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Posts in the ‘Charity’ Section


Thursday, January 7th, 2010

Large-scale events – from silent auctions to shareholder meetings – require careful planning, monetary resources and manpower. And a few tried-and-true tips for event planning don’t hurt, either.

In a recent podcast and whitepaper from promotional product retailer 4imprint, Paulette Wolf and Donielle Levine, authors of the book “Event Planning Made Easy,” offer what they consider the first and most important tip for successful event planning:

Establish the 5 “W’s” and 1 “How.”

One by one, those 6 elements include:

1. Who are the guests or attendees?

2. What is the event being planned?


Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

What phrase recently set the Guinness World Record for number of social media mentions in a 24-hour period – raising $70,000 through fundraising in the process?

A. #AIDSAwareness

B. #EliminateHeartDisease

C. #SayNoToPoverty

D. #BeatCancer

Social Media Fundraising QuizIf you answered “D. #BeatCancer”, you know your social media and fundraising trivia!

In late October, EVERYWHERE, a social media marketing firm in Atlanta, officially set the record for the most widespread social network message in 24 hours. The phrase #BeatCancer received a total of 209,771 mentions on Twitter, Facebook and blog posts in just one day.


Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

Tips for Successful Fundraising EventsWhether hosting a fundraising event for a school, church, non-profit organization or any other entity, certain planning requirements remain the same. In a recent post on The Fundraising Authority blog, several steps were identified to incorporate into planning. We’ve added to the list to create the 13 essential steps of any successful fundraising event.

1. Determine the event’s purpose. Is the goal to raise funds, gain publicity or develop a presence in a new market? In some cases, events have a combination of goals. For example, a charity dinner might be hosted to gain publicity for a non-profit organization, with a secondary purpose of raising funds.


Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

For charity organizations, a down economy presents a conundrum of sorts: the worse the economy, the greater the need for fundraising donations—and the greater the difficulty in securing them. When brainstorming fundraising ideas, it’s vital to consider how to maximize fundraising ROI.

But which fundraising ideas produce the best results? And which donor groups should be targeted to gain the most return?

Blogger Norman Olshansky, of non-profit consulting firm NFP Consulting Resources, presents some useful statistics to maximize fundraising (based on “Fund Raising: Evaluating and Managing the Fund Development Process” by James Greenfield) in a recent post.


Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

What did one non-profit organization encourage participants to do on Sept. 17 to show their support for cancer fundraiser efforts?

A. Take a nature hike in honor of cancer survivors.

B. Wear a bald cap all day.

C. Give a stranger a hug.

D. Volunteer an hour of time at a local hospital.

Community Shows Support for Cancer VictimsIf you chose “B,” you’re correct!

On Sept. 17, Small Army for a Cause held a nationwide cancer fundraiser event encouraging participants to wear a bald cap for the day and collect sponsor donations. All funds raised were given to several cancer-related charities.


Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

Fundraising ContestsWhen you cast a vote, typically the goal is to choose the best possible option—whether you’re voting on a new school board president or a city ordinance. When was the last time you were encouraged to vote on the worst choice?

The Cotton Land Cluster of Dog Shows is doing just that as part of a fundraising contest to collect money for the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit in Louisiana.

The charity dog competition honors the ugliest dog and the best owner/dog look-alike. Last year, the contest contributed more than $5,000 to its cause, according to The News-Star in Monroe, Louisiana.


Thursday, October 1st, 2009

Unique Fundraising IdeasA recent article in Profit Quests Fundraising titled “A New Trend in Fundraising,” details both the history, and per its title, unique new ideas in fundraising.

In regards to historical fundraising, the article offers an interesting history on the emergence of fundraising galas and events.  When discussing new trends, the article cites new philanthropic support companies, like eTapestry.com and Kintera.com, “that have put an electronic twist to the old fundraising methods.”

At IML, we’ve seen hundreds of fundraising events achieve unprecedented success when using new technology to support unique fundraising ideas.  Below, are two of the best:


Friday, September 25th, 2009

On May 21st of this year, a silent auction held by poverty fighting organization Robin Hood helped generate over $72 million for residents of New York City in need. Remarkable about this silent auction was that not a single prize was up for bid.

Before the event, Robin Hood engaged with IML to rent audience response keypads to be held in the hands of each gala attendee. Spurred along by emcee Jon Stewart, and celebrity attendees Anne Hathaway, Eli Manning & Brian Williams, attendees were encouraged to donate simply by entering pledge amounts into their keypads.


Friday, September 18th, 2009

Audience VotingAudience voting is all the rage when it comes to reality game shows. But could that formula work for charity, too? A local dance studio in Florida thinks so.

A Social Affair Dance Studio in Jacksonville is raising money for juvenile diabetes by taking a cue from the hit ABC show ‘Dancing With the Stars’. Plans are well underway for its Nov. 1 fundraiser to benefit the North Florida Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

During the ‘Dancing With the Stars’ charity event, local celebrities paired with professional ballroom instructors will compete for the title of Jacksonville’s favorite dancers. Like the television show, audience voting will play a big role:


Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
Oprah Using IML's Audience Response Device

Oprah Using IML Silent Auction & Pledge System

On May 21st of this year, a fundraiser held by poverty fighting organization Robin Hood helped generate over $72 million for residents of New York City in need. Remarkable about this fundraiser was that despite all the money raised, not a single prize was given away.

Before the event, Robin Hood engaged with iml to rent audience response keypads to be held in the hands of each gala guest. Spurred along by emcee Jon Stewart, and celebrity attendees Anne Hathaway, Eli Manning & Brian Williams, attendees were encouraged to donate simply by entering pledge amounts into their keypads.