DISCLAIMER: These posts contain hints, tips and ideas from folks that have had some experiences dealing with this. It is NOT meant to be legal advice here - just related experiences. Please consult with a reputable professional if necessary. To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: ("KAREN ZAJICEK-METZE") Subject: EQ-ResQ: Fund Raising Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 13:42:00 -0500 South Carolina Awareness and Rescue for Equines has received recognition as a non-profit and can now officially function as a non-profit organization. We are getting ready to rescue our first horse and I have been running into some brick walls when it comes to fund raising and raising money through donations. Anyone have any suggestions? Karen Metze S.C.A.R.E., Inc. ========== ("KAREN ZAJICEK-METZE") ====== Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 12:11:52 -0700 (MST) To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: Pat Calloway Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Fund Raising At 01:42 PM 3/28/00 -0500, KAREN ZAJICEK-METZE wrote: >We are getting ready to rescue our first horse and I have been running into >some brick walls when it comes to fund raising and raising money through >donations. Are you looking for ideas on how to raise money or ideas on how to overcome objections to donating money or other goods? We had some brainstorming sessions last year on ways to raise money if you check out the Equine Rescue Mailing List Archives at: http://www.crt-stable.com/equinerescue/rescarch.htm and look at the files, Fundraising, Fundraising II and Fundraising III - we're always game for new ideas/suggestions on this one! A lot of folks are doing well with online auctions via eBay, etc (which makes it easier to reach a wide variety of people and locations). How to overcome objections to donating money/goods - don't know on that one - it would kind of enter into sales/closing the deal, I would think. Perhaps other folks have some ideas on that. Pat Calloway, Equine Rescue Listowner epona@concentric.net (AZ) http://www.crt-stable.com/equinerescue ========== Pat Calloway ====== To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: "slyshot" Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Fund Raising Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 22:44:31 -0500 Karen: If you're game to list what you have tried and what the results were, we could *attack* the problems that way. I don't believe we've had a point-by-point discussion of fund-raising in that manner. Klondike (Cris May) Days End Farm Horse Rescue (MD) http://www.defhr.org ========== "slyshot" ====== To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: ("KAREN ZAJICEK-METZE") Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Fund Raising Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 09:21:00 -0500 hello and thank you for the responses regarding the Fund Raising. I went through the archives and got a lot of great ideas. So far: I have a Member Meeting planned and am hoping to get some fundraising done there. Planning on asking tack shops and/or feed stores to donate items that can be put into a basket to be raffled off. I'd like to get a big item, like a saddle to be in the raffled also. Any suggestions with this approach. Again, we are just new and this will be my first attempt at this type of fundraising. I did see the issue about checking laws per state regarding raffles in the archives and plan to check that since SC is also a non-gambling state. I have contacted about 5 businesses for sponsorship and so far only gotten a response from Tractor Supply. I was pretty pushy with them and I think that's why I got a response. All the others I have tried, local truck dealerships, kinko's, they have these receptionists that will only take messages and then no one ever calls. Any suggestions there? Since I work full time as well as have 3 children between my husband and me, have my own 2 horses my time is really busy, always. I was thinking of doing a bake sale at the Member Meeting as well. I haven't found anyone locally that can do nick-nack items yet, but am keeping my ears open. We'll need help with the initial funding for the 501 (c) (3) status and getting started with the feed and tack stock. This is my main concern. I didn't expect a rescue this soon and have a very low balance to get the bank account open. Any ideas are greatly appreciated. Thanks again! Karen Metze President - S.C.A.R.E., Inc. South Carolina Awareness and Rescue for Equines ========== ("KAREN ZAJICEK-METZE") ====== Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 11:47:10 -0700 (MST) To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: Pat Calloway Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Fund Raising Sender: owner-equinerescue@imagicomm.com Reply-To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com, Pat Calloway How about you folks who have links to bookstores (Amazon.com, etc) and pet supplies (Petco, Petsmart, etc)? How are those working as far as fundraising? http://www.petsmart.com/affiliates/ - not sure it works with Stateline Tack though which would be nice for equine rescues. http://www.amazon.com - click on associates near left hand bottom of page. (I'd cut and paste the url in, but I think it has some coding for me in it.) Then there's Igive (http://www.igive.com. I'm not sure if the time/effort spent on any of the above is time/cost effective for the money received, but if it's fairly easy and involves a link or whatever on your website. (Does your rescue have a website yet, Karen? You didn't sign off with a link, so I'm guessing not yet.) Pat Calloway, Equine Rescue Listowner epona@concentric.net (AZ) http://www.crt-stable.com/equinerescue ========== Pat Calloway ====== To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: ("KAREN ZAJICEK-METZE") Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Fund Raising Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 14:39:00 -0500 Pat and Jennifer - thanks for all the ideas and advise. I am going to look at the SC laws today on the web to see about the raffles. I will also check out all the sites that Pat mentioned. We had someone working on the web page for us but that fell through. It will just take me a little longer to get it up, but I think I can do it. In the long run I think it would be more beneficial so I can edit or change when necessary. Thank you again! Karen Metze President - S.C.A.R.E., Inc. South Carolina Awareness and Rescue for Equines ========== ("KAREN ZAJICEK-METZE") ====== To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: DOGCRAZY Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Fund Raising Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 18:13:53 -0500 as a small business owner I can tell you to go in, don't just call. you might call first to see if the manager is in and then drive over and see him personally. managers prioritize who to call back, and you aren't able to prove why calling you back is important to them. try a bake sale at Kmart. they will usually let non profits sell goodies outside their doors. You want to get money from outside sources, not just your own members, family or friends. this is a time when making friends with strangers helps Diane W NC USA...the Lord Blesses all http://www.equinenet.org/dogcrazy/index.html Check out my site ========== DOGCRAZY ====== Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 16:43:24 -0700 (MST) To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: Pat Calloway Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Fund Raising At 02:39 PM 3/29/00 -0500, KAREN ZAJICEK-METZE wrote: >We had someone working on the web page for us but that fell through. It will >just take me a little longer to get it up, but I think I can do it. In the >long run I think it would be more beneficial so I can edit or change when >necessary. Even a really barebones little site is better than nothing and it WILL grow as you learn & get more confident with html and start wanting to add things to it. See: http://crt-stable.com/equinerescue/website.txt and http://crt-stable.com/equinerescue/webpage.htm for some hints, ideas and links to information on doing webpages. One handy thing about having a website is that it makes it easier for folks to find out about your rescue and how to contact you. Of course a lot of folks aren't online and you need to spread the word to them in other ways, but seems like more and more folks utilize the web every day. ========== Pat Calloway ====== To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: "slyshot" Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Fund Raising Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 20:23:02 -0500 > We had someone working on the web page for us but that fell through. It > will just take me a little longer to get it up, but I think I can do it. > In the long run I think it would be more beneficial so I can edit or > change when necessary. We have someone else set up our web page, in fact several someone elses over time, but it is always set up so we can edit and change as needed. Klondike (Cris May) Days End Farm Horse Rescue (MD) http://www.defhr.org ========== "slyshot" ====== To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: "slyshot" Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Fund Raising Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 21:28:16 -0500 > I have a Member Meeting planned and am hoping to get some fundraising done > there. By Member Meeting, do you refer to board members, or volunteers? Volunteers can be a wealth of ideas and energy. They can also be in charge of things that permanent rescue *employees* don't have time for, like organizing and running yard sales, staffing tables to "meet & greet" and hand out info at shopping center locations, bake sales and craft item sales. For the record, we found that yard sales were not good fundraisers, by and large. People would *donate* all kinds of junk for us to sell to make money, and then we'd be stuck getting rid of the stuff that didn't sell. Our used tack shop (donated goods) is a good money maker. >Planning on asking tack shops and/or feed stores to donate items that >can be put into a basket to be raffled off. I'd like to get a big item, >like a saddle to be in the raffled also. Any suggestions with this approach. Make your request in person. Be pleasantly pushy and be prepared to make suggestions of things you'd like donated. > I have contacted about 5 businesses for sponsorship and so far only gotten > a response from Tractor Supply. This will probably never change, in terms of the numbers of places you have to contact versus the numbers of places that come through for you. Fundraising can take cubic time, something most of us are already short of. You can build on that positive response you got from TS though, and develop it into a long-term relationship. If there is a Wal-Mart in your area, by all means check with them about having a table out front during some peak traffic period, say Saturday. Wal-Mart also has a matching grant program, as does PetSmart. Klondike (Cris May) Days End Farm Horse Rescue (MD) http://www.defhr.org ========== "slyshot" ====== To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: CC40058@aol.com Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Fund Raising Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 12:46:41 EST We are utilizing one of those 'webpages for dummies' through MSN...I have to use the format they provide, but it works out, and they have some really pretty backgrounds. I do not know HTML from a hole in the ground, and this is so easy. My only problem was posting pictures, but I found that the problem was my server. I found an older version of AOL, and can upload the pictures from that, now. I thought of an exposure/fundraising idea. Well, maybe it is not an original idea. We live outside a really small community in a county with a bunch of other small communities. Most of these little towns have festivals throughout the warm months, and sometimes parades. We want to ride/lead/drive a cart in the parades, and have a booth at the festivals. At the booth, we wanted to make up a picture album pointing out neglect/abuse, and will probably raffle some little something that we get from a horse auction. There is always a tack auction before each horse sale around here, and along with the tack, they have pretty horse related figurines and things like that. I am a person who went into the hole selling popular things like Tupperware and Avon...I couldn't sell a heater to someone on the Arctic Circle. I thought the festival/parade idea would give us exposure and a little fund raising without too much pain. Caroline Kentuckiana Equine and Animal Rescue, Inc. ...dedicated to the animals CC40058@aol.com or Kyianaequ@aol.com http://msnhomepages.talkcity.com/NonProfitBlvd/kyianaequ/ ========== CC40058@aol.com ====== DISCLAIMER: These posts contain hints, tips and ideas from folks that have had some experiences dealing with this. It is NOT meant to be legal advice here - just related experiences. Please consult with a reputable professional if necessary.