GiveForward

Thanks to all of our amazing Giveasauruses (Giveasauri?) we have officially hit our $4million mark.  That means that over 49,000 donations have been made by people just like you.

These donations have changed lives and helped people cope with everything from an unexpected cancer diagnosis to rebuilding after a fire.  So we want to take a moment to say a big GiveForward THANK YOU to everyone who takes a little time every day to give.  It is donors like the Quinn Family, who made the $4millon donation to the fundraiser “Help Support Margie Bersterman” that are changing the world one dollar at a time.

Way to go, Giveasauruses; you are all rockstars!!

Yesterday, our very own co-founder and second banana Ethan Austin was interviewed on Blog Business World by blogger Wayne Hurlbert. Blog Business World focuses on business, marketing, public relations, and SEO search engine optimization for successful entrepreneurs, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it! Check out the interview below or at the original site to find out Ethan’s thoughts on GiveForward’s philosophy and future!

____________________________

Ethan Austin: GiveForward.org – Interview

Co-founder and Second Banana of the personal and community fundraising site www.GiveForward.org, Ethan Austin, who along with colleague Desiree Vargas, was kind enough to take the time to answer some questions about their grassroots organization.

Thanks to Ethan Austin, Desiree Vargas, GiveFoward.org, and their representatives for their assistance and their time.

What is the mission of GiveForward, and how does the organization help fundraising efforts?

Ethan Austin: Our goal is to provide a simple and effective way for people over the world to contribute financially to a loved one’s recovery from illnesses like cancer. We do this by giving users free, personal fundraising pages where friends and family can donate online with their credit cards to help defray loved ones’ medical, living and travel expenses not covered by insurance.

What sort of help does GiveForward provide for fundraisers large or small?

Ethan Austin: Whether we’re helping a large non-profit organization or a first-time fundraiser raising money for her sister’s chemo treatments, we try to inject as much humanity and compassion as possible into each user’s experience. Sometimes that may mean writing a press release or calling up a local newspaper to help a fundraiser get some media attention. Other times it may mean recommending a cancer support organization to an individual to help with the emotional aspects of cancer entirely outside of the fundraising realm.

Can GiveForward assist someone creating a page for one person even if that person is not part of a larger organization?

Ethan Austin: Definitely. In fact, more than 80% of the fundraisers on the site are for individuals battling illnesses like cancer.

Ethan Austin (photo left)

What other types of online support is provided by GiveForward when a site is created to ensure its success, especially if the person has no previous fundraising experience?

Ethan Austin: We take great pride in being very hands on about teaching people how to fundraise effectively. We send out an email to each new user when they sign up for the site that directs them to our fundraising blog with lots of tip and strategies. We also have two fundraising coaches on staff whose primary responsibilities are to help teach our users how to be more successful fundraisers. Fundraising isn’t the easiest thing in the world, but when people use our tips, they generally succeed.

Could you provide some examples of successful fundraising efforts that has the assistance and guidance of GiveForward?

Ethan Austin: Last year a young woman was raising money for her sister’s kidney transplant and asked for our help. We came up with the idea to do a 24-hour Facebook Awareness campaign for them where people “donated” their Facebook status message for a day. Thousands of people ended up visiting their fundraising page, making it go “viral”. In the end, the sisters ended up raising over $31,000 and were able to get a life saving kidney transplant. www.giveforward.org/jess

More recently, the organizer of a fundraiser for a young father with renal cancer emailed us because they had reached their $10,000 target so quickly and asked if it was appropriate to increase their goal. We told them it was definitely appropriate and drafted the language they used to email their friends and family notifying them of the change. Just five days after they increased the goal, they had raised an additional $15,000 for his treatment! www.giveforward.org/johan

It appears from the GiveForward website that even one person can make an important contribution toward creating a better world and helping others. Is that a core belief that is held by GiveForward?

Ethan Austin: Definitely. Our whole philosophy is that one person may not be able to change the world all by herself. But each person does have the ability to change someone’s world. For instance, we had a user who once received a $3 donation and a $1000 donation in the same day for her multiple sclerosis treatment. She later told us that the $3 donation meant more to her than the $1000 donation because the woman it came from was actually in worse financial shape than she was. To be sure, the generosity of our community never ceases to amaze us!

What is the first step a person should take toward setting up a fundraising site with GiveForward?

Ethan Austin: Go to www.GiveForward.org and click the green button that says “start fundraising”. It’s a pretty simple process. We like to say that if you can send an email, you can set up a fundraising page.

What is next for GiveForward and what does the future hold for the organization?

Ethan Austin: 2010 is all about partnerships for us. Since the new year, we’ve partnered with a lot of great cancer organizations like the Colon Cancer Alliance, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation and the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. Our goal is to continue partnering with non-profit health organizations and hospitals to spread word to patients and families who could benefit from our services.

Tags: GiveForward.org, Ethan Austin, Desiree Vargas, fundraising, interviews.

Labels: interviews

One fundraising strategy that many of our users have found really successful is offering prizes to their donors to create a little extra incentive to donate.   Often times, this can be great way to reel in potential donors who are sitting on the fence about donating. (i.e. those people who may have overlooked your emails in the past or may not have donated otherwise).

Although you many think this tactic too closely teeters on the border of bribing, the reality is that in most successful fundraisers, people donate for a number of different reasons. Sometimes people donate because they feel really connected to your cause. Sometimes they donate just because they want to support you as a friend. And then other times, people donate because they want to win a prize.

If it helps, think about it this way: you are fundraising for a great cause, your friends want to help you reach your goal, and someone along the way gets an iPod, gift card, etc.  I’d say it’s a win-win-win situation all around!

So, here’s how to create your promotion:

• Inform your contact list: Send out an initial email/Facebook message to your contact list informing them that anyone who donates over a certain amount will be entered into a raffle for an ipod or any cool thing you have lying around the house (autographed tissue, extra pair of moon-shoes, just a couple examples).  Make sure to follow up with subsequent reminders as the promotion moves along to keep people interested.

• Create a sense of urgency. People are more likely to donate when there is a sense of urgency, so to help get donations coming in you should structure your promotion within a short time frame or on a first come first serve basis.
• Time period: Anyone who donates within a certain time period (e.g. two weeks) is entered into a raffle to win the prize
• First come, first serve: The first X amount of people that donate (e.g. first 25 or first 50) will be entered to win the prize.

Timing of the campaign

• As far as when to begin such a campaign, it’s probably best to wait until your first or second round of donors have made donations- this being your closest friends and family first, then all your other circles of friends, co-workers, former dog-walkers, etc.  When the donations start to slow down and you think you have received all the donations you will get from these people (like when you know its time to take the bag of popcorn out of the microwave because there are 5 seconds between each POP), it’s a great time to start this little campaign.

Remember to have fun with it.

• The strategy above is just one example. But there are many ways to go about implementing a prize promotion and you will have to find a way for it to fit your fundraiser and personalize it.  If you’re real hard up for an idea or the funds to back up a good prize, simply offer your services.  If you’re a great photographer, offer to do a family photo shoot for free; maybe an oil change if you’re mechanically inclined, or something as simple as an extra hand around the house.  Be creative and make it work for your fundraiser and your friends.  You never know who will turn around and surprise you.

**Please note: Each state has different rules regarding raffles, so please check your state’s regulations on fundraising raffles before you decide to do this. GiveForward is not a non-profit organization and does not hold responsibility for individual raffles.

One good way to boost your fundraising totals is to get your story into the press.

Here’s how:

Prepare a short email with background information on why you are fundraising and make sure to include the link to your GiveForward personal fundraising page, as well as your contact information.

Once you’ve prepared the email, call up your local newspaper, radio or TV station and tell them you are fundraising for a good cause and that you would appreciate if they could help you out.

Tell them your story on the phone and then ask if you can send them a little more info in an email so they can pass it along to the appropriate editors.  

Usually, this is all it takes.  If you ask nicely, most local newspapers will do a story on your fundraising efforts. read more…

When you are fundraising, the great majority of your donations come from family, friends and friends of friends so it’s up to you to promote the heck out of your project.  Mostly you’re going to promote your fundraising page through emails, a Facebook group if you’ve created one and perhaps even the good old fashion way of face to face interaction.

But what do you do in those rare moments when you are not emailing/calling/facebooking the world to let them know about your awesome fundraising efforts?  Well, you should keep the fact that you are fundraising for a good cause at the forefront of your friends’ minds by adding your fundraising page’s link to your Facebook, Gchat, or AIM status message.

read more…