The most common way of selling awareness bracelets is to carry them in a large ziploc bag everywhere you go. Have them out in plain site so that people that walk by are able to see them. Depending on what type of group is selling them, the strategies will differ.

In front of the supermarket

Setting up a table and selling them in front of a high traffic area like a supermarket is a great way to sell these bands. Because you will be selling these to strangers, it is important to portray exactly why you’re selling the awareness bracelets, and what the proceeds will go to. People are very visually stimulated and if they see exactly where their money will go, they will be more inclined to buy from you.

Walking

Another great way to sell these is to take them everywhere you go. This method is especially useful for middle school and high school students who walk from class to class. Remember to keep them out and in plain view so that people walking by can see what you’re selling. It also helps to actively approach friends and classmates that you believe wouldn’t mind buying them.

Game time!

For sports teams that want to use these as a fundraiser, have a booth that sells these at your games! These people are the ones that are most likely to support your teams as they’re already there at your games.

One of the best ways to get your entire community involved in your organization’s activities is to integrate them into your fundraising drive as well through local favorites fundraising cards. These cards are great sells to both your patrons as well as to businesses as everyone who is involved benefits. These cards advertise their businesses for them, driving more foot traffic to their establishments. Patrons get great discounts to their favorite places. And your group raises money by bringing all of this together!

Most of the top fundraising companies allow you to put your organizations logo and custom designs on the card as well, making it extra personal. You simply sell each card for $10, and get up to $9 of those $10 earned back. That’s an easy 90% profit right there!

Check out the profit chart below! As you can see, the more you’re able to sell, the higher your profit margins will be. This type of fundraiser can b done by everyone, but is ideal for those with large groups as you’ll be able to get the most out of your fundraising efforts.

A great way to start supporting your local businesses is to bring them onboard to help you in your fundraising endeavors. An easy to use program is already in place and ready to go, which makes fundraising quick and simple. Your supporters will be able redeem the cards that they buy for $50 gift certificates to a variety of different restaurants.

See how easy the steps are below:

1. Put in your zipcode on this restaurant card fundraiser page
2. Sell each car for $20.00 (receive a 50% profit with each card)
3. Your customers can go to http://fundraising.restaurant.com and get $50 worth of gift certificates from thousands of restaurants nationwide.

See an example of the back below:

Discount cards are one of the best fundraisers that can be used by a wide variety of groups. A discount card is a custom printed plastic card that volunteers sell to residents in the local community, normally for $10. The cards have coupon type offers with unlimited use for a specific time period, usually one year.

High Profit Potential

The discount card program offers so many advantages as a fundraiser. First and foremost, this fundraiser has a very high profit potential compared to other fundraisers. Discount card companies vary but most offer anywhere from 50 to 90% profit.

At the highest profit percentage, your group sells a card for $10 and retains $9. Your group and those who purchase cards will know that the majority of the funds will go directly to help the cause.

Strong Appeal to Buyers

Discount cards are easy to sell because they offer such great value to the consumer. Last year I bought a discount card for my local area. While not all of the offers on the card appealed to me, there was one that I really liked – “Free Dessert with Purchase of Two Entrees” at Johnny Carino’s Italian restaurant. Since that is one of my favorite restaurants and they feature one of my favorite desserts – Cannoli – I jumped on this deal! I’ve probably used the card there at least 6 or 7 times in the past year which did save me money (and gave me an excuse to have dessert!)

It’s likely that your buyers will find the offers on the back of the discount card to be worthwhile for saving them money too. When you use custom discount cards the offers all apply to your local area. You can recruit local businesses and not just chain outlets which are offered on stock cards. This definitely increases the value of the cards for your buyers

Custom discount cards appeal to businesses too because they give them an economical way to promote their products or services. They will likely attract new customers and future repeat business because of the card.

Easy to Deliver

Not to be forgotten is the fact that discount cards are easy to carry when you are selling them. They easily fit into a pocket or purse – unlike other products that can be heavy, cumbersome or perishable. Since you collect money at the same time that the card is sold, you don’t have to return to the customer again to deliver the product. This makes selling them easier and quicker than pre-order programs.

Recommended Discount Card Provider

FastTrack Fundraising offers custom discount cards at up to 90% profit. Your group can customize the front and back of the card entirely.

There’s no initial investment and no additional fees. In fact, with there is no minimum order either. The cost of the card depends on the quantity of cards purchased – anywhere from $3 to less than $1 per card. Even at the entry level a profit of $7 per card is still very good.

A Discount Card Fundraiser benefits everybody:

• Businesses like them because they bring in more customers.
• Supporters like them because they save money.
• Fundraising groups like them because they are highly profitable at up to $9 per card, customizable, and easy to sell.

Request a free fundraising information and samples now

The Entertainment Book is a huge book of discount coupons produced specifically for a local area. These popular books are published in 155 cities in the United States and Canada.

With the Entertainment Fundraiser, you have already one great advantage. It’s a product that helps your supporters save money, so it’s something they will most likely be happy to buy.

My husband and I bought the book two years in a row from our church’s preschool who sold them as a fundraiser.  We really enjoyed trying new restaurants with the Entertainment book’s coupons.  And there was a lot to choose from.  You’ll find everything from fine dining to fast food, and any kind of cuisine you could want.  Some of the coupons were “buy one entree, get a second one free” while others were 50% off the entire bill. With such savings what did we have to lose?  We discovered several new favorite this way and were more than happy to make a return visit even without a coupon the next time.  I would estimate that in one year we probably saved at least $200 using the Entertainment book!

These books can also help a family on a budget.  Not only can you now afford to dine out, you can also save money on everyday purchases.  There are discounts at local grocery stores, car washes, and other retailers that provide necessary services that you could not live without.  You’ll also find savings on fun things such as movie theaters, DVD rental, theme parks and zoos.

As a fundraiser, the Entertainment book has a lot of other great benefits.  You don’t have to have a large group to benefit from the program.  Even groups of just a few people can make a nice profit by selling these books.  There’s no money upfront so there is no risk at all.  You can also make up to 50% profit.  It’s likely that once your group starts selling the Entertainment book, it can become a yearly easy source of revenue.

Benefits of this fundraiser:

• No upfront costs
• Up to 50% Profit for your group
• Sell in person and/or online
• Go from kickoff to wrap-up in as little as two weeks
• Works for any size group
• Free planning and promotional materials
• Free prize program to motivate and reward sellers
• Provide a great money-saving service to your supporters

More Information About Entertainment Books

Order a Single Copy – Try out the NEW Entertainment book, filled with discounts on everything

Entertainment Fundraising programs – Get more information about how to raise funds for your group by selling Entertainment books

Scratch cards are an unusual way to ask for donations to your organization.  A scratchcard is a small tri-fold booklet that contains a card of silver colored “scratch-off” circles. Supporters are invited to “scratch” off one or more of the circles on the card to reveal how much they will be asked to donate. The cards are quite inexpensive so your group makes up to 90% profit on this fundraiser.

Depending on the style of card you choose the highest donation amount is either $2.50 or $5. Either way this is a very small amount to request. It is easy to ask someone to donate something that amounts to pocket change. In return each person gets a sheet of coupons worth $75 in savings at national brand retailers.

Custom Scratchcards

The newest scratchcards are personalized with your group’s photo right on the front of the card. These cards have 30 dots, with amounts ranging from $1 to $5. Each card comes with an attached booklet of coupons worth up to $75 in savings at major retailers.

Each person who makes a donation, no matter what amount, gets a free coupon sheet. Each card will bring in up to $100 in total contributions.

Original Scratchcards

The original scratchcards offer lower dollar amounts beneath the circles, ranging from zero to $2.50. Since the amounts are lower there are 60 circles instead of 30.

The coupon stack is the same as the custom version.   There are 30 ready made designs for you to choose from and your group name goes on the front of the card.  These cards also have the potential to bring in $100 in total contributions.

Advantages of Scratchcards

One of the advantages of scratchcards is that they can be completed in a very short time frame.  Most participants can return a completed card to their organization in about a week.

Another advantage of scratchcards is that up to 90% of the money brought in is pure profit. This has several advantages. First, those who donate to your cause can feel confident knowing that almost all of the money they give goes directly to help you.  Also since there is very little overhead, a portion of the funds available could be used to provide prizes to your participants.

So how do participants approach others to ask for donations using the scratchcards? It’s really pretty easy, just be polite and courteous. Always identify yourself and which group you are with.  People will find it to be a nice surprise to hear that they don’t have to buy anything to support your group! Make sure people know that they’ll get a free coupon sheet worth $75 for each circle they scratch-off.

Many people are familiar with The Entertainment Book. It’s a coupon book that can get you both local and nationwide discounts on your favorite stores and retailers. Many people that use The Entertainment Book save hundreds of dollars each year by using both the coupons within the book and from the online coupons available when you register your card that comes with The Entertainment Book.

There are Entertainment Books for every region of the U.S.A.. Your local Entertainment Book will have coupons and discounts that are unique from your local retailers. It will also have coupons and discounts from national stores and retailers you have come to love.

Entertainment Book as a Fundraiser

This is an ideal fundraiser for many. In this economy, just about every family we know is looking for a way to stretch that family budget just a little farther. If your fundraiser offers a way to help out a local community organization or event — and also save that family money: this is a total win-win deal!

The average book costs about $25 (the price varies by market) but the fundraising groups get to sell the books at $5 off retail price.   The group keeps up to 50% profit on all the books they sell.  Plus fundraising groups have an added advantage in that they are the first to offer the books in their area. There are no upfront costs for organizations that decide to sell Entertainment Books. You simply contact the company and speak with a representative. They will walk you through the entire process step-by-step. The Entertainment Book also gives you complimentary promotional materials to help you with your fundraiser.

A challenge any fundraiser with the Entertainment book might face is that this book is very well promoted: many people that know and love this book might have already bought their copy by the time you decide to do your fundraiser. The Entertainment Book also sends out many e-mails after you buy a book, enticing you to buy books at a discount for the coming year. So it may be harder to sell your books to those customers that have already bought Entertainment Books on their own, as many pre-subscribe to get a nice discount on their book for the coming year.

A great “counter” offer is to suggest to this person that they buy an Entertainment Book as a gift for someone they know. Another great idea is to suggest that they think of buying the Entertainment Book for an area that their family takes a family vacation. This is a super way to save lots of money, and as most books are under $40 — they will easily save so much more than this on their vacation costs. Either of these ideas can help your organization get that Entertainment Book sale firmly in hand!

This book is so helpful to families, as you can save money on many of the things you want and need. Just using my Entertainment Book over the past month, here are some of the things that I have done:

• Gone to my local Dunkin Donuts for buy one, get one free iced coffees.
• Visited the aquarium with buy one, get one free admission.
• Used Subway coupons (many in this book!) to get $1.99 sandwich with the purchase of a drink and also a free sandwich with the purchase of one paid sandwich.
• Taken family to our local amusement park to play miniature golf and for a lake cruise, both with buy one, get one free admission tickets.
• Visited two local museums, the planetarium and a historical landmark home (all admit one, get one free tickets).
• My personal favorite has been a buy one get one free ticket on an ecology vessel that teaches people about the sound. This trip out into the ocean is relaxing and a unique experience.
• Shopped at the Avenue using a 40% off coupon for fall clothes.
• Send two dozen roses from ProFlowers for $19.99 plus shipping charges.

That was just in one month! There are so many more coupons that I haven’t even touched. Things that I can do with my family and coupons to save money at retail stores for the upcoming Christmas season. There are also many travel discounts on hotels, rental cars and even airfare.

It is easy to see how the Entertainment Book would appeal to families. I know that I have saved at least two hundred dollars within the past month, simply using the coupons in the book. My book has more than paid for itself. Many of the stores also offer multiple coupons where you can shop over and over again. The Entertainment Book online website also offers many money saving discounts that are simply phenomenal. I’d do more shopping — but my family won’t let me!

The only challenge in using the Entertainment Book as a consumer is twofold: you need to remember to carry your Entertainment Book card with you and to bring the related coupon. Some merchants want to see the Entertainment Book card and all of them will take the coupon from you. Some people find carrying coupons to be time consuming and frustrating. But if it means the difference between saving money and spending twenty to fifty percent more for your goods and services: it sounds like a very wise thing to carry a coupon!

To make your Entertainment book fundraiser a success: plan it early. Let families know that you will be holding this fundraiser. Try to get a hold of a copy of your local book so people can see the book for your area and get a sense of just how much money they can save. It is exciting once you start flipping through the book and folding down the corners, realizing that you can save money on shopping you are going to be doing already.

Your Entertainment Book fundraiser can be popular in your community. This book offers many great bargains and discounts that any family would appreciate. This is a fundraiser that families will enjoy participating in!

More Information About Entertainment Books

Order a Single Copy – Try out the NEW Entertainment book, filled with discounts on everything

Entertainment Fundraising programs – Get more information about how to raise funds for your group by selling Entertainment books

Last Christmas season I noticed just how popular gift cards had become.

Our grocery store even had a kiosk of cards from a variety of other stores and restaurants like Home Depot, Chili’s and many more.

With the great popularity of gift card programs so opens up a great opportunity for fundraising! By using a program called “scrip” your group gets to sell gift cards and make a commission on each and every one.

Here’s a basic idea of how it works:

1. A non profit group or school works with local retailers directly or through a scrip company to purchase gift certificates or gift cards (referred to as scrip) at a discount.
2. Parents purchase the gift cards from the organization at face value. The difference in price is kept by the organization.
3. Parents use the scrip at the retailer just like cash.

This fundraiser provides something that your supporters already want and need. Most scrip programs offer cards from places that you already shop from, such as grocery stores, video stores, restaurants, and many more.

How much can your group raise?

Most scrip programs offer between 2.5 and 10% cash back to the school or group,. The terms may vary by scrip company and/or by retailer. The profits from scrip can really add up, especially when you have many families participating over the course of a year.

Here’s an example: If a family spends $100 per week on groceries and other scrip purchases, that adds up to $5,200 per year. At an average of 5% profit the sponsoring group receives $260. And that’s just one family! What happens when you get most of your families to sign up? Imagine…with 50 families that would equal $13,000 per year. All on something that the families need anyway – groceries! With the popularity of gift cards, it would be easy for families to stock up on gift cards for birthday and holiday gifts too.

A Fundraising Program That Grows Each Year

One of the things that I have heard from schools that use scrip is that it can be difficult to get people to get on board with it the first year.

It may be a new concept to some people and they may wonder if there’s some kind of catch. Assure your supporters that the retail companies offer the cards at a discount in order to gain customers and support the community. The family pays and redeems the scrip at full face value while a portion of the card value goes back to the sponsoring organization.

Scrip works even with just a handfull of people participating. The first year you may just have a few families participating, but that’s okay. Once your supporters realize how easy it is and what the fundraising potential may be, it will make it easier to get more participation in the future.

Scrip Companies

While here at Step by Step Fundraising we do not offer the scrip service, there are several companies that do.  These companies provide management for scrip programs like working with the retailers to get the discounted gift cards.

Please click the links below to contact one of these companies if you are interested in learning more about scrip.  These are the two largest companies that offer this service, so they have a lot of experience and resources to help make the program a success for your group.

Great Lakes Scrip Center works with groups in the United States

FundScrip helps groups in Canada

I recently got the chance to meet with Roger and Chris of FastTrack Fundraising in their Los Angeles office. (That’s me with Roger Lum in the photo at left.) After our 2+ hour discussion I was truly convinced that this company is the discount card experts!

While they offer a variety of other fundraisers, custom discount cards continue to be their top fundraising program. And with good reason — it works!

I have long been a fan of discount cards as a fundraiser. They are an all around good fundraising vehicle for a wide variety of groups such as schools, civic clubs, church youth groups, YMCA, sports teams and many more.

• In demand product – Provides year-long savings to your supporters (So they are easy to sell!)
• Cards are affordable – Fast Track’s custom cards retail for $10
• High profit margin – With Fast Track your group earns $7-9 per card!
• Small cards are easy to transport – An advantage over other product sales with bulky boxes or foods that require refrigeration
• Can be repeated every year

FastTrack fundraising consultants provide advice and tools to empower your volunteers to get merchants on board as sponsors. Roger noted, “Other companies promise that they will get the merchants for you. That sounds easier at first, but actually we have found that when groups solicit local businesses directly they have better results. Then we are able to offer lower prices on the cards so the groups raise more money.”

This makes a lot of sense. Business owners and managers may not even take the call of a sales company. They are much more likely to speak to a volunteer directly involved with the group the sales benefit, especially if it’s someone they know.

So it it better to call, mail a letter or make a personal visit? From their experience working with hundreds of groups, FastTrack recommends face to face visits. Prepare a letter ahead of time and make copies of it and the merchant agreement form provided by Fast Track. Just ask to speak to the manager and if they are not available, leave the material and call them back later.

Chris even says that “groups who bring kids are 3 times as likely to be successful.” So school groups, sports teams, and youth have a real advantage.

Besides all their years of experience that will help your fundraiser be more successful, FastTrack has several other advantages:

1. The custom discount cards are full color, front and back, and each side is fully customizable.

   
   View more samples – card front or card back

2. They are a durable plastic, similar to a credit card.
3. Low cost, just $1-3 each depending on quantity
4. High Fundraising potential – up to 90% Profit.
5. Free to start – no initial investment.
6. 48 hour turnaround time – cards printed & shipped within 48 hours after approval for orders less than 1000.
7. Your fundraiser can be completed in 30 days or less!

So is your group ready to work with the Custom Discount Card Experts at FastTrack Fundraising? Request a free fundraising kit now

Pizza discount card fundraisers offer high profit margins for your group and are easy to sell because they offer great savings for your supporters.

There are several companies that offer pizza discount cards. Some companies are already partnered with national pizza chains and your group just has to verify that the local outlet will participate. Other discount card companies will allow your group to partner with the pizza restaurant of your choice.

Even if your local pizza place has not participated in this type fundraiser before it’s easy to get them onboard. This program helps them bring in repeat business and get free advertising. Many people will be loyal to the pizza restaurant on the card just because they’ll get a discount.

Tips to Make the Most of a Pizza Card Fundraiser

1. Choose a pizza restaurant that is popular in your area. If the pizza place chosen has several locations, make sure all locations will participate
2. Set a goal for your overall fundraising campaign and then suggest individual goals per participant
3. Set dates for the start and end of your fundraiser. A mid campaign check-in where coordinators call participants to see how their sales are going is a good idea.
5. Celebrate! Have a party (at the pizza restaurant if possible) and acknowledge everyone who participated in the pizza card campaign.

The FastTrack pizza card program is flexible because your group can partner the pizza place of your choice.

Your group coordinator just needs to print out a form from the website and give it to the restaurant manager for their approval. Once your program is approved by the restaurant your group can order the pizza cards and start selling them as soon as they come in.

FastTrack pizza cards offer up to 90% profit.

Request a free fundraising information and samples now