Most Profitable Fundraisers

High-end profits are the main purpose of holding fundraisers as they are the most effective way to raise money and garner support for any community organization, school, charity or church group.  Fundraisers fall into one of four categories: non-profit/charity, school, sports and church/community.

Non-Profit/Charity Fundraisers

Non-Profit/ charity organizations are by far the most diverse group.  Non-profit/charity groups may range from animal rescue to children’s programs to community clean up and beyond.  Therefore, the choices for this type of fundraiser must also be diverse.  Potential fundraisers may include selling candy or magazines, selling advertising in a specific publication, offering community discount cards or benefit concerts.

School Fundraisers

School fundraisers are the biggest part of the fundraising industry.  The issue raised by school fundraisers is that the ages of the participating children tend to vary widely; therefore, the fundraiser must be organized in such as way that all of them can participate.

Sports Fundraisers

Sports fundraisers are held for many different reasons, including raising money to cover  uniforms, expenses of buying programs, maintaining a sports field or sending the team to away games.

Church Group/Community Fundraisers

When it comes to meeting operational expenses, churches are often forced to depend on fundraisers.  Communities often face many of the same challenges as churches when no public funds are available.  Both groups may have difficulty with repeat fundraisers, which is why creativity is so important.

Fundraising Ideas for the Whole Family

Often fundraising efforts have to be cast out because the organization holding the fundraiser does not have enough experience, volunteers or ideas to raise funds for their cause.  There are many websites that offer fundraising ideas for all ages and abilities.  The benefit of using such websites is that the fundraising ideas are typically tried and true, removing some of the trial and error out of trying a new event.

The best way to choose a new fundraiser is to consider how much money the organization needs to raise, how many people are available to organize and volunteer, and the facilities and supplies available.  It is also important to know if the organization can or will receive any kind of community support.

Fundraising Ideas for Everyone

For children’s events, fundraising ideas that work well include selling handmade items or food, from a child’s art auction to homemade lollipops – just as dunking booths are always popular, particularly at school functions.  Children may also enjoy collecting pennies door to door or participating in game tournaments where each child is sponsored by an adult or other group.

For adults, there are many more options, including selling calendars, bake sales, sporting events, karaoke nights, kissing contests, home goods parties and quilt sales.

When choosing what type of fundraiser to have, create a list of ten fundraising ideas and then discuss the list and the pros and cons of each to arrive at the best choice.

CMT and Others Support Disaster Relief Organizations

Disaster relief organizations are receiving much needed support thanks to a recent concert on cable television. On Thursday, CMT premiered a 90-minute concert titled Music Builds that aimed at raising awareness and much needed funds for those affected by recent floods, storms and tornadoes. Charity organizations like the American Red Cross have stepped up to provide assistance wherever possible.

The event was co-hosted by HLN’s Robin Meade, ESPN’s Erin Andrews, and comedian Ron White.  During the evening many celebrities performed, including Tim McGraw, Hank Williams, Jr., Alan Jackson, Alabama, Gretchen Wilson, Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban, Little Big Town, Sara Evans, Ronnie Dunn, The Blind Boys of Alabama, and Trace Adkins.  The evening also featured a call to action from U.S. President Barack Obama.  All proceeds from the event will go to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief efforts.

The event was broadcast around the world via American Forces Network, local TV affiliates and radio stations and CNN.com.  It is estimated that the program reached tens of millions of viewers worldwide.

Victims Need Relief Organizations

Since the natural disasters have struck various parts of the country and the world, many victims are relying on relief organizations for support in many areas, including providing basic necessities such as shelter, food, water and clothing for those left homeless.  Affected areas include Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and North Carolina.

In addition to the evening’s performances, there were special calls to action from American Idol judges Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, with host Ryan Seacrest.  Carrie Underwood, Ellen DeGeneres, Courteney Cox, Taylor Swift, Big Kenny, University of Alabama Coach Nick Saban, Shania Twain and Nicole Kidman were among others that showed their support.

Those wishing to support disaster relief organizations can donate online.

Disaster Relief Organizations and Ryan Gosling Focus on Congo

Disaster relief organizations have their hands full these days with the numerous natural disasters around the world from the earthquake in New Zealand, to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, to the recent tornados in the southern U.S.

The ENOUGH Project is one of many charity organizations speaking out on behalf of the people of the Congo, a war-torn area of the world that seems to be forever mired in violence.  Activist and actor Ryan Gosling recently took a trip to the eastern Congo with the ENOUGH Project to witness first-hand the issues faced by the country and its people.

Video Supports Relief Organizations

Gosling managed to capture scenes on video for ENOUGH Project’s “Raise Hope for Congo” campaign.  The campaign is designed to create a permanent solution to the war in the Congo.

“We recently traveled together to Congo, where the deadliest war in the world is occurring,” the men wrote.  “It’s a war which most people know nothing about, despite the fact that we’re all directly connected to it.  Armed groups are fighting over the lucrative minerals that power our cell phones and laptops, leaving a trail of human destruction that has no equal globally since World War II.

While in the Congo the men spent most of their time talking with survivors of this silent war.  They were keen to know what people had experienced, and also what messages they might have for the rest of the world’s population who have come to depend on laptops and cell phones that inadvertently connect them to the region.

Disaster relief organizations such as the ENOUGH Project, along with support from celebrities like Ryan Gosling, help to highlight the troubles of this war-torn area to the rest of the world.

Crowd Funding Efforts and Ricky Gervais Helping to Save Chimpanzees

Microgiving proudly supports Ricky Gervais’ crowd funding efforts.  The world renowned comedian, often poking fun at many things in today’s society including the latest foibles of Charlie Sheen,  isn’t laughing about the plight of 14 chimpanzees recently moved to a Texas laboratory.  The chimps have been slated for use in dangerous and painful medical experiments, a program funded by the U.S. government.

Gervais recently penned a letter to the Director of the National Institutes of Health.  “Scientists around the world are deeply concerned about the ethical and scientific problems associated with using humankind’s closest living genetic relatives in painful and invasive experiments.  Over the past few decades, we’ve learned that chimpanzees are astonishingly smart and deeply sensitive beings.  That is a key reason why the United Kingdom banned licenses for experiments on chimpanzees more than a decade ago.”

Crowd Funding: Efforts to Save Chimpanzees

Charity organizations around the world have been battling to save the chimpanzees for years with varying degrees of success.  New Zealand, Sweden, Austria, the Netherlands and Belgium have all stopped invasive chimpanzee experiments.

Gervais went on to say in his letter that he knew the US federal government was currently examining the moral and also the scientific problems associated with chimpanzee experiments.  He added that he felt it was not right to keep the 14 chimpanzees at Texas Biomed, where they were still being used in invasive experiments.

It is hoped that the Director of the National Institutes of Health will listen to those involved in crowd funding efforts and cease the operation.

Relief Organizations Raise Money for Japan

It has been just over a month since the devastating tragedy struck Japan, leaving tens of thousands of people dead or homeless. Since then, various relief organizations around the world have been raising money to help restore a decent quality of life to the Japanese people and to clear the wreckage created by the recent natural disasters.  Recent efforts include a charity concert held on April 11^th in Hawaii, during which a bevy of stars from around the world gathered to support Kokua For Japan, a crowdfunding event designed to raise funds for Japan.  Among those present were Jack Johnson, Michael McDonald, Willie Nelson and Mick Fleetwood.  The event raised a total of $1.6 million.

Relief Organizations Pull Together

The American Red Cross is just one of the international aid organizations raising money for Japan and it is at the forefront of the effort.  The American Red Cross is, in turn, donating funds to the Japanese Red Cross.  To date, the American Red Cross has committed $100 million to its sister agency.

“Kokua for Japan was truly a labor of love to show our care and concern for the people of Japan,” said Coralie Chun Matayoshi of the Red Cross’ Hawaii branch.  “We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support that Hawaii’s people have shown today.  Their compassion will give strength to humanitarian efforts in Japan as we help them recover from this terrible tragedy.  We want to thank everyone involved in this event for their wonderful contribution to the cause of humanity.”

Supporters of Kokua For Japan may still donate online to relief organizations through the American Red Cross.

Stars Help Charity Organizations Celebrate Birthdays

Charity Organizations News: The American Cancer Society believes that everyone deserves to have his birthday recognized.  In addition to being “the official sponsor of birthdays,” the American Red Cross is also at the forefront of crowdfunding efforts that strive to educate minorities on their risks for cancer.  April is Minority Healthy Month.  In honor of the celebration, Boyz II Men has agreed to reach out to others with their own version of “Happy Birthday.”

The Grammy award-winning R&B group joins the long list of noted African American and Hispanic artists in raising awareness in ethnic minority communities.  The group also feels it is important to inform people about the American Cancer Society and the great strides it has made in battling an often incurable disease.

“We’ve all been touched by cancer through family members, friends and our fans,” said Boyz II Men singer Nathan Morris.  “When we learned that cancer continues to take a greater toll on the black community than on other ethnic groups, we felt compelled to lend our voices to the American Cancer Society to help the organization in its fight to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays.”

Partnering with Charity Organizations

The “Happy Birthday” campaign went into effect in September of 2010.  Since then, the following people have given their talents to help people through song, helping various charity organizations: Fishbone, Fitz & The Tantrums, Ricky Martin, Jordin Sparks, Aaron Neville and Gloria Gaynor, Rihanna, Darius Rucker, Usher, Sean Kingston, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and actor Craig Robinson.

Jennifer Anniston Supports Several Charity Organizations

Jennifer Anniston devotes much of her time to charity organizations and emergency financial assistance projects.  Best known for her long-running role in Friends, Ms. Anniston is often seen on Public Service Announcements (PSA) for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, which she has supported for the last few years.  In fact, her partnership with St. Jude’s was announced back in 2008.  In further support of St. Jude’s, Jennifer and her father (actor John Anniston), recorded an audio children’s book, Loukoumi’s Good Deeds, the proceeds of which went to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Jennifer has also helped raise funds for Friends of El Faro, a non-profit organization that helps raise money for an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico.

Ms. Anniston Takes on Human Rights Along with Supporting Charity Organizations

In 2007, Jennifer received the GLAAD’s Vanguard Award for her contributions to the gay, lesbian and transgender community.  To help free Burma, Ms. Anniston directed and starred in a video, “It Can’t Wait.”  Jennifer teamed up with her old Friends co-star, Courteney Cox, to campaign for the rights of women of the Congo; specifically, they supported OmniPeace dedicated to stopping violence.  The two women asked technology buffs to avoid buying electronics that contained materials from “conflict mines.” In January 2010, Ms. Anniston donated $500,000 to several humanitarian organizations, including Doctors Without Borders and Partners in Health and AmeriCares.  Each of the charity organizations were involved with Haitian relief at the time of the donation.

Microgiving thanks the popular actress, Ms. Aniston for her dedication to a range of charity organizations and helping in their successes – if you would like to work with Microgiving and help people, please continue to visit our website.

Jack Johnson’s Charity Organizations Focus on the Environment and Children

Charity Organizations – To young adults, folk rocker Jack Johnson is best known for his song “Better Together”; for the even younger crowd, he provided the music to Curious George. But no one finds it “curious” that he has created charity organizations that focus on the environment and kids, because this is what seems to define Jack Johnson; caring about family, home and our environment.  In fact, Johnson received the Billboard Touring 2010 Humanitarian award for the charitable work that he and his wife have carried out in Hawaii and across the world as he tours with his concert commitments.

Charity Organizations – All At Once and Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation

Johnson and his wife Kim with their family located to the North Shore of Hawaii, and started their philanthropy efforts in 2003 by forming the Kokua Hawaii Foundation. Kokua supports spreading environmental awareness throughout schools and communities in Hawaii. The Foundation also supports the annual Kokua Festival, which focuses on environmental education.  In 2006, the couple established the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation, which is focused on art, education and the environment; since its founding, this Foundation has given $750,000 to various projects.  In 2008, Jack donated all of his tour profits to Johnson Ohana and launched the All At Once Campaign, where all tour proceeds were sent to local non-profit partners working to improve the environment.  Jack donated his 2010 proceeds as well; those dollars supported programs such as providing bikes for 50 children in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Microgiving salutes Jack Johnson’s success in creating charity organizations focused on the environment and children.  Like Mr. Johnson, Microgiving works to help meet the needs of others through acts of charity.  If you would like to donate online through Microgiving as a charity organization – or you might benefit from our assistance by receiving crowdfund donations – please register with our website.

Tyler Perry: TV and Movie Mogul Committed to Donating to Charity Organizations

Tyler Perry is not only a media mogul – he is also a charitable giver who often donates to various charity organizations. He may be best known for the creation and delivery of the Madea movies or the television sitcom House of Payne. Despite what he is remembered for, his media efforts have grossed over $400 million dollars.  With his successes, Tyler Perry has already started to give back to the community.

Perry’s Donations to Charity Organizations Cover a Range of Issues

In 2009, Mr. Perry personally paid for 65 inner-city youths from Pennsylvania to visit Disneyworld.  This act of philanthropy occurred as a result of the youth group being rejected for summer membership from a private summer swim club.  The swim club denied that the rejection was racially biased; regardless, Mr. Perry wanted the children to know that someone cared.  Tyler was also part of a 2009 coalition that came together to provide Atlanta with the funds to acquire a set of Martin Luther King, Jr’s working papers for $32 million dollars.

After the earthquake in Haiti, Mr. Perry followed John Mayer’s lead and donated $1 million dollars for Haitian Relief. As a result of Katrina, he provided funding to help people build 20 homes for Katrina survivors in a new neighborhood designated as “Perry Place”.  Last year, he donated $1 million dollars to the NAACP in celebration of its 100^th anniversary; this was the largest single donation from a private individual to a civil rights organization.  This year, he has provided support to Covenant House in Atlanta by donating $110,000 to the agency, whilst also donating a new 15-passenger van.

Microgiving salutes Mr. Perry and his many acts of giving to charity organizations.  Like Mr. Perry, Microgiving wants those in need to know that someone cares. If you would like to give to a variety of charity organizations via Microgiving, you may consider making online donations .

Jennifer Lopez Donates to Charity Organizations that Empower Women and Children

Jennifer Lopez, recently voted one of Fifty Most Beautiful by People Magazine, donates to charity organizations that focus on empowering women and children.  Also known as JLo, she and husband Marc Anthony are the proud parents of twins and, since giving birth in 2008, she has been re-dedicated to improving the live of others, especially women and children.

JLo’s Donations to Charity Organizations Result in The Maribel Foundation

JLo’s philanthropy not only includes money, but she willingly gives time and personal items to help others.  This year she helped raise over $8.4 million at the Carousel of Hope Charity Gala.  Since its inception in 1978, the Gala has raised over $84 million through the Barbara Davis Center for children’s diabetes and helping children.  Over the past several years, JLo has been a frequent supporter of the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital.  Going beyond healthcare, Jennifer worked with Amnesty International in the development and production of “Bordertown”.  The movie raises awareness of the ongoing murders of women in Juarez, Mexico.  It was so effective that she received the Artists For Amnesty International award in recognition of her work.

According to JLo, when it comes to empowering women and children, “there is no time to lose.”  To that end JLo and her sister Lynda established the Maribel Foundation in May of 2009.  The Foundation’s primary goals are to expand telemedicine in healthcare for women and children internationally and, overall, to improve the lives of not only individual women and children but entire communities.

Charity Organizations

Microgiving applauds the efforts of Ms. Lopez and her commitment to providing funds to charity organizations helping women and children, and like JLo, Microgiving is working to improve the lives of others – if you would like to explore opportunities to work with Microgiving as a donor, or you may need assistance as a recipient of our time and resources, please register today.

Leaders of Charity Organizations Recognized

In dedication to recognizing leaders of charity organizations who show vision, passion and talent, a nonprofit independent organization, the Meyer Foundation, has just announced the five 2010 recipients of the Meyer Exponent Award.

Exponent Award Expands Leadership of Charity Organizations

The Exponent Award rewards the vision and passion of nonprofit leaders in the Washington DC community by providing a grant of $100,000 to the successful nominee. The award allows charities to provide much-needed leadership training and fulfill other needs that a nonprofit agency may find difficulty in funding during times of economic uncertainty.

One of the recipients, Jean-Michel Giraud, Executive Director of the Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place, managed to significantly increase his organization’s budget in 2010. In fact, successful appeals to donors have allowed the Community Council to increase its budget by 34% over 2009 so that it can continue to meet the greater needs of the community.

The other four Exponent recipients have seen successes across the areas of HIV/Aids education for teens, the rights of women who have suffered human trafficking and domestic violence, and advocating for children with special needs. Each of these leaders have pushed through difficult times and accomplished much for their organization this year.

Much like the charity organizations mentioned in this article, Microgiving strives in difficult economic times to meet the needs of individuals and families seeking financial assistance – if you are able to donate online, or might benefit from our assistance, please search our website and discover how charitable micro credit can help today.