Fundraising Online

Rasing money with new ideas

I work in the not-for-profit sector and we all now how important fundraising is to any organization. What I am interested in are some new ways to raise money (or at least new to me!), ways that put the power into the hands of your constituents.

A great example of this is right here at Squidoo! I came across this site while looking for ways to get into online fundraising and am up to 5 or 6 lenses! I love the idea that I can do something I enjoy - something I would do anyways, and then turn it into a vehicle to raise money for organizations that I love!

So I went out and started looking for other ways to do this online -ways to reach out to the internet generation, to the generation that might not be ready for big time donating (heck I am barely making ends meet myself) and give them an opportunity to start incorporating philanthropy into their everyday actions.

The list is still small, anything you come across please, please share to help this lens grow!

The Breakdown

Here is where all the information is

First up - Squidoo. The place that got me started down this path, if you are reading this then you are all ready here and I don't have to put a lot of additional information. The key is getting your organization listed as a charity constituents can donate to.

Next up is Ebay - I know we are all familiar with Ebay, heck you may be an ebay regular, buying and selling with ease. What is great about ebay is they have a "Giving Works" section (link below). This section allows you to shop and sell items to benefit non-profits.

Facebook - now open to the public (used to just be schools), Facebook is a social networking site. They have recently expanded their applications section - the place you can pick all the widgets you want on your home page - and "Causes" is one of them. It allows you to raise money for any organization you want.

SearchGive - this is a search engine (like Google, Yahoo, etc) that allows you to designate any profits made from searches to the organization of your choice.

ChipIn - this tool is not designed just for non-profits, in fact it is advertised as allowing people to raise money for any number of things. But, it is an easy way for your constituents to advertise that they want to raise funds for you.

First Giving - found this through another Squidoo page, looks like a chance for people to build their own fundraising webpages to share with friends and family.

Amazon - has what they call their Associate Program. Not sure of all the details, but it looks like you can add a link to Amazon to your website and when users click through (and buy?) then you earn a percentage.

New Addition!!! - - - Blogathon 2007 is over this year but keep in touch and maybe next year you can participate. The general idea is users blog for 24 hours straight while people sponsor them by donating to their listed charity. Sounds like a great way to get constituents involved by letting them do their own thing.