3 Social Media Fundraisers

Social media is the “in thing” today. Many people have a Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube account—which makes using social media as a fundraising platform a fantastic idea. Here are a few ideas to help you get started:

Facebook

Create a Facebook page detailing your cause and your fundraising goal. You can then start accepting odd jobs from other people to help raise money. By using Facebook, you can easily reach a wider audience in a shorter amount of time.

Twitter/Instagram

Do you remember “Blue’s Clues”? Take a page out of the hit children’s show and hide clues all over town. Then, have participants take a selfie next to the clues and upload it on their Twitter and/or Instagram accounts. Once they find all the clues, they can guess what the clues represent and win a prize if they guess correctly. This takes thorough planning, but it’s sure to be a hit with children and adults alike.

YouTube

Stage a city-wide recipe contest, but instead of asking them to simply send in recipes, have contestants channel their inner-Rachel Ray and present the recipe through a “cooking show”. Raise even more funds by having local food producers sponsor your fundraiser. You can then collect the recipes and fashion them into a cookbook you can sell.

Although we mentioned these 3 platforms, don’t limit yourself to these options. There are hundreds of other social media sites you can use to stage your fundraiser. Have fun coming up with your own unique ideas!

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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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Twitter Tips for Nonprofits

Many who initially used Twitter to keep in touch with friends and family may not have envisioned that the site would have evolved from a simple social outlet into a massively effective business tool. Professionals of every kind now use the social networking site, nonprofit organizations and corporate leaders included. The nonprofit sector, in particular, has been very active on Twitter, given the opportunities it presents in terms of audience building, marketing, and fundraising.

If your nonprofit is new on Twitter, you might be tempted to simply tweet a call to action every day. As ideal as this may sound, this is the wrong way to go about your Twitter use. With that in mind, here are a couple of tips that can help you use the social media site more effectively.

Be professional

Choose a catchy and professional-sounding Twitter handle or username. Upload your nonprofit’s logo or a decent photo of yourself to serve as your account’s profile picture. Set up your profile so that it’s easy for people to understand your org’s cause. Make it clear if you are tweeting for your organization or for yourself.

The power of retweeting

Sharing and promoting content is what social media is all about. The trick is to not make your Twitter page all about you. People who can only talk about themselves tend to tick many people off, and the same can be said about organizations.

The more you use Twitter, the more you’ll find these tips useful. Happy tweeting!

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Helping a Health Savvy Charity

Nonprofits that promote awareness of health issues or lend a hand to the sick can generate a lot of funds through online auctions for charity. Through such events, you can reach a wider audience and appeal to people’s generosity. That said, be sure to collect auction items that are likely to attract the highest bids. Take a look at some projects that health savvy nonprofits can organize:

Bid for the best food.

Are you fighting against cancer, heart disease, or diabetes? You can collect specialty food that can help protect people against those illnesses or benefit those who already have them. How about a pack of low-calorie snacks, a sack of delicious coffee beans, or bags of fine tea that people can brew for a heaping dose of antioxidants? Get creative!

Give for a taste of gourmet.

Offer your bidders a chance to dine in an upscale restaurant that serves delicious and nutritious meals. A lot of gourmet entrees or ingredients are quite healthy, so a green salad with olive oil dressing, lean steak, or wine every once in a while can encourage people to stay in tiptop shape.

Make your home healthier.

We can help you find generous sellers of appliances or other household implements that promote health and wellness. For instance, you can auction off a collection of ceramic pots and pans through our eBay Giving Works platform that people can then use for grease-free cooking. Homeowners would be pleased to bid for such useful items.

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Some Ideas for Your Auction

Do you want your charity auction to be successful? Then keep these tips in mind.

First, you might want to offer in-season items that people are likely to buy at specific times of the year. For example, heaters tend to sell quite well in the months leading up to winter. Meanwhile, Super Bowl tickets are typically in high demand by January or February.

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Top Reasons Online Auctions Rock

Whenever you hear the word ‘auction’, you’ll probably picture a scene from a typical auction house. Items are presented in person, bidders raise their hands, and an auctioneer bangs the gavel every now and then. While auctions of this sort are still very much around, some now take place on the Internet.

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Fundraising Ideas that Unleash the Fan Inside

"If you’re searching for exciting and unique non-profit fundraising ideas, what could be a better source for inspiration than the celebrities we all know and love? A nonprofit organization in Bay City, Michigan looked to Madonna, one of the most famous singers alive, to inspire their charity event: The first-ever ""Material World"" fundraiser, organized by the Do-Care Family Enrichment Center, [took] place Saturday, May 31, with festivities planned throughout Bay City, the birth place of Madonna."
http://blog.givingworks.ebay.com/content/fundraising-ideas-unleash-fan-inside

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Compete and Collect: Fundraising at a Whole New Level

"Whether your fundraising event is large or small, the most successful fundraisers are fueled by preparation, planning and of course a little bit of luck. Big, high-profile events like celebrity auctions and benefit concerts are great ways to raise money if you have the time and budget, but organizers often need fresh and creative charity fundraising ideas to drum up interest in smaller-scale events. Of course, this is easier said than done, especially for organizers who plan multiple fundraisers every year."
http://blog.givingworks.ebay.com/content/compete-and-collect-fundraising-whole-new-level

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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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3 Key Tips for a Successful Charity Fundraiser

"Inspired by Desiree's fundraising success? You can help your favorite nonprofit by organizing a fundraising event of your own! Here are a few tips to help you organize a successful charity fundraising event, just like Desiree did. Set a Goal Always start by setting a fundraising goal for your team. This should extend past the target amount raised. Set goals for raising awareness and educating people about the issues your cause is trying to solve. Don’t forget to make the goal challenging, yet achievable"
http://blog.givingworks.ebay.com/content/3-key-tips-successful-charity-fundraiser

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Giving is Good for Your Donors

When campaigning for their fundraising efforts, many fundraisers focus their marketing strategies on showcasing the great benefits going towards the causes they support. However, many forget that while fundraisers do provide a lot for the people at the receiving end of the line, the donors themselves actually benefit greatly, as well. When fundraising, it may be be a good idea to highlight this benefit to donors so that they understand what they are getting in return.

On the immediate, personal level, donating money positively affects people’s psychological and emotional well-being. It makes them feel happy and activates the regions of the brain associated with social connection and trust. This positive feeling is often called the “helper’s high.”

Move a step further from the personal level, and you’ll find that when you help someone, others are also motivated to do the same. This social drive to exercise good will promotes a sense of interdependence and encourages cooperation in the community, which may eventually benefit donors as well in the form of better relations with neighbors.

Along each step of the way, benefits have the potential to trickle back to the donor in some shape or form until the donation finally reaches the end recipient. Even at this point, the donor stands to gain. With charities for the poor, especially, the investment on remedying social ills benefits everyone, the donor included, in the form of better quality of life or a better economy.

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3 Unique Fundraisers Inspired by Something Simple

"Every nonprofit has a big job to do, and the additional challenge of raising money can seem daunting. Coming up with a unique idea for charity fundraisers can go a long way to raise funds and attention; it may be a one-time event, but participants will never forget it. Nonprofits don’t have to copy each other’s ideas, either. One exceptional concept, like the teddy bear picnic, could inspire you to hold a charity fundraiser that’s a bit more creative than the ever-popular “fun run.”"
http://blog.givingworks.ebay.com/content/3-unique-fundraisers-inspired-something-simple

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Online Charity Auctions are More Practical

"Minimal Budget Staging a live or silent auction can often involve lots of time and money. You’ll have to pay for the auction venue, provide food and drinks, buy decorations, and hire professional auctioneer. Unless a generous philanthropist is willing to foot the bill, wouldn’t it be more sensible to save your money for critical expenses? Well-arranged online charity auctions require a minimal budget. The money is used mainly to acquire and the items that will be auctioned off. If you decide to use eBay Giving Works for your online auction, you’ll also receive expert auction support for free."
http://blog.givingworks.ebay.com/content/online-charity-auctions-are-more-practical

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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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Get Creative With Your Charity Auction

"Establish a theme. A traditional charity auction involves the sale of a variety of goods or services with no relation to each other, often not even associated with the cause. For example, a nonprofit association that aims to promote literacy might offer auto detail services or a new set of high performance wheels at their auction. A more effective approach would be for that same nonprofit to set a theme and offer items for sale that’s related to their cause, like first-edition books and gift baskets. Don’t be afraid to go DIY. Sports and movie memorabilia is often the biggest attention draw, but we know not every nonprofit has access to such rare items. A good alternative is to take the do-it-yourself route and make things at home. In April 2014, a quilt auction in Sioux City managed to raise a whopping $20,000!"
http://blog.givingworks.ebay.com/content/get-creative-your-charity-auction

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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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