echoDonations.org

I volunteer for a nonprofit that offers programs like tutoring, sports, art and mentoring to foster care youth. We tried so hard to collect donation for back-to-school supplies and were under our goals which means some kids get stuff while others don’t. It’s really sad. So we gave to their youth who participate the most. But that discourages the kids who didn’t get anything and they think there is some favoritism.

How would you collect donations in these hard times for a cause you really care about.

Get involved with area schools, churches, youth groups, sports leagues and scout groups. Write to their community service coordinators (or whoever would best fit this description) and ask to be put on a list of organizations looking for help.

In particular, find out who in your community encourages or requires community service. Ask kids to run small grade-level or school/church/team wide drive for the items you’re looking for. Do it in advance so you can bank the bulk of the items for the coming year and fill in as necessary. 5 kids with 20 friends each bringing 1 school item equals 10 filled backpacks. Get a whole school involved and you may be able to cover your program for the year and attract new donations.

Also consider getting volunteers involved in more direct ways. People who are invested in a program are more likely to support it financially.

I run a small non-profit and I’ve been spreading the word about our program to supply gently used sports uniforms and footwear to kids in rural Mexico. I was just contacted by a family whose 4th grader is interested in running a drive at his school as part of a run for class office. Apparently it’s a tradition at his school to prove one’s leadership through such a project. I know he won’t be able to supply a very large part of what we need, but every little bit helps and the publicity we’ll get out of it will be very valuable. We’ll run a thank-you in the newspaper, put his face on our website and benefit from the word-of-mouth publicity at his school.

Im trying to raise about $25,000 for an organization called "Stand Up 2 Cancer". They are pretty popular and they just had a huge concert called "Fashion Rocks". I need information on this ASAP so please let me know if you can help me out with the names of some companies that give out big donations. THANKS!

The companies that give out big donations usually have a very long and rigorous examination process before they will pay out.

If you want to get big donations – good luck to you. Can I suggest you ask around your friends, their parents, local leaders etc. if any of them have access to the charity approval board of a company. Don’t dismiss a company just because it is small – you haven’t heard of it, etc.

Then contact the organisers of Stand Up 2 Cancer. You will have to get their approval to ask for money in their name, and suggest you would like to run a small local event. Have fun doing this, and get your friends involved.

If companies see you are approved, and already running an event, they are more likely to take your request seriously. But it takes a long time – be warned.

Good luck, and if you want information about jigs and events organised by others, look under
Events on www.after-cancer.com

Verite R

My name is Deborah. I am 18 years old and my friend and I want to start a charity to help the needy families in Tijuana, Mexico by asking for donations such as clothing, blankets, and food for the winter, which we would then distribute to the families as presents to help bring hope back into their lifes and spread the Christmas spirit. But we are not too sure wether this is illegal or not. If you or anyone you know happens to know wether it is or not, we would appreciate it if you’d let us know. Thank You.

You cannot start a charity until you are an adult; then there are lots of legalities. You can join an organization that is already in existence and then do fund raisers for them. That way, you are aligned with an established non profit and your donors can have their donations as tax deductions.
Please remember that there are many families in the US that can use your help too. Probably some in your own community.

I asked around for donations to a family with little kids who I know were having a hard time. I got an outpouring of support, and people gave a turkey, canned goods, toys for christmas, clothing, and gift cards. Great! The problem is, I never consulted the mom, and I don’t want to offend her. I had been planning to do a "drop and run", but there is too much valuable stuff to leave out front. How should I get this to her without offending her?

Just tell them what a special family they are and you want them to have the best.I think they’ll be so grateful that you’ve thought of them in this way and be relieved their children won’t starve.Well done you!

How can someone get donations/funds for a software that will be offered free? I was told to create a blog and create incentives but i am so lost at this point.

All of the donations will go for developing the software but how do i get that across to people reading the site?

Is there a site out there that will help me get funds for the project?

What about finding angel investors, how to see if they are who they say they are or are they scammers?

That could be pretty tough – they have nothing to gain from it, and any donation isn’t tax deductible – why would they donate to YOU rather than somewhere else?

Angel investors, venture capitalists, hope to see some return on their investment.

I am filling out an application, and it asks for "Volunteer Activities". I haven’t given a lot of my time, but I do make regular monetary donations to different organizations. Can I count this as volunteer work?

nope…..you have to do work for them and get no money or a certificate for it.
you donating money doesn’t really count as volunteer work

I’m trying to go to Africa to build a much needed health clinic. A women died giving birth because there was nowhere for her to go. The only thing holding me back is money. I have a lot of medical problems and all my extra money goes towards bills or medication. I only need $1,800 to make this happen, but I’m at a loss as to where to find it. My family (close and extended) are kind of out of the question. Where else can I turn to? This mission means A LOT to me and to many other people. I hate the reason I didn’t to be because of money. I’m just not sure how to go about collecting donations or asking people for money. I believe the God wants me to do this so God will provide a way. I pray this everyday and I’m hoping one of you will ahve the way. Thank you.

If it were me…I would ask business owners like: Realtors, Car Dealerships, Banks, Hospitals,etc…then I would contact human interest groups like your Community Foundation (could have another name), Kiwanis, Rotary, Red Hat Society,etc (you can usually find a list of these groups at your local United Way). If you belong to a church maybe they can do an offering or maybe you can visit sister churches and give a presentation and ask for donations.

You could hold some fundraisers…car wash, walk, dinner/breakfast, etc. You could contact the local media and radio and see if they can do an article or radio spot for your cause.

Hope that helped.

Say your child or you have cancer and it will cost thousands for treatment, and you ask for donations, put out donation cans and have fundraisers… You raise like $20,000. Is that money taxable if it goes straight to the treatment of your condition?

No.

You are never required to pay tax on gifts that you receive from persons for whom you did not do anything. However, you must pay tax on "gifts" that are really tips from your customers or bonuses from your employer.

If the person gives the money to you as a gift that you may use for any purpose and you use it for a medical expense, then you can deduct the medical expense.

If the person pays for the medical expense directly, then you cannot deduct the medical expense. The donor also cannot deduct the medical expense, unless the patient was a dependent of the donor.

The donor cannot deduct the donation as a contribution to charity. Only donations to charitiable organizations may be deducted, not donations to individuals.

In eRepublik, you know how when you donate or being donated to, those donations can be seen in you donations list?
I saw some people who manage to remove that from their lists.
How do you do it?

And how do I get free gold using the monetary exchange hack?
Has the admins fix that bug yet?

They fixed the exploits today:p

I am a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and we are having a silent auction and live auction to raise money to start our next house. We are getting the usual donations – gift certificates for restaurants, hair styling salons, etc., but would really like to have something different and exciting. Any ideas?
Another note – our guidelines say that we have to stay within our county when soliciting donations so as not to encroach on other affiliates. Some of your ideas were really good, but they involve contacting groups outside of our area.

Hey there!

I’ve been heavily involved with nonprofit fund raising for years….so here are some ideas I have that could be relatively low in cost for your cause…

1) As far as items go in your area, here are my thoughts:

-try to think of items that your attendants will already WANT before they set foot in your event, instead of items that they could talk themselves into once they get there…bids will definitely be higher for these items
-anything that your group can make is always unique…think pottery, quilts, pillows, painting a martini set, etc…
-head to local businesses that are NOT chains…they’ll be easier to negotiate with and will have less red tape to get through…plus they’ll want the free advertising for being a donor in your auction
-see if a local liquor store will donate a "Beer a Month", grocery stores can donate "3 Months of Groceries", gas stations can give a certain amt of gas, coffee shops can donate coffee items and cups of coffee, local florists can do "Flower of the Month", etc….
-literally comb through your phone book and think of packages that they can give and then propose that, rather than just saying "Could you donate something?" If they can’t donate your proposed package, they’ll suggest a gift certificate.

2) In addition to your silent/live auction, consider running an online auction – this is an AWESOME way to get to the people whose mailing addresses you don’t have (ie you’ve got their EMAILS)…your email base can feel like they’re using their expendable income on great stuff AND its going to their community at the same time!
I’ve included a link of one of the online auction companies that I’ve worked with…cMarket. They also have another website, BiddingforGood.com, that opens your auction up to all their members so that people who you don’t even know can donate to your cause and bid on your items!

5) One last tid bit – consider selling sponsorships for your event…this can help off set some of your cost INCREDIBLY. You’d be surprised how many local businesses want to be a part of your cause-minded event! You can ask for anywhere around $500 per sponsor, and if you put your auction online, you can ask for even more than that because they’ll be getting just that much more exposure through your website and event emails!

Best of luck with all of this!