Nonprofits and Businesses Partner for “Love Local” Window Decorating Contest

Winners announced!

Symphony Above the Clouds and Rhapsody Bar are the People’s Choice Winners!! $50 donation to the Symphony Guild from SOAR. (Total votes: 65) They added 34 votes during the Sidewalk Sale coordinated by Main Street on September 19, 2020!

The Runner Up for People’s Choice ALSO had a table at their window location during Main Street’s Sidewalk Sale. Congratulations Friends of Mueller State Park and GearLab! $35 donation to the Friends of Mueller State Park from SOAR. (Total votes: 56)

Honorable Mention Winner is the Woodland Park Junior Wrestling Club because of their creative window painting at Jackalope. $35 donation to the Woodland Park Junior Wrestling Club from SOAR!

We appreciate all participants: Cowhand, Teller Senior Coalition, Help the Needy, Alpine Firearms, AARF, Mountain View Yogurt Plus, Nonprofit Cooperative of Teller County, and Habitat for Humanity of Teller County

Three men join forces to lift the words Stronger Together

Old Fashioned 4th of July Celebration in Woodland Park – 2021

Logistics:

  • $80 = Corporate Booth Space (10 by 10), adjoining space is $60
  • $60 = Nonprofit Booth Space (10 by 10), adjoining space is $40
  • $25 = Electricity (first come first serve)

Save Money: Corporations or nonprofits save money by providing five volunteers (save $10) and/or running a scheduled activity for SOAR (save $20)

Partner benefits: Help nonprofits when you become a marketing partner for this event. All proceeds benefit the Nonprofit Cooperative of Teller County.

$500 = Independence Day Partner (2)

  • Free booth space on the grass (main stage area + the hub for music, large area west of the lake)
  • Banner space on the main stage
  • Logo on pre-event advertising
  • Logo on activity maps designating your location, distributed on July 4th
  • Name mentioned in event articles and press releases; from the main stage; and during other activities at the park

$350 = Star-Spangled Partner (3)

  • Free booth space on the grass (activity area) in a premier location (or near sponsored activity)
  • Banner space on the activity stage (north side of the lake) or near sponsored activity
  • Logo on pre-event advertising
  • Logo on activity maps designating your location, distributed on July 4th
  • Name mentioned in event articles and press releases; from the activity stage; and during other activities at the park

$250 = National Anthem Partner (5)

  • Booth space in/beside the pavilion
  • Banner space on your sponsored pavilion
  • Logo on activity maps designating your location, distributed on July 4th
  • Name mentioned in event articles and press releases; from the activity stage; and during other activities at the park
  • Name on pre-event advertising UNLESS you agree to facilitate a planned activity within the pavilion and then you get a logo and the opportunity to set up your display within the pavilion. Activities are “scheduled” at pavilions each hour for 20 minutes (6X for the day of July 4th) and must be coordinated with SOAR (ideas: watermelon eating contest, a kids parade around the sidewalk circling the park, decorate cookies, have a reading of the Declaration of Independence with a Thomas Jefferson puppet or character actor)

$200 = 4th of July Partner (unlimited)

  • Free booth space (10 by 10) or food cart
  • Logo on activity maps and cards distributed on July 4th
  • Name mentioned in event articles and press releases

Email Gayle Gross @ iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.org

Peak Art Adventure – Woodland Park, Colorado

This event is a collaborative fundraiser for three nonprofits.

Peak Art Adventure in Woodland Park is August 1 – 6, 2021. Sign up to receive information as the event develops. Click here!

You’ll receive information related to being an artist at the event or receiving an Art Passport to visit the artists’ activities during the week.

Peak Art Adventure includes:

  • Plein Air Painting
  • Art Classes
  • Studio Tours
  • ART Walk among Woodland Park businesses
  • A reception to showcase the week of art where the public votes for their favorites

Kevin Knebl presents a live training about Social Media in OUR Backyard – Woodland Park, Colorado – 2021

Partner, get in on the Marketing Bonanza, and get 2 – 6 tickets to the event with Kevin. (See current Marketing Bonanza benefits here: https://marketingbonanza.eventbrite.com

The Nonprofit Cooperative of Teller County brings Kevin Knebl to the stage in 2021. Participants get valuable training with the opportunity to buy into the day at three rates ($45, $135, or $270):

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 and trainings are included.

The 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, and the Nonprofit Cooperative of Teller County.

Sponsorship packages are available. Email iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.org to learn more

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