[Ohio-talk] 8 Ways to Raise $2, 500 (Or More) In 10 Days (Or Less, Sometimes)

[wanda sloan]

Good idea
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Everett Gavel" <everett at everettgavel.com>
To: <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, January 10, 2011 9:46 AM
Subject: [Ohio-talk] 8 Ways to Raise $2, 500 (Or More) In 10 Days (Or 
Less,Sometimes)


With the hope that it helps the Ohio affiliate, I pass along this article
full of fundraising ideas.

It's a good list of ideas and possibilities below.  A couple of points for
us here in Ohio, in January, though.  All of these ideas will work over the
course of a year.  But right now, instead of a house party / barbecue, you
could have a party in conjunction with Louis Braille's birthday, or numerous
other things  in the coming months.  Black History Month, Valentine's Day,
St. Patrick's Day, etc.   Any excuse to gather, and then. ask!

Regarding the Garage sale idea, why not have it, y'know, actually IN
someone's garage?  It's winter!  Provide a few space-heaters or whatever,
and have the heat pouring out the open garage door, with snow outside, but
it being all warm and toasty inside.  It'd only be for several hours, cost
being minimal for the positive impression.  Just a thought.  Make it
inviting.  Sell your stuff while you bask in the flowing warmth -- making
people want to be in there with you.  Buy some decorations at a party store
and set up a Tropical theme, too.  Have an indoor church rummage sale in a
gymnasium or something, and do the same.  You could even make it a large,
"bazaar" sort of community event and say something like, "Come Sale Away
with Us," as in, 's-a-l-e,' and focusing on the Tropical theme.

The last point in this article talks about setting a goal, too.  I agree.
Set that goal, and strive for it.  Anyway, the article follows.  May God
bless your efforts in the coming months.


Strive On!
Everett



8 Ways to Raise $2,500 (Or More) In 10 Days (Or Less, Sometimes)
Source:
www.grassrootsfundraising.org/howto/v22_n5_art03.pdf

Everywhere we turn we see good organizations cutting
back, laying off staff, or closing altogether. These are
weird and hard times, and we need long-term solutions.
But sometimes we just need cash. This article focuses on
the immediate. It does not suggest that you change your
board structure or write to your Congressperson or think
strategically - even though we are in favor of all those
things. The purpose of the article is to help you buy some
time so you can make all the changes in your organization
that we have recommended in our other articles!


1. Make a list of all the people you know who are supportive
of the work you do and admire you for being willing to
work for low or no pay to change the world. Write them a
letter explaining that you have set a goal of raising $2,500
in ten days and hope that each of them will consider a gift of
$100, $500, $50, $25, or whatever they can afford. Include a
simple reply card and a stamped return envelope to make
it as easy as possible for them to give. At about Day Seven,
call all the people who have not responded. Remember
that 50 percent of the people you ask will not give, and 50
percent of the people who do give will give less than you
asked them for, so you will need to ask about three times as
many people as the number of gifts you need to reach your
goal. If you are thinking that you have already asked everyone
you know, here's what to do: ask the people who have
helped you who they know, and ask if you can use their
name in contacting them. Make sure you really have asked
everyone: your neighbors, your colleagues at work, your
chiropractor, your optometrist.. Be sure that you know
that the person you are asking cares, at least a little, about
your cause, so that you don't wind up in an argument.

2. Send an e-mail to everyone in your e-mail address
book (as in #1, taking out people who don't agree with the
cause you are working for) in which you refer people to the
website of the organization. Ask your friends to go to the
site and make a pledge. Be sure the site has a "Donate
Now" icon that either takes people to a secure area to
make a credit card donation or allows them to download a
form and send it in. Your e-mail should be very brief but
stress the urgency of your request.

3. Host a house party. Invite your friends to a barbecue
at your house and tell them it is a fundraiser for your cause.
Either make a presentation at the party asking for money
or set an amount you want everyone to pay as they arrive.
Be sure to let people know in the invitation that even if
they can't come they can send money. The three secrets to
a successful house party are:
. Invite at least three times as many people as the
number you want to come
. Make follow-up calls a few days before the party to
encourage people to come
. Be sure you make it clear how people are to give
their money. If they are to pay as they come in, then someone
needs to stand by the door and collect money. If they
are going to hear a presentation and a pitch, then someone
needs to hand out envelopes for people to put their checks
in and then pick up the envelopes.

4. Host a virtual house party. Send an e-mail to your
friends and include pictures of your house and yard. Tell
them you really wish you had time to invite them over, but
the urgency of the work precludes this. Talk about the
work briefly and ask for money. This is particularly effective
for people who have a lot of friends who live far away
and wouldn't be able to come anyway.

5. Do a phantom event. These can be done virtually or
with real mail. Invite people not to come to something.
The classic is a tea party, where people are invited to a tea
party, and a tea bag is enclosed in the invitation, which
reads, "Come to a tea party. Have it whenever you want
and invite whoever you want. Use this teabag. Before sitting
down with your friend, write us a check and put it in
the enclosed envelope." Phantom events are fun if you can
describe an event that people really don't want to go to.
"You will not have to get dressed up or find parking. You
will not have to balance a plate of raw vegetables and dip
and a drink while trying to shake hands with people you
don't know." The appeal is designed like an invitation, so
few words are used. A phantom event works when the
people receiving it are familiar with the organization and
don't need a long explanation about what the work is.
Again, include a reply device and a return envelope. The
reply device should continue the fun: "I won't be there. I
am so looking forward to that! Here's my gift. Thanks for
letting me stay home."

6. Organize a yard or garage sale with your neighbors. If
you have neighbors who admire your organization, they
may be willing to donate all the proceeds to it. If not, then
offer to do all the work in exchange for a percentage of the
proceeds. Be sure to advertise the yard sale in your community
newspaper and put up a lot of signs. If you have
some high-ticket items, like exercise equipment, antiques,
or furniture, you may be able to make your $2,500 on this
event. If not, to reach the goal think about selling some
stuff through an on-line auction service such as E-Bay.

7. Call all donors who have not given in the last eight
months and ask them for an extra gift, or in the case of those
who have not given in the last fourteen months, ask them to
renew their commitment to your organization. Tell them you
are calling because you need to raise $2,500 in the next ten
days and need their help. Usually 5 to 15 percent of the calls
made will result in gifts. (The rest of the calls will end with
answering machines, disconnected numbers, or people
who decline to give.) On this one, remember ahead of time
that people who are otherwise very nice often feel free to
be rude on the phone. Some people will say, "I am going to
report you because I have signed up for the 'Do Not Call'
list." Explain that nonprofits are exempt from this law, but
that you will make sure to note in their donor record that
they should not be called in the future. Do not argue and
do not stay on the line any longer than you need to.

8. Identify a few friends or colleagues who have high
incomes or inherited wealth and ask them one-by-one,
personally, for gifts of $250 - $1,000. These might be people
you went to college with, significant others of people in
your group, or even people in much larger nonprofits.
(It is not unusual for the executive director of a multimilliondollar
agency to make over $100,000, and it is not unusual
for a development director at a university or large hospital
or museum to make $90,000 or more.) The universal
lament of grassroots activists, "I don't know anyone with
money," becomes a mantra that keeps you from realizing
that you probably do know people sympathetic to your
cause who earn more money than you.


For more details on any of these strategies, see the
Journal's detailed index of previous articles at:
www.grassrootsfundraising.org.

Having a goal and a short time to reach it is part of
what makes these strategies work. As you think about
using these strategies, be more inclined to lower the goal
than to extend the time. Volunteers will also be more
likely to help you in a short time frame than a longer one.
You will be more focused if you know the goal must be
reached quickly.

To be sure, not all these suggestions will raise $2,500
in ten days. Sometimes it is worth adding a couple of
weeks onto the preparation time to increase the income.

The ten days also do not include follow-up, which is essential.
Thank-you notes, data entry, and reports on how well
each strategy worked are key to getting out of the kind of
bind that would make you read an article on how to raise
$2,500 in ten days.


Source:
WWW.GRASSROOTSFUNDRAISING.ORG



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