dog in car

Many §501(c)(3) charities have already instituted vehicle donations programs to aid in their fundraising efforts. Under Internal Revenue Service rules, a “vehicle” includes “motor vehicles manufactured primarily for use on public streets, roads, and highways; a boat; or an airplane.” Read on to learn if a vehicle donation program might be right for your group.

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winter snowman

The winter holiday season is permeated with feelings of peace on earth and the desire to help others. It is this time of year that people are more willing than ever to share their time and their money to help out a good cause. While the winter holidays is the time of giving, it is

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creating a year in review report

Even though a year in review report isn’t legally required, it should an essential document for non-profit organizations of all sizes. It is a great way to connect with supporters, give credit to volunteers and employees and to highlight all the great work your organization has accomplished over the past year. While it may seem

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After filing your articles of incorporation (read about Non-profit Incorporation) there are a number of important steps to take: 1. Build a Board of Directors First, you will need to identify who you would like to have on your Board of Directors in addition to those who signed as incorporators. Initially, consideration should be given

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template for media alert

With all the focus on social media these days, maybe the good old fashioned media alert has become a neglected part of your marketing efforts. Following are a few tips and a media alert template to get you started. It can be a very effective tool however, creating buzz around your fundraising events. It is

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Your organization’s email list can only take your message so far. To continue to grow the reach of your organization, you’ll have to get the word out to new people and places and build media relations for your group. Traditional media outlets can be an invaluable friend to non-profit organizations, exposing your cause to thousands

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501 (c)(3)

Many fundraising organizations ask whether there is any benefit to becoming a non-profit corporation. In reality, this is two questions: first, whether to incorporate at all and second, after incorporation, whether to seek non-profit status. There are many benefits to non-profit incorporation and, once incorporated, many benefits to non-profit status. The decision to incorporate as

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be prepared sign

When tasked with obtaining sponsorship money or in-kind donations, simple prior preparation will make the entire process easier. Before asking anyone for anything, ask yourself these basic questions: What is our goal? Does my group need monetary sponsorship or in-kind donations, or both? There are two main types of support, monetary (a company or person

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Maybe you’ve had a stressful fundraising season but you’re still on the hook for one more event, or you’re looking for a simple and quick add-on fundraiser to another event. Why not plan for a karaoke fundraiser? This event costs little to put on and provides an easy way to earn money and have lots

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Regardless if you’re holding one or several fundraisers each year, properly promoting each and every event will help you get the most out of your time and money invested in them. Even just a little bit of extra effort can result in much better results. Following some tips to get started with promoting your event:

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thank you letter company

Following is a sample ‘thank you’ for donation letter to be sent to a company. Feel free to customize this thank you for donations letter with your group’s specific information as needed. (More fundraising letters.)       Dear ______ Thank you. You may remember our request for a donation for our school science fair.

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Asking large company for donations - skyscraper

Large companies support charities on a large scale, providing financial support through fundraising events and donations, in addition to providing publicity of their sponsored non-profits among their employees. But even large companies may have to lower their cash donations during tough economic times and will often resort to making up at least some of the

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Valentine’s Day is one of the best times of year to hold a fundraiser! A Valentine’s Day fundraiser offers the advantages of • Decreased competition from other fundraisers – as opposed to the busy times of year for fundraising like Christmas and Fall, when many local and nationwide groups launch major campaigns • Demand for

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As 2011 comes to an end, we’d like to thank you, our readers, for your continued support of FundraisingIP.com! Please keep sending your comments and suggestions so we can continue to post useful fundraising information and more new fundraising ideas in the coming year! 2011 donation statistics won’t be in for a while yet, but

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Maybe you’ve used gift cards in gift baskets for silent auctions before, or as prizes for your most successful fundraising volunteers, but have you considered doing a fundraiser by collecting gift cards and cashing them in? Especially during the winter holidays, people get lots of gift cards for presents. Sure, you will most likely want

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