Getting Started w/ Fund-Raising

[Janice Fuller]

( I hope this helps to get you started on your journey! ) Establish w/ NTAF (National Transplant Assistance Fund), or another non-profit 501(c)(3)
* They share non-profit status w/ you
* To avoid tax implications
* To assure contributors money is distributed for intended purposes only
* For contributors to realize a write-off for tax-deductible contributions
* Because online donations are convenient & easy for donors to make

Designate a Trustworthy Fund-Raiser Coordinator When Possible (ideally a relative or family friend)
* Your health likely precludes your ability to do the over-all physical leg-work involved w/ an aggressive campaign
* Communication breakdowns between volunteers can be avoided w/ a designated "Go-to Person in charge"

Be as Pro-active on Your Own Behalf, to the Best of Your Capability, as Your Medical Condition Allows
* Call merchants in town requesting donated goods for silent auction(s)
* Email merchants also, as you may not reach the decision-maker by phone
* Learn & utilize every available online resource that can give exposure to your campaign
* Myspace
* Facebook
* Squidoo
* Sprout (Examples below; friends can embed these on web pages, they're viral & far-reaching on the net)
* Twitter
* Ning
* Email

My Fund-raising Campaign Results:
* 1st Event = $10,500 (it was actually $11,500, once everything was collected)
* 2nd Event = $11,013 (it was actually $11,200, once everything was collected)
* Online Contributions = nearly $7,000
* NTAF grants = $1,500 (which more than offsets their 4% admin fee!)
* Sunday benefit ~ 4:00pm 'til 2:00am ~ included Live Music, Silent Auction & Bratwursts
* Saturday morning Poker Run followed by End-party ~ included Live Music, Live & Silent Auction

Musicians & bikers are incredibly generous people, by the way. Local live music folks are very amenable to donating their time & talent on a Sunday (not their typical 'paying gig days) for the additional exposure & name recognition; bikers all know tons of other bikers & they get the word out & show up in droves. The music venue should agree to let your campaign have the door take, they make their money on alcohol proceeds ~ asking for a $10 cover-charge donation is reasonable.

If you ask, people WILL help. The hardest part may be the initial ASKING, as that isn't easy for many of us to do. All I can say is this: You will be amazed at the inherent goodness of people who really want a chance to do something for others ~ even in (or possibly because OF) this tough economy, people are generous towards the plight of an individual with immediate health needs, where as the all-encompassing charities are feeling the pinch.

Big & small, the silent auction items are an integral part of what makes your fund-raising event lucrative ~ people who are at your event are there because they're wanting to help ~ bidding on items that can be had for a deal is very much the 'impulse buy' ~ it's the ultimate 'win-win' combination.

Everybody knows & uses somebody that has goods & services ~ recruit as many people that you can to ask for these items to be donated every chance they get ...
* Eat out? Ask EVERY restaurant to donate a meal certificate
* Getting your haircut & highlighted? Ask your stylist to donate a cut & color
* Know any artist(s)? Ask for artwork to be donated
* Know a chef? Ask him or her to donate a gourmet meal for 2 or 4 to be prepared at someone's home
* Know a massage therapist? Ask them to donate certificate(s) for sessions
* Know a painter / drywall guy? Ask him to donate $300 worth of home-improvement
* Know an exterminator? Ask them to donate a treatment or termite inspection
* Know a jeweler? Ask for pieces to be donated
* Know a tattoo artist? Ask he or she to donate a body-art certificate
* Local non-profits will donate entrance admissions ~ combine lesser valued items into family pkg sets
* Make fun gift baskets ~ ie: nice bottle of wine in a picnic hamper w/ cheeses, checkered tablecloth & kite
* Sports items & sports memorabilia sell well ~ request golf passes & drivers, etc


... KEY to all of the above is to reciprocate w/ public acknowledgment (the equivalent of free advertising) by naming & featuring the business of all who donate goods & services ~ couple that w/ the Gift-in-Kind Form (their tax write-off for their donation) & you've created another 'win-win' situation for them, your event attendees, & ultimately you.

Know a printer? Be sure to ask for donated printing of event fliers that your fund-raiser coordinator & volunteers can plaster all over town where the public can see details of your event. NTAF will create these fliers for you in .pdf file ~ these can also be emailed as an attachment for additional exposure ~ ASK FIRST before sending the attachment unsolicited to recipients who don't yet know you or your cause ~ an example of this would be how I found online the "Contact Us' info of all the biker clubs in the DFW area ~ I 1st emailed & requested that they post event info & when they responded back w/ an affirmative, I then forwarded the flier attachment.

Your family & friends are who you initially want to ask for help ~ they will help get the word out via email & face-to-face encounters & they will also manpower your events ~ this snowballs into others asking how they can help physically if / when they can't contribute monetarily (accept all help offered!) ~ a great example I can offer is that a younger brother of a classmate of mine (from high school 30 years ago) drove approximately 150 miles to work all day Saturday during the Poker Run, he put in about 12 hours, this from someone I met one year ago.

Don't let what you don't know (yet) hold you back ~ info on anything can be found online:
* Research Fund-raising ideas
* Find templates of necessary forms (auction bids, etc)
* Build a page on every applicable social network w/ back-links to your NTAF profile page
* Generate as much online exposure to your campaign as possible ~ eventually Google picks these up
* Build every viral tool / widget that can be implemented on these pages (friends will embed these on their pages too)

I had a dual task of raising money & educating folks about Adult Stem Cell Therapy ~ I built a website dedicated entirely for informational purposes, as ASCT isn't as (yet) well known & accepted as organ transplants.

MY CAMPAIGN

MY 1ST FUNDRAISER 01-11-09 Event Flier to Print & Distribute

AN ONLINE AUCTION ITEM ~ STILL AVAILABLE!!

MY 2ND FUND-RAISER 03-21-09 Poker Run Event Flier to Print & Distribute