Pre-Order Sign up: coffee, chocolate, art

We’ve been working hard on creating a dynamic (price calculated) pre-order sheet for those of you who organize events. This will be ready early next week – bookmark this link & check back.

Silent Auctions: a lot of work, little reward?

The silent auction is challenging. Do the math. Add up the hours required to finding and retrieving items, pricing, writing and framing descriptions, displaying, assembling auction book (while items are coming in), and disturbing guests for bidding. Now add in the days you spent coordinating the checkout and gaggle of volunteers. Don’t forget to include the fact that a wonderful evening ends by requiring guests to stand in line.

Okay – they’re a tradition. Just pledge that this is your last year because we have better ideas. This site offers a FREE auction – up to 20 items. For $80 you can list up to 100 items — a bargain compared to most others : https://www.32auctions.com/pages/pricing.html

Fundraising Raffle:

In normal (non world pandemic times), for in-person events: purchase a roll of raffle tickets under $5 bucks at Walmart; sell tickets during the cocktail portion of your evening — pairs of middle school children with bright shiny faces are perfect ticket sales reps (hold a contest — most tickets sold earns that pair a special treat).

Identify items; solicit donation or purchase (you’ll make money even if you purchase wholesale).  Display items online & allow people to purchase tickets (for example, one for $20, 3 for $50).

Yes- there’s some cross-over here with a live auction – but you don’t need as many items to make similar proceeds. We’re reviewing online raffle platforms & will post our top pick next week (September 18).

Good list of items to raffle — start raffling smaller items, work towards a crescendo over the evening:

• gift card to local restaurant or store
• big screen TV (Best Buy has super discounted, open box tvs)
• travel (people with a timeshare love to give those away)

Next, decide when / how you’ll raffle.  Raffle 3 items back to back every 30-minutes during the later half of the cocktail hour?  Raffle all items during dessert?

Marketplace of Haitian Goods:

There’s no amount of check cashing that’s going to change Haiti long-term. Haitians need jobs, access to markets, to sell crops and other goods (but mostly crops).

Your table of Haitian goods will inform consumers the importance  buying habits:  change your cup, change a nation.  However, in a pandemic, the marketplace moves online. Great items for your Haitian marketplace:

Sign-up Table:

Set up a table to sign up guests to visit Haiti with your team to see your work in action; this creates long-term supporters who become emotionally and physically connected.

Have a video and or photos of your work along with take-home literature.  Then work hard with those new recruits to develop with your Haitian partners ways to begin or continue self-sustaining measures.

#fundraisingideas

#nonprofitraffles

#haitiancoffee

#haitianchocolate

#yourcupmatters

We get it, a national pandemic has but a kink in all of our fall fundraising efforts. No worries, we’ll help you think things through with a different approach – and who knows, maybe we’ll never go back to the old way.