Do-It-Yourself Fundraiser Of The Month

Letter From Santa:  Offer a personalized 'Letter from Santa' written on colorful holiday stationery and matching envelopes. Compose one or more form letters using a standard word processing program. Develop an order form for personalization to be provided by the purchaser. This could include the child's name, age, gender, hometown, address, good deed, accomplishment, grade in school, name and age of siblings, name of pet, etc. Colorful Christmas stamps are also a must!  Take orders in advance. Get payment with the order. Set a cut-off date to make sure the letters will be delivered timely. Pick the city you want the letter to be postmarked from and contact the postmaster there to make sure that they will open your bundle of letters and re-mail them for you. Some choices of cities could be North Pole, AK; Santa Claus, GA; Reindeer, KY; Christmas, FL, etc.

Tips For Working With A Fundraising Company

The best way to ensure a happy relationship and prevent problems is to make sure that you and the company you choose as a fundraising partner have a clear understanding of each other’s expectations.  Verify financial and product information prior to entering into any agreement or purchasing any products.  If you experience a problem, discuss it with the company quickly.  They will do their best to reach an accommodation so that you have a win-win situation wherein you both make money.  Fundraising companies want you to be happy about your association with them so that you will patronize them again and recommend them to other organizations. The more you are able to do on your own and without any special requirements, the more fund-raising profit you should expect.  If your group requests extra prizes or unusual considerations, you must be prepared to sacrifice some profit. 

magfundraising.com: Try eFundraising's free online fundraising program now and earn 40% profit with little effort! Simply invite friends and family to buy or renew their favorite magazine subscriptions at up to 85% off newsstand prices. There are over 650 of the most popular magazine titles to choose from! Visit www.magfundraising.com or call 1-800-561-8388 to get started today!

Fundraiser News Briefs 

Coles County, IL: Fundraiser to spend three weeks in porta-potty to raise funds for charity; Santa Barbara, CA: Fraternity raises funds for Special Olympics with Texas Hold'em tournament; Shopshire, UK: Women pose for nude calendar to support children's charity; Middletown, NJ: Riders saddle up for fund-raiser for local charities; Bowling Green, KY: University students spend the night playing games and socializing to raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital; New Milford, CT: Beatles look- and sound-alikes raise funds for ambulance service; Rochester, NH: Residents hold Halloween party to help Alzheimer’s Association; Kalamazoo, MI: University students spend night in cardboard boxes to raise money and awareness of homeless problem; Toccoa, GA: Pastor lives 25 feet in the air for a week to raise funds for children's charities;  Honolulu, HI: Community band performs concert to help raise money to bring military personnel home from training before they deploy to Iraq; Bettendorf, IA: Library hosts fourth Author and Celebrity Doodle Day; Zanesville, OH: Eastside Community Ministry's raises funds with custom town puzzle; Winona, MN: Pajama party held at bookstore to buy books for low-income families that do not have books in their homes; Miami, FL: Youth center raises funds with engraved bricks; Craig, CO: Pregnancy center turns chili into diapers; Stoney Creek, ON: Cancer center holds Turkey Bingo to help fund services.

Interesting or Fun Facts

Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, is the person responsible for giving the teddy bear his name. On November 14, 1902, Roosevelt was helping settle a border dispute between Mississippi and Louisiana. During his spare time he attended a bear hunt in Mississippi. During the hunt, Roosevelt came upon a wounded young bear and ordered the mercy killing of the animal. The Washington Post ran an editorial cartoon that illustrated the event. The cartoon was called  "Drawing the Line in Mississippi" and depicted both state line dispute and the bear hunt. At first the bear was drawn as a fierce animal because the bear had just killed a hunting dog. Later, the bear was re-drawn to make it a cuddly cub. The cartoon and the story it told became popular and within a year, the cartoon bear became a toy for children called the teddy bear. [Source: Teddy Bear.com]

The All Fundraising Companies Directory has over 1200 fundraising companies. Choose from the traditional, unique and sometimes bizarre alternatives. Review options by product category or by state, province or country if you prefer a company in your locality.