a longer letter, you have much more room to convince the reader to give.
Don't forget to ask for the money! Don't just tell them about your program, ask directly for their help. Also, tell them how much to give so they have an idea of what is needed. "Our education program needs 25
computers, at $2,000 each. If you can't afford a whole computer, a donation of only $200 will buy a printer."
You will get donations of at least $200.
Appeal to readers' sense of urgency by providing a deadline. "We need these funds by January 1 in order to carry out our spring awards event." If you don't get them to act right away, they probably won't act at all.
For the maximum reply, include a return envelope. Make it easy for people to donate by telling them how! "Just check the box on the reply card and mail it with your check in the enclosed, postage paid reply envelope." It may sound silly to you, but
people respond to clear instructions.
Remember to include a PS at the bottom. The bulk of your letter will go unread by most of your readers. A post script is a last-chance effort to summarize your whole letter and get your readers to act on it.
As with any direct mail piece, it's good to make follow up phone calls one or two weeks after you mail the letter. Ask if the letter was received and if you can answer any questions. Of course, you won't always
reach the right person, but if you follow up you greatly increase your chances of getting a donation.
Writing successful fundraising letters isn't rocket science. These tips are based on years of trial and error; if you follow them wisely your campaign will be successful. Plan early, be organized, and the letter writing will take care of itself!
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Linda Elizabeth Alexander writes marketing copy for nonprofits. When a deadline looms and you're overworked and understaffed, contact her to come to your rescue.
http://www.write2thepointcom.com
mailto:lalexander@write2thepointcom.com
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About the Author
Linda Elizabeth Alexander writes marketing copy for nonprofits. When a deadline booms and understaffed, contact her to come to your rescue.
http://www.write2thepointcom.com
mailto:lalexander@write2thepointcom.com
=====================================================
Schools fundraisers idea - $50 Smackers for every one you give away FREE.
While I still like traditional fundraisers...after your organization does one of these fundraisers...it will be difficult to go back...
I've laid it all out for you at http://www.myultimatefundraiser.com
School fundraisers - very lucrative school fundraiser
Looking for a lucrative and easy to set up fundraiser with no product to buy?
Then I believe you will love this one!
If this looks like it is up your alley...contact me...I will help your school set this up at no charge.
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