Smencils 10-pk.

"Working too hard Trying to finish that pesky problem set Here to help is a set of 10 fabulous gourmet scented pencils, or Smencils for short. Made from recycled newspaper and scented to please any palette. Comes in a set of 10 pencils of the following flavors: Bubble Gum, Cherry, Pineapple, Grape, Rootbeer, Fruit Punch, Orange, Cinnamon, Watermelon, and Peppermint. Each pencil is individually wrapped in its own Freshness Tube. Now in a convenient pack of 10. Please note: does not come with bucket."

In today's tough economic climate, many people are becoming choosier about what they do with their money. Those that bestow their money upon grant-seekers are no different and have become more involved with what is being done with the money that is donated. Here are some tips on how to approach a charitable foundation in hopes of receiving a grant:

Do your research on the company before you approach them: It is important to have a clean understanding of the foundation you are approaching and what their goals are in terms of charitable donations. For example, if you are approaching a literacy foundation and you know they focus on adult literacy and you are approaching them from the K-12 perspective, you may not be in their target donation group and your proposal may not be accepted. Instead, look to prospective groups that have goals in line with whatever you are trying to do with whatever grant money you receive. In addition, if you approach a company and clearly do not have an understanding of what they do, they are less likely to be impressed with your proposal and more likely to deny funding as a result of your lack of preparation.

Have a clear plan of action to reach your goal: A well-researched, well-written grant request or proposal should be submitted any time you approach a foundation for funding. You cannot simply send an email or letter to someone asking for money without first detailing your cause and your plans on what you will do with the money. Before you draft such a request, you should have a clear vision your goals and a layout on what you need to do to achieve them. If you do not have a goal, a foundation is less likely to invest in what you are doing, because without a specific goal in mind, they have no concept of what you plan to do with the funding they bestow upon your organization.

Submit a written proposal: The written proposal is usually what makes or breaks a grant request. It should be a well-written request, full of as much detailed information as possible. You should outline your organization's goals, give information your programs, include statistics on your target population and offer solutions to whatever void your organization seeks to fill. Many people hire a professional grant writer because the process of submitting a request is so extensive and the actual proposal is usually what makes or breaks your request.

To find a foundation that interests you, go online to search for charitable donations. By gaining insight into their past contributions, you have an idea of where your proposal may stand.

You can get more information on Charitable Donations and Foundation Funding by visiting our website at Noza Search. This will gain you an access into a database of more than one million different foundations and gives a close look at their past history of gifts as well as tax information that can assist you in your decision on approaching the organization.

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If you work in a school that relies on significant financial contributions to meet your yearly budgetary goals, it is possible that at some point there will be or has been a breakdown in confidence within the organization. As a result, donations have dropped, enrollment has likely declined, and school spirit is in serious jeopardy.In essence, the overall health of the organization is very poor and the prognosis isn't very good.

At these times, if the board of directors wishes to save the school, drastic measures must be taken to both "stop the bleeding" and set a new course to the future.

Below, I have suggested ten ways for schools to regain the trust and confidence once shown to it by parents, alumni, and donors.

1. New Leadership

The quality of leadership is vital to the overall success of any organization, especially a school. If your school is in dire straits, I would look at the person in charge of the day to day operations, whether he or she is called the principal, administrator, or superintendent. What has this leader done to either help or harm the community? What has he or she done to foster alumni development and what is the current status of donor relations? Has enrollment increased or decreased? All these factors are important when judging the leader. These questions can be summed up, however, when gaging the predominant "mood" of the school. If the teachers and students aren't energized and happy to be in the school everyday, I would submit that the leader is not doing a good job.

If this is the case, either something has to be done for the leader to improve dramatically in short order or a change must be made. Without the absolute commitment of the administrator, the school will continue its downward decent.

2. Apologize Without Excuses

Once new leadership (or at least a new leadership attitude) is in place, the repair work must begin. The incoming leader must quickly acclimate him or herself and find out who has been or who feels wronged by the organization. Then, the leader must reach out and do whatever it takes to bring these people back into the fold.

The leader must make this apology, even though he or she had nothing to do with the perceived injustice. The best way to do this is with a sympathetic ear and understanding words. Phrases like, "I can totally understand that would make you feel hurt," or "It makes sense that you felt we weren't being good stewards of the money" are honest and sincere expressions that will resonate with the people, without damaging the personal standing of the new leader.

Make sure not to get bogged down in excuses or details from the past. Accept that the person feels wronged and your job is to make him feel better. That's it.

Once you've got a few people back on board, word will spread, and your job of mending fences will become a little easier with momentum.

3. Make Easy Physical Changes within the Organization

I feel that easy physical changes should always precede difficult policy shifts. If your school is going to go through serious transformations in staff, procedures, and expectations, that will be difficult for some people to accept.

I have always found that if I undertake some simple physical projects, like painting, landscaping, re-arranging furniture, changing the purpose of a supply closet or classroom, or anything else that does not affect people's sense of security, but actually improves the physical appearance of the school, you will start to win them over before the tough stuff comes.

4. Honor History in New Ways

If the leader is new to the school, he or she can earn much respect and loyalty by finding a way to honor the school's past, but doing it in a way that has never been done before. This way, the leader will be both showing a respect for what came before, but also demonstrating that he or she has an eye on the future.

One example might be to create an annual award based on service to the school. This award could be named after a school founder or an important donor. This covers the "past" part, while the actual honor of the award, along with a new plaque that hangs in a prominent location is the "new" part. I did something very similar to this in the school I worked at and got great results.

5. Listen to Alumni and Donors

Another important task for new leadership in the school is to listen to alumni and donors. The leader should seek these people out and ask them a lot of open-ended questions. Let the alumni and the donors give you their unedited opinions about the school at large. Listen to them as long as they want to speak. Pay close attention and take good notes. Let them know that while you may not be able to make all the changes at once, you really appreciate their insight and will do your best to enact sensible change. This act of just opening yourself up will go a long way toward building trust and loyalty.

6. Study Successful Programs and Emulate Them

While every school has its own special circumstances, there are plenty of commonalities between educational institutions where you can find a success story to model. Do some research and talk to other leaders of similar schools. Share your story with them and find out what they did to pull themselves out of the tailspin they were in. While you may not use every suggestion, I would wager you will still find many pieces of useful advice in their experience.

7. Set Realistic Short Term Goals

Donors want to see verifiable proof of success. This is another reason why making physical changes is beneficial. Even though painting a few walls or cleaning something up won't make long-lasting improvements in enrollment or fund raising, they will show donors that "stuff is getting done." And that is good.

The leader must find a handful of areas that he or she can point to for easy success. Perhaps one goal is to improve communications. A regular newsletter, frequent email blasts, an improved website, and frequently updated bulletin boards are all ways to show that the leader is making quality communications more of a priority than it was in the past. Donors like this.

If the leader chooses to set and focus only on more long-term goals, like raising enrollment 10% for example, he will miss all of the building blocs in front of him. After the slow decline into the depths, donors and alumni, as well as parents of currently enrolled students are going to want to see more immediate signs of life. It's the reverse of the clich, "Can't see the forest for the trees". Just remember that without individual trees, there is no forest.

8. Repair a Key Relationship(s) in the Community at Large

When I worked for the Christian school, I encountered a situation in which the relationship between the school and the local church community was dormant or in some cases, non-existent. I was shocked that there wasn't an active and dynamic support system between these seemingly cooperative groups.

One of the first things I did was to schedule private meetings with many of the key pastors involved to introduce myself and to invite them to become involved in our mission. Not everyone accepted my invitation, but some did, and we developed some very good friends from this effort.

I would guess that there are many rather obvious "missing links" in schools and non-profits out there. A new leader has the chance to, without any history, right some wrongs. If you find a person or a group that your school should be friendly with, but you aren't, I urge you to make this happen.

If you are successful in making this important connection, it will be another example to your board and donors that you are out there, changing the culture that existed before.

9. Be Appreciative

Sadly, one of the most common mistake non-profits in general and schools in particular, make is not to be appreciative of the gifts they receive. A gesture as simple as a thank you note is often forgotten.

This omission is often the reason why many donors break off their relationship with a school. I actually heard one donor once say he felt like a horse, ridden hard and then put away.

Even if a gift is many years old, if you are new to the school's leadership, you have the opportunity to say thank you again. With the "thank you" should also come the admission that you know this was (very) late in coming and you should give them your word that such omissions will not occur again. (And make sure they don't!)

Conclusion

Taking over a school in trouble is a very difficult task. The issues that put the school in jeopardy can be very serious and almost impossible to reverse. However, there are several ways that can help set your school back on a path to success.

About the Author: James Berigan is a former school principal who enjoys guiding schools with their fund raising efforts. He writes for the Top School Fund raisers blog at http://TopSchoolFundraisers.com/news which includes a variety of fund raising options like fundraising events and school carnivals

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The development plan is a report that both organizes and keeps on track the nonprofit organization's journey on a month to month basis.

The plan determines if we have funds for all projects and programs as well as general operating expenses. The grants are listed by priority and chronological need making it a schedule as well as a budget tool.

The parts of the development plan are listed:
Funding Source - Who we plan to request funds from monthly based on our research.
Project or program - Which area in the organization that the potential funding applies. This column usually ties the potential funding to the itemized budget.
Grant Dates - These are deadlines for submitting proposals.
Requested amount - Here is the amount and type of grant we are requesting.

The development plan also includes all fundraising efforts so that they are distributed according to the budget which is generally approved by the organizations Board of Directors. The plan is a full listing of all potential contributors, both individuals and grants. Also any fundraising events or sales of products or services would also be listed.

The development plan is usually not generated or given much merit by the accountants because it is projected and therefore not cast in stone but more like blue sky type information. Because development plans are not given much merit small nonprofits fail at their fundraising efforts due in part to no planning. Were there is no structure there is chaos!

The information is generally relied on by managers and staff of the organization to help with integration and planning based on the success of the funding efforts. By studying the plan we can determine if we forgot to fund certain areas in the budgeting process. We can therefore do more research to fill the gaps in our budget leading to a smooth operation throughout the year.

The development plan is a tool that generally is developed, adjusted and relied on to help guide the whole organization through the maze of nonprofit management. The plan helps to review the funding percentage and how we might improve it or at the least were we need improvement in our fundraising activities. Lots of fundraising programs are evaluated and dealt with efficiently throughout the year based in part on this plan.

Each month a developmental report is prepared which gives the actual list of all contributors and source of funds based on the development plan. This allows everyone from the board of directors down to the staff to assess their fundraising activities and gives everyone some always much needed enthusiasm.

All nonprofit organizations will benefit from a dynamic development plan that encourages, corrects and adds enthusiasm to their fundraising activities. The plan will in fact be a tool that allows funders, board members, staff and volunteers alike to see their fundraising effort is improving each year so they can make appropriate funding decisions.

If this tool is used appropriately the organization will be professional as well as successful in there fundraising efforts.

Kirby Rooks

For more information on grant writing, volunteering and nonprofit organizations visit Grant Funding Online Blog at http://www.grantfundingonline.com/blog

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So, do you?

Volunteering for non-profit events is one thing I really love to do. One reason is because I'm not yet in a position of extreme wealth in order to give a ton of cash donations which many organizations of course need. So, instead I volunteer my time because while that is still very precious to me, it's what I have to give and I fully believe in giving to others.

Because if you give - you will receive! So, I encourage my clients and friends to find places and organizations they can volunteer.

There are many reasons to volunteer:
- Just simply to serve and help others
- To get new business by volunteering in places where your target market will be
- To make a difference - In the name or memory of a loved one
- To raise money for the organization
- To be on a board of an organization - either to simply serve or to increase your credibility and expertise in the marketplace

Many of these reasons could actually help increase your business so if at the very least you volunteer because of that, then I say do it. I normally volunteer for local chambers of commerce events for this reason. Chambers help small businesses in their community get noticed, get help and be heard. I am a small business and I target small businesses for my clients so this is a WIN-WIN for me. Chambers do good things in the community for businesses and residents with the money they raise so I like to be a part of that. Plus I get a lot of perks from volunteering for the chambers - such as free tickets to events, exposure and recognition at events, opportunities to be in front of members and more. Over the years, I've truly made some really close friends from the chamber and some of my best clients are chamber members too.

In addition to volunteering for the chambers (3 right now), I also highly promote a local Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In 2005 I ran for Woman of the Year. I didn't win but I raised over $10,000!

When I ran, I collected prizes and donations totalling over $6,000 in value - spread amongst 6 large gift baskets for the silent and live auctions - I love doing this kind of stuff!

I got so much free publicity from this campaign it was amazing - ads in the paper, articles in many papers, ads in the local Biz Journal, a billboard with my photo on it, magazine ads....you can't buy that kind of exposure. All I did was spent some time raising money, holding fundraisers and sending out email blasts and mailings.

So, if you're not currently volunteering, I'd encourage you to do something.

1. First decide if you have time to volunteer just to give back or if you need to volunteer in places that might be good for your business too - there is no shame in that.

2. Then do an internet search or ask your friends (or chambers) if they know any organizations that fit the types of need, target market for members, cause that you want to align yourself with.

3. Visit the organization's meetings if you can to find out if it's a good fit for you and what they need or require in terms of volunteers.

4. Then decide if that need will fit the goals you made in order to contribute your time to volunteer.

5. Try not to say YES to any group or organization just because they ask, make sure they fit your volunteering goals for right now. I know it's hard to say NO but you need to in order to spend time doing what will fit for you.

(c) Copyright 2008 K.Sawa Marketing. Katrina Sawa is an Award-Winning Relationship Marketing Coach who's helped hundreds of small business owners take dramatic steps in their businesses to get them to the next level in business, revenues and life. She offers one-on-one coaching, group coaching and do-it-yourself marketing planning products. Go online now to get started with her Free Report and Free Audio at http://www.jumpstartyourmarketing.com.

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Many times nonprofit organizations such as churches and schools are housed in historic buildings that have slate roofs. While many slate roofs can last for over a hundred years, there will come a time when the roof shingles will need to be replaced or removed. Since slate is the most expensive roofing material, the cost for a new slate roof, depending on the size, can come to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Even if the replacement roof will not be made of slate the cost will still be substantial.

Of course, raising the money for a new roof can be a daunting task for a nonprofit organization. Frequently organizations need to fundraise for several years to raise enough money for a new roof or other construction project. The option of obtaining a grant from national, state, or local governments should be looked into. Sometimes one donor has the means to donate the entire amount or can set up a matching funds program.

Since slate roof shingles are so valuable they should never been hauled off to a landfill and thrown away. The old shingles can be recycled and used to help raise money for your organization.

Some of the ways to raise money with your old slate roof shingles are:

Ask the company that will be installing the new roof to buy the old slates. Often the company will do this and use the slates for another project.

Sell the used slates to slate roof recyclers or construction salvage businesses.

Sell the slates to other organizations or individuals who are in need of them for their roofing installations.

Keep some of the old slates to use in your fundraising activities.

Slate roof shingles usually have two holes drilled in them that make them great for turning into plaques. You simply attach a chain and you have a plaque or wall hanging. You can sell the slates blank, as is, or you can decorate them. If there are artistically talented people in your organization you can decorate the slate plaques in any number of ways. Or, you can have an artist in your community decorate them for you. Slates can be decorated as keepsakes for members of your organization, for example, by applying a picture of your building. Slate shingles can also be turned in clocks and other decorative items.

The pricing of your shingles will depend upon your fundraiser. If you are using them as a memento you could ask for a minimum donation in the amount of, for example, $50 or more, and give them as a gift in return for the donation.

Even if you are getting rid of your slate shingles you should try and keep some of them for fundraising. Your board of directors or fundraising team can probably do a bit of brainstorming and come up with some creative and lucrative ideas on how to use them.

Article by Amy Passmore for DIYFundraising.com Visit http://www.diyfundraising.com for do-it-yourself fundraising ideas for nonprofit organizations, clubs, schools and groups. Subscribe to our free RSS feeds from the DIY Fundraising Blog

The article may be reprinted only if the author, Amy Passmore, is credited and the links to DIYFundraising.com are live.

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One of the best ways to generate a lot of money for your upcoming fundraiser is to generate buzz and excitement - a great way to do that is with a competition. Get the members of your group, school, church, team and community involved by creating a competition they can sink their teeth into.

A chili cook-off or cake bake-off fundraiser is a fun way to get the competitive juices flowing. First, set a date and some guidelines for your chili cook-off or bake-off. You can set any rules you want and you want to give enough time for your group members to share the news of the cook-off or bake-off with as many people as possible. But you don't want to let people know too far in advance that they forget about it. About 2-4 weeks notice is a good amount of time to publicize your fundraiser.

Then, as a group, create posters, flyers, anything your members can think of to generate buzz and competitive spirit. It would be great to go to a local newspaper to do a story about the upcoming competition. You will want to sell tickets to the cook-off or bake-off at a minimal fee. You can also ask local businesses to sponsor different competitors of the competition - the businesses could pay an entrance fee for the cook-off or bake-off competitor to generate funds. Have each cook or bake-off contender make enough chili to feed 12-16 hungry people. Take the lead and get a few volunteers to be the first to sign up to compete.

Another option is to solicit local businesses for donations for a raffle or silent auction to be held at the cook-off or bake-off fundraising event. You can offer to place the business name or logo on your flyers and posters in exchange for their donation. Remind them that there will be well-fed and competitive excited people at your event so it's a great opportunity for the business to help you and get exposure.

It is important to have your event well organized. Have competitors signed up and signed in and direct them as to how things will work, who the judges will be and how many portions of food they will make. Also, make sure to organize the food service so that all in attendance are able to try the food and enjoy themselves.

Don't forget a prize! It's great to have a local business donate a prize for the winner of your chili cook-off or cake bake-off. The real winner can be your group who could make a lot of money doing this fun competition based fundraiser.

Jenny Ann is an expert fundraiser and writes exclusively for ABC Fundraising. For other great fundraising ideas and to receive a Free sample go to http://www.AbcFundraising.com - Don't forget to check out the World's first re-usable fundraiser "Spinners" at http://www.SpinnersFundraising.com

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My wife Gina served a 2-year sentence as President of our son's elementary school PTA (and some of you know exactly what I mean.)

During that time, I became aware of the "90/10 Rule," which states that - in any organization or committee - 10% of the people do 90% of all the work.

Event-planning committees almost always see a similar ratio of actual workers to members. And, over the years, I've also identified a few specific personality types you are likely to encounter.

First is Bertha Bulldozer. To Bertha, there are two kinds of ideas: her brilliant ones, and everyone else's stupid ones.

Marvin Motormouth has strong opinions on every subject - lots and lots of opinions.

Agreeable Agnes validates everything you say, as well as everything everyone else says.

Silent Sam adds nothing at all to the proceedings. He is so inconspicuous that you may forget he is even there (and he would be okay with that.)

Finally, Useless Sue is the committee member who promises the world, then delivers nothing (but always has really creative excuses why she failed to come through for you.) Complicating matters further, some of the personality types listed above combine into cliques - voting blocs that pursue a personal agenda, rather than what is simplest, least expensive, or best for the group.

When I recognize these personality types, how do I - as a committee member - deal with them? This way: as soon as a task that I'm personally qualified for is mentioned, I immediately volunteer to be in charge of it. By doing so, (1.) actual progress is being made toward our goal, and (2.) I can often avoid much of the time-wasting and pointless blather that follows. As soon as I complete Task 1, I then assist whoever is working on another facet of the event that is compatible with my skills. When Task 2 is done, I - and hopefully, we - move on to a third job.

The fact is - no matter how large the committee - all real work is done by the 10% (which will, no doubt, include you.) It may seem like a thankless job. At times, you'll want to quit. But I hope you will take heart in simply knowing that many of those who attend your event, and ALL of the professional vendors who work with you, will know who really made it come together.

And you can tell Bertha I said so.

For more information about this and other articles related to Corporate Events or Fundraising, visit http://www.davetannermusic.com

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Smencils Gourmet Scented Pencils - Set of 10

These deliciously scented pencils are made from rolled sheets of newspaper instead of wood--you can even see the layers of newspaper when you sharpen them! Recycled newspaper is tightly rolled around #2 graphite then hardened so they feel like wood pencils, but are better for the environment

Need money and support? The best and most practical way to get it is to fund raise. Fundraisers are profitable, fun, and well worth the trouble of organizing. You may be raising financial support for relief during a calamity or a tragedy, or the funds may be intended to support a particular organization. Nonetheless, a fundraising event works just like any other fundraising activity since it aims to collect money during donations, although usually in exchange for a particular service or product.

Fundraising vs. Donation Solicitation

Fundraiser events are organized by various groups and kinds of people and organizations-from multimillion companies to small non-profit organizations, from ordinary individuals to people of power and influence. The idea here is that the revenue gained from the fundraising event will not be used for personal gain. So why are fundraiser events more preferred than donation solicitation? Many view donation solicitation as too aggressive. Also, contrary to what many may think, donation solicitation will take too much time and effort. A fundraising event is a one-time event. Soliciting donations, on the other hand, is a continuous process. Besides, how many donations will an organization need to receive in order to collect sufficient funds?

Fundraising - A Mutual Benefit

The advantage of fundraising events is the exchange for the monetary support donors will give. The donors do not simply give their money to the fundraising event - they give it because they are expecting something in return. And what they will get depends on what type of fundraiser event an organization or individual plans to hold.

For example, a popular fundraising event idea is the car wash fundraiser. People will give money to the fundraisers and in turn, the fundraisers will wash the car of the donors. Other popular fundraising events include benefit dinners, benefit concerts, bake sales, auctions, and benefit sporting competitions. In all of these endeavors, the fundraisers provide something for the money they will receive. A popular form of fundraising done today is the televised fundraiser, where celebrities encourage viewers to phone in their donation pledges. Those who phoned in will then deposit their pledges in designated bank accounts.

Making Profit

Of course, the services or products given at fundraising events are more expensive if compared to their normal prices. This is expected and acceptable - after all, fundraiser events are held with the purpose to gain revenue in mind. Generally, fundraising events are not the best place to look for a bargain, although there are some exceptions, such as when the fundraising event is an auction or a bargain sale.

Imagination - the Key to Fundraising Success

Forming the fundraising activity into an event not only dramatically increases the revenue. It can also spread awareness and interest, which are both important if the fundraising event is done for a sports team or for a particular advocacy. Hence, many do not consider pre-order fundraising as a fundraising event, since it is merely an activity which is done to collect funds and not an actual event. Holding a fundraising event is definitely more exciting and more dynamic, and can obviously attract more supporters and donors. Door-to-door fundraisers may be effective, but it is bland and lifeless. Fundraising events inject life to charity.

So use your imagination! Be creative and different. Stand out from the crowd and turn heads with your fundraising event. And as long as you remember to stay organized and to have fun, success should be at your fingertips.

Jessi McCafferty writes about fundraising and recommends the friendly folks over at http://www.easy-fundraising-ideas.com/ as a great resource for accurate information and profitable fundraising product ideas.

Easy Fundraising Ideas is the fastest growing internet based fundraising company in the country. With their legendary service and help, they make you the hero!

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Educational Insights Smencils Scented Pencils Bucket of 50

Draw" student attention with these gourmet-scented, environmentally friendly pencils. An alternative to wooden pencils, Smencils are made from 100% recycled newspapers -- you can even see the layers of newspaper when you sharpen them! They feature 10 scent-sational fragrances and are guaranteed to keep their wonderful aromas for up to two years. Includes 50 Smencils, individually packed in their own freshness tubes. Each measures approximately 7" long.

Cookie dough fundraisers are one of the most successful and beloved fundraisers your group can do. Whether you have a large group like a church, school, or sports association or a smaller group like a cheerleading squad, fraternity or music club - a cookie dough fundraiser is a great and easy way to make a lot of money for your group. There are easy ways to make your fundraiser even more profitable.

First, sell Auntie Anne's pretzels at the same time as cookie dough!

When your group or team members go door-to-door and speak with their friends and family, it is very easy to ask them if they want delicious pretzels in addition to (or instead of) cookie dough. Pretzels are a favorite treat for many people and like cookie dough are especially welcome at holiday time when families and friends get together. It's easy - all your group members need to do is take Auntie Anne's pretzel order forms with them and present them with their cookie dough order forms. You will be surprised how many people won't be able to resist adding on a pretzel order too.

Second, set high goals for your group and have a set end date for your fundraiser.

Make sure everyone in your group knows when the fundraiser ends and when they must return the cookie dough order forms. By creating a sense of urgency and having high expectations, your group members will know what they are trying to accomplish during the duration of the fundraiser. It is helpful to offer incentives or prizes for those who reach the goals set for them. You can also set a group goal and if met, can have a pizza party or even a cookie dough party to celebrate your group's achievements.

Third, motivate and get participation from each member of your group.

It seems that it goes without saying but don't underestimate the importance of having each and every member of your group commit to selling a certain amount of cookie dough. The fundraiser is only as successful as your group makes it!

By selling pretzels, setting goals and end dates and motivating your group members, make your cookie dough fundraiser your most profitable ever!

Jenny Ann is an expert fundraiser and writes exclusively for ABC Fundraising.

For other great fundraising ideas and to receive a Free sample go to http://www.AbcFundraising.com

Don't forget to check out the World's first re-usable fundraiser "Spinners" at http://www.SpinnersFundraising.com

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Spotlight on Secondary School Fundraising

Most parents find themselves getting involved in raising money when their children are in primary school. However, secondary schools frequently complain that it is harder to involve parents: more are working full-time and pupils are reluctant to see their parents invading their school space! This column looks at how secondary schools manage to raise money from outside their school budget. It offers readers some valuable fundraising tips and gives advice on approaching companies on behalf of your school.

How much money do secondary schools raise?

Research by the Baring Foundation suggests maintained English secondary schools raise 143 million a year (or an average of 4,000 a school, or 47 per pupil) from sources outside their main school budget. In addition we also know that:

49% of secondary schools are raising more than 10,000 a year;
Secondary schools raise money from a much wider spread of funds than primary schools.

Where do secondary schools raise money from?

Companies are the main non-LEA source of support for secondary schools. And, some of the highest fundraising secondary schools are community schools with high levels of parental support. These high fundraising schools tend to use diverse fundraising methods such as:

Fundraising from the general public, parents, events etc
Company donations
Commercial Sponsorship
Parental Convenant schemes
Applications for grants/lottery funds
Income generation (trading goods or services, etc)

What do secondary schools raise money for?

Computers, music and sports equipment top the secondary school list, followed by school grounds, Specialist status, transport and voluntary support of school trips.

A case study

School Business Manager, The Ridgeway Community School
Completed the Cert in School Fundraising, September 2007

Previous experience of raising funds

Beryl describes herself as very much a beginner before the course. She had fundraised before in a piecemeal way.

Success since completion of course Grants totaling over 77,000 in the last 6 months including:
- 18,000 Children in Need grant over 3 years to provide salaries for WISH project staff
- 15,000 Foyle Foundation grant for equipment for a new communications room
- 17,000 Variety Club of Great Britain towards a new minibus
- 6,000 grant from a local Surrey charity for a people carrier

Future Plans

Now researching grants for a new sensory garden.

'The course is brilliant. I now know where to look for grants and how to take a more strategic approach. Our success over the last 6 months has been as a result of this course.' B. Jenkins

Conclusion

A small investment in training can bring huge rewards to your school. The advantages of studying online can be very attractive to schools whose staff and budgets are under pressure: there are no supply costs, no travel costs or travel time, you have immediate access to materials and complete flexibility around choosing when to study. And the course leads to a ready made bid, funding strategy and trust appeal.

Fundraising made easy

http://www.fundraisingskills.co.uk

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Colored Smencils Gourmet Scented Pencils 10 Pack

Set of 10 scented colored #2 pencils, one of each scent: Bubble Gum, Cinnamon, Chocolate, Cotton Candy, Grape, Orange, Root Beer, Tropical Blast, Very Berry, and Watermelon.Note: Not suitable for children 3 or under

A proven way to reactivate lapsed donors is to ask them why they have stopped giving.

You can do this with a survey that you enclose in your mailing. Or you can leave space on the reply device for a few questions. According to Stephen Hitchcock, in his book, Open Immediately! Straight Talk on Direct Mail Fundraising, asking lapsed donors why they are no longer giving will generate some useful answers, and a sizeable percentage of the donors will mail back a gift.

You can use this new information to prevent other donors from lapsing. Review again the reasons that donors stop giving, found earlier in this handbook, to think up the kinds of questions you can ask in your survey to elicit each donors reason for dropping support.

If you prefer, make the survey entirely qualitative, and ask questions that require original answers and not a simple checking off of a box on the survey form.

Whichever method of survey you employ, use the survey questions to discover the otherwise unknownwhy your donors lapsed. Maybe the fault lies with you. Maybe it lies with the donor. Maybe the economy is at fault. You will never know unless you ask.

One advantage of a survey, if worded well, is that the questions themselves inspire the donor again to support your cause. Lets say, for example, that your organization lobbies the federal government to ban handguns. Your donors, even the ones who lapse, are people concerned about handgun violence to some degree. In your survey, you could include questions like these:

1. True of False? An average of five children are killed each day in gun-related accidents and suicides.



2. True of False? 40% of American households with children have guns.



3. True of False? A gun in the home is 22 times more likely to be used in an unintentional shooting, than to be used to injure or kill in self-defense.

As you can imagine, these survey questions are likely to provoke the same anger among decent, concerned lapsed donors that moved them to mail you their first and successive gifts. Survey questions like this prompt lapsed donors to contemplate your work again, thing again about who you help, and ponder
the need you meet, and the role that the lapsed donor has in making the world a better place by giving again.

2006 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About the Author" message).

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About the author
Alan Sharpe is a professional fundraising letter writer, instructor and mentor who helps non-profit organizations raise funds, build relationships and retain loyal donors using creative fundraising letters. Learn more about his services, view free sample fundraising letters, and sign up for free weekly tips like this at http://www.RaiserSharpe.com.

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50 Colored Smencils Gourmet Scented Pencils (Bucket)

Colored Smencils Scented Pencils Bucket of 50. Includes: 5 Bubble Gum, 5 Cinnamon, 5 Tropical Blast, 5 Grape, 5 Cotton Candy, 5 Chocolate, 5 Very Berry, 5 Orange, 5 Watermelon, and 5 Rootbeer. Note: Not suitable for children 3 or under.

Coming up with novel fundraising ideas is vital for so many charity organisations. Doing something a little bit different is an important way of keeping your fundraising fresh. Developing interesting and unique fundraising ideas brings publicity to your chosen charity and helps to keep your team of volunteers and supporters happy and motivated.

But novel fundraising ideas have to be right for your charity or non profit organisation. You need to find something with mass appeal and money making potential.

How about this one? Because fundraising event ideas don't come more fun and colourful than holding a Rainbow Festival.

The beauty of a rainbow festival is that it:

• Is easily understood and has mass appeal.
• Will stand out from the crowd of competing Summer Fetes and other fundraisers.
• Is simple to organise and set up.
• Allows you to try out some new and novel fundraising ideas.
• But still has room for all your favourite tried and tested fete ideas.

Advertising your Rainbow Festival There is no point in coming up with unique fundraising event ideas if you don't make the most of them.

The great thing about a Rainbow Festival is that all the posters, flyers and advertisments can be wonderfully colourful. Don't miss this opportunity to make your fundraising event and your organisation really stand out. A kid's poster competition is a great way to get the ball rolling and begin the promotion of your event. Radio stations and the local press too love novel fundraising ideas. They are always after something that makes a change from the usual round of worthy but "same every-time" events. So make sure that you give them all the details they need and encourage them to do a special feature.

A Rainbow Walkabout the week before in your town centre with brightly dressed people handing out flyers etc is also a great way to advertise your forthcoming event.

Well What are you going to have at your festival? Your festival can easily incorporate lots of your usual fete ideas. Simply decorate your stall in rainbow colours and come up with Rainbow names such as Pinky's refreshments, Mr Blue's Splat The Rat, Purple Pete's Welly Wanging etc

The Rainbow Arch This is one of the major ways you will fundraise at your festival. It also make a great backdrop for a stage for any entertainment or announcements such as the Raffle Draw. competitions etc.

Cut sheets of hardboard (or cardboard at smaller events) to form a nice big arch. Attach it to scaffolding or a wooden framework. You could also attach it to a suitable wall if you had one in the right place just "begging to be used"!

Visitors to your festival will now be offered the opportunity to buy (or make a donation for) a square of coloured card. On this they write a message of support and attach it to the arch. In this way the rainbow slowly begins. hopefully to be completed by the end of your event. You might like to put a few "fake" cards in appropriate positions to start the Rainbow off and make sure everyone gets the idea.

Don't forget the kids. You could also do a smaller arch for children. Kids will love to draw a little picture, write their name and then importantly pin their card on to the arch!

The Rainbow Arch Idea also works particularly well for Hospices and Hospitals where people can use the cards as little messages of remembrance for loved ones etc.

Children's Rainbow Hat Competition This one need to be advertised well in advance. A good idea is to let the local schools, libraries etc know. In this way it also serves as a bit of pre-event advertising. Simply ask kids to either make a hat on a rainbow theme. This may be done by decorating an existing hat or starting from scratch. Judges will award marks for design, ingenuity, and use of colour etc. A rainbow hat parade in front of your arch prior to judging is always going to be popular with camera wielding parents.

Rainbow Cake Competition Get the friendly rivalry going amongst the home bakers with a Rainbow Cake Competition. A Prize for the Best - Raffle the Rest.

A novel fundraising idea for helping judge this is getting people to buy a voting slip on which they write their name and phone number. They place it in a box in front of their favourite cake. The votes are counted toward the end of the day. A winner announced and a draw takes place for each cake from its voting slips. Not only have people voted for their Number One but they also stand a chance of taking it home!

Make a Rainbow Worm Kids love these little craft ideas at fundraising events. Put the craft area near the refreshment tent and Mum and Dad are happy too! A rainbow worm starts life as an old sock. Stuff it with newspaper or scrap material and tie the end. Then simply wrap strips of bright coloured material around it and tie them off. You may like to add an elastic string to the middle of the worm (so that you can bounce them along the ground). A pair of googly eyes either purchased from a craft shop or made from material and stuck on complete your worm. "Donations in the Rainbow Worm Fundraising Tin please"

Rainbow Glory Choose your own Rainbow (Knickerbocker) Glory. A clear plastic cup (the larger ones from water coolers are ideal) gets filled with rainbow layers of your choice of different flavoured ice cream, tinned and fresh fruit, coloured syrups and sauces. Top your creation off with brightly coloured sprinkles.

Rainbow Raffle Its like a normal raffle but you buy different coloured tickets. You could always do a different colour ticket raffle every half an hour etc

So there you have it add a splash of colour to your fundraising event ideas. You're guaranteed to have loads of fun and don't forget

There's Gold At The End of The Rainbow!

Neill Wilkins

For more information about holding a Rainbow Festival, including photos of key elements please visit our website at http://www.better-fundraising-ideas.com

You will also find lots of other novel fundraising ideas along with tried and tested old favourites (but often with a new twist). Perfect for church fundraising, school fundraising and all other charity and non profit organisations.

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