Office Fundraising Ideas

With rooms full of adults with disposable income, the office is one of the best places to organize a simple fundraiser to benefit a local nonprofit. At the same time, fundraising events in the office is a great way to build camaraderie among co-workers, especially between departments that do not interact with each other often. With that in mind, here are a few fundraising ideas you can try out in your office:

Poker Tournament

Do co-workers brag about being the next Phil Ivey or Liv Boeree? Test everyone’s poker chops by organizing a poker tournament for the company. Consider setting a $100-$500 buy in, with the overall champion winning half the collection while the other half is donated to a nonprofit the office supports.

“Ducky Tie” Contest

Inspired by an episode from “How I Met Your Mother”, this idea involves having employees design silly neckties. The entries are then displayed in a central area for voting. Each vote costs a dollar. Once a winner has been determined, a manager or executive must wear the tie for a month.

Match It Challenge

Do you need an extra shot of inspiration? Ask an executive if the company is willing to match whatever amount you and your co-workers raise. Needless to say, this is a fantastic way to raise a large amount of money quickly.

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Two Tips for P2P Fundraising

Peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraising is one of the biggest trends in the nonprofit industry (think Ice Bucket Challenge). For those who do not know, P2P fundraising is when supporters raise money by reaching out to their friends and family. In that sense, P2P reaches new markets in a way that they prefer to be engaged: by learning about the nonprofit and its efforts from someone they know personally.

The benefits to P2P fundraising are obvious. People are more inclined to give money to friends and family members. As such, it appears to have a promising future when it is used as a fundraising strategy. So how do you do this approach effectively? Here are two tips:

Social media has a major impact on the effectiveness of a P2P campaign

While it may be impossible to replicate the Ice Bucket Challenge’s success, that shouldn’t discourage you to promote your cause via a strategic social media campaign. Focus on creating a campaign with a brief and simple message that can encourage and mobilize supporters to share your cause with their social media network.

Make sure your campaign catches the attention of the millennial generation

As a whole, the millennial demographic is the most connected with their social media networks. Engaging with them allows for easy promoting and sharing of your organization and its cause.

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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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Give Annual Funds another Look

As fundraisers, we’re often on the lookout for strategies we can implement that can help us achieve our organization’s goals. Having the cash on hand to pay the overhead necessary to push work on these goals forward naturally goes a long way to ensuring success, and a recent survey by the Nonprofit Research Collaborative has found annual funds to be highly effective in this regard.

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3 Humorous Fundraising Ideas

Get ready to tickle more than a few funny bones as National Tell a Joke Day falls on August 16. To help get the ball rolling, here are three quick fundraising ideas to help you put a smile on the face of both your donors and the people you help:

I bet I can make you laugh…

Walk up to people and tell them you can make them laugh within 3 attempts. If you succeed, they give a donation to your cause. Be sure to stock up on more than a handful of jokes.

You can increase the amount you raise by videoing your attempts to make others laugh and posting the video on YouTube. Don’t forget to add donation details in the description box!

Reverse raffle

Put a clever twist to a classic fundraising event. Hand out raffle tickets for free at the start of the event. Instead of giving away prizes, however, you raffle out funny yet embarrassing penalties! Should the “winner” choose not to accept the penalty, he or she can return the ticket along with a donation.

Beard art contest

Have several friends grow their facial hair and participate as models. Contestants then channel their inner stylist and try to make the funniest look. They can choose to braid the beards, shave opposing halves off, dye the hair, and other silly things they can think of.

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What Makes a Successful Fundraising Video?

Nowadays, it seems that every nonprofit wants to tell their story online through video. A powerful video can forge a strong, long-lasting relationship between you and your supporters. Consequently, you can hold your target audience in thrall within three minutes or less.

Yet what purpose does a fundraising video actually serve? Is it merely all about raising awareness or engaging your target audience?

Once you put your fundraising video out there, be prepared for the consequences. In any case, see to it that the video is designed to deliver the results you want so all the time, money, and effort that went into its making are well justified.

A fun, informative video can certainly raise awareness, maybe even attract donations. However, when it comes to fundraising, raising awareness should only be a distant second to showing that you care. Showing that you deeply care and are committed to your cause provokes generosity on a large scale. If your nonprofit does work that matters—e.g. improving people’s lives and making a positive mark on society—then you’ll have no trouble creating a video with compelling, emotionally charged content.

Your video has the power to move people to give, so give them a reason to do so. Show your donors that their contribution is necessary. Once you’re able to do that, your video will have helped you achieved your nonprofit’s ultimate goal: to bring money into the organization.

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Great Non-Profits for Animal Lovers to Support

Humans may be on top of the food chain, but one shouldn’t forget that animals play a vital role in the web of life, too. Fortunately, many people are animal lovers: Just look at the millions of pet owners in the country!

Still, there’s much more you can do to help the plight of feral and wild animals around the world. If you want to help these non-human friends, here are three non-profits you can support:

World Wildlife Fund

The World Wildlife Fund, more commonly known as WWF, is the world’s leading animal conservation group. Operating for over 50 years, this non-profit organization works in 100 countries, providing science-based solutions to protect the Earth’s biodiversity.

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or ASPCA is the first humane society established in North America. As its name suggests, the group aims to rescue animals from cruelty, pass human laws, and share important resources about animal cruelty.

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

Not all animals are on land; many of them are ocean dwellers. Just like their terrestrial counterparts, though, sea creatures are also threatened and affected by pollution and illegal hunting. Thankfully, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society works hard to protect and preserve marine biodiversity.

All these awesome non-profits are part of the eBay Giving Works program, so you can list your pre-owned items on the site and donate part or all of the proceeds to one of these great wildlife organizations. 

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Exciting Summer Fundraising Ideas

Summer is one of the most exciting seasons of the year for both kids and adults. It is a time when outdoor activities of all different kinds are happening left and right. If you plan to organize an upcoming fundraiser for a non-profit, why not use the warm season to your advantage? Here are a few ideas that might work for you.

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Tips for Maximizing Online Fundraising Sites

There was a time when silent auctions were the staple of fundraising, but holding a silent auction these days doesn’t happen without cost. You have to have money to spare to afford the venue, the host, cocktails, and hors d'oeuvres. If you can’t afford a live silent auction, take your auction online. Here are a few useful suggestions:

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Tips for Successful Online Charity Fundraisers

Are you organizing an online charity fundraiser? If so, you’ll undoubtedly want it to stand out on the Internet and be a grand success. Here are a few tips to help you achieve your goals.

Leverage Social Media

Social media is a powerful tool that you should take advantage of. Start off by using your own social media accounts to promote your fundraiser. Do not limit yourself to simple status updates or tweets.

A great example would be a “DP switch campaign.” Have your team and your supporters change their profile pictures to something that’s related to your cause, e.g. switch to a picture of a favorite cartoon growing up to raise awareness for your anti-child abuse fundraiser. The more creative your idea, the more interest it will generate.

Establish Connections

Connecting with potential donors should be done all the time, not only when it’s time to start fundraising. In fact, allowing some time to let your cause sink in helps potential donors learn more about your cause and gives them time to save up for a sizeable donation. By doing this, you’ll never run out of donors for your cause.

Give Thanks

Never forget to thank your donors for their contribution. Send out a “thank you” email to all your donors once the fundraiser has ended. You should also send them an update on how your campaign is faring. Allowing your donors to see the impact of their donations to the people in need encourages them to donate again in the future.

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Mission Trip Fundraising—Time to Make It Online

For many non-profit organizations, mission trips are a huge and important aspect, especially religious institutions. Mission trips give members an opportunity to travel to places in need of assistance. However, organizations that embrace the mission trip model often face a difficult challenge: Figuring out how to fund these trips.

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