Archive for the Planned Fundraising Category
May
15
2012
Breast cancer fundraising ideas that work
Breast cancer is one of the biggest scourges faced by womenfolk and what’s worse is that if left untreated, it kills. Any effort to spread awareness about it is welcome. This is because this is a curable condition if detected in time. Here are some breast cancer fundraising ideas that you can employ to raise funds for your charity or organization.
Plan an evening in an auditorium which covers information on the subject via documentaries on breast cancer and a question –answer session with an expert on the subject. The proceedings from an entry charge go towards the relevant charity.
Another idea is to host a breast cancer check-up camp for a very nominal fee. It will no doubt attract attention and get good attendance from women. Ensure that the event happens on a weekend so that you get more people attending it.
Hitch your fundraiser to an existing event. This way you won’t have to look for space or hunt too hard for footfalls. Set up a booth in a fair and sell what you think will sell – cakes, pastries, savories, knick-knacks, lemonade, anything… let it be known that it’s all for a good cause and that the...
Fundraising is probably one of the oldest human endeavors. All sustained activities require money; whether it is raising an army or running a charity that feeds the poor. Philanthropy is ingrained in the human psyche and one of the measures of a nation's moral health is its sensitivity to the underprivileged. America scores high on this front. There are many organizations all through the U.S that exist because of funds raised through fundraisers. These organizations are involved in activities such as educating the poor, old age homes, animal clinics, assisting in rehabilitating victims of natural disasters, running vocational training courses, etc.
There are different ways to raise funds. The broadest distinctions can be made in terms of individual fundraising and approaching institutions. An institutional fundraiser can net you big amounts that can be used for capital expenses. The other categorization can be done on the basis of fundraisers executed by professionals and those managed by volunteers. A fundraiser carried out by enthusiastic volunteers has its own charm; not to mention that it helps brings down costs. Timing the fundraiser is crucial to getting a healthy response. For example, a weekend fundraiser that involves dance, sports, and music for all during...
Jul
1
2009
Fundraising in Latin America
Fundraising is ubiquitous; it is present everywhere. The good thing is that technology has made it easy for fundraisers in one place to get in touch with donors that are geographically distant. At the same time one can learn from techniques and trends prevalent elsewhere. So here is information on how fundraising is happening in Latin America.
Latin America today seems to be experiencing the benefits of reaching out to more people and prospective donors through technology. At the same time fundraisers are keenly aware of the importance of staying in touch with donors. With any charity trust, there is a resource crunch and time is a big resource. Therefore there has to be a balance between increasing your donor base and retaining existing donors.
Because a large percentage of donors in Latin America are individual donors that make small donations, charities are very aware of the advantage that technology hands them in reaching out to a large number of people. A donor structure in Latin America is shaped more like a diamond resting on a tip and not like a pyramid, which means that any slight change in donor profiles can send the diamond tipping over. This means...
May
5
2009
Planned Giving 101 – part three
A charitable lead trust (CLT) works opposite to how a charitable remainder trust works. In this, the trust first makes payments to a charity from the donations received. The payments are made for a specified period of time after which the property is distributed to a beneficiary. This type of donation is useful when an individual wishes to transfer property to his family and at the same time pay as little gift or estate tax as possible.
The procedure ensures that when the donor gives property to a lead trust, after some time the property passes on to his family without any additional tax. If you are running a charitable organization then try to get in touch with donors that have an estate valued at $3 million or more; this is the ideal value for a donor looking to make use of a lead trust. A charitable lead trust is taxable; a charitable remainder trust is not. A CLT is expected to report its income every year, obtain a deduction on the amount that goes to charity and then pay tax on the remaining amount.
A charitable lead trust can last for quite a long time; for the lifetime of...
May
1
2009
Planned Giving 101 – part one
Planned giving is often an important aspect of fund generation for most organizations. It can help non-profits tide over bad times. Planned giving basically involves a donor bequeathing his fortune to an organization or investing it in such a way that non-profits benefit from the profits over a long period of time. Planned giving is also known as deferred giving. There are several financial instruments ranging from moderate to complex in nature that can be used for planned giving. As compared to annual giving, planned giving enables a donor to contribute in many more flexible ways; however it is not a very well-known way of acquiring funds, greater awareness is required.
A bequest is a common planned gift under which you make a gift to charity upon your death. Bequests are easy to implement and a useful instrument for those who feel the need to donate to charity but are unable to do so because of financial responsibilities, cost of living, cost of medicines, etc. The charity benefits from the gift and the estate benefits from estate tax deduction. The donor can use the property as he wishes to when alive; any one can bequeath property, there are no special...
