What are Tier Rewards and Perks 

Tier Rewards Programs or perks is giving donors something in exchange for supporting a cause. Often the supporter who donate more gets a bigger reward or perk. Example, if a supporter donates $100 to a museum they might get a T-shirt, if another support donates $1,500 they might get their name carved into the side of the museum. By using tier rewards or perks, this can help supporters to stay engaged with your cause and donate more. Below we have addressed many tips and strategies to setup perks effectively for your next fundraiser – keep reading…

When you make the decision to raise money online, it is important to determine what type of fundraiser you are going to host. Although some people are able to successfully host an online fundraising campaign without offering any rewards to their donors, it is becoming increasingly common to offer a tiered rewards program. These fundraisers make it easy to convince people to donate online because they tap into the person’s sense of charitably and consumerism at the same time. Looking to create your own fundraising page visit DonationTo.com

Most people who use a tiered rewards program will refer to the items that their donors can receive as perks. This particular vernacular is more likely to capture attention, so it is a good idea to emulate the success of others by incorporating it into your online fundraising efforts.

It makes the most sense to offer perks that are associated with your fundraising ideas. For example, if you are asking people to donate online to assist you with the cost of college, you could utilize the following tiered template:

$10 – Receive a photograph of me at school.
$100 – Receive a free t-shirt that supports my cause.
$500 – I will wear a t-shirt around campus that promotes your business or personally thanks you. The entire campus will know that you support my education!
$1,000 – I will wear a t-shirt and hat with your company name, logo or personal name on campus for one month. The entire campus will know that you support my education!
$40,000 – I will wear a t-shirt and hat with your company name, logo or personal name on campus for one year. The entire campus will know that you support my education!

You could also consider listing multiple items for each tier level that your donors could choose from. After all, some people might only have $10 to donate online, but they might prefer to receive a bumper sticker that has your school’s logo on it.

There are Several Important Aspects to Tier Level Rewards Online Fundraising

1.) Potential Donors Enjoy Knowing that You Care Enough about Their Donation to Offer Rewards -

Consider for example how often you have felt compelled to support a cause that was offering you something in return. In many cases, it might have been something small that you actually had no concrete use for, but it still made you feel better about getting involved.

As previously mentioned, most people are charitable by nature, but they also spend the majority of their lives being consumers, and this makes them respond more favorably to fundraisers that offer them something in exchange for their money. Another benefit of offering perks in exchange for donations is that it will show your donors that you are conscious of the fact that they will be giving you some of their hard-earned money to support your personal fundraising goals.

2.) A Sense of Humor is Very Important, and it Will Resonate with Potential Donors –

Even though the goal of obtaining enough money to fund your education is very serious, it is also important to make sure that you do not take a heavy-handed approach. After all, if you consider the fundraisers that you have supported in the past, you are likely to realize that you tend to support individuals and causes that incorporate either humor or a strong human element into their attempts to raise money online. Therefore, you should feel free to use some humor in your fundraising campaign– when appropriate of course. We realize there are some situations of fundraising where humor will not be a good idea.

For example, the perks listed above for the college fundraiser mention wearing a shirt or hat with a person’s name or their company logo. Although this can actually be a very lucrative offer for some businesses, it will most likely be looked at as a joke by the majority of your donors. After all, what are the odds that your grandmother is actually going to want you to walk around campus wearing her name on a t-shirt for a month? However, even if she does like this idea, you can use that to your advantage by posting fun pictures of yourself walking around campus with your “I Love My Grandmother” t-shirt on.

3.) Humor Will Allow Donors to Have Fun -

Even if you are still in the process of learning how to fundraise, it should be easy to see how much more effective a humorous approach can be. If your donors feel like they have the chance to be a part of something that is both worthwhile and entertaining, they will be more likely to join your cause and encourage their friends to do the same thing. After all, if you consider the previous tier level rewards fundraisers that you have supported, you will probably see a list that includes a mixture of funny and useful perks.

Individuals who have raised money to support a movie idea have been especially good at combining humor with their fundraising ideas, and there have been many bumper stickers, buttons and other pieces of memorabilia offered that have taken a completely silly approach. As an added bonus, these humorous perks are often the ones that donors actually use. For example, if you donate to a fundraiser that offers to give you a funny bumper sticker in exchange for $10, you will probably make room for that bumper sticker on your car. This type of tier level reward could also provide the proper incentive to get you to donate $10 instead of just $5.

4.) Make Sure that the Rewards and Humor Remain Relevant for the Duration of the Fundraiser -

Many people who are still in the process of learning how to fundraise do not realize that they will increase their odds of being successful if they spread their fundraiser out across an extended period of time. However, if you decide to do this, you should also split your fundraiser into multiple different phases so that people do not forget to make donations on a regular basis.

If you are fundraising for a four-year college degree, you should offer incentives that will keep the process fun for everyone over the next four years. Consider for instance the techniques that your favorite charities have used to get you to make a donation on an annual basis. By offering different perks or linking their fundraising efforts to different aspects of the charity’s work, they have managed to secure your continual support. You can put the same idea into practice with your fundraiser. For example, you can offer four different $40,000 perks that each last a year. Even though it is likely that those perks will not end up being selected, the humor that is involved in the idea of wearing a t-shirt and hat with someone’s name on it for an entire year will encourage people to donate what they can.

Another thing that you could offer as a perk that would keep people coming back time and again is tickets to your college’s sporting events. As long as you are able to get them on an as-needed basis for less than the amount of money that is being donated, this could be a great way to get people who live in the local area to make regular contributions to your campaign. This is especially true if you are attending a school that is unable to offer a large quantity of tickets to the general public.

Regardless of which perks you offer, the most important thing is to make sure that you have a long list of options that will appeal to a diverse group of potential donors. If you are financially unable to offer any perks that are actually concrete, you should definitely go the humorous route by offering to wear a t-shirt or get a temporary tattoo with the donor’s name on it.

A Recent Example of a Hugely Successful Tier Level Rewards Fundraising Campaign

The Oatmeal.com recently showcased the power of the Internet and humor when they hosted one of the most Lets build a goddamn tesla museum successful online fundraisers of all time. Anyone who follows The Oatmeal is undoubtedly aware of the owner’s high level of admiration and respect for Nikola Tesla, so it was not surprising that he decided to get involved when the opportunity presented itself to build a museum in Tesla’s honor. The project was able to reach a massive audience even with a controversial name that made it difficult for the media to properly report on the campaign’s efforts.

In order to encourage people to make a donation to the Tesla Museum fundraiser, The Oatmeal offered a long list of tiered perks that were worded in humorous ways. For example, the smallest reward tier was $3, and it was labeled “Tesla loves the number three.” This tier went on to announce that Tesla would love anyone who donated $3, and it also humorously stated that if Tesla was still alive that he would “totally high-five you and compliment your haircut.” This level of humor was incorporated into each tier, and it was most likely a large part of the reason that the campaign exceeded its original goal by more than $520,000. Consider for example how often you have been drawn to things that make you laugh. If you would be more drawn to a fundraiser that offered something funny such as compliment on your haircut from a long dead inventor or even a quick sketch of something silly on a napkin, then you should strongly consider the possibility that your donors will feel the same way.

Another great example of how The Oatmeal brought the humor behind their campaign to life can be seen on their perks page. The host of the fundraiser made the decision to use the term perks instead of rewards, and although it is impossible to know for sure how much of a difference this ultimately made, it is always a good idea to emulate a formula that has been proven to succeed in the past. Therefore, when you set up your fundraiser, it would be a really good idea to consider referring to any items that you are offering in exchange for donations as a perk. Another positive aspect of doing this is that the term perk makes people think of something exclusive that they get for being involved in a program, but the term rewards is now strongly associated with credit cards and, therefore, spending money. By using psychology to your advantage, you can help ensure that people will feel compelled to make a donation in exchange for receiving either a real-life perk or simply the enjoyment of something funny. If you are looking to create your own fundraising page and keep 100% of all donations and avoid credit card fees visit DonationTo.com

The great thing about the example of The Oatmeal’s Niokla Tesla Museum fundraiser is that it was far more successful than even its host could have ever anticipated. This is a testament to the strength of using humor, and it also proves that the viral nature of the Internet can be used by anyone to raise money. Any individual or company that was willing to donate $33,333 to the campaign was also offered the very viable perk of receiving free advertising on The Oatmeal. However, instead of simply getting a banner ad, the donors at this level were given the enviable perk of having a feature created about them by The Oatmeal’s owner and founder.

One company took advantage of this great perk, and they were able to promote their brand new business in front of a receptive audience of millions. The Best Western Denver Southwest Dinosaur Wonderland Hotel in Denver, Colorado, was the perfect business to get involved with a fundraiser for Tesla, and they sent in a $35,000 donation to help make the museum become a reality. In exchange, a long and colorful advertisement was created that explained the basic history of dinosaurs and managed to incorporate Tesla. The bottom third of the very humorous and educational post introduced The Oatmeal’s audience to the Best Western Denver Southwest’s conversion into a dinosaur themed hotel, and their Facebook fan page received more than 76,000 likes as a result of the advertisement. BTW you should like their page here: http://www.facebook.com/bestwesterndenver

As you can see, it is important to always offer a higher level perk whenever you host a fundraiser with tier level rewards. After all, if The Oatmeal had not dreamed big and offered a perk for donations of at least $33,333, they would not have had nearly as easy of a time hitting their initial goal, and the Best Western Denver Southwest would have missed out on a great opportunity. However, you should always keep lower level perks in mind too because they will generate the largest quantity of donations. For example, the Tesla Museum fundraiser received $3 from 5,393 different people, and more than 5,400 people donated $33 to receive a bumper sticker with a design that says “Tesla > Edison.”

The Four Important Lessons that The Oatmeal’s Fundraiser Showcased

There are several things that can be learned from The Oatmeal’s successful fundraiser. Four of the main things that will assist you with hosting your own fully funded campaign are listed below.

1.) The Owner of The Oatmeal Cared Deeply About the Cause –

If the host of the fundraiser did not truly care about making the proposed Tesla Museum become a reality, he would not have offered perks that required him to take such a hands-on approach. Donors were impressed by this, and they also enjoyed getting something in return for their support. Consider for example each time you have donated money in the past. The fundraisers that rewarded you with an actual physical perk that you still have are probably the ones that come to mind first. This is natural, and it is an aspect of human nature that should be utilized during the fundraising process. Therefore, it is always best to create a fundraiser that supports something that you truly care about, and you should also make sure that you offer rewards that are either tangible or funny enough to capture the attention of a large group of people.

2.) The Oatmeal Mixed a Serious and Humorous Spin on the Fundraiser to Keep Everyone’s Spirits High –

In order to make sure that everyone understood who Tesla was and why he deserves a museum in his honor, The Oatmeal did provide a historical look at his life and work. This was undoubtedly educational to thousands of people, and it probably resulted in several donations from people who had never even heard Tesla’s name before. However, to make sure that the fundraiser did not become bogged down by serious sentiment and a history lesson, The Oatmeal also added funny elements to their page that related to Tesla’s personality. For example, he loved the number $3, so many of the tier levels had a $3 in them. They also posted a funny cartoon that explained the entire process, and this visual approach works very well on the Internet.

Consider for instance how many times you have been approached to donate your time or money to a specific cause. The fundraisers that presented their information in a visually appealing manner probably received more of your money, and if they also made you laugh, it is virtually guaranteed that you made a nicely sized donation. This is because the host of those fundraisers understood that it is important to put an upbeat spin on their fundraising efforts in order to keep people motivated.

3.) The Oatmeal Made the Process Fun for Everyone –

In addition to making people laugh while they were participating in a worthwhile fundraisers, The Oatmeal also provided the additional benefit of providing everyone with something entertaining to look forward. Naturally, all of the donors are waiting to see the Tesla Museum come to fruition. However, this will be lengthy process that is likely to take several years. Therefore, The Oatmeal was able to keep everyone’s attention focused on the positive aspects of the fundraiser that they had all participated in by using their comedic comic strips to provide the advertisement that was received as a perk by the dinosaur-themed Best Western Denver Southwest. If you consider how much you have enjoyed receiving little perks from previous fundraisers, you can begin to appreciate how much all of the Tesla Museum’s supporters looked forward to seeing additional cartoons from The Oatmeal that were inspired by their group effort to honor Tesla.

While everyone else is enjoying the various perks that were associated with the fundraising process, the people who were determined to convert Tesla’s former laboratory into a museum are able to get to work on the time-consuming task that is ahead of them. Because The Oatmeal is still keeping everyone entertained, the development team should be able to take care of all of the necessary planning and building without constantly being interrupted with questions about their progress.

4.) The Entertainment Value from Each Donation was not Short Lived –

Most fundraisers provide you with something that will last for a long time such as a t-shirt or bumper sticker, but The Oatmeal took this concept and greatly expanded upon it. Instead of posting everything associated with the fundraiser immediately, the website has slowly been publishing the results to keep everyone involved in the process. For example, they did not post the advertisement about the dinosaur hotel until several months after the fundraiser ended. This reminded everyone about what happened, and it also provided additional entertainment for everyone to enjoy.

Although you might not be able to provide rewards that will offer entertainment for as long of a time period as The Oatmeal’s perks did, you should still consider the potential long-term impact of each of the donations that you receive. For example, many no-kill animal shelters that request money to take care of a specific animal’s needs will then follow-up with periodic photographs that show how the animal is doing. This makes the people who donated feel more personally rewarded by the process, and you should definitely consider incorporating a similar idea into all of your fundraisers.

Other Important Notes to Keep in Mind

1.) Make Your Tier Rewards Relevant -

Just like The Oatmeal kept each of their perks related to Nikola Tesla, you should also keep each of your reward tiers relevant to your fundraiser.

2.) Keep Your Budget in Mind -

It is vital to consider your budget when you are organizing your fundraiser. After all, if you offer perks that you cannot possibly afford to give, you will create a very unhappy group of donors. Many people forget to factor in the cost of shipping and any applicable printing fees, so make sure that you keep that in mind when you are designing your tier level rewards. You should also compare the cost of each perk versus the amount of money that must be donated in order to receive it. For example, if it will cost you $5 to print a bumper sticker and mail it to anyone within the continental U.S., you will need to have this perk listed at a minimum donation tier of $10. After all, you also need to factor in the time commitment that you are taking on and how that will impact your life. If you do not make at least $5 from the bumper sticker perk to go toward your cause, it is not a good perk to offer.

The two points listed above are crucial aspect of the fundraising process. If you are a college student, you can offer the t-shirt with a name on it perk that was previously mentioned as a way to stay within your budget. The Oatmeal showcased these two important points by using their artistic medium to offer a relevant perk that could be offered without any large out-of-pocket costs. The smaller perks were also extremely relevant to the cause, and they made sure that they cleared a lot of money from each tier. After all, it did not cost anywhere near $33 for each bumper sticker to be printed and mailed to the applicable donor, but 5,440 people supported the cause by donating this amount.

Fundraising for Tricky Concepts

Although it is a good idea to use humor whenever possible, there are some scenarios that will not allow you to take this approach. For example, if you are raising money for a funeral, it would be inappropriate to make light of the situation or offer perks that are funny. However, there is still a very easy way to offer relevant perks. For example, you could utilize the following perks template:

$10 - Receive a printed photograph of John enjoying a day at the park.
$100 - We have collected hundreds of photographs of John, and we will be burning them all onto a disc for those of you who donate $100 or more.
$1,000 - Get your name listed on the memorial plaque that we are purchasing in John’s honor.

As you can see, each of these perks is relevant, and they are also in good taste. After all, everyone understands that funerals are extremely expensive, and most people will want to have a copy of the photo disc.

Summary

One of the best ways to capture the attention of a large group of donors is to offer tier level rewards for your fundraiser. These rewards should provide something that is either humorous or tangible, and they should be affiliated in some way with the purpose of the fundraiser. For example, if you are asking people to help you pay for college, you could offer to give them a photograph of yourself on campus if they donate at least $10.

The Oatmeal recently hosted one of the most successful online fundraisers of all time. Their effort to memorialize inventor Nikola Tesla with a museum was so successfully that they passed their initial goal by $520,461. There are several reasons that this campaign was a success, including the fact that the creator of the cartoon incorporated a mixture of humor and history to draw in a large audience. The Oatmeal also offered solid perks at a donation amount that ensured that they would be able to put the vast majority of the money received directly into the hands of the non-profit organization that is building the museum.

By taking your cue from The Oatmeal and providing donors with entertainment and perks that they actually want, you can greatly increase your odds of having a fully funded campaign. DonationTo.com is pleased to offer you the opportunity to host a campaign that can easily accept credit card donations via PayPal or WePay, and we are confident that you will succeed if you follow all of the tips listed above.

Looking for additional fundraising tips check out these other links: How to Optimize Your Fundraising Page, How to Stay in Contact with Supporters in 3 Ideas, How to Fundraise with Tier Level Rewards (Video), How to Receive Online Donations in 6 Tips, How to Do Fundraising on Facebook

Thanks again! From the DonationTo Team!!

The Fast Way to Fundraise Online

Get your own fundraising site: DonationTo.com

The post Fundraising with Perks and Tier Level Rewards appeared first on DonationTo Blog | Donate Online.

The Anti-Defamation League is a non-profit organization that places an emphasis on fighting anti-Semitism and any other form of bigotry. Although their home base is in the U.S., they do extend their efforts abroad. In order to fight these issues, they maintain a group of dedicated individuals who keep a close eye on known hate groups, monitor the Internet for hateful commentary, provide education to help expose the problem of bigotry and take steps to help protect the security of Jewish and Israel people around the world. Once they identify hate within a certain group or community, the Anti-Defamation League works closely with legislators to eradicate the problem.

One of the best ways to encourage people to donate online to a worthy cause is to become personally involved. For example, nine self-described Tokyo Brits decided to cycle 300 kilometers to raise money online to help people who lost everything as a result of a 9.0 earthquake that struck the Pacific coast of Japan in 2011. To date, the group has raised over $9,000 by sharing their fundraising ideas via DonationTo.com.

Even if you have no idea how to fundraise, you can get started in just a few minutes. DonationTo.com provides a lot of information and tips, including several fundraising ideas, to ensure that everyone has the best chance to be successful. When you make the decision to raise money online via this platform, you will be able to avoid all of the credit card fees that are typically associated with an online fundraising campaign. DonationTo.com will also let you keep 100 percent of the donations to increase the contribution that you are able to make to Amnesty International.

By letting the DonationTo.com website teach you how to fundraise, you can stop dreaming about making a major contribution and makes your dreams come to fruition instead. Keep in mind that most people are charitable by nature, and if you explain to them how important the Anti-Defamation League is, you are certain to receive a lot of support.

The non-profit group has been very successful at helping to introduce important ideas that would later become laws. For example, they campaigned for 13 years to bring the Matthew Shepard James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act to life, and it was finally signed into law in 2009. Due to their extensive monitoring network, the Anti-Defamation League can also inform law officials when a potential hate crime is being planned or has already occurred. Their work has been taking place for 100 years, but they still need the support of donors in order to continue fighting against hate.

If you believe in the work that Amnesty International is doing, you can donate online via their website. However, if you want to make a really big impact, you should consider hosting an online fundraising campaign instead. After all, by introducing this important cause to all of your family, friends and co-workers, it is likely that you will be able to raise a lot of money that can be given to Amnesty International in one lump sum.

Looking for additional fundraising tips check out these other links: How to Fundraise Despite Economic Recession, How to Ask for Help in Fundraising, How to Raise Money Online with the Book On Fundraising, How to Fundraise Successfully with DonationTo, How to Receive Online Donations with 5 Email Tips

Thanks again! From the DonationTo Team!!

The Fast Way to Fundraise Online

Get your own fundraising site: DonationTo.com

The post Fundraising for the Anti-Defamation League appeared first on DonationTo Blog | Donate Online.

The Nicole Angela Gomez Memorial Fund is an online fundraising campaign that is hosted by DonationTo.com. Gomez passed away at the age of 19 on October 30, 2012, and her family was left without enough money to give her a proper funeral due to an issue with their insurance company. In order to take care of the necessary expenses, they decided to raise money online. By using DonationTo paid account the Gomez family was able to keep 100% of all donations, avoid credit card fees and save over $350. The Gomez family believed that they had taken care of all of the necessary details in advance by signing Nicole up for a life insurance policy, but unfortunately, the company did not make the money available as expected to cover her funeral.

When the Gomez family selected DonationTo.com as their online fundraising platform, they gained access to several tips that helped them learn how to fundraise effectively. The website also provides fundraising ideas to help ensure a successful campaign. For example, each person who uses DonationTo.com will have access to a messaging system and social network integration tools. By properly using these free tools, you can easily encourage people to donate online to your worthy cause.

Another important aspect of partnering with DonationTo.com to raise money online is that you are given the option to select between four different account types. The free account will let people donate online, but you will be responsible for covering credit card fees, and there will also be a 5 percent fee deducted from each donation that you receive. In order to avoid these fees, you can select one of the website’s three paid accounts. These accounts start at only $9 per month, and they enable you to receive 100 percent of the donations that your fundraising ideas generate. All of the credit card fees will also be waived, and this means that you can truly use every penny that is donated for your cause.

The Gomez family made the decision to use a paid account, and it saved them $320. If you have ever been involved in the financial aspects of a funeral, you will know how important that $320 was. Therefore, Nicole’s family definitely made the right decision. In fact, even if you are not sure how to fundraise, the math is clear enough that everyone should understand that it is in their best interests to steer clear of any free fundraising accounts.

In addition to providing Nicole’s family with a solid resource for obtaining online donations, DonationTo.com also provided them with a page that acts as an online memorial. Each of the donors had the option to leave a message of support for the family, and these comments can bring great solace during a difficult time. DonationTo.com will also preserve these messages by leaving the page up indefinitely.

Looking for additional fundraising tips check out these other links: How to Ask for Help in Fundraising, How to Fundraise for A Funeral, How to Cover Funeral Costs in 6 Steps, How to Receive Online Donations in 6 Tips, How to Fundraise Successfully with DonationTo, How to Fundraise in 5 Steps

Thanks again! From the DonationTo Team!!

The Fast Way to Fundraise Online

Get your own fundraising site: DonationTo.com

The post Nicole Angela Gomez Memorial Fund appeared first on DonationTo Blog | Donate Online.

DonationTo.com is a fundraising platform. And when we see someone doing something right, we think its appropriate to give credit where credit is due. Below is a story we had with Hillflint and their customer service — Also, they make great sweaters and you should buy one.

Hillflint manufactures sweaters, t-shirts, belts, sunglasses and cuff links for the collegiate crowd. Their products are a delightful throwback to the style of the 50s and 60s, and this has made them popular with current students and alumni. Instead of taking the modern approach of having the name of each applicable university onto all of their items, Hillflint believes in utilizing a more subtle approach. For example, they sell black class year sweaters for Princeton University that simply state the applicable year in orange.

The 2015 Sweater

One of Hillflint’s quality selections is the 2015 Class Year Sweater for Dartmouth. This design is crafted after the sweaters that were originally given to athletes at the beginning of their freshman year. Fortunately, Hillflint has revived the tradition of making these sweaters, but they are now available to anyone. Each sweater is made out of the buyer’s choice of 100 percent wool or 100 percent acrylic, and they are extremely comfortable and durable. The Dartmouth sweaters are an attractive green, and they feature the class year written in white across the chest.

Correcting an Order Issue

Hillflint’s website states that they greatly value any feedback from their customers and they believe in providing outstanding customer service. We are pleased to be able to say that our experience with John L. Shi from Hillflint definitely proves that the company really lives up to these ideals. After a small mistake was made during the ordering process, Mr. Shi stepped up and took care of everything for us quickly and politely. We were very impressed by his level of customer service, and this is something that we want to recognize and emulate here at DonationTo.com Mr. Shi definitely won over DonationTo’s business, and it is our goal to give our customers the same high level of service at all times.

Following the Zappos Customer Service Motto

It is important for any company to treat their customers with respect, but this should become even more of a focal point for small businesses. Online retailer Zappos has a customer service motto that has helped them become successful, and Mr. Shi exemplified each of their five customer service ideas.

1.) Lightening Fast Response –

We were amazed at how quickly we received a response when we contacted Hillflint about the issue with our order. In fact, we heard back from Mr. Shi so quickly that we initially assumed that we had simply received an auto response. Fortunately, however, the message that we received directly responded to our issue.

They also sell these very cool neck ties – they can be found here: http://www.hillflint.com/collections/accessories/products/the-jack-necktie

2.) Never Argue About Returns –

Some big box retailers have decided to turn the process of returning an item into a nightmare, and this discourages customers. Instead of taking the risk of losing future business from us, Mr. Hill graciously accepted our request to make a return without even the slightest hint of an argument.

3.) Treat Good Customers Well –

Although this was our first order, Mr. Shi understood that we could easily become a long-term, loyal customer. Therefore, he treated us with the same level of respect that would be expected for a customer who has been around since the beginning. We were greatly impressed by this method, and it will get us to return in the future.

4.) Expect Problems and Be a Solution -\

It is definitely possible for problems to arise when a customer is buying something off of the Internet. After all, it is impossible to actually see the size or level of quality, and this can cause a long list of issues. To deal with this potential problem, Zappos recommends having a solution in place before the issue even happens. Mr. Shi clearly puts this idea into practice as he was able to immediately take care of our problem in a satisfactory way.

5.) Treat Customers Like Individuals –

Having policies in place that protect the company’s bottom line are important, but it is also necessary to remember that each customer has a different reason for their actions. Therefore, it is important to treat customers as individuals and consider relaxing your rules to fit certain situations. Mr. Shi made sure that we were taken care of quickly, and he made us feel like he understood our individual situation.

Summary

Hillflint sells classic collegiate sweaters and other items for Dartmouth, Princeton and Harvard. Their sweaters are extremely comfortable and made from high quality materials that will last for a lifetime with the proper care. DonationTo is pleased to report how happy we are with the exemplary customer service that we received from Hillflint, and we are now using John L. Shi’s response to our issue as a metric for measuring our own performance. Mr. Shi adheres to all five points of the Zappos customer service policy, and we are very happy with the way everything turned out.

Thanks again! From the DonationTo Team!!

The Fast Way to Fundraise Online

Get your own fundraising site: DonationTo.com

The post Hillflint Sweater and Customer Service Review appeared first on DonationTo Blog | Donate Online.

Amnesty International campaigns around the world with the singular goal of ending the abuse of human rights. The group has millions of supporters who live in more than 150 different countries, and they envision a world where everyone is treated equally according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Amnesty International has been working on their goal for more than 50 years, and they have a strong history of receiving positive results. For example, the United Nations unanimously adopted a Declaration on Torture in 1975 that the Amnesty International campaigned for.

Some people choose to combine their online fundraising campaign with something that they are personally doing to help raise awareness of their non-profit organization of choice. For example, the woman who started the highly successful PAWS fundraiser used DonationTo.com to raise money online for a half marathon that she was running to support a local no-kill animal shelter.

Even if you have no idea how to fundraise, you will be able to get started without any technical skills. In fact, the DonationTo.com team takes pride in helping people bring their fundraising ideas to life without needing any previous experience. As an added bonus, you will also be able to take advantage of a social networking integration tool to help you spread the word.

When people donate online via your fundraising page, you will avoid any credit card fees, and you will get to keep 100 percent of the money that is raised. Many people who are in the process of learning how to fundraise are unaware of the importance of finding an online host that does not charge fees, but using DonationTo.com will enable you to make a much larger contribution to Amnesty International.

Other causes that the non-profit organization has worked for include the Stop Violence Against Women campaign and continual efforts to end the death penalty worldwide. Although the majority of their work is for issues that will most likely never completely go away, they have been influential enough to change the quality of life for millions of people around the globe. In order to ensure that their work remains focused on human rights, Amnesty International has a policy of being nonpartisan, and they also do not side with any particular religious group. The organization relies on the financial support of individuals who believe in their cause to help them keep their work moving forward.

Even though millions of people worldwide support the work that Amnesty International does, their fundraising efforts will never be satisfied. After all, taking up important causes to support human rights requires a lot of financial support. Everyone can help the group by making a donation, but if you want to make a large contribution, you should encourage others to donate online. By hosting an online fundraising campaign, you can provide a centralized location to support the cause. DonationTo.com will provide you with all of the necessary tools to help you raise money online, and you can easily use their platform to share your fundraising ideas with others.

Looking for additional fundraising tips check out these other links: How to Optimize Your Fundraising Page, How to Fundraise with Corporations, How to Avoid Fundraising Mistakes, How to Fundraise Successfully with DonationTo, How to Hit Your Goals Faster with Email Tips

Thanks again! From the DonationTo Team!!

The Fast Way to Fundraise Online

Get your own fundraising site: DonationTo.com

The post Fundraising for Amnesty International appeared first on DonationTo Blog | Donate Online.

On March 19, 2013, Bob Newman had a seizure that caused him to suffer severe head trauma. As a result, Bob ended up slipping into a coma at the hospital. Unfortunately, his insurance will not cover some of his medical expenses, and Bob will also have no income until he is able to resume work as a freelance consultant. Therefore, a group of his friends and colleagues decided to launch an online fundraising campaign to help Bob’s family deal with their current financial situation. By using DonationTo.com to create their fundraising page Bob and family will keep 100% of all donations and avoid credit card fees.

Today they have saved over $2,300 by using DonationTo.

“Over the past days we’ve looked into many fundraising services, aiming for one that is transparent, that would make every dollar contributed count, that would accept multiple forms of payment, and that would make funds available as close to instantly as possible. We’ve settled on this site, DonationTo, and on a model that allows every dollar contributed to go directly to Bob, with all administrative fees paid for by a few of us so that there is no percentage deducted.”

The hosts of Bob’s fundraiser compared all of their options so that they could select the optimal way to raise money online. They selected DonationTo because they will be able to give Bob’s family 100 percent of the money that they raise. Additionally, we enabled them to avoid paying credit card processing fees that are typically tacked on by other fundraising sites. The decision to utilize DonationTo has already saved the group more than $2,300 in fees. Another perks of collecting online donations via DonationTo is that it is not necessary to already know how to fundraise. Instead, we provide a nice selection of tools that will make it easy for anyone to learn throughout the process.

AdWeek Feature on the Bob Newman Fundraiser

Bob Newman is a well-known graphic designer who has worked for several different magazines, including Details, Fortune, New York, Reader’s Digest, Real Simple and Southern Living. Because of this, the fundraiser has received a lot of industry support. AdWeek ran an article on May 8 about the fundraiser in order to generate additional online donations, and almost $7,000 was donated during the next four days. At this point, the fundraiser has generated almost $41,000 of the $50,000 goal.

Several of the top names in media have made a contribution to Bob’s campaign, including Martha Nelson from Time Magazine, Richard Turley from Bloomberg Business Week and designer Joe Zeff. This level of industry support will provide the Newman family with some much-needed financial relief, and they will be able to access the money as it is donated instead of waiting until the entire campaign ends. In the meantime, Bob can focus on working with his physical therapist in order to regain the full usage of his body and speech so that he will eventually be able to resume having a normal life.

American Copy Editors Society Blog Post

On May 7, the American Copy Editors Society (ACES) published a blog post that looked back at Bob’s amazing career and encouraged his colleagues and fans to show their support by making an online donation. Bob has worked for more than 26 years in variety of media leadership positions, and his art direction has been displayed on the covers of a long list of some of the most recognizable publications in the country. The ACES also provided the link to the Friends of Bob Newman Facebook page so that interested parties can receive regular updates on his progress.

Muck Rack Twitter Page

Utilizing social networking is one of the best ways to get the word out about an online fundraising campaign. To help make Bob’s story go viral, Muck Rack is collecting a list of tweets that mention the fundraiser. DonationTo strongly encourages anyone who is running a fundraiser to use Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Instagram to gather additional supporters. You can easily double or even triple your exposure by simply posting a short blurb about the fundraiser and sharing the link on each of your social networking pages.

Several industry members have used the power of Twitter to inform others about Bob’s condition. For example, Andrew Losowsky of the Huffington Post has used his Twitter account to inform his followers about the fundraising campaign. To date, there have been more than 40 unique posts made about the fundraiser for the Newman family, and several of them have also been re-tweeted by other people. Although it is impossible to know for certain how much money these tweets generated, they have definitely made it easier for people all over the world to learn that Bob needs financial assistance for his medical bills and living expenses during the recovery process.

Summary

Bob Newman’s colleagues immediately went into action after they found out that the well-known media industry professional had suffered a serious medical issue. The Friends of Bob Newman fund was launched via DonationTo in order to help Bob and his family deal with the financial burden that his illness has placed on them. By selecting DonationTo, the fundraiser has already saved more than $2,300 in fees, and the hosts have been able to give the Newman family each contribution in real-time. As an added bonus, Bob’s group of colleagues did not need to know how to fundraise before they started the campaign because DonationTo provided them with access to useful tools and educational blogs.

Looking for additional fundraising tips check out these other links: Cancer Fundraising Success Story, Medical Fundraising, Brain Aneurysm Fundraising, Medical Fundraising Tips, Fundraising For Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia,

Thanks again! From the DonationTo Team!!

The Fast Way to Fundraise Online

Get your own fundraising site: DonationTo.com

The post Medical Fundraising For Bob Newman appeared first on DonationTo Blog | Donate Online.

There are several different ways to ensure that the message about your online fundraising campaign with DonationTo is successful, and utilizing your LinkedIn account is definitely a prime option. However, it is important to make sure that you properly leverage your account for the maximum impact. Whether you already have a LinkedIn account or need to set up a new one, we will teach you the best practices to follow to increase your total number of donations – and by using DonationTo.com to create your fundraising page, you keep 100% of all donation and avoid credit card fees. 

1.) Create Your LinkedIn Account or Leverage Your Current Contacts 

It is important to make sure that your LinkedIn account has value. We recommend adding at least 100 connections so that you will have a solid base to work with. Consider for example how many people typically respond to something that you post on a social networking site. Even if you have 100 friends, you are most likely going to receive a response on each post from a maximum of 10 percent of them. Therefore, you need to have a large base of LinkedIn connections to provide you with a viable source of potential donations. Additionally, the larger your network is, the better the odds are that your fundraising information will be shared with people you do not know, and that is the best way to increase awareness of your cause. However, even if you do not currently have a large list of connections, there are still ways to leverage your network. You can learn more about building your LinkedIn network here.

2.) Create a Place to Accept Donations

If you want to raise money online, you will need to have a fundraising page that is backed by a host that has the ability to accept credit cards. Consider for example how rare it is for you to actually take the time to send a check to a fundraiser that you learn about online. Like most people, you are probably short on time and prefer to make an instant payment. With DonationTo, you can accept credit cards and payments via PayPal and WePay, and you will be able to keep 100 percent of the donations and avoid paying any credit card fees. To see a recent DonationTo fundraising page that has done well read here.

3.) The Plan of Action

Now that you have your LinkedIn account and a donation page up and running, you will be ready to tap into your network to spread the word about your fundraiser. This process is simple, even if you are still learning how to fundraise. It is important to use LinkedIn to leverage your business social media contacts as this will provide you with an important additional network of potential donors. By added LinkedIn into your overall social media strategy, you will have access to a strong base of contacts.

4.) Creating the Perfect Email Message

Because you are tapping into your professional network with LinkedIn, it will be essential to create an email that is appropriate for this group of contacts. After all, you are not going to send the same message to your colleagues that you would to your closest friends. However, by utilizing our tips for creating a fundraising message for professionals, you will be able to greatly increase your ability to raise money online for your cause.

The Introduction – It is important to include an introduction that identifies yourself to each contact. After all, you need to consider the fact that a person you have only met a few times in the professional world might not instantly connect your face with your name. Therefore, you should bring up a recent event from the past. For example, you could write an introduction like this: “It was really great to see you last week in New York City! I will actually be back in the city again in June, and we should definitely have dinner again.”

The Statement to Take Action – This is the section of the email where you should ask them to help your cause. However, you need to make sure that you give them enough details to make them feel compelled to respond. Consider for example how you have responded in the past to messages that asked for something without explaining why. The odds are high that you did nothing. Therefore, you should use a call to action like this:

“By the way, I will be running 10 marathons to raise $10,000 to help Sarah get treatment for cancer. My fundraising page can be found at www.DonationTo.com/Raise-Money-For-Sarah, and I would love to get your support. Every penny donated will help me reach my goal, and your assistance would be greatly appreciated. If you can take a moment to share the fundraiser’s URL on your LinkedIn page or any other social networking pages, it would really help us spread awareness. To make things as easy as possible, you can simply copy and paste the message that I have posted below. Please feel free to also email this message to any friends or family members who might be interested in helping out.”

Keep the Action Simple – When you are asking someone to take action, you need to keep it simple, and you should also only ask them to do one thing. Consider for instance how confusing it can be when someone sends you a message that asks you to do multiple different things. When you want someone to do something charitable, it is imperative to ensure that you do not confuse them. The reader will be able to focus on the important part of your message if you keep it simple, and this will make them more likely to take the appropriate action to support your cause. Here is an example of a simple call to action:

“Let’s help raise $10,000 so that Sarah can receive her cancer treatment! You can learn more about Sarah and the 10 marathons that I will be running to raise the required funds here: www.DonationTo.com/Raise-Money-For-Sarah”

Link Checking – It is imperative to make sure that your links work before you begin sending out messages about your fundraiser. Consider for example how frustrating it is when you click on a link and the page is not actually there. If this happens, you will turn off your potential donors, and it will be difficult to get them to continue to listen to your fundraising ideas. Therefore, you need to keep your enthusiasm for sending out messages in check until you are certain that all of your links are properly operational, and you also need to proofread your message to make sure that the link has been typed properly. Alternatively, you could make the process easier by copying and pasting the link into the body of the message.

The Conclusion – You will need to add a conclusion to the message that makes the person feel good about their relationship with you. For example, you could mention something about seeing each other again in the near future. It is also a good idea to reference something that is relevant to each other’s lives. Here are a few examples that you could actually put together into one message:

“I know you really enjoyed those cookies the other day, so I will make sure to bring you a fresh batch when I visit NYC again in June!”

“I heard that NYC got five inches of snow the other day. Try to stay warm!”

The Signature – It is important to make sure that you provide all of your contact information in your signature. In other words, this is not the time to be shy. Consider for example how many times you have received a message from someone who you would have preferred to call instead of responding via email. By putting all of your applicable contact information into your signature, you will make it easier for people to reach out to you if they have a question about your fundraiser. Make sure that you include your full name, email, phone number, business URL and the URL of your fundraising page. The format should look like this:

[Your name]
yourname@yourdomain.com
www.Company URL.com
www.DonationTo URL.com
555-555-5555

Conceptually, everyone’s emails should be unique, so make sure that you tailor them to each individual. By including personal details, it will be easier to draw a strong connection to your fundraiser, and this will make the reader more likely to donate online.

By putting all of the sample pieces of the email together, you will have a cohesive message that hits all of the important points. You can use this sample template to help you construct each of your fundraising messages.

Dear Jenny,

It was really great to see you last week in New York City! I will actually be back in the city in June, and we should definitely have lunch again.

By the way, I will be running 10 marathons to raise $10,000 to help Sarah get treatment for cancer. My fundraising page can be found at www.DonationTo.com/Raise-Money-For-Sarah, and I would love to get your support. Every penny donated will help me reach my goal, and your assistance would be greatly appreciated. If you can take a moment to share the fundraiser’s URL on your LinkedIn page or any other social networking pages, it would really help us spread awareness. To make things as easy as possible, you can simply copy and paste the message that I have posted below. Please feel free to also email this message to any friends or family members who might be interested in helping out.

“Let’s help raise $10,000 so that Sarah can receive her cancer treatment! You can learn more about Sarah and the 10 marathons that I will be running to raise the required funds here:

www.DonationTo.com/Raise-Money-For-Sarah”

I know you really enjoyed those cookies the other day, so I will make sure to bring you a fresh batch when I visit NYC again in June!

I heard that NYC got five inches of snow the other day. Try to stay warm!

[Your name]
yourname@yourdomain.com
www.CompanyURL.com
www.DonationTo URL.com
555-555-5555

5.) Sending Your Message to LinkedIn Connections

Now that you have a perfectly tailored sample message, you are ready to start personalizing it for each of your LinkedIn connections. Again, it is important to write a personal introduction and conclusion for each message. After all, you do not want to send each person a message that contains information that is not relevant to them. Consider for example how disastrous and embarrassing it can be when someone sends a message to everyone in their company that was intended for just one person. If you simply copy and paste the entire message to each person without altering it, you will confuse almost everyone who receives it, and this will make it much more difficult to get people to connect with your fundraising ideas.

In order to send a message with LinkedIn, you need to log in and then navigate to your “Contact Section.” Once you are there, it will be simple to select each of your contacts individually so that you can send them a personalized message.

As you are sending messages, you will notice that LinkedIn has a feature that shows you how many connections each of your contacts has. You can leverage this by making sure that you focus your attention on contacts that have at least 200 connections. Although you do not want to skip over anyone, you might want to reach out to the people who have the most connections first. After all, if you can get them to share the URL of your online fundraising page with their list of connections, you will have a much better chance of meeting or exceeding your fundraising goal.

The best way to have a successful fundraiser is to get your information to go viral, so make sure that you remind each of your connections to spread the word. For example, if you have 200 contacts who each have 200 contacts, you will gain access to an audience of 40,000 people. Even if you only capture the attention of one percent of this total audience, you will still have the opportunity to encourage 400 people to donate online. As you can see, LinkedIn definitely has the potential to help you hit your goal quickly, so it is important to make sure that you leverage your contact list appropriately.

6.) LinkedIn’s Share an Update with Twitter Feature

Sharing an update on LinkedIn is no different from posting to Facebook or Twitter. One of the nice features about LinkedIn is that it will allow you to connect your Twitter account so that you can post updates on both social media sites at the same time. However, it is essential to remember that Twitter only allows you to enter 140 characters, but LinkedIn will let you use 600. Therefore, if you connect your Twitter account to LinkedIn, you will need to make sure that you limit your status updates to 140 characters. Consider for example how distracting and even confusing it can be if you are only able to see part of a message. Unfortunately, if you fail to format your LinkedIn updates properly, they will get cut off on Twitter. To give you a better idea of how this works, please review this sample:

“I am running in 10 marathons to raise money for Sarah’s cancer treatment. Please consider making a donation online by visiting www.DonationTo.com/Raise-Money-For-Sarah.”

Although this gets the point across, it has too many characters for Twitter, and your link will not be properly listed. To avoid this issue, you can reword the status update like this:

“I’m running in 10 marathons to raise money for Sarah’s cancer treatment. Please donate online at www.DonationTo.com/Raise-Money-For-Sarah.”

The second status update contains 139 characters, and this makes it perfect for both formats. In order to share your status on LinkedIn and Twitter, you will need to make a selection from the drop-down box on LinkedIn before you post your update.

7.) Different Ways to Share Your Updates on LinkedIn

LinkedIn gives you multiple ways to share your status updates with your connections. In addition to enabling you to connect your account to Twitter, you can choose from two more posting options. The most common option is to share your updates with all of your connections. However, you can also choose to share your update publicly with every member of LinkedIn. All of these functions can be accessed from the drop-down box that is attached to each status update box.

Although it might seem like you should always share everything with all of your connections and Twitter, it is important to consider the potential positive impact of specifically targeting certain connections. After all, if you are able to entice people who do not even know you by making a public post, it will be easier to extend your viral reach, and you could also hit your fundraising goal more quickly. Because of this, it is definitely a good idea to alternate which sharing method you select.

When it comes to learning how to fundraise more effectively, it is important to be willing to try different things, and you must also take the time to gauge the effectiveness of each option. After all, if you simply utilize all three posting methods without tracking the responses that you receive, it will be impossible to determine if your connections appear to prefer a specific type of communication. Ultimately, we recommend that you try all three status update styles to learn which one has the biggest positive impact on your fundraiser. However, even if you get the majority of responses from one of the posting types, it is still a good idea to continue to use all of them to ensure that your updates are seen by the largest possible audience.

Keep in mind that anytime you choose not to share your status updates on Twitter that you will be able to post a message that is significantly longer. For this reason alone, it is important to alternate your posts. You will soon learn that each of your connections responds to things differently, and their personality type will determine whether they prefer shorter or longer messages. For example, one of your connections might feel the need to receive as much information as possible before they will take action, but another contact might be turned off by long messages. Again, this is why it is so important to vary the length and style of your status updates.

8.) Timing of Sharing Updates

Many people who are new to fundraising will make a major mistake that can prevent them from hitting their goal. To avoid this pitfall, you must make sure that you do not allow yourself to post one status update or send out one round of messages and then fail to do any follow-up. Sadly, there are many people who either believe that one update will be enough or who lose steam shortly after they launch their fundraiser. If you allow yourself to fall into this trap, you will be doing your cause a great disservice.

The best way to utilize LinkedIn to ensure that everyone finds out about your cause is to post contextual updates that are timed to coincide with how long your fundraiser has been running. For example, in the beginning, you will need to introduce your fundraiser, but later on, you will provide updates instead.

Before we give you a sample schedule that will make it easy to post updates, it is important to understand why you should use this template. Consider for example how you have felt in the past when you supported a fundraiser but never found out the end result. Although some people will simply forget about these incidents, most people expect to get updates so that they can learn what has happened with the money that they donated. After all, if someone gives you a $100 donation, they definitely deserve to know whether or not you hit your goal. However, it is also important to remember that every donor deserves the same level of respect and communication, regardless of whether they donate $1 or $100. By following this guideline, you will encourage people to make additional donations, and it will also be easier to get them to support your future fundraising ideas.

The best way to keep people in the loop about the progress of your fundraiser is to make a post once a week. Anything more frequent than that could be look at as annoying, especially because your connections will be using LinkedIn as part of their professional lives. However, you need to make sure that you do not let a longer time period than one week pass between updates.

Here is a template that you can use to help you design your weekly posts:

The Introduction – This will be your first status update about your fundraiser, so it is important to let people know what your cause is all about. You should provide basic information about the fundraiser, and it is also a good idea to let them know why the cause is important to you. Additionally, you should mention the fact that you are using DonationTo as your online fundraising platform, and make sure to let everyone know that we let you keep 100 percent of the donations that you collect. When your connections find out how DonationTo works, it will make them feel even better about donating, and it will also provide your fundraiser with an added level of legitimacy.

The introduction must contain the URL to your DonationTo page, but you also need to ensure that you include this URL in all of your posts. In other words, even though you will not provide the same exact information again, each of your posts must assume that someone is learning about the fundraiser for the first time. It is also important to keep putting the URL in front of people because they will be much more likely to make a donation if the link is easily accessible.

First Week Update – This post should remind people about the fundraiser, and it also needs to provide an update about the progress that has already been made. Even if you are behind on your goal, you need to be upfront about this issue to help encourage people to make donations. After all, if you fail to create a sense of urgency, it will be difficult to convince people to donate. Consider for example how you would respond if a cause that you truly believe in was having a hard time getting support. Most people will be willing to chip in to help out a cause they can believe in, especially if you let them know how urgent the situation is. However, if you are doing better than your original projection for the first week, you can also use this to advantage to encourage people to get your over the finish line quickly. Either way, your first week update is an essential component of your fundraising campaign.

Second Week Update – During your second update, you should take the time to remind everyone what you are raising funds for. This is important because you want all of your potential donors to feel connected to the person, animal or event that you are trying to help. For example, if you are raising money for a person who is ill, you need to let people know how that person is doing. Consider how you would feel if you were involved in a fundraiser to help someone with cancer and you found out that the donations that had already come in were able to help that person get necessary treatment that made them feel better. This would give people who had already donated a feeling of accomplishment, and it would encourage people who had not participated yet to join the fundraiser. Essentially, you need to make sure that everyone who reads the updates is able to quickly understand the need for their donation.

It is also important to provide another update on the progress of the fundraiser. Once again, you can use this update to create a sense of urgency that ties directly into the level that you have hit. Make sure that you use percentages to help people understand exactly where you are. In other words, if you are trying to raise $1,000 and you have received $200, you can tell people that you have already reached 20 percent of the goal.

Third Week Update – You should use the third update to provide a visual representation of your fundraiser. After all, most people prefer to receive information via images, and this is especially true on the Internet. For example, if you were given the opportunity to look at a picture or read a lot of text, the odds are high that you would pick the picture. It is also important to engage people in multiple different ways, and a picture can make them feel more personally connected to the project.

If you are raising money for a patient who is ill, you should consider posting a photo that shows how they are doing. However, it is important to make sure that the individual is comfortable with the image before you share it with all of your LinkedIn connections. Alternatively, if you are doing something specific to raise funds such as running in marathons, you could post a picture of yourself crossing the finish line of your last race. Regardless of exactly which picture you choose to use, the ultimate goal is to make sure that it will help raise awareness of your fundraiser. Therefore, you should consider putting the URL of your DonationTo page on the image.

Fourth Week Update – Asking others to donate their status update for a week or even just a day is a great way to spread the word about your fundraiser. However, you need to make it a coordinated effort by picking a specific date and time that each person will post an update that contains a message that you have written. Consider for example how much more likely you are to look at a news story that is posted on a social media site if several of your friends shares it on the same day. You will experience this same level of increased interaction when you have a large group of people who support the cause by posting identical status updates.

Here is a sample of how you can get your LinkedIn connections to donate their status:

Colleagues, co-workers, friends and family, please help me support [Your cause name] and [Your cause URL] May 20th at noon by re-posting this: “Show your support to [Your cause name] by donating here [Your cause URL].”

This simple format will be easy for people to copy and paste, and it will help ensure that you hit your fundraising goal.

Fifth Week Update – For the fifth update, you should encourage people to click the Facebook “like” button on your DonationTo page. Consider how often you have found out about something new on Facebook because one of your friends clicked “like” and it was posted on your news feed. This is a very powerful tool that does not require a lot of interaction from your supporters, and it can greatly increase your fundraiser’s exposure level.

When you post this update, make sure that you explain that by simply clicking “like” on your DonationTo page, the reader will be supporting your important cause. The best part about taking advantage of this feature is that it will enable your LinkedIn connections to share information about your fundraiser with their personal social network. Again, going viral is the absolute best way to turn a fundraiser into a success, so you want to encourage people to share the link to your DonationTo page as often as possible. Another perk is that most of the people who use LinkedIn will have a different list of friends on Facebook, so you will be reaching out to a completely new audience.

Sixth Week Update – During this week, it is a good idea to show another visual representation of your fundraiser. However, instead of using a picture, you should try to post a video this time. If you consider how much more powerful it has been in the past when you have watched a fundraiser video instead of reading a description, you will easily see why you need to create a video.

Your video should create more depth for your fundraising story. Therefore, it is a good idea to either capture a video that is related to the topic of your fundraiser or to at least make a slideshow of images. You may also be able to show the expected impact of the fundraiser during the video. For example, if you are raising money to provide necessary updates to an animal shelter, you can show everyone what it looks like now and how it will be transformed by the fundraiser. For the transformation stage, you would need to either use illustrations of the projected changes or have someone who is affiliated with the project do a walk-through of the shelter while explaining exactly what changes will take place if the project is fully funded.

Seventh Week Update – During this week, it is important to provide another update about the progress of the fundraiser. Again, you should use percentages to let people know how close you are to hitting your goal. Additionally, this is the perfect time to publicly acknowledge people who have made large donations. After all, social media is all about personal connections, and people can be easily influenced to take action if their friends or colleagues have already donated. For example, it is very common for people on Facebook to decide to “like” a page after they find out that one of their friends likes it. You can use this same mentality to your advantage to increase awareness and donations.

Because you will be using a status update that has a limit of 600 characters, you will not be able to mention everyone. However, you need to make sure that you do thank everyone who has already participated. Most people will understand that you are giving a special nod to those who have gone above and beyond with their donation, but you still want everyone to feel like they are appreciated. After all, a person who only donates $5 might not have much more than that to get them through the next week. Either way, by capitalizing on the social aspect of LinkedIn, you can make people who have not donated yet feel more excited about participating along with their co-workers and friends.

Eighth Week Update – You should use this update to make sure that everyone is aware of your fundraiser. After all, some people do not log in to their LinkedIn account on a regular basis, and other people will be busy with vacations and business trips. Therefore, it is a good idea to use this week to do a light reintroduction to your fundraiser. If you consider how many times you have missed a status update on LinkedIn or Facebook, it will become easy to understand why it is a good idea to post a new introduction. However, by making it more of a light introduction, you can still continue to encourage donations from people who are already aware of your project.

During this update, you should reiterate the purpose of the fundraiser, provide the link to your DonationTo page and include a short blurb about the current progress. For example, after you have introduced the fundraiser, you could say: “We are already [fill in the applicable amount] percent of the way to hitting our goal. Please consider making a donation today to help this worthy cause.” This approach will provide a sense of urgency for new and current supporters, and the update will keep everyone involved in the process.

Ninth Week Update – This week you can use a slightly different approach to get the word out. Instead of providing an update or asking people to post a status update that you have written for them, you should ask your supporters to share the link to your DonationTo page along with their own personal statement about the fundraiser. Although some people might choose to simply post the link without any additional information, there will definitely be people who will share their personal thoughts about your project. This is important because it will make their friends and co-workers feel more inclined to join your cause. Consider for example how often you have supported a fundraiser that one of your friends was excited about. Even if it was a cause that did not speak to you personally, you probably felt more inclined to help out because it meant something to someone who you respect.

If possible, you should monitor the posts that your supporters put up so that it is easy to contact people who ask specific questions about the fundraiser. However, even if this is not possible, visiting the DonationTo page should help people discover their own answers. As an added bonus, all of the people who are exposed to your fundraiser through this process may also decide to share the link to their list of connections, and this will greatly expand your overall network.

10th Week Update – During the tenth week, it is a good idea to ask people to provide their support for your cause by sending a message to their list of contacts. You should also make sure that you mention that this is a great way for people who are unable to provide much financial assistance to help you hit your goal. Consider for example how often you have wanted to donate a larger amount to a fundraiser but were unable to afford it. If the host of that fundraiser had asked you to send out an email to help them collect more funds, you would most likely have been very willing to provide this level of assistance. Therefore, you should give all of your supporters the ability to do the same thing.

When people email their friends and co-workers about your cause, they will help spread awareness. Additionally, they will give your fundraiser legitimacy. After all, most people want to make sure that their money will be used appropriately, and this can sometimes cause them to hesitate before they make a donation. However, if someone who they know personally tells them about the cause, they will feel more comfortable with the project. Therefore, it is a good idea to ask each of your supporters to consider donating their time to the project by sending out an email to everyone on their contact list who they believe might be interested in the project.

11th Week Update – Your list of LinkedIn connections is filled with business professionals, and many of them will have blogs and websites that they update on a regular basis. Therefore, you should ask your supporters to assist you with getting the word out by utilizing their own resources. For example, anyone who has a blog can easily write a post that describes your fundraising efforts and encourages people to visit your DonationTo page. You could also ask your supporters to temporarily add the URL to their links page.

There are two important reasons to ask your LinkedIn connections to share the story of your fundraiser outside of the social media realm. The first reason is obvious: it helps to spread awareness of your project. However, the second reason might be less clear to those who are not overly familiar with search engine optimization. To put it as simply as possible, each publicly accessible website that provides a link to your website will be indexed by Google and other search engines, and this can have a dramatic impact on your search engine rank. In other words, if your fundraiser is currently on the fifth page of Google’s search results for the applicable search term, you could climb onto the first page with the assistance of bloggers and other websites. This is important because it will help people find your fundraiser, and you might even gain support from people who simply stumble across it on Google.

12th Week Update – Once you hit this stage of the fundraising process, you will be able to start reusing some of the ideas from your previous weeks. However, it is a good idea to introduce slightly new content each time. For example, if you posted an image of the person who you are raising money for during the third update, it is a good idea to post a new image during the next few weeks. By doing this, you will let everyone see what changes have happened, and you can also keep them interested in the project by engaging them visually.

You can follow the same template for the order that everything is done in if that is easier for you, but you do not have to feel confined by these guidelines. For example, if you would rather post a new video before you post a new photo, it is okay to flip the position of those two updates. As long as you continue to post status updates and new information that is relevant to the cause throughout the entire process, you should see a higher level of donations come in after each post. Again, this is why it is essential to make a post once a week. After all, if you miss a week, you will not benefit from the temporary donation surge that typically happens after each post.

9.) Put Your LinkedIn Page to Work for You

One of the best ways to spread the word about your fundraiser is to ensure that everyone who visits your LinkedIn page can easily find the URL to your DonationTo page. After all, not everyone will see each of your posts, and they might not want to take the time to scroll through previous updates to find the link. Therefore, you need to make sure that the URL can be found at a glance.

Just like any other social media site, LinkedIn gives you the option to list any URLs that are applicable to your work and personal life. You can enter the URL by clicking on the editing your contact information. You can also list your duties as a fundraising organizer in your experience area, and this will provide you with another valuable opportunity to get the URL in front of people. By taking full advantage of your profile, you can increase awareness and make it easier for people to make donations.

10.) Edit Your Contact Information

As previously mentioned, you can edit your contact information on LinkedIn to include the fundraiser’s URL. This is something that you can also easily do on all of your social media pages. If you fail to take this step, you will be missing out on an easy way to get your URL in front of your connections. Additionally, if you have a public social media page, search engines will be able to pick up the URL when they index the site.

If you consider how often you have visited a friend’s page in order to connect to their blog or website, you will quickly understand why you should always place your URL on your LinkedIn profile. After all, most people take at least a passive interest in the projects that their friends and co-workers are working on, and you need to take advantage of this by making it extremely easy for everyone to access the fundraising page. Again, if you fail to take this step, you will miss out on some donations.

11.) Volunteer Experience and Causes

You will have the option to add information about organizations that you have volunteered for under the experience section that we mentioned earlier. This space is the perfect place to list your fundraiser, and it will also let you fill in critical details that can capture the attention of people who visit your profile.

You should fill in your role with the fundraiser, along with all of the other applicable pieces of information. After all, the entire purpose of LinkedIn is to help people learn about networking opportunities and new companies, and most people will investigate your fundraiser because it will be new to them. For example, when you update your profile to include the information about your fundraiser, you will also be notifying everyone on your contact list about your project via the updates section of LinkedIn. Although this is definitely a more passive approach to sharing information, it can still get additional eyes on your fundraiser. Ultimately, your goal with any social media site should be to capture as much attention as possible. If you can get people to leave LinkedIn to look at your DonationTo page, the odds are really good that they will decide to make a donation.

Summary

When you decide to start an online fundraiser, it is important to select the right platform. DonationTo makes it easy for anyone to start the process, regardless of your level of experience, and you will not need any special technical skills. Additionally, the DonationTo name will add legitimacy to your project, and we do not charge any credit card fees. When you let people know that you will receive 100 percent of the money that they donate via PayPal or WePay, they will feel more confident about the entire process.

LinkedIn is in important resource for gathering supporters. If you do not have a LinkedIn account, you should sign up for one as soon as possible. A solid LinkedIn account should have at least 100 connections, but you can get started even if you have not hit that metric.

Just like any other social media site, LinkedIn will let you post pictures, videos and status updates. However, because it is a professional site, you should make sure that you only post an update about your fundraiser once a week to avoid becoming annoying. With our 12 week approach to capturing attention, it will be easy to gain new supporters and keep everyone in the loop.

LinkedIn also gives you the option to share all of your status update on Twitter. This will save you a lot of time, but it will require that you make each of your updates be 140 characters or less. To avoid being inhibited by this restriction each time, you should alternate between cross-posting and utilizing the full 600 characters that LinkedIn allows.

As long as you fully utilize all of your resources and update LinkedIn weekly, it should be easy to make your fundraiser go viral. The assistance that you receive from your supporters can easily make the difference between a successful and unsuccessful campaign, so make sure that you provide easy to follow updates, and ask for their help throughout the process.

Looking for additional fundraising tips check out these other links: How to Do Fundraising Mobile, How to Optimize Your Fundraising Page, How to Control Image Quality for Better Fundraising in 4 Tips, How to Follow Online Fundraising with Reddit in 5 Steps, How to Fundraise with Pinterest, How to Fundraise with Google Plus, How to Do Fundraising on Facebook

Thanks again! From the DonationTo Team!!

The Fast Way to Fundraise Online

Get your own fundraising site: DonationTo.com

The post Fundraising with LinkedIn 11 Epic Tips appeared first on DonationTo Blog | Donate Online.

Huffington Post & DonationTo.com

“Within five minutes, we set up a page on www.donationto.com, and we asked a couple of other alumni to send an email appeal with a link to our page to our fraternity brothers. It was only a matter of minutes before the donations started coming in. Guys who graduated before I had even started college, whose names I only knew from the composite pictures that hung in the fraternity house’s living room, began sending in large amounts of money. I watched as the donation meter grew. The generosity people showed for a woman who most of us hadn’t seen in 20-25 years was truly overwhelming. I was touched to hear about the brother who called Hope and told her that if there were any shortfall whatsoever, he would personally make it up. — More donations quickly began streaming in from the people who were in school with me and within 48 hours, we had raised over $10,000.“

If you are planning to raise money online for a fundraiser, it is important to use a host that will not charge you a lot of fees. For example, Jeff and Hope Bash, the hosts of the Save Willa’s House online fundraising campaign, turned to DonationTo because this enabled them to avoid paying any credit card fees, and they were also able to keep 100 percent of the money that was donated. By making this decision, they were able to generate more than their goal, and this made it possible for Willa to keep the house that she has lived in since 1979.

Even if you are still learning how to fundraise, it is easy to understand how helpful the media can be. Therefore, it is no surprise that the article that the Huffington Post ran about this fundraiser helped the hosts raise money online more easily. The writer of the article, Brad Rothschild, has a personal connection to Willa. Approximately 20 years ago, Willa and her husband, Ben, served as cooks for Rothschild’s fraternity at Emory University. The positive impact that the couple had on several of the students was still being felt when they found out that Willa was in danger of losing her home. Within moments, they decided that they would need to launch at least one of their fundraising ideas to help out, and this led them to DonationTo.

One of the best ways to encourage people to donate online is to use a website that can process multiple payments methods without charging fees. DonationTo enables donors to pay via PayPal or WePay from any web enabled device, and this was definitely a factor in success of the Save Willa’s House fundraiser.

Even though they were new to online fundraising, the process went smoothly. In fact, they were all surprised that they did not need to know how to fundraise to get immediate results. This personal testimony details just how easy it is for anyone to bring their fundraising ideas to life:

Summary

Raising money for a worthy cause does not need to be a difficult process. As long as you partner up with a website that makes it easy for everyone to donate online, you should begin receiving donations very quickly. With DonationTo, you can avoid paying any credit card fees, and you will also receive 100 percent of the money that is donated. The Save Willa’s House fundraiser was able to greatly benefit by using DonationTo, and it enabled them to exceed their goal. Fortunately, Willa was able to keep her house, and she also has a nice nest egg to ensure that she does not get into financial problems in the future.

Looking for additional fundraising tips check out these other links: How to Fundraise in 5 Steps, How to Plan Your Cause to Fundraise Better, How to Receive Online Donations in 6 Tips, How to Raise Money Online with the Book On Fundraising, How to Keep 100% of Donations with DonationTo

Thanks again! From the DonationTo Team!!

The Fast Way to Fundraise Online

Get your own fundraising site: DonationTo.com

The post Huffington Post and DonationTo.com Save Willa’s House appeared first on DonationTo Blog | Donate Online.

The James Childs Memorial Fund is an online fundraising campaign that was setup by family and friends after the untimely death of Mr. Childs in an avalanche. Childs left behind four children, and in order to take care of their financial needs, his friends and family decided to use DonationTo.com to raise money online. By using DonationTo paid accounts the Childs family were able to keep 100% of all donations, avoid credit card fees and save over $1,900. As any parent knows, caring for four children can place an enormous financial strain on a couple. Now that the children only have one parent, it is important for her to receive financial assistance to get the family through this difficult time. Therefore, generous friends, family members and strangers can donate online to help ensure that the children have everything that they need.

When a tragedy like this occurs, it can be very important to take the time to come up with some fundraising ideas. Unfortunately, most people feel encumbered by the fact that they do not know how to fundraise. With DonationTo.com, however, it is not necessary to have any previous online fundraising experience. In fact, the website does not require any technical skill, and there are several tools available to teach you how to fundraise.

DonationTo.com offers four account levels: free, basic, advanced and premium. Although the free account will enable you to raise money online without paying anything in advance, it does require a deduction of 5 percent of your donations and additional credit card fees. All of the other accounts, however, waive the credit card fees and let you keep 100 percent of the money that your supporters donate online.

Due to the fee structure, it is always a better idea to sign up for a paid account. After all, these accounts only cost between $9, $14 and $24, and the amount of money that you will save on fees is astronomical. For example, the James Childs Memorial Fund saved $1,900 in fees by using a paid account. If you consider how much $1,900 could do to help these four children, you will easily understand why making a small investment in the beginning is the most viable way to bring your fundraising ideas to life.

Other perks that the family and friends behind the successful James Childs Memorial Fund campaign were able to take advantage of include social networking integration and an email system. By utilizing these features, it is easy to quickly spread the word about a fundraiser. As an added bonus, you can capture the attention of a wide audience of people you have never met by getting information about the fundraiser posted to Facebook and Twitter. After all, the viral nature of these websites will encourage people to share your cause, and this will help ensure that you have a fully funded campaign.

Looking for additional fundraising tips check out these other links: How to Plan Your Cause to Fundraise Better, How to Fundraise Despite Economic Recession, How to Not Give Up, How to Raise Funds with Online Charity, How to Ask for Help in Fundraising, How to Fundraise for the Whole Family

Thanks again! From the DonationTo Team!!

The Fast Way to Fundraise Online

Get your own fundraising site: DonationTo.com

The post James Childs Memorial Fund appeared first on DonationTo Blog | Donate Online.

Iram Leon – Rush the Gush Fund

Many people turn to online fundraising to help them offset the cost of brain cancer treatment. Iram Leon is battling with this disease, and his doctors have told him that he probably will not live to see his 40th birthday. The Sports Society for American Health has turned to DonationTo.com to help them raise money online to create a scholarship for Leon’s daughter.

Even though Leon has brain cancer, he has made a commitment to meeting his personal goals while he still can. On March 9, 2013, Leon crossed the finish line of the Exygon and Baptist Hospitals Gusher Marathon in first place, and he was pushing his daughter in a stroller the entire time. This inspirational story has encouraged more than 100 people to donate online to the ram Leon – Rush the Gush Fund.

The host of Leon’s fundraiser was able to avoid paying any credit card fees by using DonationTo.com to raise money online. Additionally, DonationTo.com enables people to bring their fundraising ideas to life without losing a percentage of each donation. For example, if the online fundraising campaign for Iram Leon was hosted elsewhere, they could have already lost more than $600 of the money that they have raised to fees. When it comes to a medical fundraiser, it is imperative to be able to keep every cent that is raised, and this makes DonationTo.com the ideal solution.

Even if you feel like you need to learn how to fundraise, you can still easily use the DonationTo.com format. In fact, the website has been designed to enable first-timers to launch their fundraising ideas quickly without any technical skills. You will also gain access to a highly useful social networking integration tool that will make it easier to encourage people to donate online.

Wall Street Journal Feature

The Wall Street Journal published a story on March 21, 2013, about Leon’s amazing accomplishment. According to the article, Leon’s doctors have removed as much of the tumor as they can, but they are now out of options. Therefore, unless there is a medical breakthrough within the next eight years, Leon is expected to die from his condition. The National Cancer Institute has been encouraging cancer patients to exercise for a long time, and their research indicates that it can have positive benefits. Even though the exercise is not going to beat Leon’s brain cancer, it could extend his life, and there is always the possibility that new surgical methods will be discovered that could change his prognosis.

Leon has been running since late 2010. At that time, his neurosurgeon advised against it, but instead of resigning himself to a life spent on the couch, Leon looked for a new neurosurgeon who would support his desire to run. Allan Friedman, the neurosurgeon in chief at Duke University Hospital, provided Leon with the support that he wanted. Friedman has even scheduled Leon’s treatments around his marathon schedule, and he believes that running is helping his patient. In 2011, Friedman performed an operation to remove as much of Leon’s tumor as possible, and he continues to monitor the rest of the tumor for any new growth or changes.

Even though Friedman is supportive of Leon’s decision to run in marathons, it is still imperative for him to always go on practice runs with a partner. Some of the medication that Leon takes can cause him to vomit while he is running, and he also woke up once in an ambulance after blacking out.

When Leon first started running, he signed up for a wide variety of races. However, he is now only interested in participating in marathons that will allow him to run while he is pushing his daughter in a stroller. According to Leon, he has undertaken this unusual step to ensure that his daughter will have positive memories of him that do not involve him being sick. Even with the added physical stress of pushing a stroller, Leon was able to win a marathon by crossing the finish line at the 3:07:35 mark. Leon’s personal best is 3:07:34, but he hit that mark in a race he ran in 2011 without his daughter.

More than 35,000 Americans are diagnosed with one of the two types of brain cancer each year. A primary brain tumor originates in the brain, and a metastatic brain tumor will start somewhere else in the body before it moves to the brain. These tumors can cause the patient to suffer from a wide range of symptoms, including balance problems, memory gaps, severe headaches, vomiting, tingling in the extremities and muscle twitches.

There are several different treatment options depending on the type of brain cancer that the patient is diagnosed with, including radiotherapy, surgery and chemotherapy. Each of these treatments has its own pros and cons, and the expected survival rate will be dramatically impacted by the individual’s age and tumor type. Unfortunately, even with an aggressive course of treatment, there are some types of brain cancer that only have a 12 month life expectancy. Either way, the process of receiving treatment is extremely expensive, and even the best insurance policy is not likely to cover all of it.

Summary

Anyone who is suffering from brain cancer can easily turn to DonationTo.com to raise money online to help offset the cost of their treatment. The site provides enough tools to teach newcomers how to fundraise effectively, and you can set up a page without any technical skills. The Iram Leon – Rush the Gush Fund is a good example of how a successful online fundraiser works. The college fund that has been started for Leon’s daughter will greatly benefit from the fact that DonationTo.com allows users to keep 100 percent of the money that they collect, and there are also no credit card fees.

Looking for additional fundraising tips check out these other links: How to Do Medical Fundraising, How to Do Medical Fundraising Part 2, How to Do Fundraising for Medical Expense, How to Do Fundraising for Medical Expenses Part 2, How to Raise Funds with Online Charity, How to Ask Businesses for Fundraising Help

Thanks again! From the DonationTo Team!!

The Fast Way to Fundraise Online

Get your own fundraising site: DonationTo.com

The post Brain Cancer Fundraising with The Wall Street Journal and DonationTo.com appeared first on DonationTo Blog | Donate Online.