GiveForward

If you’re anything like me you are bolting out the door right about now in order to try and get your taxes post-marked by today.

Once the anxiety and adrenaline has subsided I have an idea to make you feel better; take a tip from one of our donors and use the refund you get to make a difference by donating it.

GiveForward has so many amazing fundraisers on our site that could use any extra help, whether $5 or $50.  Need some inspiration?  Head over here and browse some of the extraordinary people raising money for everything from chemo treatments to medical equipment.

Happy tax day!

(Important note: you can’t claim these donations on your taxes but you can claim them for good karma.)

Fundraiser organizers will see new functionality starting this week.  We are excited to share that we are now assigning a personal fundraising coach to each fundraiser started on GiveForward.

What does this mean for users?  It means you get the exact level of personal attention that you want.  Is this your first time fundraising?  Our coaches are

happy to help you figure out the next steps and share their tried and true fundraising tips, just email them at info@giveforward.com or give them a call at 312-957-6113.

Are you an old pro at fundraising and just want someone to call on if you get stuck?  They’re there for that too.

Plus having a personal fundraising coach also means you get a nice glossy photo of your coach with your introductory email.  Always a nice perk.

We hope that you guys enjoy working one-on-one with our coaches as much as they enjoy working with you.

One of the cool things about being a medical fundraising tool is that at GiveForward we get to see all of the creative and inspiring ways that friends and family fundraise on behalf of their loved ones.

We wanted to share one such story about Jason Noble, who was diagnosed with cancer.   Friends came together to help raise money for Jason and his wife, Kristin, to cover the cost of everyday expenses that exist outside of insurance coverage.

The unique thing about their fundraiser was the way the organizers encouraged donors to get involved.  In exchange for a standardized donation amount, donors received a collection of 12 art prints that were donated by artists from all around the United States.

The organizers assumed it would take at least six weeks to reach their goal of $15,000.  Instead, during the first day donors from the U.S., Australia, Sweden, Belgium, Germany and Canada had donated.  Within 12 hours of its launch, their fundraiser met and surpassed its goal, raising over $16,000!

Now, over a year later, Jason is on the road to recovery thanks to the support of his amazing group of friends.  We were inspired by not only the work Jason’s loved ones put into this fundraiser but the creativity they showed in their efforts.  A big GiveForward high-five to everyone involved in this exceptional fundraiser.

For more information about BBB accreditation:  Click here.

Alex French from Details Magazine highlighted GiveForward in a recent article about “Entrepreneurial America: Seven Cities that have caught startup fever”.

GiveForward was mentioned alongside Groupon and Threadless as leading the pack of Chicago-based startup websites.

Thanks for the shoutout, Details!

As you all can tell from the probably-too-large archive of them, Fundraising Tips are our specialty.  But let’s give credit where credit is due- we learn a lot of strategies from our users.  Successful fundraisers typically follow a similar pattern that we outline in our Fundraising Bootcamp. We also understand that every fundraiser is unique, so what works for one person may not work for the next.

Sunshine BenBelkacem is a great example of just that. Her fundraiser, Oliver’s Elbow, found it’s success from two main strategies that don’t usually work for our users: an off-line fundraising event and Twitter.  We hope that some of our users can learn from her success! read more…

*Update!  Congratulations to Ramon Castillo who won $500 for have nearly 250 donors in 10 days!  His story is truly an inspiration.  On December 20th, he returned to the jewelry store owned by his family to find his wife being robbed at gunpoint.  His bravery nearly cost him his life, landing Ramon in critical condition.  His friends and family have now raised over $18,000 to help with all of the costs associated with his recovery.  You can help this Houston Hero by donating here.

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Finally. A way for the holidays to bring out everyone’s competitive side.  And you won’t even have to fight angry crowds of holiday shoppers to participate in this amazing contest!

For the last 10 days of 2010, (December 22^nd through December 31^st) fundraisers on GiveForward can compete to win an extra $500 for their cause!

The fundraiser that has the highest number of donations received between December 22^nd and December 31^st will win $500 towards their fundraising efforts!  Easiest contest requirements ever, huh? It doesn’t matter if your fundraiser is just starting out or in its last few weeks; anyone can participate and anyone can win!

We’ll keep you updated on the standings to see who’s in the lead.  By the time 2011 is here, we’ll be making a $500 donation to the winner’s fundraising page- what a way to ring in the New Year!

Questions? Comments? Just want to spread some holiday cheer in our general direction?  Contact us anytime at info@giveforward.com

Happy Fundraising,

The very merry GiveForward Team

Hint: This works as a great icebreaker at holiday parties when you are stuck talking to your long lost cousin-in-law [once removed] and you’ve hit that awkward silence way too early.

Normally on GiveForward we offer our readers tips on how to raise money online, however, one of our users gave us a good offline fundraising tip so we thought we’d pass it along.  GiveForward user Laura Wilson has let us know about another way to fundraise for medical expenses.  Laura Wilson and Chick-fil-A have partnered in order to raise money for Team Nicole.  How it works is, fliers are given to Team Nicole to distribute.  Then you take your flier to the local Chick-fil-A restaurant during a certain time period and 20% of the sales are donated to Team Nicole.   

There are many restaurants out there that are doing similar things for individuals and other non-profit organizations.  Panera Bread offers gift cards to be purchased at a discounted rate and then re-sold.  But if selling gift cards isn’t your thing, there are other options as well.
 
Chipotle, (a favorite spot of a certain second banana here at GiveForward) offers in-restaurant fundraisers similar to that of Chick-fil-A.  If you’re more into pizza than chicken and burritos, Cici’s Pizza will host your fundraiser at one of their restaurants and donate a portion of the proceeds to your cause.  My favorite option however is the FUN-Raiser offered by Sweet Tomatoes, one of the greatest places on earth.  They will donate 20% of the proceeds to your organization and provide you with fliers to pass out to friends and family.
 
Supplementing your online fundraising with hosting one of these events is a great way to get friends and family together for your cause.  It’s also a great way to kick start your online fundraiser and build confidence going forward with your fundraiser.

Over the past year at GiveForward, we’ve seen that there are often a flurry of donations in the two or three days before a fundraiser ends.  This happens because donors feel a greater sense of urgency towards the end of a fundraiser.  In other words, all those people you have asked to donate and who have procrastinated for weeks (or months) often seem to get their act together right before the proverbial  buzzer.

To help maximize the amount of money you raise for your cause, you’ll want to make sure you reach out to all your procrastinating amigos and family members in the final days before your fundraiser ends.   Here’s what we suggest you do to finish your fundraiser with a surge of donations: read more…