The nature of the Internet as a far-reaching tool lures many organizations to do online fundraising. In an almost lightning phase, many charitable organizations get listed in different fundraising portals in hope to stir community, not to mention global, awareness and raise more funds. In more extreme instances, some organizations completely forego traditional and tried-and-tested fundraising methods to explore the potentials of online fundraising.

But is it really worth the gamble? Just how effective online fundraising is? And does it really deliver its promise?

Benefits of online fundraising
The Internet has apparently launched a number of new trends, primarily banking on its ability to make communication a lot easier and transactions faster. Its wide reach consequently attracted many organizations to resort to online fundraising. With the Internet, fundraisers are not anymore faced with geographical limitations. It is easier to contact friends, family, and supporters from all across the country. There is also a big chance of getting new donors from half-way across the globe, especially if the organization is listed in a fundraising portal.

The power of the Internet also provides many organizations with a lot of fundraising options. For instance, they can opt to do an online auction through eBay, sell e-books, or sell donated used books through Amazon. Some big organizations also choose to work with affiliate programs. This, for them, is more systematic and profitable. They get paid by referring or promoting products of an affiliate merchant in their own websites. They don’t have to sell, do an inventory, and be forced to discharge unsold products.

Online fundraising normally requires only a few dollars. Email account is free, so do some website hosting services. Signing up for an affiliate program may cost some amount, but the generated profit can cover the fee in a little time.

A website can also work as a powerful publicity tool. With stories and articles posted on the website, it is easier to reach more people at a time. Information dissemination through websites doesn’t require printing costs unlike flyers, stickers, and printed newsletters. In the long run, websites are cost-effective.

Red warning signs
True, online fundraising offers convenience to organizations and their donors. There are, however, some other things to consider. As with all things online, the benefits come with risks.

Getting listed in a fundraising portal, for instance, poses a lot of competition. In a single portal, there are a lot of listed charitable and non-organizations, all of which are vying for potential sponsors and donations. Therefore, the chance of an organization being noticed is shared with other listed organizations.

The ability of a portal to attract visitors is also an important factor. Can it yield high traffic? Can it actually draw potential sponsors?

Though maintaining a website is relatively economical, it proves to be laborious. For one, it should be regularly updated. It should always show new stories, news articles, and pictures. A neglected website sends a message of waning passion. It ceases to become a powerful tool and can actually drive potential sponsors away.

Online fundraising also eliminates the chance of building a strong sense of relationship between organizations and donors. Partnership and camaraderie are now reduced to a virtual relationship. According to experienced fundraising consultants, the best way to ask for money is still through personal contact. In fact, it yields larger donations. Pounding on the keyboard still pales in comparison to looking someone in the eye, they said.

Though online fundraising works for some, it doesn’t mean it fits everyone. Still, it is the charitable or non-profit organization’s responsibility to assess the fundraiser that will produce the best results for their cause.

Candy fundraising is a hit among kids. First, it doesn’t require a big starting capital, it is generally easy to do, sales are concluded at once, money is collected immediately, and many volunteers are unnecessary. A lot of kids are resorting more to candy fundraising than to any other type of fundraiser.

But candy fundraising’s strength as an easy and common fundraiser is also its weakness. People don’t want to be offered the same things again and again, thus the profit suffers. So, the challenge for the kids is to come up with a well thought out plan and execute everything to perfection.

What you should do
Whether you need to raise money for your team uniform or to fund a school play, the goal is to double your sales. To achieve that, here’s what you are supposed to do:

1.) Figure what you are going to sell. Would you want to have generic brand candies or those that are overly recognizable? Generic brand candies can save you some money, but keep in mind that branded goods are easy to sell. Good thing is big candy companies sell candy fundraising packs for reasonable prices. Look for them in stores.

2.) Find the stores with the lowest price. You can also look for those that support fundraising efforts. Negotiate wisely and share with them your goal. After some negotiations, there will most likely be a store that can offer you the lowest price possible.

3.) Keep the sales force motivated. Define your sales target and discuss how you intend to reach it. It will also help if you discuss your group and individual goals together. Deepen the commitment by asking the sales team to make a list of prospect buyers.

4.) Locate the perfect spots for selling. It is best to sell anywhere there is a great volume of passerby traffic. Examples are lots near grocery stores and churches.

5.) Make a sales script. This is important because not everybody is a natural salesperson. It will also help cultivate self-confidence among the sellers. The script should not be overly elaborate, though. What is important is that the seller greets the buyer, briefly explains the reason for fundraising, asks for help by buying candies, and thanks the buyer. The seller should smile before and after delivering the script and make an eye contact all throughout the spiel.

6.) Hand out a flyer. This will supply the buyer with all the other important information about the fundraiser.

7.) Offer other merchandise, say a discount card. If the buyer is not interested in candies, at least there’s something else you can offer. Good if he buys both.

8.) Reward the best seller. If reward in kind is not possible, at least make him feel his efforts are well appreciated. A tap in the back speaks a lot and can be an effective motivation. Remember that a motivated seller rakes in more sales.

It is always important to get prepared. Before all of you head out and sell, make sure you know your goals and what you should say. Know your products, so you can offer wise suggestion to your buyers. Be assertive, but not too much that you end up pestering your buyer.

If you carefully follow a plan and work as a team, your candy fundraising will be a success.

You may not know it but a fundraising appeal letter is crucial to the outcome of your project. The letter should be suited to the recipient so you can raise the money required for your cause. Here are tips on how to write a fundraising appeal letter and generate the money you need for your project.

If you are writing an appeal letter to people who know you well enough, there is no need for a detailed explanation. However, if you are sending out the letter to someone who does not know you that well, detail the problem as well as the steps being undertaken to solve it.

Do not fall into the mistake of believing that you need to make your letter short so it would not be boring. The truth of the matter is you need to explain your cause in detail to get the interest of your recipient. If they are not interested with the project, your recipient may not read even one paragraph of your letter.

When writing your letter, you need to focus on only one thing and that is to make your recipient feel good once they say “yes” to your letter. This is the key to making them agree to donate and send funds to your cause.
Break down your letter into few lines in a paragraph. Leave blanks in-between each paragraph. Sub-headings can help attract the reader deeper into your message. Writing a well-read four page letter is better than a two-page letter sent to the trash.

Your appeal letter should generally consist of the following components:

1.) At the first paragraph, you need to express your appreciation for the support the recipient has given over the years. Even though they have not been donating for some time, inform your recipient that their help has gone a long way as far as helping your cause is concerned.

2.) Share success stories. Inform them about what happened to a certain family or group before and after their donation. This will make them realize the value of their help to the people your cause is helping.

3.) At the end of the letter, do not fail to ask your recipient that you require their help in the form of donations. This is a common mistake of small charities and amateurs. They write an excellent letter and provide a good outline of the benefits but end up assuming that the recipient knows that the next step is to donate cash. This is not the case all the time so you need to inform and ask your intended recipient that they need to donate.

When you are done and sent out the appeal letter, there is no feeling greater than seeing the donations come. However, after rejoicing because of the overwhelming response from your recipients, your work is only half done.

After receiving the donations, you would need to write another letter this time thanking the recipient for their donation. Inform your recipients that you have received the cash and that you greatly appreciate their help.
Finally, you need to add the name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address of your recipient in your organization’s database along with how much they donated.

Learning how to write a fundraising appeal letter can go a long way in your desire to get as many donations as possible for your cause.