Fundraising Success #48
Fundraising Success - Issue #48 - Article: "The W in Christmas";
Supplier Spotlight: "eFundraising"
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Fundraising Success #48 - November 2006
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=> Kimberly's Column: "Giving Thanks!"
=> Reader Q & A: "What's In It For Me?"
=> Feature Article: "The W in Christmas"
=> Supplier Spotlight: "eFundraising"
=> SiteSeeing: "One Laptop Per Child"
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Kimberly's Column: "Giving Thanks!"
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Hi everyone!
Thanksgiving is almost upon us and the thought hit me, "Where has 2006 gone
in such a hurry?" This entire year seems to have zipped right on by!
Could it be that we are cramming too many "to-do's" in our daily lives while
forgetting to stop and smell the roses each day?
This year we lost a beloved family member, an uncle who's beautiful singing
voice graced countless family celebrations. His loss will be felt strongly this
holiday season.
So, remember to be thankful for what you have, for there are no guarantees in
life that there will be a next time. If someone asks you for a donation to a
worthy cause, don't respond with a "I'll catch you next time."
Do what needs doing when it first comes up and lighten your load for the
holidays. That way, you'll be able to enjoy family and friends before they too
slip into just memories.
Give thanks this Thanksgiving to all who deserve it!
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Readers Q & A: "What's In It For Me?"
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Question: My son was chosen to be in the people to people student
ambassador program. I'm trying to raise funds for him so he can be able to
experience this. we are needing about $6000.00 for him to be able to attend
this. He is the only kid in our town that is going so I'm sure the possibilities
are endless in funding this trip but I'm at a brain freeze. LOL! I am in need of
ideas that we can do to help raise money for this. Any ideas would help. Thanks
so much
Judy
Answer: Congratulations! That is a great
accomplishment. And of course, now the hard part (the fundraising) begins!
When doing a personal fundraiser (a non-medical one where the cause is something
that benefits just one person), you're going to have to reach out to a large
number of people.
And that means reaching out to strangers who obviously won't be as willing to
donate money as friends, neighbors, acquaintances, etc.
So, you have to look at the "What's In It For
Me" factor. That means strangers are more likely to give money if they
are getting something of value in return.
With that being the case, I'd recommend offering a fundraising discount card in
exchange for a $10 donation. They provide 2-for-1 discount offers from local
fast food outlets and cost roughly $2 each.
I'd also recommend getting permission from a large-volume retailer like WalMart
or a grocery store to offer the cards from a small table near their entrance.
That way, you can reach a large number of people in a short time span.
To recap, you offer something of high perceived value, something that's also
highly profitable, to as many people as you can as efficiently as you can.
Here are some articles that explain these concepts in depth:
http://www.fundraiserhelp.com/fundraising-discount-cards.htm
http://www.fundraiserhelp.com/benefits.htm
http://www.fundraiserhelp.com/location.htm
Happy fundraising!
Kimberly
You will find my book, Fundraising Success, very helpful in any
fundraising endeavor.
Buy a copy today because you'll save both time and money!
Yours for only $17:
http://www.fundraiserhelp.com/fundraising-success.htm
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FEATURE ARTICLE: The W in Christmas
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The "W" in Christmas
Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful
experience.
I had cut back on nonessential obligations - extensive card
writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet
still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious
family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas.
My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an
exciting season for a six-year old. For months, he'd been
memorizing songs for his school's "Winter Pageant."
I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of
the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke
with his teacher.
She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the
presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were
welcome to come then.
Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise. So, the
morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early,
found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down.
Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering
to their seats. As I waited, the students were led into the
room.
Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on
the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their
song.
Because the public school system had long stopped referring to
the holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than
fun, commercial entertainment - songs of reindeer, Santa Claus,
snowflakes and good cheer.
So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was
slightly taken aback by its bold title.
Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in
fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their
heads.
Those in the front row- center stage - held up large letters,
one by one, to spell out the title of the song. As the class
would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up the
letter C.
Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until each child holding
up his portion had presented the complete message,
"CHRISTMAS LOVE".
The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed
her; a small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside
down - totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W".
The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little
one's mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so
she stood tall, proudly holding her "W".
Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter
continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it
together.
A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen.
In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we
celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos,
there was a purpose for our festivities.
For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud
and clear:
"CHRISTWAS LOVE"
And, I believe, He still is.
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Supplier Spotlight: eFundaising
---------------------------------------------------------------- (Excerpt from my book, Fundraising Success!) Supplier: eFundraising
Phone: (866) 884-8804
Fax: (877) 275-8664
Website:
http://www.efundraising.com/
Email: info@efundraisingcorp.com
Address: 1320 Rte. 9
City: Champlain
State: NY
Zip: 12919
Description: Distributor of traditional fundraising sale products. Direct sales,
order-taker brochures and websites that allow supporters to purchase products
with a percentage of sales going to the sponsoring organization.
Candy bars in $1 and $2 sizes with up to 55% profit.
National coupons from household names.
Product Lines: Candles, Candy – Case, Catalog Sales, Chocolate, Chocolate –
Gourmet, Cookie Dough, Coupon Book, Discount Card, Flowers, Magazines, Online
Shopping, Scratch Cards
Terms: Net terms available
Notes: Free sample kits. 10% bonus offers on scratch cards and coupons.
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Places To Go, Things To See
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Places to go:
One Laptop Per Child
Several years ago, noted researcher and computer-aided design pioneer Nicholas
Negroponte embarked on a program to develop a laptop computer that would be sold
for use in the developing world.
The catch was that the computer needed to be very affordable, and in fact it
needed to cost around $100. Now it looks as is if that project has come to
fruition, as the laptop will be shipped shortly to a number of countries in the
coming months.
Visitors who are interested in this type of development strategy will
appreciate learning about this site, which contains information on the actual
laptop, along with some material about the overall goals of this project.
http://www.laptop.org/
Things to see:
Monastery of Saint Catherine
This Web exhibition created by the Getty allows visitors to view Byzantine icons
from the remote Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine in Sinai, the world's oldest
continuously operating Christian monastery, and also the largest repository of
Byzantine icons.
Tools provided on the Web site allow you to zoom in on the icons, and see their
details from a much closer vantage point than viewing in the museum would allow.
The section entitled "Holy Space" provides a virtual tour of the church, going
both forward and backward in time - showing how the Monastery of Saint Catherine
looks today, as well as where the icons were probably placed in the 11th and
12th centuries.
Many audio clips are provided, including curators' commentary, a pilgrim's
account of seeing Saint Catherine's relics, and Father Justin of the Monastery
telling the story of John Climacus, an abbot at Sinai in the early 7th century,
illustrated by a 12th century icon, The Heavenly Ladder of Saint John
Climacus. There is also a video tour that runs a little over 9 minutes, that
begins with chanting monks celebrating Christ's resurrection.
http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/icons_sinai/index.html
That's all for this issue. See you next month.
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Copyright 2006 by Kimberly Reynolds. All rights reserved.
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