Tag Archives: #network fundraising

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

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.

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!

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 event	3
We have volunteer job descriptions and we distribute them	5
We have a volunteer training program	5
We have a system for tracking volunteer hours	8
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 plan	10

Add more points…

Talk to 3 people you meet today about your organization’s mission	8
Invite someone to visit your organization for a tour of services; schedule the date	8
Call a major donor to say hi; keep the call short; don’t ask for a donation	8

What your credits earn:

20-minute fundraising call to discuss tweaking your program for greater success	61
Newsletter or Social Media Assessment	61
50-minute fundraising call to discuss 3 initiatives to help you reach your $ goal	85
Donor Letters – SOAR provides templates and feedback on three types	85
Marketing Design (flier, rack card, postcard)	105
Social Media Training (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)	105
Training for Setting up and Using Facebook for Events & Fundraising	105
“Your Nonprofit Story” – SOAR helps you create a powerful message	250
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 Program	950

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.

Creating Positive Experiences

A positive experience begins with the right intent – an opportunity to offer something meaningful to another person. Only 4% of people voice their complaints to you about something you’ve done. Are they voicing their dismay to others? You bet. Begin by recognizing how you feel. If there’s any feeling you have that maybe, just maybe, you offered bad service to someone or said something, which may have been taken the wrong way? The first step is to ask, “Is everything alright? Is there anything I can do to make things better?” If the person says, “Everything is fine.” You have to take their word for it and then, create positive experiences. It takes 12 positive experiences to delete one negative.

Positive experiences to think about:

Asking “Is everything alright? Is there anything I can do to make things better?”
Sending a personal note letting the person know you value your relationship with them
Add a benefit for them related to what they value. A person with a business would like to know you sent someone their way
Invite the person out for coffee or lunch to get to know them better
Ask this person to share their expertise by offering an opportunity to do so
Communicate openly
Show appreciation
Make interactions simple and easy
Understand expectations and then go above and beyond
Recognize efforts they make
Listen and acknowledge their ideas
Watch your body language during interactions to make sure you’re open and friendly
Always say something positive to this person
Add this person’s name into conversation with them
Draw attention to personal connections
Tell this person a “secret” so they know you better
Be as transparent as possible
Remain caring, professional and polite
Be yourself
End conversations in a polite way: have a good day, have a nice night, see you soon, talk to you later…
Be positive and create positive feelings
Invite this person to join a club, experience, event
Anticipate and be attentive
Find an emotional connection – a common bond
Empathize

Customer service has reached a new level, and in fact, has entered into the realm of being more personal. Our lives have become much more of an open book because of social media. Maintaining positive relationships are most-important for keeping your life in tune, on a positive note, so to speak.

Email iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.org OR, schedule a call to get your questions answered about how to create positive experiences in your community.

Developing a Fundraising Plan – Raising Money is Always About Your Next Move!

The fundraising plan is first and foremost, the most NECESSARY document needed to raise money. Get a team together to discuss short and long term goals. Then, take small steps to open the right doors.

Team

__________________________

How much money by when?

____________________6 months

____________________12 months

____________________24 months

____________________36 months

____________________48 months

____________________60 months

Methods for raising money

Past

____________________

Present

____________________

Future

____________________

Timeline for each method (each fundraiser has its own schedule)

Name of fundraiser: _____________________________________

11 months out: _________10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 month out…three weeks…two weeks…one week…three days…two days…one day…day of…day after…week following…two weeks following…three weeks following & start over again!

Participants (fundraising team, volunteers, invitations to activity)

Past: Future:

___________ ___________

Resources (location, activities, marketing, door prizes, etc)

Have: What’s needed

_____________ _____________

Tracking mechanism (spreadsheet or donor management software)
Maintain focus with your team

Monthly meetings, contact via email and calls, keep the goals visual, provide task-oriented participation to be checked off upon completion and follow the timeline to a T!

SOAR coaches organizations through the development of a fundraising plan during a 10-day process.

Schedule a call or send an email to iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.org

Over the TOP Fundraising Team

V-formation is Everyone who…

Shares the cause and tells the story of how they are connected to your mission
Engages donors and sponsors (increases donations and lower costs)
Answers the following question with yes – “will this decision help us raise more money for our cause?” If the answer is no, spending time on that item is avoided

Sample Roles for your team

1. Event Coordinator

2. Marketing Collaborator

3. Hospitality Chief

Building a strong V-formation depends on communication. There are lots of ways we communicate. People do have preferences. Figure them out!

Learn more about SOAR’s Annual Coaching Program by clicking here.

Wondering about the “800?” Schedule a call or send an email to iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.org

Nonprofits Collaborate in Teller County, Colorado To Create Impact

The Nonprofit Cooperative in Teller County, Colorado is a project of SOAR with Network Fundraising. Organizations represented at the meeting on January 8 were:

Mountain Top Cycling Club
Teller County Farmer’s Market Association
Woodland Park Farmer’s Market
Woodland Park Main Street
Colorado Phoenix Project
Junior Achievement of Teller County
Pikes Peak Rotary Club
Lighter Side of Christmas Parade
Woodland Park Wind Symphony
Teller Safe Harbor
Habitat for Humanity
Friends of Mueller State Park
UC Health
Friends of the Florissant Fossil Beds
Pikes Peak Historical Society
DayBreak – An Adult Day Program
Pikes Peak Lions Club
Our Lady of the Woods Catholic Church

Helping nonprofits develop into a collaborative effort is what SOAR is doing in Teller County. Organizations work together and create impact for their community through economic vitality. As a result of the meeting on January 8th, TCRAS changed the date of a fundraiser they have because it overlapped with something Habitat was doing on the same day.

Participants of the cooperative effort receive training on how to be impactful. It’s not a membership organization, it’s people who choose to work together for the better good of the organizations they represent.

Cooperative means everyone gets a vote, decisions are made as a group, and there’s greater potential for success while everyone works in tandem. Do you want to learn more about bringing this project to your small community? It increases exposure, opportunities, and market share (fundraising). Set up time to learn more about the program and how to be a participant. Email: iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.com

Moving forward, an organization in the cooperative of Teller County has 23 opportunities to market their program. This includes attending trainings, collaborative networking events, participating in together-marketing campaigns, and attending happy hours.

The goal is to make SOAR’s project available in communities with less than 30,000 people. Be part of the movement and connect today.

Schedule a call or send an email to iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.org