When you want to do something positive to help a good cause, you may have decided that mission trip fundraising ideas are the way to go. With mission trip fundraising, you will be helping Christian volunteers improve the lives of others who may have a lower quality of life.

Your efforts will go toward funding these trips and pay for expenses like travel, accommodation, and resources to make the lives of those in need better. So how do you get started with your mission trip fundraising ideas? Planning a fundraising event can be a daunting activity, especially if you haven’t had much experience in planning these kinds of events in the past.

The best way to plan out your mission trip fundraising ideas is to recruit the help of other people in your community. This could be from neighbors or family members, or you may find the most help by seeking out supporters from your local church group. These people should have no problem giving their best effort to helping your cause once they hear about all the good they will be a part of.

If you think you have a good team of participants you might like to hold an initial meeting, where everybody involved can pass around fundraising ideas. This will go a long way to making your fundraising event a huge success that will bring in the maximum amount of funding.

There are some great Christian products that you may like to sell at your event, and all of these are very easy to set up. Faith Lollipop Fundraising packages are great for children and adults alike, or you might like to go with Journey of Faith Candle Fundraisers instead. This program can be found on a few of the top fundraising websites. These candles are quite beautiful and have to be seen to be believed. They also come with a Bible verse, which will send a positive message to your customers.

Many readers at StepByStepFundraising enjoy this monthly peek at articles from our sister site TopSchoolFundraisers.com.

Even if you don’t have anything to do with school fundraising specifically, there is sure to be something interesting for you to check out.  Here is a list of article links to October’s posts.  I’ve included a short excerpt from a few of the posts, as well.

As always, if you are looking for easy to manage and highly popular fundraising ideas, I urge you to check out FastTrackFundraising, the great sponsor of both this site and TopSchoolFundraisers.  They have an outstanding selection of product fundraisers with extensive reviews from satisfied customers.

See you in November!

If You Could Pick Only Three Fundraisers to Have this Year, Which Would You Choose? Part I

If You Could Pick Only Three Fundraisers to Have this Year, Which Would You Choose? Part II

Would You Like to Make More Money at Your Next School Carnival?

Raise Thousands of Dollars through Recycling with FactoryFunding.com

If you would like to raise money for your child’s school, but you know you have to be careful not to ask too much from the other parents in the community, this is a great idea for you.

FactoryFunding.com is an established business that can help you raise significant revenue without asking parents to keep chipping in. They do this through an effective recycling program that includes ink jet cartridges, laser toner cartridges, cell phones, MP3 players and all sorts of personal electronics. A complete list of the qualifying items can be seen here.

Here is how FactoryFunding works:

When you recycle your used ink cartridges, cell phones, laptops, and small electronics with FundingFactory, your recyclables convert to cash and rewards that can get your school or nonprofit organization the things you need — for free.

School Fliers for only $5!

A Conversation with a Frustrated Fundraising Mom

Today I would like to share parts of a conversation I had just a couple of days ago with the mother of two children in a local public school system. Her daughter is in high school, and she also has a son who is in third grade. So, she’s seen the whole gamut of school fundraising in her time as a parent.

She did not know that I write a blog on this topic of raising money for schools, and I wanted her to speak freely, so I did not mention it.

We got on to this topic while our kids were at swim practice, so we had plenty of time to talk in detail. She mentioned that her daughter’s high school was doing a “test drive a car” fundraiser, very much like what I wrote about yesterday. She said that she really liked this kind of a fundraising event, because it was a very low-level commitment, both time and money-wise.

I should say that this is a very involved mother, who does regularly participate in school events, including fundraisers. Therefore, I took what she had to say with a great deal of seriousness.

Here are some of her opinions on the state of modern fundraising in our schools. See if you share any of these beliefs. My guess is that you probably do.

The Drive One 4 UR School Fundraiser by Ford Motor Company

Fundraising Bracelets Very Popular with Students

Is There a Zombie in the House?

Chocolate Fundraiser is Out, Beer & Wine Fundraiser is In!

 Back in March of this year, I wrote a blog post here that talked about the dangers of including alcohol for adults at a school fundraiser. I wrote that alcohol can add an unpredictable element to your event, which could possibly spoil what you and your team worked so hard to create.

It’s not that I’m against alcohol in any way personally, it’s just that some people get carried away with drinking, and these few individuals can ruin the event for the rest of the audience. That can negatively impact your school’s reputation as a fundraising entity and make your job much harder.

As evidence, I included in my blog an excerpt from a news article that reported on a school auction that included alcohol sales, and some parents got drunk and started to swear loudly at each other, and they came to blows.

Do You Approach Fundraising Like an Entrepreneur Would?

Recently, Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki teamed up to write a book on the subject of entrepreneurship called “The Midas Touch”.

In this book, they list five attributes that separate successful entrepreneurs from unsuccessful ones. These characteristics are:

1. Character
2. Focus
3. Brand
4. Relationships
5. The Little Things

No matter what you think of Donald Trump, he has had a long and storied career as an entrepreneur, so it’s worth at least considering what he has to say on this matter.

I’ve stated many times before that I believe that school fundraising is a total sales job. You are trying to convince people to spend their money to buy a better product, namely a better school experience for their children. It doesn’t matter if you’re running an auction for your school, or a carnival, or a walk-a-thon. It could also be a product sale or a direct mail appeal. Whatever form your fundraiser takes, you are engaged in the art of sales.

Greetings!  Today I want to share with you a selection of articles I wrote this month on our sister blog- TopSchoolFundraisers.  While it’s true that the articles are written from the perspective of a school fundraiser, there are many general principles that apply to all kinds of non-profit organizations.  So, please don’ t be put off by the word “school” in the name of the blog!

For a few of the articles, below, I have included a couple of paragraphs to “tease” you into reading them.  I hope it works!

Thanks again for reading with us all this month, and stay tuned for another great month in October. – Jim Berigan

Are You a Fundraising Bully?

I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I think and write about fundraising most every day, but I really am bothered when I personally encounter fundraising attempts that are just downright inconsiderate and poorly thought out.

I had two such incidents occur just this morning in my own home with my own kids.

First, one of my sons asked me for $5 on his way out the door to school. Ok, that’s not usually a big deal, but I asked him what he needed it for anyway. “I need it to pay for a pink t-shirt for my (sports) team.”  Then he leaned in toward me and whispered, “You know what pink t-shirts are for, right, dad?” (more…)

School Halloween Carnival Game Ideas

Schools Coming Up with Unusual Fundraisers!

Free & Easy Volunteer Sign-Up Sheets

Ideas on How to Raise Money in Low-Income Schools

7 Tips on How to Think Like a Board Member

Today’s post is directed primarily at the people who are responsible for leading private school fundraisers. In a public school setting, fundraising events are usually funneled through the building principal, who is accountable to the superintendent, who, in turn, answers to the overarching school board. In most situations, your grassroots level efforts probably won’t rise all the way to the top.

However, in the case of a private school, the board of directors is very much involved in fundraising. In fact, some people would argue that the board’s most important function is that of ensuring the school stays well-funded. Remember, that in a non-profit organization, the board is the supreme authority.  The principal and all other employees are accountable to the board members. By the textbook definition, what the board says, goes. Therefore, it is wise to keep them happy and well-informed.

The goal of this article is to help a school employee or parent volunteer to think like a board member in order to move your plans forward with total buy-in and cooperation. (more…)

A Very Popular and Profitable Product Sale for Your School

Today, I’d like to share a very practical piece of fundraising advice.  Sometimes, a product sale can be just the right fit for your school’s needs.  Of course, you want the product to be high-quality and a proven seller.  You also want it to be good for the people buying it, because you know how important it is to keep a relationship built on trust with your fundraising audience.

It can be tough to find an item to sell for your school that meets all of these criteria.  However,FastTrack Fundraising has an excellent solution.  It’s the Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Fundraiser.  Read on to find out how this fundraiser works, what kind of money you can raise in your school, and even read reviews of how this fundraiser has worked in other schools.  I think you’ll be very impressed! (more…)

What’s Wrong with this Picture?

I won’t reveal where I took this picture, in order to protect the reputation of this non-profit, but I did take it on September 15, 2011. I just happened to be passing through this building and was so surprised by what I saw, I had to take this picture.

I will admit, it was taken here in Michigan, where I live. Bottle drives are very popular here, because there is a ten cent deposit paid on every single carbonated beverage bottle or can. Non-profits and schools can really rack up a tidy profit if they’ve got a bunch of students and supporters bringing in big trash bags full of returnables.

However, there are several things that disturbed me about this organization’s effort at fundraising. Let me list a few. (more…)

If You Could Only Tell Your Fundraising Audience Five Things, What Would They Be?

Yesterday, I wrote about how using a numbered list format for your fundraising letters could help you get more people reading them and acting upon them. I gave an example of “The Top 10 Things You Can Do to Help Your Child’s School”. I argued that these kinds of numbered list articles or letters have a greater impact than traditional letters with just one paragraph just stacked up on another.

Today, I’d like to talk about using this strategy of a numbered list and applying it to a very specific kind of letter.

Since we know everyone’s time is at a premium, if you had to narrow down your entire year’s fundraising info into just five bullet points, what would those points be? (more…)

The Number One Way to Get Parents to Read Your Fundraising Letters

School Raffle in 2011-2012? Read This First!

Should a School Only Have One Fundraising Goal All Year Long?

Do Your School Families Know Why You are Raising Money?

Hello!  Today is the day of the month when I share with you some great news articles and blog posts that have caught my eye over the last thirty days.

Many of these links below are from guest writers to StepByStepFundraising, so you’re already familiar with their great work.  I strongly encourage you to check these writers out in greater depth! 

Enjoy the reading! ~Jim Berigan

I’ll start off with a shameless plug for a new eBook that I help to write, along with Sandra Sims, who is probably very familiar to those of you readers who’ve been around here for a while.

The eBook is called Raffle Secrets and it’s top-notch, if you ask me!  It’s packed with very practical advice on how to run a financially successful raffle and has several interesting ideas on how to run some rather unique raffle events.

There are several free articles posted on our sales site, which makes it worth clicking on over there just by itself.  But, while you are there, I’d love it if you bought a book, too! If you are even thinking about running a raffle for your non-profit this year, this book is for you!

This article is from earlier in the summer, but it introduces an excellent series of posts that Maureen Carruthers has been working on the last three months. The series is called The Showcase of Small Voices, and it is very much worth digging into.

Here’s a fun article from Betsy Baker of Your Grant Authority.  It’s called What MTV, Dale Carnegie and Winning Grants Have in Common.  Betsy mentions her childhood love of music videos from the 1980s, which was exactly my era, as well, so she had me hooked right away.  Great article!

When it comes to running successful benefit auctions, there’s no one with more great information and advice than Sherry Truhlar of Red Apple Auctions.  Here is a link to a video she put together titled “Which Is Better: An Auction Underwriter Or Auction Sponsor?”  If you’ve never heard Sherry talk before, this is a great way to get to know her work.

Amy Eisenstein of TriPointFundraising always puts out terrific information for non-profits on her blog.  Here is a link to a recent article called “4 Steps to Raise More Money AFTER Your Event”.  This is excellent information for any group that wants to maximize every single revenue-producing opportunity.

Greetings!  I hope you’ve all had a great summer!  September is now upon us and many of you non-profit leaders are just now entering into your busy season.  To you, I wish you a great year filled with lots of fundraising success.  For those of you whose busiest season was summer, I hope you met all your goals and can take a little time to relax and re-group this fall.

We’ll be plugging away all year, here at StepByStepFundraising, and we hope you stay with us.

As always, if you are ever in need of ideas for fundraising events or sales, please click on over to FastTrackFundraising.com.  They have an amazing variety of items and services that are proven to help all kinds of non-profits raise money.

In addition to writing and managing this blog, we also have another great site, TopSchoolFundraisers.com, with helpful information, geared specifically toward fundraising in schools.  If you have a minute, please take a look at a few of the articles I posted this month.  The links are below.

We’ll see you back here in September!

~Jim Berigan

TopSchoolFundraisers

School Fundraising Tips from Tim Sullivan, PTO Today President

How Does Your School Stack up in Fundraising with Other Schools in Your District?

What Kind of Fundraiser is your School’s Principal? Part I

What Kind of Fundraiser is Your School’s Principal? Part II

A Genius Idea to Get Parents to Sign up for Stuff!

VolunteerSpot.com- An Excellent Resource for Schools

Start the Fundraising Year Off with a Smile

Act Now to Protect Your School from Embezzlement

Start the Year Off with Lots of Options

The Number One Key to a Successful Fundraising Strategy

Have You Been Nurturing Your School’s Business Sponsors?

What to Ask on Your Volunteer Questionnaire Form

But, Are YOU Ready to Fundraise?

Over the course of the last several months, there have been a number of excellent guest writers who have agreed to share their experience, their knowledge, and their wisdom with you, the readers of Step By Step Fundraising.

I hope you have learned a great deal from these men and women and that you have returned their kindness by visiting their blogs and becoming regular readers of their work.

Here are a list of links to articles our corral of guest authors have created within the past few months that have not appeared on our site here.  I encourage you to read these posts as you have the opportunity and support these great fundraising thinkers!  I know you’ll learn a lot from doing so.

Thanks!

Jim Berigan

Gayle Gifford- What one book changed your professional life?

Gayle Thorsen- Nonprofit video roars into 2011: Here are the trends

Marc Pitman- Learning social media with an 11 year old

Amy Eisenstein- How to Meet Donors with Big Wallets

Maureen Carruthers- An Affiliate Marketing Lesson for Nonprofts: Make New Friends and Keep the Old

Betsy Baker- 5 Essentials for a Successful Grant Consulting Career

Sherry Truhlar- PODCAST: Venetian masks used as decor for a fundraising auction theme

Each month, at the end of the month, I like to take this one blog post to share with you all of the other articles either a handful of excellent guest authors or I have written for the FastTrack Fundraising family of blogs.

Some people may just check out one or two of these three sites on a regular basis, but we think all three have sound advice to share. Hopefully, you’ll take a few minutes to check these other blogs out.

Thank you all for spending your time with us. As always, if you are ever in search of great ideas for your fundraising needs, please visit FastTrackFundraising.com. They have a wide selection of proven fundraising products. You are sure to find just the perfect item (or items!) for your non-profit organization.

Thanks for reading!

Jim Berigan

Fundraising Ideas

3 Ways You Can Convince Your Donors Their Money is Well-Spent

7 Ways to Use Your Group’s Alumni More Wisely Part I

7 Ways to Use Your Group’s Alumni More Wisely Part II

4 Inexcusable Non-profit Excuses

2 Ways To Increase Your In-Kind Donations

5 Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Board Members

5 Signs It’s Time to Try a New Fundraiser Part I

5 Signs It’s Time to Try a New Fundraiser Part II

Three Tips to Improve Your Non-profit Writing

It’s a Zombie Fundraiser!

A Note about Money Handling & Fiscal Security

A Couple of Things You Can Do During Your Non-profit’s Slow Period

Follow up: Asking Non-profit Employees to Donate

Fundraise Like a College Football Coach

A New Passive Fundraising Option for Non-profits

Top School Fundraisers

Enough with the Playground Fundraising!

6 Strategies Schools Can Learn From NPR Pledge Drives- Part I

6 Strategies Schools Can Learn From NPR Pledge Drives- Part II

Micro vs. Macro Fundraising

Is it a Bad Idea to Use Teen-agers as Volunteers at Your School Carnival?

Should You Use Incentives to Recruit Volunteers?

Are Fundraisers Holding Our Children Hostage?

Make Regular Communication with Teachers and the Principal a Top Priority

A Micro-Fundraising Extravaganza

A Sure-Fire Tip to Trick Parents into Opening Your Emails

Brilliant Fundraising Strategy at the School Play

Here it is, the end of the month once again.  As is my custom, I am posting links to all of the articles I have written for FundraisingIdeas and Top School Fundraisers.

I hope you take a few minutes to check out these posts and don’t forget to visit our friends over at FastTrackFundraising for all your fundraising needs!

See you in May!

- Jim Berigan

FundraisingIdeas.org

10 Fundraising Clichés That You Should Avoid

Would You Do Something Absolutely Crazy for Your Non-profit?

Sound Fundraising Advice from 1970s Television

A Creative Way to Get Your Non-profit’s Competitive Juices Flowing

The Value of Non-Board Board Members

The Pressure of Coming up with a Catchy Fundraiser Name

What Do You Have to Think About When Choosing a For-Profit Fundraising Partner

What If You Didn’t Throw a Fundraiser and Everybody Still Came?

Make More of What You’ve Already Got

Two Unusual and Profitable Fundraising Events You May Never Have Heard Of

An Excellent Example of a Non-profit Partnership in Action

4 reasons your staff should donate money to your non-profit first

5 Things You Can Do to Avoid being the Non-profit that Gets Cut from the Family’s Donation Budget

The Advantages of Working for a Non-Profit over a For-Profit

Top School Fundraisers

Mass. Elementary School Uses Brain Power to Fundraise

Volunteer Recruitment Letter Extreme Makeover

Are Your Fundraising Materials Being Lost in the Mountain of Papers Coming Home Each Week?

Concession Stand Ideas from the PTO Today Message Boards

Dodgeball for Dollars

Wanna Raise $15,840?

Try Attaching a Year-Long Theme to Your Fundraisers Next Year

Check out these Donation Fundraisers from FastTrack

6 Ways to Conquer Fundraising Fatigue

A Year without Fundraising Events and Product Sales? Is it Possible?

Each month, I read dozens of news articles and blog posts about non-profit fundraising.  I am able to write about a few of them, but not nearly everything that catches my eye.

Here are a few links to the articles I liked, but wasn’t able to get to this month.

Enjoy!

- Jim Berigan

5 Ways to Make Sure Board Members Aren’t Bored by Amy Eisenstein

Add Some Polish to an Existing Grant Proposal by Betsy Baker

The Wisdom of the Old Spice Man by Joanna Miles

Social Media Success Series: 7 Tips for Creating Viral Content by Maureen Carruthers

Three ways to pamper the 40+ crowd at your silent auction by Sherry Truhlar

Each month, I read dozens of news articles and blog posts about non-profit fundraising.  I am able to write about a few of them, but not nearly everything that catches my eye.

Here are a few links to the articles I liked, but wasn’t able to get to this month.

Enjoy!

- Jim Berigan

New Convio Online Marketing Nonprofit Study From Beaconfire

How Web Developers Hurt Their Nonprofit Clients From Kivi’s Nonprofit Communications Blog

Japan Reminds Us: Nonprofits Need Cash, So Just Ask From TriPoint Fundraising

5 lessons from the Nonprofit Innovation Camp From the blog of Trina Isakson

Curious how fundraisers get their start? From the Butterfly Effect blog