Fundraising - ideas, suggestions, best practices?

JohhnyD · May 10, 2021, 02:19:00 AM

We have raised $5,000 over the last year with another two thousand threatened in the very near future.

Since we are closing in on 80 cadets, our expenses keep rising.

Any ideas, suggestions, etc?

TheSkyHornet · May 10, 2021, 12:47:15 PM

What have been your fundraising methods/mechanisms so far?

JohhnyD · May 10, 2021, 04:04:18 PM

Quote from: TheSkyHornet on May 10, 2021, 12:47:15 PMWhat have been your fundraising methods/mechanisms so far?

Facebook fundraising, direct appeals, corporate matching funds, and a Rotary grant.

Stonewall · May 10, 2021, 08:09:35 PM

If you're not reaching out to your local VFW's (plural) you're letting free money go to waste.

It's not a guarantee, but a simple letter to the post commander asking for a contribution of $500 may get you $250, $500, or even $1000. No sob stories, just ask for a donation of $500 to support your youth program and you'd be surprised.

In the past 2 years we have gotten $500, $1000, and $1,400 from two different posts. Some have more money than others, but trust me, now (today) is a good time.

Oh, and send you a thank you. Offer to help at their post clean up and invite them to present your VFW awards.

It literally takes a 5 min letter, stamp, and another 5 min and stamp to send a thank you. And if you qualify, join the VFW.

GroundHawg · May 11, 2021, 11:34:01 AM

Quote from: Stonewall on May 10, 2021, 08:09:35 PMIf you're not reaching out to your local VFW's (plural) you're letting free money go to waste.

It's not a guarantee, but a simple letter to the post commander asking for a contribution of $500 may get you $250, $500, or even $1000. No sob stories, just ask for a donation of $500 to support your youth program and you'd be surprised.

In the past 2 years we have gotten $500, $1000, and $1,400 from two different posts. Some have more money than others, but trust me, now (today) is a good time.

Oh, and send you a thank you. Offer to help at their post clean up and invite them to present your VFW awards.

It literally takes a 5 min letter, stamp, and another 5 min and stamp to send a thank you. And if you qualify, join the VFW.

And American Legion, and Lions Clubs, and Fraternal Order of Eagles, and Masons lodges, and.....

baronet68 · May 15, 2021, 04:41:07 AM

Find out if any of your members work for employers that have "Dollars For Doers" (or similar) programs where companies make grants/donations to CAP for their employees' volunteer work with CAP. If so, you can bring in a lot of free money that way.

In addition to my national staff position, I work closely with several units in my local area and, during 2020, my volunteer hours with CAP resulted in grants totalling $8,150. I was able to specify which units receive the grants and in what amounts to spread the benefits of my service across the various units I worked with over the year.

GroundHawg · May 17, 2021, 12:45:49 PM

Has anyone had any luck with Amazon Smile? I see that National and Colorado have accounts but that seems to be about it.

baronet68 · May 17, 2021, 05:25:17 PM

Quote from: GroundHawg on May 17, 2021, 12:45:49 PMHas anyone had any luck with Amazon Smile? I see that National and Colorado have accounts but that seems to be about it.

The payout rate for Amazon Smile is 0.5% which means in order to receive $1,000 from Amazon, customers will need to have spent $200,000. That's just not a scale that's meaningful for local units.

I don't know the exact numbers but it's my understanding that NHQ has received somewhere in the neighborhood of $20,000 from Amazon Smile since the program began... meaning people have made about $4 million in Amazon Smile purchases on behalf of CAP.

Eclipse · May 17, 2021, 05:57:39 PM

$ 23,906.05 as of March 2021, and it's only .5% of eligible products. You only know eligibility
at the time of purchase.

I'm not a fan of this program in any way, nor any of the other ridiculous "round up, add a percentage, etc. etc." plans from various retailors.

They are clicktivism at best, and essentially meaningless.

Amazon gets the "good feels" because customers think they "helped", but in reality they didn't.
There is also concern that these programs suppres "real" donations and contributes to "donation fatigue"

Amazon gets the tax deduction as they are making the contribution, not you.

I just looked up my Amazon history. Since Jan 2009 I have placed orders totaling over $36K - that's a total
potential Smile contribution of...$15!!

The average wing, let alone a unit, won't net enough from Smile to pay for the electrons needed to display the
amount received.