Donations for Fundraisers

This post will give you some general information about donating a raffle item for a fundraiser put on by a non-profit organization, church, or school.   Information about a raffle drawing you can do at your table or booth during a vendor fair will be available in another post.

Donating items for a fundraiser is a great way to get exposure and expand your client list, if done the right way.  There are 3 important things to consider:

Include plenty of marking materials with your donation.

Always have a call to action.

Never give away something without getting anything in return (like a contact email).

When I am asked to donate an item for a fundraiser, I will usually put together a basket.  First, I ask what the fundraiser is for and what the monetary value minimum is, if any.  Sometimes they have no minimum and tell you to just dontae whatever you can.  Secondly, I ask details about the fundraiser.  Is it an auction, silent auction, a random ticket drawing in which the winner does not get to choose which item they want, or a raffle drawing in which the ticket purchasers get to choose which items they want to enter in to win?  Usually the fundraiser will fall into one of these categories, but there are others.

When asked to donate a Miche raffle item, I will put together a “basket” consisting of a base with one shell,  along with a gift certificate to get a second shell at half off when they sign up for my newsletter, or free if they book a party.   For my downline, I sometimes recommend giving away just the shell or base, with a gift card to get the other at half off or free if they sign up for her newsletter, or offer the base as the prize and include a gift card for TWO free shells once they book and hold a party.  I try to keep my team members–especially when just starting out–from giving too much away unless they are getting something in return, like an email address.  the more successful you become, the more you can afford to give away.  And giving to charity is always a good practice, especially when you have been blessed with a successful business!

If you don’t want to give away product, or don’t have product to give away, you can just offer a gift certificate in a decorated envelope.  Gift certificates also work best when you don’t know what to give or you don’t know the demographics of your audience (mostly men? senior citizens? children?).  If your company doesn’t offer gift certificates you create your own.  Below is a gift certificate I created yesterday for a customer who’s husband wanted to get her a gift cert for Valentine’s day.  I made it using Microsoft Word.

 

You can offer a flat monetary amount like $10 or $25, or offer an “amount off”, like $20 off any purchase over $50.  Miche offers bundle packages starting at $47.95.  I suggest to my team that they offer something like $20 off any Starter Bundle or $40 off a Prima Starter Bundle.  When you know you may get a little of it back, you can be a little more generous with your donation.  You could add to it and offer perks, like $20 off any Starter Bundle PLUS a free Purse Charm with the purchase of an additional shell.  This usually works better at vendor events than fundraisers.  With a fundraiser, the focus should be on the cause or charity.  You know the money is going to help out a worthy cause, whether or not you are able to generate a lead.  At vendor shows, however, the focus should be on capturing the lead.  More about that will be discussed in an upcoming post.

Another fundraising option you can offer is an online party.  I am currently running a fundraiser online for a good friend of mine who has been nominated for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) Man of the Year.  His son, RJ, was diagnosed with Leukemia and he is heading up a campaign to raise $50,000 for LLS.  I have an open party on my Miche web site called Team RJ Fundraiser.   I have offered to donate 100% of my commission from the sales of this party to my friend’s campaign.  I also plan to use the hostess credits to purchase a Hope Collection bundle that I will raffle off to raise additional money that I will also be donating.  When running an online fundraiser, be sure to include all the details in your monthly newsletter and through your social media outlets.

Whatever you offer, make sure you leave a call to action (sign up for my newsletter, host a party, etc.) and a reason for them to come back to YOU (gift certificate redeemable only through you or your web site).  The last thing you want to do is give away something free and then have them never come back, or worse, go to someone else for more product.  Make sure you package your donation (whether basket or envelope) with plenty of marketing materials–your catalog, hostess brochure, recruiting brochure, and your business card.  And definitely make sure ALL your marketing materials are labeled with your current contact information.

It might be a good idea to ask the fundraiser coordinator how they will be marketing the event, how long it will run (like in a school newspaper), or if it will be a one or two day event at a physical location, and if so, how many people they are expecting to attend.  Is it an annual event?  How many people attended last year?  If you can include your contact information in THEIR marketing materials do it.  Often times they will only offer this option to those who donate higher valued items or make cash donations, but you should always ask.  If it’s worth it to you, given the answers to the questions at the beginning of this paragraph, you may want to consider donating more.

Finally, be sure to get the organization’s federal tax ID number so you can track it in your records as a donation. You will need this information in order to write this off as a donation at tax time.  Often times you can have someone in the organization give you a letter thanking you for the donation that includes the donation amount or value and the organization’s tax ID number.

For more information about Team RJ and why I am raising money for LLS, visit http://pages.lightthenight.org/sac/Sacra11/TeamRJ

For more information about my Miche business, visit www.CoolestPurseEVER.com.

 

Facebook: Link Your Employer Info to Your Page

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UPDATE 12/6/14: There is a step-by-step video on how to do this using the current version of Facebook.  Click HERE to view it.
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Here’s a question that comes up a lot:  I’m self employed.  How do I change “works for” to “owner” in my profile?

The first thing you need to do is create a “page” for your business.  Click HERE for instructions on how to do that if you do not already have one.  Make sure you are logged into Facebook as your Profile, not your Page before following the steps below.  Instructions on how to switch back and forth between your Page and your Profile, and how to tell the difference, can be found in the same post mentioned above on how to create a page for your business.

1: On your profile, click edit

2: Click on Education and Work (delete anything you have there that is linking to anything other than you)

3: Type in the name of your fan page to link it. If you want you can change the title of your position to self-employed or CEO, many just leave it at “Works at…” You can write in whatever you’d like.  In the example below it says “Visit my fan page at” just before the link to the Fan Page.

How to Create a Facebook Page for Your Business

This content is being updated to reflect the most recent changes to Facebook regarding Pages. Please check back soon and thank you for you patience.

A Facebook Page is a public page on the web that enables you to share your business and products with Facebook users (aka your fans).

Name your Page

The name you give your Page is permanent, so make sure it’s the one your fans and customers will recognise.

Upload photos

You’ll be able to upload an unlimited number of photos. The most important is the Profile picture that Facebook users will see (as a thumbnail) in News Feed when their friends interact with you. A logo, storefront or group photo may work well. Make sure the image is still clear when reduced to thumbnail size.

Make it useful and engaging

What will turn your Facebook fans into paying customers, and vice versa? If you are a restaurant or bar, detailed info like address and opening hours will help. If you’re a band or a film, adding songs and videos is key. If you’re a brand or product, photos of your offering and hyperlinks to independent reviews will make an impact. Gather what you’ve got handy and you can always add more later.

 

Step 1: Pick a category and name

Pick the category that best fits what you’d like to promote on Facebook. Don’t worry if you don’t find a perfect fit, but pick the closest match since you won’t be able to change your category.

The name of the Page should be exactly the same as the name of the business, organisation, product, band or individual it represents.

Click “Create Page”.

Step 2: Add a Profile picture

Click “upload a picture” near the top and upload the graphic or photo that best represents you. Make sure that your brand is clear even as a “thumbnail”, since the image will appear at that reduced size throughout the site (for example, on fans’ Profiles and on their friends’ Home pages).

Step 3: Add information

Click “Add information to this Page” underneath the Profile picture and enter as much basic and detailed information as you can. The fields available will depend on your Page type. The more details you can add about who you are, what you do, and when and where customers can buy your products, the more successful you will be.

Step 4: Make it rich and engaging

Like user Profiles, Pages have multiple tabs. By default, your Page has a Wall tab for you and your fans to share content, an Info tab for you to share business information and a Boxes tab for application modules. You can choose to devote entire tabs to several Facebook applications, such as Photos, Reviews and Discussion Board. In addition, applications built by outside developers can choose to use Page tabs.

The more rich content you add, the more ways users can interact with it and spread that connection to their friends. Post photos of products, employees and customers. Add video clips of your bar or restaurant in action. ‘Behind the scenes’ content often works well. List an event for your grand opening or in-store sale. Write a note about forthcoming promotions. The choices are yours and all these features are free and unlimited.

You can also add applications by outside developers to customise your Page further:

  • A restaurant might add the Reservations application to let users book a table without leaving the Page.
  • A film might add Movie Times and Tickets to help users find nearby screenings again, without ever leaving the Page.
  • A small business owner might add the Visa Business Network application to connect with peers.

Thousands of applications are waiting for you. Need help? Browse other Pages in your category to discover applications that will help serve your customers.

Step 5: Publish

Click the “publish this Page” link to share your Page with the world. Unlike a phonebook listing or website, this public Profile has the power to let your customers engage their friends on your behalf.

Optimise your Page’s performance by clicking the “Edit Page” link and setting a variety of controls. For instance, you can control the default landing tab for users who are not yet fans of your Page. You can also choose whether or not to allow fans to share Wall posts, photos and more; allowing these will enrich your Page and increase its reach across Facebook.

Facebook Adverts can link to your Page, reach your exact target audience and increase your fan base. Since Facebook can automatically enhance your adverts with stories about these fans engaging with your Page, advertising your Page can generate a virtuous cycle of consumer engagement over time.

To link to your Facebook Page from elsewhere around the Web, use a “Find us on Facebook” badge. Don’t forget to like your own Page! Share it with friends by clicking the “Share” button in the lower left of the Wall or Info tab.

Step 6: Update regularly

Updating your Page regularly with fresh photos, forthcoming events and the latest promotions means your Page won’t just look like a Profile, it will feel like one, and that will keep users coming back. Facebook users are used to getting information sorted by what happened most recently. If you keep your Page active, which you can do through mobile integrations and applications, you’ll find that your fans are more engaged and more interactive.

You can also send some or all of them messages by clicking “Send an Update to Fans” in the upper-left of your Page (under the profile picture). Updates are useful for sending out announcements like promotions, sales or events. For more information on how to use Pages, please see Facebook’s Help Section.