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How To Attract Donors

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When you want to get others involved, and you need them to provide help or donate money, there are a few areas you’ll want to focus in order to succeed.

  • Share Your Story – A compelling story will allow your donors and volunteers to become emotionally connected. By telling them about what you do and why you do it, your story provides an opportunity to arouse their emotion, and to motivate them to act upon those emotions. Therefore, make sure to share your passion, and the moving tales from those who have benefitted from your work.
  • Effective Social Media Usage – Potent, targeted social media can exponentially increase your visibility in order to boost board and volunteer engagement. Social media can be used to advise them of your mission, inspire them to join you, keep them connected, and grow your audience. Additionally, social media can provide an outlet for sharing events and successes, extending opportunities, and for educational purposes.
  • Community Inclusion – Your local community is an essential resource for fundraising and volunteer recruitment. Enlisting small businesses and others within your community to partner with you in your mission can offer them an opportunity to make a significant impact through both donor and volunteer opportunities. In return, these same opportunities can offer small businesses benefits such as increased brand awareness, enhanced public opinion within the community, and employee engagement. A little research can help you and your partners be assured your goals are aligned.
  • PR – Good public relations practices can help you build and maintain your positive public image, so knowing how to communicate your message is vital. Numerous avenues are available, including your website, videos, and the various social media platforms. Use them to offer biographies of your staff, and the stories from volunteers, donors, and those who have derived benefit from your organization. Share major campaigns, events, awareness raising dates, and tie your mission to current events either nationally or within your community.

At WEDO Charity Auctions, we help organizations exceed their fundraising goals. Our team is made up of passionate, dedicated and experienced fundraising professionals, who specialize in simple, insightful and creative fundraising event solutions. WEDO Charity Auctions utilizes technology and expertise to grow your mission.

If you would like more information on how WEDO Charity Auctions can help you raise money, build relationships or celebrate your successes, please call 844-315-1060 or visit us today at www.wedocharityauctions.com.

 

 

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Increasing Donation Opportunities and Where You’re Going Wrong

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The opportunity to donate to charities is all around us. The pairing of non-profits and technology makes it easier than ever for donors to give and organizations to receive. Checking out at a local grocer means adding a dollar to your bill to help feed a hungry family. You scroll through a favorite social media page and see posts from far-off friends raising money for an unexpected health crisis. A text message notification reveals its time to pay the utility bill which also features an opportunity to donate to the local animal shelter. But does easier translate into more for non-profits? Is it really that important for a non-profit organization to have an online giving platform and mobile donation app?

Donor Digital Data

Charitable giving studies for 2015 revealed the following data:

  • December was the strongest month of the year for charitable giving. 30% of annual donations were received during December, 2015, with the most revenue generated the last three days of the month.
  • Donors preferred to give on Thursday with Tuesday as runner-up. 20% of donations were made on Thursday, 19% on Tuesday.
  • Thursday’s average donation amount was $151.
  • 97% of charitable gifts were given through a desktop computer.
  • 90% of gifts were a one-time thing.
  • One-time gifts averaged $137 with recurring gifts averaging $52.
  • The most giving times of the day were 10am-11am, 1pm-3pm, traditional work hours. That means the majority of giving took place while people were on the job.

Traditional v. Digital

There is no doubt that statistics reveal giving trends are going digital. While overall charitable activities were up 2% in 2015 as compared to 2014, online giving was up 9%. But, exactly, where are people giving online? Who are these donors?

More than half of online donations are given on a particular branded charitable organization web page. The strongest givers, with a gift size average of $183, were employees donating through employer-sponsored causes. Whether it was payroll deductions, company sponsored charity events, or workplace fundraisers.

E-mail fundraising efforts grew in 2015. On average, 4.4 cents was raised per e-mail. For every 1,000 e-mails delivered to a potential donor’s mailbox, $44 in revenue, on average, was generated. It may not sound like much compared to digital giving that took place directly on a non-profit’s webpage. However, e-mail generated revenue for charitable organizations actually grew by nearly 20% last year. It far outpaced the previous year’s 12% growth.

Every opportunity to digitally connect with donors gives a non-profit the chance to grow. Sharing content and joining a non-profit’s email list is just as important to a non-profit’s growth as a supporter’s donation.

Out of all charitable giving, only 3% was non-digital. For charities dependent on cash or checks, this is bad news. The Salvation Army reported raising nearly $145 million through their holiday season Red Kettle cash donation campaign, which is the backbone of the organization’s annual fundraising. Such numbers simply can’t compare with the amount of money raised for donations online.

The Winning Digital Recipe

What does all this data mean? To take advantage of the obvious generosity of donors, a charitable organization needs all the elements of a winning recipe:

  • Connect with an online giving platform that donors trust.
  • Create a mobile app.
  • Connect with employers interested in sponsoring your non-profit’s cause so that you can tap into the contribution resources of a company’s employees.
  • Create the opportunity for potential donors to share content and sign-up for e-mail notifications.

All In One Place

 Online giving performs strongly for a number of reasons that are all tied to together in the same place:

  • Convenience.
  • Anonymity.
  • No pressure.
  • Opportunity to research the organization before giving.
  • Donors can set-up a recurring donation.

Today’s donors are not just technologically savvy, they are also informed, consumers. While online and considering giving a gift, a supporter has the opportunity to learn about a non-profit’s cause. That is why it is so important for a non-profit to be connected with the right giving platform. Just as a brick and mortar storefront’s success is all about location, location, location, the same can be said for any organization’s cyberworld address. When donors arrive at a site that they know is as reputable as it is easy to navigate, they not only give with confidence, there is a greater chance that they will become a regular benefactor. So, whether you are a non-profit or a donor looking to connect with the right cause, get connected in the right place.

Why Auctions Work

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From fine art auctioned at Christie’s to a pair of second-hand slippers auctioned on Ebay, the truth is that people love the thrill of bidding. Even though in the end, they have to hand over cold, hard cash for a purchase, their psyche is still celebrating because they “won”. Everyone likes to be a winner and that is why auctions are so successful.

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Auctions Today

Today, registered auctioneers report that one-third of the events they host are for charity. That translates to charitable auctions ranking number four in the auction industry today.

Two-thirds of registered auctioneers report that they conduct at least one charity auction on an annual basis.

Bidding Psychology

Interesting things happen when an item is auctioned. More often than not a product sells for a grossly inflated price compared to its actual value. What causes this phenomenon to happen? Economists suggest it is because of the element of competition.

Humans loathe taking risks when it comes to spending their money. However, once another human indicates through a competitive bid that they believe the item has greater value, the other human feels compelled to match and raise the bid. As this matching and raising continues, those survival skills etched into human DNA kick in, motivating a person to stay in the bidding until they win. Winning an event is a proxy to surviving a threat. Auctions are brain-games.

Recipe For Great Auctions

Hallmarks of successful charitable auctions are:

  • Items: Have what donors want as well as interesting, curious and intriguing items that are irresistible.
  • Anticipation: Pre-event marketing should be titillating, with the event promoted far enough in advance to allow interested bidders the opportunity to plan to attend, gather their resources and invite their friends.
  • Sneak Peeks: Without giving too much away, a preview of a few tasty items will seal the deal for those who might have had second thoughts about attending.

Venue With Most Potential

To maximize audience potential, there is no better opportunity than online auctions. With the obvious success of online auction venues like Ebay, there can be no doubt for success for online charity auctions. Creating a stellar event is as easy as six simple steps:

  1. Go live.
  2. Research your audience and deliver the items they want.
  3. Expand your reach with novelty items.
  4. Inspire interest with intriguing introductions about each item.
  5. Price point range should offer items affordable for every donor budget.
  6. Quality images make a difference.

Building An Audience

Without an audience, however, even the most exceptionally prepared online auction will be a flop. Marketing and promotion are a must. Promoting successfully means developing and performing the following:

  • Clear Message: What is the purpose of the fundraiser? How will the donations be used?
  • Organization Introduction: Introduce the non-profit organization behind the fundraiser.
  • Kick-Off: Launch promotion campaign in advance of an auction. 30 days is a typical promotion period.
  • Graduate Intensity: Promotional messages should increase with frequency as the auction date approaches.
  • Versatility: Create several promotional strategies that will appeal to the unique differences of benefactors. Social media promotion, traditional outlets like press releases or radio spots, and formal promotion through local Chamber of Commerce.

Making Auctions Easy

All the necessary details of promoting and hosting a charity auction may seem overwhelming. Some non-profits may lack the right tools to make the auction process go as smoothly as possible.  Mobile bidding software has revolutionized the non-profit sector and made auction events for non-profits a breeze.

Taking your event to the next level and maximizing donations as simple as contacting the correct people and utilizing the right tools. 2017 may be THE year that online charity auctions claim their spot on the non-profit map. This form of fund-raising will grow in popularity not just because it is convenient for everyone involved, but because it retains that competitive element that bidders crave.

Let us help you with your fundraising goals.

How 2016’s Business Giving Trends Affect 2017

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With 2016 entering the end of its final quarter, a new fiscal year is just days away for businesses. What were the strongest business giving trends of 2016 thus far? It seems that non-profits continue to experience the effects of an economy rebounding from recession. Analysts of charitable giving trends report that just as donations were trending upward throughout 2015, that trajectory has been sustained in 2016. Non-profits reported an overall growth rate of 1.6 percent. Things are looking good for charitable organizations in 2017. To determine a direction for the upcoming year, let’s examine what was behind the strongest growth that occurred in 2016.

Going Big

Perhaps no one went bigger than Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. In December of 2015, Zuckerberg celebrated the birth of his first child by pledging to donate 99% of the net worth of he and his wife over their lifetime. At the time of the pledge the pair were worth an estimated $45 billion. Making good on that promise, the couple started with a $600 million donation to a San Francisco facility that conducts research on childhood diseases. When such a phenomenal gesture is made in such a public way, it encourages imitation. Non-profits can expect similar big moves by Zuckerberg’s peers.

Consumer Modeling

Today’s successful charitable organizations are taking their cues from the business sector. Consumerism drives business. Shrewd marketers are some of the most coveted employees, especially in the retail and service industries. By knowing who their target market is, what they want and how they are inspired to buy, businesses are able to fine tune their advertising and marketing strategies for maximum potential. Non-profits who come around to model their own approach to visualizing potential donors as consumers are seeing the benefit of this perspective. In February of this year Jay Ferro, CIO of the American Cancer Society, coined the phrase “360” view with regard to how non-profits should see their potential donor market.

Personal & Now

It has often been the case that a philanthropic person has chosen a cause and funded it until the day they die. There is a growing trend where benefactors give to different causes that they personally identify with. One other condition that determines where they put their donor dollars is the possibility of being able to see results within their lifetime. Many modern donors want their giving to be deeply meaningful on a personal level and transformative in the here and now.

Social Change

Social movement organizations are on the receiving end of a Millennial generation that is energized by a worldview dominated by social awareness and fairness. Organizations that provide support for the effects of inequality, such as non-profits that are a safety net for the underprivileged and underserved, are also competing with organizations that are striving to change the source cause of those conditions.

What It All Means

When you tie together the strongest trends of 2016, it is easy to see that the priorities of donors have not necessarily changed. What has changed is their expectations and how they operate. Non-profits need to recognize a consumer group that are accustomed to being highly regarded in the consumer market arena where they put their spending dollars. This same esteem must be extended by charitable organizations in order to garner the confidence of the donor.

Just as consumers expect to see immediate results when they spend consumer dollars, they expect to see results when they donate. They are practical enough to not expect immediate results. However, they have a minimal expectation to see enough rapid progress to become confident that their goal could be realized within their lifetime.

There is a vast non-digitally connected donor market to tap into. Non-profits should focus efforts on reaching this market and assisting them in getting connected. This, in and of itself, is also part of the dynamic of bringing about positive social change. In today’s digital age, it is practically impossible to consider one’s self as living a life of equality on a level playing field if one does not have Internet access.

The trends going into 2017 are all connected through connectivity, digital, and human alike. Groups like SimpliGiv help donor and non-profit organizations achieve their connectivity and charitable goals. By meeting the demands of this common thread of 2016’s business giving trends, this type of non-profit model may be the strongest trend to come in 2017.

The Importance of Subject Lines

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Sending succesful emails is an important part of any industry. But why are email subject lines so important? That is the begging question. Whether you are sending a campaign email to your clients or a one-off party invitation email; the entire message relies on the effectiveness of your subject line.

In this day in age, we are all victims of email overload at some point. The average time that someone looks at a subject line is 1 second before making the decision that they want to continue to read it or not. How can YOU stand out along side of your competitiors to have your message be read and not just thrown in the trash? Here are 3 things you must know about email subject lines:

  1. Keep it simple. The more brief the subject line, the better. To ensure high open-rates, you must first have an attention-grabbing subject line. Don’t be spammy! Look at your own emails, which do you avoid opening & why?
  2. Add value. Being able to not taint your message before opening is an art. Convince the reader that they are opening it for a purpose & will help them or their business in some way or another.
  3. Create trust. Build trust with the reader by containing information in the message that corresponded to the subject line.

Creative School Fundraisers

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Winter break is over! Your kids are back in school. Now you want to help give back to that school and help raise some money. Well, here are some of the most successful school fundraiser ideas that we have come up with to help you on your money-making endeavors:

Raffle: Sell those tickets! Take the time to think of a great prize that everyone would be interested in. Whether this is a draw for cash, a school-related item, or a gift basket.

Bake Sale: This one is fun for everyone! Parents can have the opportunity to bond with their children while baking some goodies and the staff can contribute as well.

Pancake Breakfast: Have the students be a part of a delicious one-day breakfast event. They could sell tickets for food and drinks. This makes all the students come together.

Craft Sale: Let’s get crafty! Not only will this promote parents and children to create some fun crafts but it will let the students’ creativity fly. This could be done individually or as a classroom.

Dance-A-Thon: These are very popular! Take pledges based on how long a student will stay on the 24-hour dance floor. And the most important part? Good music to groove to and plenty of drinks & treats throughout the event.

Not only are these all wonderful fundraiser ideas, but you could turn them into something more and have each one of them be utilizing mobile bidding as well.

How Texting Can Increase Engagement During Your Event

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In a world where technology is the focal point of any event, it is no wonder why incorporating SMS into your fundraising strategy is an A+ idea. Not only does including text messages raise engagement with the crowd, it also drives more contributions for your great cause. Mass text messaging is a must-have tool for any fundraiser or gala – note to self – Use. Mass. Texting.

You may be asking yourself.. What is the simplest way to have texting become a part of your event? To start, sending out a reminder to donate can be easily done in a texting fashion with the WEDO Charity Auctions platform. Completing this via text message not only is  a simple way to get the message across, but is also a great way to start to raise money for your organization (aka, WEDO’s main priority).

It is very well-known that the less steps that a patron has to take to donate, the happier the camper will be. So, we make it simple for you to include a link that you would like your crowd to be directed to. For example, if you would like to send a link to a website, all you have to do is send it via text in our easy-to-use platform, and they will see it instantly. 

By using this channel and taking the text message route during your mobile bidding war, you will soon begin to see all of the benefits. Open rates, quick responses, building engagement, more donations, & more. Taking advantage of mass messaging for your nonprofit is definitely something that every fundraising event should be taking part of in order to increase participation and raise more money.

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New Years Resolutions; Nonprofit Style

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Pop the champagne and write down your reso’s. 2015 is coming to a close, which means it’s a great time for your nonprofit to re-evaluate your year and start planning some goals for 2k16.

Every business (nonprofit or not) needs resolutions, so don’t feel silly for doing so. You’ll be ahead of the curve. Of course, being realistic about those goals is important too. It’s wonderful to aim high, but don’t aim TOO high where you know you will not be able to accomplish anything, but rather, set goals that are more obtainable for your organization.

  1. Bring on a new board member. Looking for a fresh face? Post a job listing and search the web for that perfect-someone. Word of mouth is also a great way to add potential staff to help your cause. Spread the word and see if anyone’s son or daughter is looking to get their foot in the door with the nonprofit industry. Don’t be afraid to use your resourcse! There are plenty of ways to find individuals to be a part of your organization.
  2. Revamp your website. Tired of the same old layout on your website? Time for a clean-up! Take the time to completely redo your website to make it looking more fresh & fun for the new year. You’d be surprised with how much a font or color change can make a difference by appealing to new eyes. A little change goes a long way.
  3. Thank your sponsors and volunteers. Go out of your way to personally thank all volunteers and sponsors within your organization. People want to know that they are doing a good job, they want the attention of a “thank you”. If it’s not a face-to-face communication, then a heartfelt, hand-written note is personable as well.
  4. Stay connected. A lot can happen in a year and it’s easy to forget about a certain achievement or situation. Be sure to stay connected to everyone involved in your organization; from your clients to your cleaning crew. No one gets left behind.
  5. Make a personal goal. Lastly, make a checklist of personal resolutions for yourself. Whether it’s learning more about other organizations or going to more networking events; whatever the case may be, in turn, this will help you grow with yourself and in your nonprofit field.

There is change coming! Get ready for a clean slate and new beginnings. Cheers to mobile bidding!

Why You Should Support Nonprofits

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Support Nonprofits

Nonprofit organizations are everywhere. Almost any charity or cause that you support will have a nonprofit organization linked to it. On top of that, after you support your nonprofit organization by donating, you will feel so good about yourself. Like Dave Matthews said, “when you give, you being to live. You get the world.”

Also, if you’re thinking, “Hey! I work hard for my money, why should I give it away now?!” Well, a little goes a long way! Money is not the only resource that keeps a nonprofit running its operation, because just like every mission, it has to be accomplished through hard work and dedication. One of the biggest reasons that nonprofit organizations even exist is to serve a distinct purpose and achieve a goal for others, not always to make a profit.

The top three places that people turn to when they are in need are to their family, the government and to nonprofits. Without the generous contributions to nonprofit organizations, many products and services that go to a large amount of people in need would unfortunately not be available to them.

If you took anything from this blog post today, know that by donating to nonprofits you are:

1. Supporting your local charity or any cause that you support

2. Having a good feeling and sending out positive vibes because you are giving back

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Indy WNBA Gets Involved With Nonprofit

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Indianapolis WNBA Gets Involved With Nonprofit

Tamika Catchings, the star of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, created the Catch the Stars Foundation in 2004. This foundation empowers the youth to achieve their dreams by incorporating goal-setting programs which promote literacy, fitness, and youth development. Tamika & the Catch the Stars Foundation just recently had their 10th Annual Back to School Celebration this past July and it was a huge success.

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During the Back to School Celebration event, over 500 local youth in Indiana are able to receive backpacks, school supplies, and a fun community fair to participate in. Since most of the children at the event are unfortunately not able to afford the items, such an event is invaluable. Without the help of Tamkia and the Catch the Stars Foundation as well as all the donations, these 500+ kids coming to the event would have much less in their hands today.