Top Seven 2012 Fundraising Ideas

It is a tough economy out there and we are all fighting for the scarce dollar to support our cause. Charities have been pronouncedly affected by the dwindling availability of disposable income and advertising dollars that once flourished.

Social Media: Utilize your network and contacts golf tournament fund raising that you have on social networking sites to promote your event and solicit support. Take advantage of your audience and at least make them aware of what is happening in your world and what you are involved with.

No or Low Cost Methods of Fundraising: One great method of fundraising which typically has no up-front cost to charities is called peer-to-peer Fundraising. Briefly, it involves getting people that support your charity to reach out to their friends and family through the internet to support your cause. This type of program helps people set up their own webpage that they can forward to family, friends, and colleagues to solicit support. In the case of a golf tournament, for example, it gives non-golfers a chance to support an event and a cause. It is simple, professional, and can raise some significant additional funds for your charity with no up-front costs.

Advertising on the Internet: There are many different sites available that allow charities to post their events for little or no cost. You may have to put in a little time to search and find them, but there are plenty.!

Free Resources: Take advantage of resources that are available to you to create new and different ideas to make your event stand out and be appealing to participants and supporters. For example, check out this free newsletter, which provides ideas, success stories, tips and advice all to help you create the most effective event for your cause and to generate the most support dollars.

Utilize your Local Media: Most local papers offer a section that will advertise your charity event for free. But don’t stop there-get in contact with the paper and see if they will write up a feature article about your event and the charity it promotes. The more exposure you get, the more people will be reached, and the more success your event will have.

Take a chance: Particularly if you are a local charity or one that doesn’t have a lot of resources, be bold and ask someone prominent or famous to become involved. The worst they can say is no or ignore you. But they might say yes, and then the credibility and appeal of your event will increase exponentially. For example, in Pinehurst, NC, The FirstTee of the Sandhills asked Vince Gill (a golfer and Country Music Star), if he would help them. Last year, and again this year, he gave a live outdoor concert in Pinehurst to benefit The FirstTee of the Sandhills. He donated his performance. HUGE! But you won’t know until you ask!

Good luck with your event and take advantage of all of the free and low-cost resources available to raise the most funds possible!