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Collaborative Fundraisers = Business Marketing Bonanza

Annual Sponsorship = 12 months of exposure among participating nonprofits. There’s advertising and inclusion in events PLUS each nonprofit brings their individual marketing benefits to the table.

Current Opportunities in Teller County, CO

  1. Social Media Training with Kevin Knebl – April 30, 2020, SEE MORE about getting involved.
  2. Peak Art Adventure – July 26 – 31, 2020
  3. Potential Expo – October 2020

Email: iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.org for a current sponsor packet. Sponsor packets change daily and are time sensitive.

Kevin Knebl presents a live training about Social Media in Woodland Park, Colorado on April 30, 2020

The Nonprofit Cooperative of Teller County brings Kevin Knebl to the stage on April 30, 2020. Participants get valuable training with the opportunity to buy into the day at three rates ($45, $135, or $270):

  • “Coffee with Kevin Knebl” for $45 (coffee and light breakfast, 90-minute training)
  • “Half Day with Kevin Knebl” for $135 (lunch and breakout sessions, 3.5 hours of training)
  • “Full Day with Kevin Knebl” for $270 includes the “Coffee with Kevin Knebl as well as the half day. It also includes a 30-minute 1:1 with Kevin to talk about your business in relation to your social media campaigns (5 slots available)

See options for purchase at: http://kkinthehouse.eventbrite.com

Kevin Knebl is an International Speaker, Author, Trainer and Joie de Vivre Coach™ whose clients include small, medium and Fortune 500 companies. He’s an in-demand, leading authority on Social Selling, Relationship Marketing, LinkedIn and Twitter with a healthy dose of Personal Development and Humor blended in for good measure for conferences, conventions, company trainings, and many other events.

Other activities include a session on YouTube and how to use the platform for marketing. This is brought to you by Pete Treloar. Also, a breakout session with Bob Kittridge, a Behavior Performance Consultant.

The April 30th event is sponsored by the “Driving Partners” Heuberger Motors/Heuberger Suburu, Kevin Knebl, and the Edgewood Inn. The “Community Circle” has formed with A-Z Storage/Peak Price Real Estate with Karen Schaefer, Bob Kittridge and Focus Point Solution and the Nonprofit Cooperative of Teller County.

Sponsorship packages are available. Email iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.org to learn more, 719-233-9902

More Fundraising Ideas

  • Paper calendars are still hanging on people’s walls. Determine what you think would sell in your market – only get a limited number of calendars printed – take orders now and deliver in December
  • Offer a training on something and collect money from people for attending. Usually, there’s a professional out there willing to train in return for a small fee and the opportunity to sell something during the training
  • Canvas shopping bags work well when you partner with a shopping district. Woodland Park Main Street has cornered the market on this idea in their small town. They include coupons in the bag from participating businesses and then they sell the bags at other events for $10 – $15, woodlandparkmainstreet.org
  • Write a book about the history of your organization – or another popular subject. Self-publish and sell the book. This also works well with cookbooks
  • Find a way to share your mission by including others. The Mountain Top Cycling Club in Teller County has a “Bike the Night” to bring families out for a bicycle ride. People pay for the opportunity to participate, they get a glow in the dark t-shirt, and have a pizza party after the ride – mountaintopcyclingclub.com
  • Host a festive gathering for families. The Made for More project has a colorful pumpkin festival coming up. This is when the community comes together to celebrate the harvest of pumpkins – madeformoreproject.org

Think of your fundraisers as a way to market your organization. Sometimes, a fundraiser takes time to catch on. The first time you do it may not be as exciting because the results were not what you expected but if you keep a positive attitude, plan for the next time, and learn as you go – things always get better.

Training Others to Advance your Mission

First of all – determine your mission. This is usually the top priority of your role with an organization. Let’s just say it’s to raise money since SOAR is all about lifting people up to help them be successful with fundraising.

  • Who are you looking for? Determine this. What is the role you hope to attain in order to achieve your mission?
  • What kind of acquisition tools are available? Determine this. How can you implement these tools while adding additional tools to make your program special?
  • Bringing a person on board to fulfill your mission includes retaining them. What perks do you offer? Training is a key part having a person feel comfortable in their role. Regular conversation is another.

Training is ongoing and it’s helpful to provide a “new hire” packet, so to speak. This packet includes all of the information a person needs to know in writing. It shares the time commitment a person has signed up for and outlines their participation.

Training at meetings are universal and 1:1 meetings are personal. Making sure to cover both is a way to keep people in the know and on a broader scope when need be. The broader scope takes over when you’re wanting someone to cover another person’s role in their absence. It’s easier to do when everyone on your team knows what’s going on behind the scenes.

In summary – share your mission with people who are able to help you expand your market. In the end, market share is fundraising.

Fundraising Grows when you SOAR in a V-formation

Volunteer commitment grows when a volunteer feels they are an important part of a successful program. SOAR works with nonprofits to develop the V-formation of fundraising. The giving back scenario matches the same practice of birds flying in a flock.

Set up a time to talk about developing your very own V-formation of volunteers.

The V-formation – the volunteers you bring into the “flight pattern” of your organization.

#SOARwithNetworkFundraising allows #fundraising to become the central focus in everyday activites WITHOUT it being the only thing you talk or think about!

Do You SOAR? Time to do a SELFIE and see!

Time for a self check to see if you SOAR. Do you…

S – share your message

O – offer opportunities for people to be involved in your mission

A – accept the way people participate

R – respect and appreciate everyone involved

SURE – I bet you already SOAR. The depth of how often and how much you SOAR is the determining factor when improving your current status.

SOAR in the airstream – 33,000 feet

SOAR at Ground level

To SOAR you have to begin at the ground level before you can take flight. SOAR with Network Fundraising is a book that brings networking into the program to grow market share and raise money. The ground level is based on getting help to fulfill your mission. There’s a way to engage volunteers and build your network.

Establish your fundraising team and begin to host monthly meetings. Determine how you’re going to raise money and what kind of resources you already have and what you’ll need. It is important to include your fundraising team in decision-making and let them take roles.

Elevation to the airstream happens when the team you have is able to fly on their own. This is when you are able to relax, watch, mentor, and make important decisions while your team is motivated to create success for your organization’s mission.

getting into the Airstream

There are ways to get to the airstream rapidly. SOAR at ground level is one way. The reference of birds flying in a v-formation to get from one place to another efficiently is an example. Birds fly in a V because the leader creates an updraft and following behind is easier. Gayle Gross of SOAR with Network Fundraising trains you on leading your team toward successful fundraising. SHE creates the updraft for you and in the end, you create the same kind of updraft for your team. Organizations who SOAR migrate to the place where their organization benefits most. It’s the place of higher resources and lesser resistance.

Do you already have a fundraising program? Add the credits you’ve already earned because of the things you already do in your program – click here!

Nonprofits – Beat the Odds of Fundraising by Being Cooperative

Beat the odds. Fundraising can be difficult, especially in a small community or micro community within a large city.

Getting the YES to a donation takes time and energy. Many times, there tends to be a fear of losing between nonprofits. This ultimately fractures relationships and makes fundraising a competition.

Nonprofits come together to form the Nonprofit Cooperative in successful fundraising communities. There’s sharing of resources and trainings. Collaborative Fundraisers make raising money easier and more successful.

To learn more about doing this in your community, send an email to the founder of SOAR, Gayle Gross, at iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.org

Or, schedule a call! to make it easier for us to answer your questions quickly.

Engage business partners when fundraising to get the best results

Email iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.org OR, schedule a call to get your fundraising questions about SOAR answered.

Build fundraising into the framework of engagement for local businesses.

  • Meetings and activities for SOAR’s Co-Op happen within brick and mortar business locations to promote developing partnerships and potential sales/service
  • In-kind donation opportunities by a business help to offset the frequent “ask” for donations, which is a common complaint contributing to donor fatigue

Use it as a platform to develop a model for giving back

  • SOAR’s Co-Op increases communication, which promotes being on the same page as well as resolving conflicts
  • The Co-Op becomes a central donation/distribution hub when the right parameters are in place. This relieves businesses from constantly being asked and potentially feeling that if they do not comply they will lose business
  • Communities thrive when people give back in meaningful ways. Meaningful depends on knowing each other’s likes and dislikes and caring enough to always make it a positive experience.

Offer the program as a marketing opportunity

  • Trainings and networking events are built into the program, which promote the development of professional relationships
  • People have an opportunity to “be the trainer” and at the same time promote their business. This is when getting to know the business owner or who they have working in their shop truly makes a difference. Someone operating a cash register may have previous experience in event planning. They can be the experts in the field when it comes to training nonprofits on the topic at Co-Op meetings. It’s shining the spotlight on talents and creating goodwill at the same time

Added Bonus!

  • The fee to participate in the Nonprofit Cooperative is adjustable. The total left over at the end of the year is equal to a fundraiser.

The participation fee does not raise a lot of money although there are ways to expand upon the model to make fundraising more affective. For example:

  • Events have sponsors
  • Activities and increased sales at Main Street business locations develop into positive stories. Use these when writing grant requests

SOAR works with organizations to implement the Nonprofit Cooperative

  • SOAR shares the message of how the Co-Op benefits an organization’s mission
  • An organization chooses to develop a Nonprofit Cooperative in their community, which adds a longer philanthropic arm to their mission
  • SOAR analyzes the potential for success through discovery with key stakeholders and additional research. A proposal is presented when a better than average rating is achieved.
  • A partnership develops between SOAR and the organization, which normally lasts through the implementation phase or up to one year

Check the fundraising credits you’ve earned

Check the list below – add up 61 credits – get a call with SOAR’s Founder at NO COST. Ready to schedule your call? Click Here!

We have a volunteer program (7+ volunteers)2
We host an annual volunteer appreciation event3
We have volunteer job descriptions and we distribute them5
We have a volunteer training program5
We have a system for tracking volunteer hours8
We have a social media presence (2+ networks)8
We schedule regular posts on social media (3+/week)10
We have regular events scheduled for fundraising 10
We have a fundraising plan10

Add more points…

Talk to 3 people you meet today about your organization’s mission8
Invite someone to visit your organization for a tour of services; schedule the date8
Call a major donor to say hi; keep the call short; don’t ask for a donation8

What your credits earn:

20-minute fundraising call to discuss tweaking your program for greater success61
Newsletter or Social Media Assessment61
50-minute fundraising call to discuss 3 initiatives to help you reach your $ goal85
Donor Letters – SOAR provides templates and feedback on three types85
Marketing Design (flier, rack card, postcard)105
Social Media Training (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)105
Training for Setting up and Using Facebook for Events & Fundraising105
“Your Nonprofit Story” – SOAR helps you create a powerful message250
Fundraising Plan (one year)250
Fundraising Plan (three years)450
Volunteer Program Development (three months of coaching)450
Annual Leader’s Program  – One Year of Coaching on Your Fundraising Program950

YOU CAN PURCHASE CREDIT TOO, 1 credit = $1

Schedule your discovery call – no cost – click here! or email iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.org

NEW Fundraising Ideas Help You SOAR!

People get tired of doing the same old things. It’s time to get innovative with how you raise money. We have creativity in abundance at SOAR. We suggest you base your next fundraiser on the things your community likes to do. If you’d like advice on an idea, email iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.com. We are happy to provide feedback!

SOARful ideas:

  • Run a contest on social media to engage your current donors while increasing your donor base. A photo or video contest will have participants sharing their work while bringing more traffic and attention to your cause. Make it a public vote to determine the winner and now you’ve increased traffic to your page. People pay a small fee to participate and then they pay to have their photo/video posted with you for a number of times. 5X is free, 10X – small fee, 20X – higher fee, and so on. Make a menu of opportunities you can offer for a fee and watch how fast it grows.
  • Develop a puzzle describing your mission. Then, sell the puzzle to people who love the work you do. Offer a competition so the puzzle buyers bring friends/family together at their home for putting the puzzle together. They take a photo when beginning the puzzle and at an allotted end time. At the end of the contest period, the group with the most pieces fitting in during the allotted time wins the prize. The benefit: your message is shared over and over again to the groups putting the puzzles together! You could also sell “clues” ahead of time. These clues will help the people put the puzzle together.
  • Sell an experience. People living in a mining district sell an SUV trail ride to visit an old mine. If there’s a racetrack near you and someone you know has a cool car – make it about being a passenger for a couple of laps around the track. This is also a great opportunity to partner with another business in your area actually in the business of providing “experiences.”
  • Parade coming up? A person could buy their spot on a float your organization is entering.
  • This is fun. Get some friends together and go on a mobile scavenger hunt. The first one back with all things on the list wins! Add a price to participation and prizes.
  • Have a digital scavenger hunt. Think of creative, funny pictures you could take with people in the community. Make a list and share with those who pay to participate. Add prizes and a closing event…fun, fun, fun.
People love puzzles and a competition makes a great fundraiser.

There are many ways outside of the traditional fundraiser to raise money. It could be a “new” activity that hangs on for a couple of years because you continue to expand on it. In fact, allowing an activity to grow naturally is the best way to create a sustainable program.

Good luck!

Email iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.org OR, schedule a call to get your fundraising questions answered.