Help for the Helpful

"Charity sees the need, not the cause."- German Proverb

You can raise money without a lot of fuss these days.  There are all sorts of grassroots methods that seem to fit perfectly with social networking and social media sites.  Post a video or add a widget to your site or blog, then watch people visit and even fund your projects.

What do you need?

First, you need a worthy cause.  Your project has to be connected to a cause.  It needs to be a cause that gets people excited or touches them right at their hearts and souls.  It should be the type of project that makes people feel like they can make a difference. 

Secondly, you need to make your project easy to fund.  Make it seamless.  Make it almost effortless.  You fund projects via text message today.  That makes it real easy.  There are sites that offer you help and support, even tools, to raise money for worthy projects and these make it easy for both you and your donors.

Here are some sites that may be of some help:
http://www.gofundme.com/
http://www.chipin.com/
http://www.kickstarter.com/

Help us Help Youth

Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.-
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Life Path Ministries & Services is launching a four-month sponsorship drive for its Youth-N2-Action program.  Youth-N2-Action targets at-risk and low-income youth in grades 10 and 11 for community service, leadership development and tiered mentoring.  Our goal is to teach and train a minimum of 50 youth entering into the 11th grade next school year with leadership skills, mentoring support from community and business leaders, and offer community service and service learning opportunities over an 18 to 24-month campaign period for the class of 2013.  During 2012, we plan to expand the program to include 10th graders and have our Difference-Makers Camp offered for both classes as an excursion of education, exposure and empowerment.

We believe that today's youth are tomorrow's leaders.  It is imperative for today's leaders to teach and train today's youth for tomorrow's leadership opportunities.  Join the effort to help us help youth in San Diego take charge and take action.

Go to the site: http://200club.chipin.com/200-club-youth-sponsors and donate a one-time sponsorship of $200 or a partial sponsorship of $100 during the campaign.  Forward the link http://200club.chipin.com/200-club-youth-sponsors and/ or this post to 5 other people who are concerned and compassionate about the issues facing our youth today and the leadership gap that will exist if the youth are not taught and trained today.

Appeals for Action

"You can either take action, or you can hang back and hope for a miracle. Miracles are great, but they are so unpredictable."- Peter Drucker

When it comes to raising funds, you are making an appeal for action.  In fact, your fund-raising efforts are to be action-oriented efforts.  You want to be sure to convey and communicate to others the opportunity to support your work as well as offer options in multiple ways to support the effort.  You want to give people action items when you make an appeal.  You should be able to point them to a list of actions that they can readily and easily take upon themselves in order to help you out.

Leading Every Day

When you make your appeal, be sure to:

• Make it Meaningful (Relevance): People need to have a relevant appeal made to them.  If they cannot see the relevance, they may not see the need for them to take action.
• Make it Motivational (Refreshing): People need to get motivated to take action.  Without motivation, there will be little or no movement on their part.
• Make it Manageable (Realistic): People need to be able to do what is within their means to do. Seeking single contributions of $500 may not work, but you can always ask for a one-year commitment of just $60 per month.

Make your appeals lead to some form of action.  Even if others don't do anything but pass the information to others on their email list or in their Rolodex, you have derived some form of action from them.

Make Today Count

Give to Get

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again- Luke 6:38 (KJV)

To get, you need to start by giving. Give and watch what you get back.
Do you want volunteers? Give a little of your time at your local chamber of commerce. Donate a few hours with your community foundation or local volunteer center. Once they get to know you and see your commitment to service, I bet they’d find a way to help you find more volunteers for your next community project than you’d be able to garner via Craig’s List.

Do you need supplies or gently-used items donated for your program? Give the research some time and attention. Put in the time searching the social sections and community news of your local papers. Go through the local business journals. Did a hometown company score that defense contract? They may be in line to unload some of their laptops or desktop computers. Get in touch with the community relations department. Did your local safety department get a grant from the CDC to do health outreach and awareness? Ensure that you are their contact person for expanding their reach into diverse urban populations.
Be an asset to others in order to garner what you need for your projects and programs.

“You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.”
- Winston Churchill

Fundraiser Event Formula

"I am aware that only God knows the total plan and that I am part of it." - Laurie Beth Jones, Jesus CEO



You need a formula for your special events, especially when they are used to raise funds.  Much like the Lord has a divine plan, you need to have a plan for your special events and fundraisers.

I always like to say that it is only special because of the special effort that you put into it to put it on and pull it off.  So, with that being said, you have to put something special into it for others to get something special out of it.

• Special Attention: Red carpets, paparazzi galore, and loads upon loads of glitter should be on the agenda for gala bashes.  Disposable cameras or digital prints with sizzling frames printed on the scene for guests.  Guest books are great, too! If it's an arts fundraiser event, have your guests leave their handprints in "cement" (use clay) like the Hollywood walk of fame and scrawl their John Hancock to be displayed in this week's society section.  Jazz it up as much as you can without going over budget.
• Special Attractions:  Yes, it sounds corny, but the real deal is the real deal.  People will flock to the dunking booth if the principal is on that plank.  How about the youth minister or the senior pastor? Got talent? How about the librarian who dresses like Lady Gaga or the softball coach who plays a mean violin- or, is that a fiddle? Either way, get people to attend your event by what you have to offer.  Try to find local talent.  Get in touch with local promoters and producers, club owners and talent agencies.  You never know what treasure is buried in your own backyard until you start digging around.
• Special Appearances: Is there a local celebrity who may grace your event? How about the mayor as the fry cook for your Friday night fish fry? Could you get that ex-football player to talk to dads in the community about the importance of fathers and male role models for young boys? What about that Negro League player? Is there a famous professor who won the Nobel Prize or Pulitzer at the local university or college? Check out who lives in your town or area, even those born there.  There are those who love to visit certain areas who may be inclined to show their faces at such an event if you can get close enough to their people who will call your people, and then you all can do lunch and see what works.

Gaining by Giving

Give, and it will be given to you... - Luke 6:38 (NASB)

You may not be getting much because you are not giving much.  It may simply boil down to a simple survey of two major things:

• What you have done
• What you haven't done

Unfinished business is simply that; it is unfinished and incomplete.  You do not gain anything by starting and stopping.  In addition, you surely will not gain anything by never starting at all.

Look at it from another perspective.  What do you have to offer? If you offer of what you have, that is related to stewardship and sacrifice.  Stewardship requires some discernment as well as discretion.  Sacrifice requires you to commit and contribute.  Let your sacrifice be in order and through obedience to God.

Give where you can and give what you can. Wait and see what comes of it.  Don't expect your return on your blessing to come from the same source that you have blessed.  God may use some unconventional means to supply you.  The expectation of being "repaid" for what we give in the "same measure" does not mean it will be paid back to use in the same manner.  you may not receive money back for an offering or gift.  You may not receive the same thing back in the same way, but you may receive repeat business for sponsoring a Little League team.  You may receive new prospects for the volunteer work that you have done with social service agencies.  You may become connected to new business relationships for the table you bought for that gala fund-raising event for a worthy cause.

You just never know where your business blessing may come from next.  You just need to be sure to give and know that you should give freely.

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.- 2 Cor. 9:7 (NIV)

Diversify Donors

"You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give."
- Winston Churchill

Donors come in all shapes and sizes. This is also true of their donations. In an era where worthy causes may get lost in the plethora of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, Haiti's earthquakes and tsunamis and floods, it would prove beneficial for organizations seeking donations for their local causes to diversify their donors as well as their donation drives and donor campaigns. When disaster strikes, you can bet that donations are pouring out towards such causes rapidly and your efforts to raise funds for your own programs or special events may be impacted drastically.

• Diversify the size of your donors. Consider approaching donors across a wide spectrum of sizes. Look at community groups and trade associations as well as corporate giving programs through your local United Way and Gifts In Kind International. You may also want to share you needs with your local chamber of commerce or business association, even an ecumenical network of churches and faith-based organizations. The key is to diversify your donors by size and communicate your needs for your worthy cause.
• Diversify the size of donations. Your goal may be a certain target amount, but you have to keep in mind that it all adds up. That gift of $1,000 may be a major boost, but don't neglect those who can raise $100 from 100 people as well. Even the smallest gift serves as a contribution to help you reach your goal. Keep in mind that it all adds up.
• Diversify the season of your donor campaigns. Timing is key. Some people are more apt to give going into the Christmas season, while others may be ready to donate around tax season. Some businesses will try to get their donations out just prior to the shift for their fiscal year. Look at the giving patterns of those you are trying to seek contributions from and develop your "season" of giving and donation accordingly.