Church fund raising can be a very tricky venture if you do not have certain components in order. Every year thousands upon thousands of churches and youth groups dive into the world of running a church fund raising campaign. The truth is, most of them mean well, but they are simply not qualified to do so. They could be much more prepared by following a few simple rules.

This article is designed for those brave soles that have been placed in charge of raising money for their church, but really have no clue what to do next.

Church Fund Raising 101

Before you get too worried about how, what or where you will get your church fund raising funds you need to sit down and create a fund raising plan. The first item on your fundraising plan should be to create a theme that matches the cause. By that, I mean you should try to create a theme that will fit well with the reason you need to raise money in the first place.

Once you have a good theme for your church fund raising project then you must find the right people to carry out each responsibility. Too often most churches assign someone to each committee without even asking or seeing if someone else might be better qualified for the duty.

You could conduct some simple personality test to see who has what skill sets. You should be able to find these types of test online or at your local book store. You may also check at the local library. You will probably have some ideas about certain people, but you may be surprised to discover the hidden talents of many others.

Once you have set a theme and gathered the proper information on all your volunteers you can then plan a very successful church fund raising campaign. The only problem is that you may look like a hero and be asked to participate in many more church fund raising campaigns.

For more information on fundraising events and projects for your organization try visiting http://good-fundraising-ideas.com, a website that specializes in providing helpful tips, advice and fundraising resources to include Church Fund Raising and more.

A great idea for a church fundraiser is putting together an annual ‘Church Feastival’ where good food, carnival games, auctions, and family fun combine for a wonderful fundraising event. The idea is to attract a broad spectrum of the local population to your fundraiser by having something for everybody.

The benefit to the church is that many newcomers will form a very positive impression of your ministry and facilities that will in time translate into a larger congregation. And of course, there’s all the wonderful things you can do with all the funds raised by your ‘Feastival.’

Getting started
You’ll need to arrange for carnival games, inflatable amusements, plenty of good food, live music, tickets, and all the other seemingly endless tasks any large fundraising event requires. Always divide and conquer - split up all the major tasks among your organizing committee and don’t overload any one person.

Approach local businesses and prominent congregation members for help with signature food items such as barbecue, fish fry, corn on the cob, regional specialties like oysters or Cajun shrimp, etc. Getting these items donated instead of purchased adds tremendously to the bottom line.

For live music, work with a booking agent who can line up the right talent for a church fundraiser crowd. You want quality entertainment that won’t offend while still encouraging young and old to join in the fun.

Fundraising tips
There are lots of ways to raise funds with a big event. You can include additional fundraising activities like a bake sale, a cake walk, face painting, craft sales, and various carnival games.

Auctions can raise incredible amounts if you have desirable goods and services for sale. Group together related smaller items into larger gift baskets and offer those through silent auction bids.

Do all that you can to make it easy to bid. Tape down bid sheets, pens, and descriptions next to each auction item. Make sure the descriptions are typed in large fonts so no one has to pull out their reading glasses to bid.

For large dollar value items, use a live auction format and a professional auctioneer when appropriate. People will donate unusual and valuable items for a good cause, so put the word out well ahead of time to friends and local businesses about your auction fundraiser.

Publicity tips
To draw a big crowd, you have to get the word out about what a great event your ‘Feastival’ will be. Use your newsletter and email lists to send reminders to mark the day and create a sense of anticipation well ahead of the event.

You can also use flyers, roadside signs, posters and other traditional methods of attracting attention. Placing carnival rides where they can be seen by passing traffic is another good way to create interest.

Most importantly, put together a press release and distribute it to all the newspapers, TV and radio stations in your market. Make sure you put the most newsworthy aspect of your fundraiser in the summary paragraph up top. Include pictures for use by newspapers and offer live broadcast spots to radio stations.

Church fundraiser wrap-up
Make your ‘Church Feastival’ an annual event by creating the most fun, family-oriented day of entertainment possible. Publicize your event well ahead of time and also put the word out about how to donate goods and services.

Contract for carnival rides and inflatable rentals like a Moonwalk or jump house. Arrange for great live entertainment and large quantities of excellent food. Saturday or Sunday afternoons work best and remember to allow plenty of space for people to just spread out and enjoy everything.

Make your ‘Feastival’ your best church fundraiser ever!

Kimberly Reynolds writes for national publications on fund raising topics such as school fundraising, having your own

church fundraiser feastival and other church fundraising events.

Find more church fund raisers on her website, FundraiserHelp.com

Online fund raising is gaining momentum each year. Raising money by using the internet is one of the most lucrative methods for fund raising, but it can have its challenges if not planned correctly. This article will expose you to some of the possibilities that exist using the internet for online fund raising.

Online fund raising can take on a few different faces. You may want to use online auctions to raise funds for your favorite charity or organization. Perhaps you plan to implement a targeted email list to get donations. Maybe you are totally new to the internet and did not know that there was such a thing as online fund raising.

If you are thinking of using auctions for your online fund raising project you will want to look at the most popular online auction site eBay. Millions of people visit eBay each month and it can be a great way to raise money for your favorite charity. You may decide to collect items from local donors and merchants and then sell them in the online auction format. This can be some work, but you can raise a substantial amount of funds using this method.

You may enlist the services of an email company to send email messages to a targeted list of people who might be interested in your charity. This type of method works especially well for anything to do with kids or animals. You will want to make sure that your list is an opt-in list and not a spam list. You will also need to plan out a budget for this type of online fund raising as it can get expensive.

One way to use the internet for online fund raising is to build a simple one page website selling an eBook that is related to the cause of the charity you are raising money for. Then you just send some traffic to your web site using PPC and other methods. Maybe you could write a short eBook yourself or have one written. You would not need more than twenty pages or so to have a good product.

You should be able to find many good online fund raising ideas with a little searching. You can also find companies that will handle your entire online fund raising campaign for you. It might be well worth your time if the organization is large enough to warrant this type fund raiser.

For more information on fundraising events and projects for your organization try visiting http://good-fundraising-ideas.com, a website that specializes in providing helpful tips, advice and fundraising resources to include Online Fund Raising and more.

Before you can think about making money for your favorite charity or organization you must develop a solid fund raising strategy. This article will outline some of the key components to a successful fund raising strategy for you to follow.

No matter if you are trying to raise five hundred dollars or five thousand dollars a good fund raising strategy is essential to your success. The fist thing you must do is define your goals. You should always set your goals high, and if you come up short you will most likely have exceeded the amount you really needed.

One very effective and highly successful fund raising strategy that has come to light in the past five years or so is to raise money using the internet. The internet provides an avenue that did not exist just a few short years ago. The online world is so unique in that you can raise money from all over the world if you choose.

The next thing you must do in developing a solid fund raising strategy is to determine your theme. Most fund raisers are better served if they have a theme that matches the cause or organization you are raising money for.

Once you have a theme set for your fund raiser you will want to determine if you will seek funds from private donors or public donors. The reason you should incorporate this into your fund raising strategy is so you make a priority out of one of them to gain more focus. Private donors are usually able to give more if it is a cause that they really believe in. However, seeking general public donations can be more large spread. You may need more donations as well with a public fund raising strategy.

Make sure you have qualified people in charge of the right things. One way to develop a successful fund raising strategy is to make sure you do some checking into each persons skill sets to so that you do not put people in charge of the wrong areas. This can be a very simple task, but one that is often overlooked. If someone is not good at organizing you would not want to put them in leadership. They may be better suited as an assistant.

You might be surprised how many people try to raise money without developing a fund raising strategy. They think that by getting together and making a few signs for a local car wash or bake sale that it is enough to be successful. You should not fall into this trap. Take the time to develop a good fund raising strategy it will make things much smoother in the long run.

For more information on fundraising events and projects for your organization try visiting http://gift-baskets-for-all.com, a website that specializes in providing helpful tips, advice and fundraising resources to include Fund Raising Strategy and more.

What Is A Email Signature (Sig File)?
I’m sure you’ve seen them before. When a friend or business contact sends you an email, there’s a line of text at the bottom that offers an address, slogan, phone number, or website address. Some even include your friend’s business title or department. These tidbits of text are called “signatures” and they’re controlled by signature files in your email program. You can easily set up a signature file which will give your official correspondences a professional feel (all while advertising your company or service!).

Think of “sig” files as free nonprofit advertising and your charity business cards rolled into one. Do you keep tabs on your nonprofits dealings through email? Do you stay in touch with donors and vendors, or notify people of charitable events and fundraising drives? If you do any regular emailing (even if it’s just to your nonprofit contacts and family members), adding a sig line will give you instant advertising and identity branding. Every time someone receives an email from you, they’ll know exactly who you are, where you’re from, and what your 501c3’s name is.

How Do I Setup A Email Signature?
Setting up a signature file in your email is fairly easy. Most email programs (Outlook 2007, Thunderbird, even web-based services) offer a way to set up sig files in the” options” or “tools” area. Some even have an area tagged “signatures” for easy configuration.

What Should It Include?
There are a few things to consider when planning your signature. It’s pretty standard to include a salutatory statement, or friendly closing with your name, charitable organization name, address, contact information, etc…

If your nonprofit website accepts Donations, Membership and Event Registrations you can add the links to those 3 areas of your website. That way, everyone that you send an email to can easily contribute to your nonprofit with little effort. If your website does not have this capability, it can be easily added for a small monthly fee. To see how easy it is, sign up for a free trial (no credit card required)

What you want to be doing is basically creating a mini advertisement that will show your potential contributors you care.

BONUS TIP
Signature files can be created in plain text or HTML. Plain text is always a safer bet, since all emails can display text (not all programs are set up to display HTML-based emails). Use non-HTML formatting whenever possible, to ensure everyone sees your sig the same way.

Ian Anderson is co-founder of Intersection360. Ian specializes in hosted application architecture and GUI design. Intersection360 offers a wide range of non-branded web applications for the small business/non-profit markets. Some of Intersection360 products include: CharityHelper360 - secure forms processing for non-profits (Get a 7 DAY FREE TRIAL - limited time offer simply visit http://www.intersection360.com/ for details), WebEdit360 - an online website editor and more.

Learn more about how you can sell Intersection360 products as your own with the Intersection360 Partner Program at http://www.intersection360.com/partners/index.htm

Email marketing is a powerful advertising and networking tool that no serious nonprofit organization should be without. Whatever your 501c3’s mission, targeted email marketing is the best way to keep in touch with your donor base, expand your reach and improve your fiscal contributions.

Conceptually, email marketing lists are simple. They’re not unlike the opt-in catalog subscriptions of yesteryear, or traditional printed nonprofit newsletters/flyers - they’re just online.

Visitors can stop by your charity site and explore. If they like what they see, they may want to keep in touch with you and know what is going on with your organization. If you have an email marketing system set up, they can subscribe to your update emails by joining your virtual mailing list. In the future, you’ll send out update newsletters that will offer them organizational news, special fundraising events, or useful information and it will draw them back into your site for a return visit. It’s as easy as that.

By allowing site visitors to sign up for your nonprofit email newsletter list, you’re building a database of people who are specifically interested in your organization and its well being. They want more information on who you are, when the yearly fundraising events are, and when things change. They’re hungry for data - and your email marketing campaign can give it to them!

This kind of targeted marketing is always far more valuable (and reliable) than scattered marketing techniques (like sending out thousands of snail-mail brochures to a random list of names). This special customer database will consist of people who have a genuine interest in your charity, making the list is more likely to generate new leads.

Sending out periodic email newsletters or marketing messages reminds your happy donors to come on back and give more. It keeps them connected to your site (and your nonprofit), even with millions of other distractions!

If your nonprofit website accepts Donations, Membership and Event Registrations you can add the links to those 3 areas of your website. That way, everyone that you send a email newsletter to can contribute to your nonprofit with very little effort. If your website does not have this capability, it can be easily added for a small monthly fee. To see how easy it is, sign up for a 7 day free trial (no credit card required)

Most nonprofits send out newsletters to announce fundraising drives, new accomplishments, new hires/volunteers, news, and other tidbits that might be of interest to their contributor base. You can tailor your email marketing service to showcase the information or fundraising event you’re trying to push at the time, or just keep them informed with timely press releases.

Ian Anderson is co-founder of Intersection360. Ian specializes in hosted application architecture and GUI design. Intersection360 offers a wide range of non-branded web applications for the small business/non-profit markets. Some of Intersection360 products include: CharityHelper360 - secure forms processing for non-profits (Get a 7 DAY FREE TRIAL - limited time offer simply visit http://www.intersection360.com/ for details), WebEdit360 - an online website editor and more.

Learn more about how you can sell Intersection360 products as your own with the Intersection360 Partner Program at http://www.intersection360.com/partners/index.htm

Good SEO is essential for your nonprofit website’s success. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) techniques increase your site’s chance of rising higher in organic search results (such as when people do a Google search for “Los Angeles Non Profit”) and attaining better site ranks in numerous directories. In a world where pay-per-click advertising devours millions in charitable advertising dollars each year, it makes sense to do everything you can to achieve great organic, unpaid results. Good SEO can help you do that.

There are countless books and sites devoted to improving your site’s SEO and SEO considerations. Without getting into too much detail, here are 5 techniques that will help you in your SEO mission.

Search Engine Spiders And Your Nonprofit Website
Search engine spiders “feed” on good SEO content. Many nonprofit websites owners think content only appears on the written page; i.e., the stuff you read directly on the site. While it’s partly true—it’s definitely not the whole story! Spiders also read Meta tags, coding, and even the page names you’ve given to your website’s files (look up in the browser bar title in your browser to see what I am talking about).

501c3 Website Page Names
One trick I recommend is using accurate page names to increase your SEO presence. For example, a page named “page5.html” means nothing to a human and search engines won’t care about it. On the other hand, consider the page name: “save-atlantas-trees.html.” This page name says basically what you can expect from it. It may not seem like much at first glance—but if you think of how search engines index this kind of material and use it to help catalog, sort, and show search results to potential clients and customers, you can see the benefit of optimizing your page names.

Charity Domain Name
Did you know your domain name is another secret SEO weapon? Let’s say your nonprofit is named “Benny Johnson Foundation” because Benny Johnson founded the organization. It’s fine as a general non-profit name, but as a domain name, it doesn’t give a clue about what the Benny Johnson Foundation does. This can leave potential donors guessing about the cause and hurt your organization’s donations.

It’s vital to select a domain name that matches your organizations mission and location.

If you must have a non-keyword domain name as your primary, consider adding additional domain names which are rich in keywords such as these fake nonprofit examples helppheonixkids.com and chicagocatshelter.com . These domains can forward to your main domain, hooking customers in through their rich, applicable content. Forwarding a domain name is done on the server level – usually free of charge.

Charity META Tags
Lastly, Meta tags are an SEO staple. They live in the coded header of your web pages, literally offering search engines a platter of keywords and data to propagate. Meta tags are the easiest thing you can add to your nonprofit site. Be sure they use optimized keywords that advertise your charitable organization well.

SEO considerations are worth tackling, whatever your nonprofit size. Excellent SEO habits can improve your site’s worth and presence without costing a fortune in advertising!

Ian Anderson is co-founder of Intersection360. Ian specializes in hosted application architecture and GUI design. Intersection360 offers a wide range of non-branded web applications for the small business/non-profit markets. Some of Intersection360 products include: CharityHelper360 - secure forms processing for non-profits (Get a 7 DAY FREE TRIAL - limited time offer simply visit http://www.intersection360.com/ for details), WebEdit360 - an online website editor and more.

Learn more about how you can sell Intersection360 products as your own with the Intersection360 Partner Program at http://www.intersection360.com/partners/index.htm

The quick answer: So you can raise more money for your mission. In today’s dynamic world, the internet is a cornerstone of all successful nonprofit organizations. It’s a hub of your nonprofit advertising campaigns, a wealth of data and information about your charity, and the ultimate universal marketing tool, allowing you to reach millions of potential donors with very little effort.

By setting up your nonprofit website, you are able to instantly access those hordes of visitors and you’re able to share your mission, information, and ways for you to collect donations, memberships and ticket sales from more individuals than you ever thought possible.

Even if your charity website is little more than a virtual business card, it puts you and your organization in a progressive “with it” light.

Exposure
All 501c3s want to increase exposure, while keeping costs down. The internet allows you to do this very effectively.

Setting up a charity website which details your mission, region, success stories, and other related material is like a giant billboard on a mega highway. Droves of potential viewers drive by and read about your charity. Many are likely to donate to your organization or inquire further about what it is you do. Some will also share your website with friends, family, and coworkers, even if they personally don’t contribute to your mission.

Branding
“One” (The One Campaign) didn’t get famous by advertising in the newspaper. The web helped to spread One’s mission to millions of people around the globe.

Your website can help manifest your charity’s identity. It can carry your official colors, sport your nonprofit logo, and otherwise carry your important branding icons to the entire world. Local viewers will see your nonprofit brand and instantly recognize you, while visitors from other states (or countries!) will become familiar with your charity identity.

Your website can do a ton of work in the way of advertising and identity branding! Let it work for you.

Collect Donations, Memberships, Event Registrations
A website can be far more than a fancy page with a logo. It can also create REVENUE. Use a website to accept donations, sell tickets to fundraising events and join/renew membership. If you would like to see just how easy this functionality is, sign up for a 7 day free trial (no credit card required). The possibilities are limitless!

Get your Message Out There
Getting your message out there may be the single best reason to get a website. You can set it up to offer useful information, organization sign-up sheets and other important things.

Let your website speak for your charitable organization.

Ian Anderson is co-founder of Intersection360. Ian specializes in hosted application architecture and GUI design. Intersection360 offers a wide range of non-branded web applications for the small business/non-profit markets. Some of Intersection360 products include: CharityHelper360 - secure forms processing for non-profits (Get a 7 DAY FREE TRIAL - limited time offer simply visit http://www.intersection360.com/ for details), WebEdit360 - an online website editor and more.

Learn more about how you can sell Intersection360 products as your own with the Intersection360 Partner Program at http://www.intersection360.com/partners/index.htm

All nonprofits know - reputation and presence is everything! An “About Us” page on your charity website builds much-needed presence and establishes your organizations identity, with a minimal amount of effort on your part. “About Us” pages show your potential donors who you are, why you exist, and how you plan to achieve your nonprofit mission, and they’re a positive step toward building a trustworthy charity brand.

People like contributing to nonprofit organizations they know. This is the same whether they’re donating locally or on a national level. They feel comfortable knowing your organization is “real” and that you are serious about your mission. They need peace of mind, security, and the ability to learn about the organization they will donate to, without having to hunt info down on their own.

A detailed “About Us” page provides everything a web visitor needs to know about a nonprofit in one easy place. They help encourage repeat donations and return website visits by instilling a desirable sense of trust in your target audience. This will encourage multiple donations, ticker purchases to fundraising events and join/renew membership. If you would like to see just how easy this functionality is to ad to your charity website, sign up for a 7 day free trial (no credit card required).

“About Us” pages are one part business card, two parts biography. They should introduce your nonprofit organization directly and concisely and they should provide pertinent information in a well-designed layout.

Most charities use their “About Us” page to deliver important basic identification—as if they were an extended business card. A physical address, mailing address, phone, fax, and email address are typically included.

Including your basic nonprofit info is a good start. Let them know who you are, where you are, and what it is you plan on doing with the funds you raise (your nonprofit mission), what local regions you work in, and whether or not you have any special certifications, licenses, or acclaims.

Your “About Us” page should be proudly displaying your organizations goals and founding story because it will improve reader trust and site “stickiness” (the magical glue that keeps them coming back for more!). Others also use “About Us” pages to provide detailed directions to their brick-and-mortar nonprofit offices, and to list info on the fundraising events they will be having (and sell tickets online too).

If your current nonprofit website doesn’t already have an “About Us” page, you should consider adding one ASAP. If you’re in the middle of planning a new site, be sure to include one. You just can’t afford to go without!

Ian Anderson is co-founder of Intersection360. Ian specializes in hosted application architecture and GUI design. Intersection360 offers a wide range of non-branded web applications for the small business/non-profit markets. Some of Intersection360 products include: CharityHelper360 - secure forms processing for non-profits (Get a 7 DAY FREE TRIAL - limited time offer simply visit http://www.intersection360.com/ for details), WebEdit360 - an online website editor and more.

Learn more about how you can sell Intersection360 products as your own with the Intersection360 Partner Program at http://www.intersection360.com/partners/index.htm

Putting together a cell phone fundraiser for your group is quick and easy. Here are some tips on how to start your program and most importantly, how to collect large amounts of cell phones.

Cell Phone Recycling
First, when doing a phone fund raiser you need to know that some used cell phones are worth a lot more than others. Obviously, the newest models with all the bells and whistles are going to be worth the most.

Second, some older mobile phones have little value because they are obsolete, not in good condition, the batteries won’t hold a charge, or won’t turn on at all. So, an important point is that you need a company to work with that will at least pay something for every phone, not just the good ones.

Third, you don’t want to spend your own money shipping in the cell phones that you are recycling, so you need a company that provides prepaid boxes. It works best if you can get boxes that are pre-addressed and have your group’s ID number right on the shipping label. It works even better if you can use the shipping boxes as collection boxes, so all you have to do is tape them up and ship in your next batch of recycled cell phones.

Getting Cell Phone Donations
When doing a cell phone fund raiser, getting lots of cellphone donations is critical to your success. So, how do you do that?

First, you have to get the word out to lots of people because most people don’t get a new phone but every two years or so. You want to have their attention before the old one gets thrown away. And believe it or not, Americans throw away vast numbers of phones each year, roughly 20 million of them in 2006 alone.

Second, you want to make it easy for people to donate their old phones, so you have to have plenty of collection points. And the best collection points are where people get their new cell phones!

Third, you have to let people know that your cell phone fundraiser is for a good cause. Place large signs on your collection boxes that ask for their help and explain what the funds raised will be used for.

Example: ‘Please donate used cell phones here because every dollar raised helps the local Food Bank.’

People are always more inclined to help when they know what the cause is and you make it easy for them to contribute.

Cell Phone Fundraiser Summary
The key to success is getting a large number of phones donated. Get permission to place your collection boxes at stores from the manager. In many cases, there are competing cellular service providers located in the same shopping center, so try to get a recycling box in place at each one of them.

Look for suppliers that provide prepaid shipping boxes and pay for every phone collected. Don’t worry so much about who pays the most for high-end phones because the majority of phones donated will be older models.

Kimberly Reynolds writes for national publications about school fundraisers, having a cell phone fundraiser and nonprofit fundraiser events. Find more high school fundraiser ideas on her website, FundraiserHelp.com