Fundraising Challenges

Non-profit organizations like the one you head will always find individuals who sympathize with your cause. However, just like any other business, you will inevitably come across some bumps along the way, especially when fundraising is involved. Here are some of the most common fundraising mistakes and obstacles:

Being repetitive with online auction items

Using an online auction website is effective in generating the funds your nonprofit needs, but the items for auction can get pretty repetitive over time if you don’t change them up a bit. What you can do to avoid the monotony is to establish a theme for each auction. For instance, if your organization is devoted to literacy causes, sell first-edition books that belong to one specific genre at a time, like horror or fantasy.

Limited audience

People can’t donate to your cause if they aren’t well-informed about your upcoming online fundraising event in the first place. Take advantage of social media and promote your event through sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Unclear goals

If you’ve managed to reach out to a wider audience, you certainly wouldn’t want to lose their attention by being vague about your goals. What is your end goal for the fundraising event? Is it to raise funds for future use—which is too general—or is it to use the money for something specific and urgent? More often than not, you’ll get people to listen if you state what you really want.

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Tip for Charity Fundraising Success: Have a Purpose | Doing Good Together

Why does purpose even matter? Isn’t it enough that your members complete their tasks? In reality, purpose is the foundation upon which your organization should be built. It determines your group’s collective understanding of your nonprofit and its goals. It can also impact donor satisfaction and establish your organization’s overall effectiveness and success. Above all, it protects and upholds the core principles your group is based on. What is your organization’s purpose? Before you move ahead with your activities, be sure to take the time to step back and answer this question. It’s the only way to see if your charity fundraising events, such as the ones you stage through the eBay Giving Works Program, still meet your needs, goal, and mission.
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Non Profit Fundraisers: Above and Beyond

Noting the effects of cancer not only on the patients but also on the people close to them, it takes a lot of time, effort, and dedication for strangers and groups like Cancer CAREpoint to give that additional support without getting or expecting something in return. It is mostly through volunteers, donations, and non profit fundraisers that Cancer CAREpoint, as well as other charity organizations we support, are able to continue to provide their selfless kind service. According to the American Cancer Society, people afflicted with cancer often go through bouts with anxiety, fear, and depression. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to handle these cases, and this involves the patients and the people taking care of them. Though certain medications can help alleviate the pain, which in turn, temporarily relieves anxiety, they only serve as band-aid solutions as far as the emotional, psychological, and spiritual aspects are concerned.
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3 Tips for Successful Online Fundraising for Nonprofits

Smart fundraising for non-profits entails partnerships between the auction websites and the company, providing the technology to allow netizens to make donations through the site. So, before you can put items for auction, you must first register with a charity partner. The registration process will require you to provide a legal document proving your nonprofit status. List the items for auction appropriately. Listing the items to put up for auction for a charitable cause is similar to listing an item to generate profit. You should write a detailed description of each item, including the brand name (if available), condition (new, slightly used, and used), and other item details like size, dimensions, and color. Prepare high-quality images to accompany the description.
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Headlines to Reel in Donors

In the world of online fundraising, writing articles to market your cause is an important part of getting the word out to all the potential donors you stand to reach through the Internet. However, it is with the creation of marketing content that many organizations run into snags.

The Internet is bursting with tons of written content. As a result, if your articles don’t stand out online, your marketing efforts are bound to go almost nowhere.

One of the most important aspects of getting people interested in reading your articles—and supporting your cause—is to write smart, attention-grabbing headlines. Advertising expert David Ogilvy once said that five times as many people will read a copy’s headline than they will its body, so in some instances, the headline alone can be enough to get them to donate.

Create catchy fundraising content headlines by remembering the following points:

• Make a claim that’s almost unbelievable. A headline has to be truthful, but should also pique a reader’s interest.
• Don’t be afraid to quote someone’s praise of your organization—especially if it’s someone particularly famous or important.
• Your headline should sound urgent. This makes reading the copy’s body sound more enticing to potential readers.
• Be creative and occasionally add an unexpected element to your titles. Asking unusual questions, using curious analogies, making baffling or contradictory statements, being a bit shocking, or encouraging your audience to think differently about the world are all great ideas for headlines.

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Cool Back-to-School Fundraisers

But the recent turn of events does not have to spell the end of your school’s fundraising success. For instance, we at eBay Giving Works can help you organize online charity auctions to support your school, or any nonprofit organization of your choosing. With just a little bit of preparation, your back-to-school event won’t have to rely on cookies and cakes to be a hit! The first step is to find items that can attract high bids, like handmade purses or vintage goods for moms. Second, you’ll need to take good pictures of these items so that bidders can appreciate what you have to offer. Third, you’ll want to set reasonable prices for these items so they can generate lots of traffic. If possible, hold the event for about five to seven days, since longer auctions allow more time for engagement and usually fetch better prices.
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Online Fundraising for Literacy Causes

It goes without saying that the most appropriate items for your online fundraising auction are books. The main advantage of books is that they have an unlimited and continuously growing market. They are also easy to pack, store, and ship. To maximize the efforts that go into literacy-oriented online fundraising for nonprofits, nonprofit leaders like you must carefully choose the type of books to include in the online auction. The typical bestsellers in online sales are non-fiction books on subjects like art & photography, history, how-tos, cooking, and medical and legal issues. Rare books also sell well, like first edition spy novels.
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Time Is Running Out For Your Summer Fundraiser

There are only a few weeks left to take advantage of the season and organize a fun, summer-themed fundraiser. Need some inspiration? Woodstock, New York recently held its 83rd Library Fair, a great summer fundraiser where residents can enjoy events like tug of war, fairy parades, dance parties, and children’s all-time favorite, face painting. According to an article on Woodstock Times, there was something new this year: a quilt and apron auctioning event that fairgoers were able to bid for through eBay. All proceeds from the Fair went to the Woodstock Library, which has been an integral part of the community since 1931. We at eBay Giving Works are very glad to have played a role in preserving this piece of local history. As Woodstock has demonstrated, hosting a charity auction is only one of many ways to raise funds for your community.
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3 Fun and Classy Fundraisers

More often than not, a simple fundraising idea is enough to raise a good amount of money for your preferred charity. There are times, however, when donors look for something with a little more “pizazz.” If you get the feeling that your donors are looking for such a fundraiser, here are a few classy ideas that still keep the “fun” in fundraising:

The Five-star Treatment

Do you have a friend who is a culinary genius? If so, you can raffle off a five-star dinner for two. Have several friends tag along to help create a romantic mood for your lucky winners. Don’t forget to ask your guests if they have any food allergies in advance.

Prom 2.0

Many people dream of having the perfect prom night; however, there are times when things just didn’t go according to plan. Give people a second chance to get things right by organizing a “prom 2.0.” See if a local banquet hall is willing to donate their venue (or at least give you a substantial discount).

Wine and Cheese

See if you can find sponsors willing to donate a variety of wines and fancy cheeses. You can then rent a small section of your local park and have a wine and cheese party. Keep the event elegant by asking people to “dress to impress.”

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Nonprofit Fundraising Tips to Inspire

Live and silent auctions are terrific non-profit fundraising ideas that earn results, but setting them up takes time and effort. Geographically speaking, they can also be quite limiting, as not everyone will have access to the venue. For this reason, consider an online auction website like eBay Giving Works, which allows you to reach donors around the world. Raising funds for a cause is not easy for any nonprofit group. Fortunately, you can turn to support groups to help you out and have brainstorming sessions with your peers. And eBay Giving Works is here to help however we can! Still, figuring out how to launch a fundraising event is really just a small portion in the overall fundraising equation. The rest is about connecting with and motivating people to take action in support of your cause.
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Bike For Your Cause

If you regularly tune in to health news, one thing you’ll constantly hear every year is that people are doing less exercise, becoming more obese, and generally getting more unhealthy. If your nonprofit is looking for great charity fundraising ideas to use, why not consider a bike-a-thon? This fundraiser event is a great way to get the funds you need, and to promote healthy lifestyles to boot. To give you an idea of how effective a bike-a-thon can be, take a look at one of the most successful events of its kind, the American Cancer Society Bike-a-thon. An annual event that started in the early 70s with just three racers, the ACS Bike-a-thon is now on its 42nd year, attracting hundreds of cyclists from all over the country and raising over $1 million for cancer research in the process.
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FB: 3 Ways to Help Nonprofits

Despite the growing popularity of Twitter and Instagram, Facebook is still considered the king of social media platforms. As such, you’ll want to be sure to utilize Facebook if you plan to launch a social media fundraising campaign.

With its many functions, Facebook opens up many avenues for you to try out when it comes to fundraising. Here are a few ideas you can try on this versatile platform:

“Changing for Change”

Have people change their profile pictures to something that helps raise awareness for your cause (e.g. a picture of a cartoon animal). As people donate, you can send them a new cover photo that shows they donated and how others can donate as well.

“Sponsor an Artist”

Are you trying to promote a local arts nonprofit? Ask the beneficiaries to submit their best photos or photos of their best artworks and compile them into a Facebook album. You can have people place bids on the artist(s). Winners will then receive an exclusive artwork (not necessarily the one from the photo) from the artist he or she sponsors.

“It’s All about Connecting”

Do you know a popular celebrity or athlete? Ask them to help you raise funds for your cause. The celebrity can then ask for donations through their Facebook profile on your behalf and redirect traffic to your fundraising page. You can then reward a lucky donor (through a random selection process) with a dinner with the celebrity.

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