Monday, November 10, 2008

Candy Bar Fundraising

candy barAmericans naturally love chocolates. It has been estimated that Americans consume billions of pounds of candy bars every year. No wonder candy bars have been the most popular products for fundraisers.

How are chocolate bars used in fundraising? Fundraisers use candy bars in two ways- indirect and direct selling. You may choose to use both methods to generate more funds and get more contacts.

Direct selling usually involves selling candy bars. Many companies use personalized candy wrappers and coupons to add appeal on their candies. Some use famous candy bar brand names to generate profit. In direct selling, you may do hand selling to members. The members then can distribute and sell the candy bars to other people they know.

On the other hand, indirect selling does not involve hand selling to people. All you need to do is distribute brochures and people who are interested may contact you on the numbers you have provided in the brochures.

If you choose candy bars for fundraising, you can be assured of a 100% to 200% profit. However, it will depend on the cost of the candies. It is better if a company can supply you with candy bars at a cheaper cost. This will surely be a win for you.

Candy bars have long been the favorite of many fundraisers. That is because it isn't limited to a specific age group or culture. Everybody just loves candy bars. Candy bars are also easy to sell. You don't need to be an expert in sales to promote the product.

Fundraisers are also aware of the disadvantages of candy bars in fundraising. It's not a healthy food especially for children and they aren't good in hot weather since they have the tendency to melt in hot temperatures. It is also difficult to track inventories with candy bars.

If you choose candy bars for fundraising, it will surely be a hit for you. Just remember to determine if there are upfront charges on the organization. Also make sure that the organization doesn't charge extra fees for other materials. You may also choose candy bars with features and coupons to increase your sales.

You may check the Internet for companies and organizations that promote candy bars for fundraising. If you can be assured of a 100% profit, then why not try it? Candy bars will surely give fundraisers sweet results.




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Monday, October 13, 2008

Silicone Wristbands

It has been said that fashion helps us make a statement through colors and style we choose to wear. Today, when we think of "pink", images associated with women's cancer research immediately come to mind as a result of the Susan G. Komen organization's efforts to raise awareness through the sale of silicone wristbands. Wearing a pink bracelet symbolizes not only your solidarity with the group's effort, but gives a large branding to the message that helps draw supporters to the message.

Whether you are seeking to raise the profile of groups ranging from military causes who utilize camouflage silicone wristbands in their charity efforts to religious groups who often place scriptural messages embossed on the bands, you can help craft a unique branding message for your organization.

Not only can you utilize wristbands for charity efforts, but the bands can also form part of a core identity around any cause, from family to business groups who wish to structure a core brand. Handing out family bands with a motto at family reunions can provide a memorable gift just a creating company wristbands with either serious or humorous messages can benefit the morale at get together events large and small.

Another great use of rubber wristbands is for athletic teams, especially when coaches are looking to motivate players in the context of a long season. At times, youth sports teams might have a hard time finding motivation amidst the bustle of everyday responsibilities, so having wrist bands as a constantly reminder of their goals can only further team bonding efforts.

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Sunday, September 14, 2008

Silicone Wristband Fundraising for your Organization

silicone bandsEvery organization has a mission statement that reflects the core principles of the group. When Lance Armstrong returned to win the Tour de France, Livestrong Foundation produced wristbands that served both to raise awareness for cancer survivors as well as fundings for his non-profit. Awareness bracelets are an excellent fund raising tool that can help your organization grow and spread its central message.

Gel bracelets reflect your group by printing a message on the band, as well as allowing you to chose a color that reflects your theme. Popular wristbands include the yellow Livestrong band, red and blue for epilepsy awareness bracelet and the pink Susan Komen bracelet. Each of these silicone bands sends a message, and can help raise the public profile of your group. By printing your motto on a rubber bracelet, people will naturally ask your members about its significance, which raises your organization's profile.

In addition to general cause awareness, gel bands are an ideal way to help raise funds for those in immediate need. When Hurricane Katrina landed at New Orleans, groups began selling white and blue bands to show solidarity and raise funds for those displaced by the natural disaster. The bands provide an easy way for showing support for victims, and make clear economic sense for charities looking to raise funds.

The wristbands can be purchased in bulk at a low cost basis, and sold to raise funds for prices as little as $1 a piece. Low cost and popularity make silicone bands an ideal choice for school fund raisers, religious campaigns and medical causes. With a suggested donation price, individuals are free to donate more, while others can contribute the low purchase price. Just as Livestrong became a national cause started in cycling, your group can begin to sell custom bracelets for your local group and aim to raise awareness for your cause.

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Thursday, August 21, 2008

The Key to Victorious Political Fundraising Activity

Every movement needs money to support whatever the campaign is going to need. In order to achieve success, the money should be well monitored and the candidate himself should spend enough time to prepare and implement a fund raising plan.

Here are some guide lines to a winning political fundraising:

-First of all before a candidate announces his standing he should understand his goals and objectives; and stick with them. Also, he should come up with a plan on how they will raise the money, how much is desired, when will it be needed and what the money is required for.

-The fundraising should start as soon as the candidacy is declared. Better to waste no time. This would also test how effective the plan is.

-Decide how you will correspond with your probable and existing donors. Give off efficient and dependable messages to accomplish your theoretical and monetary goals.

-Estimate how much a donor can contribute. You could ask for a little higher amount so that if he bids lower, you can meet somewhere in the middle.

-When it comes to big time donors, the candidate should be the one making the calls to them. This is to give a personal touch. Such donors are more likely to give a greater amount when the candidate himself calls.

-Set the best date for the event. On a Friday, people may be too tired because of the week-long job and Sunday is the time when people go to churches and spend time off with their families. Saturday is still the most advisable day for any event.

-There should be options for the donors. You could have an extra large, a large, a medium, a small and even an extra small. This is just to cater as much donors as you can.

-Create your network. You could ask relatives, friends and supporters to donate contact numbers of their acquaintances as well. Therefore, create a network of fundraising. Keep in mind that the bigger the network, the bigger the possibility to raise the desired amount.

-Keep the contributors well informed and make follow ups. Call them from time to time during the campaign period. It can be before the election, during and near the time of election. Who knows, they might even make another donation.

Always follow rules and regulation in the desired state. Most of the time there are different rules on fundraising as who can give contributions and how much they can donate. Submit all reports and requirement needed.

So waste no time and plan your campaign ahead.

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Wednesday, July 23, 2008

School Fundraising Ideas

school fundraisingA school fundraising activity is always a great idea to help your school raise the money that it needs with the help and participation of the whole community.

It is also an excellent way for students to understand the value of money and to learn that hard work pays off.

With so many fundraisers happening all around, what would differentiate your fundraiser and make it stand out from the rest? What would make people choose to support your cause? What fundraising activities will be mutually beneficial to both your school and to those prospective financial supporters? These are some important questions that you need to ask yourself before actually deciding on what fundraising activity to have. Once you have answered them, you can then move on to deciding what type of fundraiser will most likely work for your school. To help you with that, here are some school fundraising activities you can choose from.

One of the latest and most innovative school fundraising activities nowadays is Scrips. It is the use of paper as a substitute for money. This concept has actually been around for ages but it has only been utilized for fundraisers just recently. What happens is that during a fundraiser, the school would sell Scrips that they bought at a discount. For example, they would sell a $50-worth Scrip for the local grocer that they only bought for $45 to a community member. The local grocer is promoted, the fundraiser makes money, and the supporter purchases something that he can actually use.

A similar concept to Scrips is a fundraising concept referred to as “Schoolpop.” A supporter simply has to shop at participating online stores to make money for your school. Every time they make a purchase online, a certain percentage of the total cost will be rebated back to the school.

One fundraising idea that would surely encourage community participation is a community business bazaar. Invite parents and other community members to feature their businesses in a school bazaar. This will allow them to promote their products and services to the entire community. The participants will be assigned to their own booths and the school can charge a rental fee for each booth. Furthermore, they can charge entrance fees for those who want to check out the local community wares.

Auctioning services or talents of students or local community members is another brilliant way to raise funds for your school. Come up with a list of participants and the corresponding talents that they have or services that they would render and organize an auction night. For example, a student can donate a six-hour babysitting service to the school for free. The school will auction this service off to the highest bidder and will earn the cost of the bid.

Lastly, you can always choose the safe route and go with some tried and tested fundraising ideas. These include bake sales, garage sales, community car washes, ticket raffles, movie premieres or special screenings, talent shows, quiz bees and the like.

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Thursday, July 17, 2008

Innovative Ideas for Church Fundraisers

Most churches rely solely on donations given by their members during mass for financial support. The money that the church collects is used to cover its general expenses and regular upkeep. More often than not, the amount is simply not enough to maintain its existence and operation, such that other sources of funds are sometimes necessary. This is where church fundraisers come into the picture and church fundraising can be a very rewarding task.

Church fundraisers are an excellent way to help the church raise the money that it needs to keep up with the growing costs of running such an institution. It is also a great way to encourage its members to become more involved in its activities and more supportive of its goals. However, in order to get people’s attention, the fundraising concept must be something innovative and exciting, and appeals to the human senses. Below are some themes and ideas that can help you get started with your church fundraising campaign.

A church choir concert would be a great way to raise funds for your church. The church can earn from ticket sales, as well as from sponsorships. Not only will they be able to earn extra income for this, but they will also help promote the local talents of the church and the community. The audience, on the other hand, will be able to socialize with other church members and will have a night of fun and entertainment.

Raffle off an item or a service. Get one of your church members to donate a valuable item or service and hold a raffle draw for it. An example of an item would be a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary and an example of a service would be ballroom dancing lessons. The church will earn from the sales of the raffle tickets bought by those who wish to be part of the contest.

A church auction is another unique way to help raise extra funds for your church. Like the church raffle concept, simply ask church members to donate or contribute items and services to the church. Instead of raffling these items off, organize an auction night and sell the donated items and services to the highest bidder. The proceeds of the auction will be collected by the church and will be used for necessary expenditures.

Lastly, write letters to church members who have businesses within the community. Ask them to rebate a small amount or percentage every time someone buys something from their store. For example, ask a church member who owns a candy shop if it is possible to contribute $1 for every $20 purchase that is made in his store. Let the patrons of the store know that a part of the money that they spend there would be donated to the church. Not only will the business be promoted to the local community, but at the same time, people will be encouraged to buy from it because they know that part of the money that they spend will be put to good use.

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Wednesday, July 2, 2008

School Fundraising Idea - "Secret Admirer Notes"

My school did these little "secret admirer notes" one time. We had some really cute little cards that you could buy for like a dollar. Then you wrote whatever you wanted to say, and put who it was for, and what homeroom they were in. Then you turned it into the little secret admirer box, or whatever, and whenever the delivery day was, the notes were delivered to the classes. Girls would surely love the idea as they like to pursue guys with cards, love letters, flowers and write poems. Its really effective.

Here is an example:

There is a special something about you...
Something...that draws me to you
and makes me want to get to know you better.
Something...that stirs-up my emotions
every time I see you;
every time I hear or speak your name
I really don't understand why I feel this way,
or, what this is all about;
I only know that my heart tells me
—with each and every pounding beat—
that there is something special about you. ^_^

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