Fundraising for Non-Profit gets Creative in a Recession Year

Almost never have people involved in fundraising for non-profit organizations seen a time like the one we live in today. For as long as anyone can remember, American businesses and private citizens have always been generous in the way they supported non-profits for what they favored. Each year that fundraisers have tried to raise money so far has without exception been better than the year that came before.

Fundraisers remember how in the mid-80s, non-profits experienced some lean years. They thought they had left all that behind them until the financial crisis of 2008 arrived. Donations actually dropped 3% that year. Now, after a couple of years living on donations that have been smaller and less generous, nearly 10% of the country’s non-profits risk shutting down this year. Volunteers who give their time to help raise funds for non-profits have been growing desperate.

Clearly, they can’t spread out and ask for people for their generosity; that has clearly proven to not work. Instead, they are turning to finding ways to persuade existing donors to be more generous. They are branching out internationally and trying new ways – such as micro-donations instead of large ones for fewer people. Facebook fundraising for non-profit is the latest thing. Things are finally beginning to look up now for the non-profits; but they still have a long way to go.

Fundraising for Non-Profit Through Telemarketing

One of the newer areas that fundraisers are looking at these days to make up for lost income is telemarketing. They hire telemarketing agencies to do their cold calling and soliciting for them. Which happens to be a real shame, since the telemarketers come at a real cost. They get to keep 60 cents for every dollar they raise for the non-profit. Of course, the non-profits can’t really mention this in their literature – it would look really awful. So they just try to hide this on their balance sheets by calling it something unexpected – like calling it program costs.

Fundraising for non-profit can be kind of a science. While cold calling certainly is no science, a part of what fundraising volunteers do involves poring over databases to try to find out who the high net worth individuals are to approach. They buy these databases from firms that put them together based on who the high-rollers are. Anyone who owns a yacht, who owns a large parcel of real estate – these are the people usually feature on these databases. This practice does raise a few privacy issues too. But you have to understand that they do it for a good cause.

Other more regular methods of fundraising by non-profit groups have recently come under criticism too. For instance, the good old box rattling method, where volunteers stand around traffic intersections asking motorists for a donation, while it can be very successful, can endanger the lives of overzealous volunteers when they venture out into traffic. In some places, methods as simple and as well-known as bake sales have come under criticism – for making kids fat.

Of course, there is no way to go about doing something as tough as fundraising for non-profit or funding a good cause, without doing anything controversial, at all, especially when times are as rough as they are today.

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Candles Wholesale – The Possibilities

Candles are something that almost anyone loves to have in their homes. Even those who never burn them often have them for decoration, or even in the event of a loss of power. You can always get someone candles when you don’t know what else to give, as they make a great gift for just about anyone, even those who seem impossible to buy for. What this also means is that candles wholesale are always a great idea for a small business, as long as your area is not over saturated with retailers.

Where to Buy Candles Wholesale

When you have no inclination to make them on your own, you can always buy candles wholesale and then sell them for a profit.  You can always find candles wholesale for a great price if you’re willing to do a

little searching. You could buy direct from a manufacturer, but you may have to have a rather large minimum order when you do this. If that is out of the question for you, you do have other options. You can find someone in your community that makes candles, and you can place a large order with them. You can also look for candles wholesale online on websites like eBay. There you can find what you need, but if you can’t, don’t give up too soon. Something will come up.

Though you may want to find wholesale candles for your business, you can have them as just one thing that you sell out of a huge variety of other things. Candles do well, but having them part of a bigger picture is usually much more profitable. Some people will go in for one thing, and may walk out with a candle. They may not go looking for them specifically, but if they see them, they are usually tempted to buy at least one. Finding candles wholesale can be a great addition to many types of businesses, even ones that seem unrelated.

There may be other occasions when you need candles wholesale that you may not have considered. These are often great for wedding and party favors, and you save a lot if you buy a lot at once. You can also use them for fundraisers for your school or your community group, and you can also save them for when you may need them the most. Some even keep a stash of candles that they have gotten wholesale for then they need a last minute gift or if they find that they are without power. Scented candles wholesale do not stay fresh forever, but you may be surprised how long you can store candles in the right conditions.

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New Ideas In Giving – Charity Gift Cards

Giving will never go out of style, though some people must choose carefully as they can not always afford to give what they wish they could to their favorite charities. You can put your money into the red  kettle each year, or you can buy items sold to make money for charity. You can also write a check or hand over a cash donation when you see fit. There are plenty of walkathons and other fundraisers through which you can give your time and money. Today, there is a new, exciting way to give, and that would be through charity gift cards. You can make these your own.

If you have never heard of charity gift cards, you are not alone. They are much like they sound though, making them a new and modern way of giving on your own. These are much like gift certificates to your favorite store in that you buy them for a certain amount and then give them to someone as a gift. The difference is that they get to spend that money by sending it to their favorite charity rather than by buying something from a store. Not everyone appreciates the gift of charity, but for many, it is considered a thoughtful and meaningful gift.

What Can You Do With Charity Gift Cards?

There are many people that would love charity gift cards. You could give them out over the holidays. They make great gifts for teachers, mail carriers, beauticians, and anyone else you would like to give a gift to as a thank you for their services. This can be a great way to introduce your children to giving as well, if you slip a small card for charity gifts into their stocking. You can then show them how it works and how good it feels to give to someone else or to something else.

In the past, these cards usually reflected that a gift was already made to a particular charity in the recipient’s name. They didn’t do anything with it. Today, these charity gift cards are much better because the person receiving the card gets to choose the charity that benefits on their own. New websites allow you to go online, choose where you want your card to be used, and you can even split the amount between one, two, or three cards in some cases. They have a list of charities they work with, and you pick the one you like if you get one of these cards as a gift. Some even allow you to upload your own image for the cards you will be giving out.

Charity gift cards are not the best gift for everyone, but there are many people that will appreciate these. They can be great corporate gifts, teacher gifts, wedding favors, or just about anything else you can think of for gift giving. You don’t have to send fruit baskets that go to waste, or the typical mug with your company name any longer. You can now pass out the gift of giving. It doesn’t have to be a lot to make a difference with charity gift cards, as every dollar a reputable charity gets is put to good use.

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