Monday, May 4, 2009

Twitter: Stupid Or Historic? | The Agitator - Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

Twitter: Stupid Or Historic? | The Agitator - Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

Nonprofit news roundup May 4, 2009 | Philanthropy Journal

Nonprofit news roundup May 4, 2009 | Philanthropy Journal

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Consider this SMS approach as a fundraiser for your organization

See How Mobile Works for Starbucks

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Image via Wikipedia

Though it’s only in Mexico right now, Starbucks is planning to introduce 2D barcodes for mobile campaigns in the United States soon. That’s due to a 60% coupon redemption rate for their program in Mexico, a success rate we’d all like to experience.

Their campaign is designed to both reward existing customers and to bring new customers into the stores.

* Postcards are being handed out in malls, universities and retail outlets, with an invitation to text keyword STARBUCKS to 80080. This results in a text message with a barcode to “buy one get one free.”
* In-store signage with call-to-action to text VENTI to 80080 to receive various offers and product size upgrades.

The stores are equipped to read the coupons directly from the 2D codes on the customers’ cell phones. 80% of consumers in Mexico carry a cell phone, and the redemption rate is reported to be 60%. The two-pronged approach of rewarding loyal customers and attracting new ones is quite successful.

Each time a coupon is presented, the offer is modified, encouraging another store visit to redeem it. Consumers find it easy to participate, as they carry their cell phones anyway, so popping it out to get a free drink or product upgrade is hardly a deterrent. There is also a benefit in learning more about what their customers value, as the redemption rate for different products can also be tracked.

Just reading this, there are gears turning in marketing minds. How does their business and customer compare to Starbucks? Are there parallels, and can mobile barcode coupon marketing work for their business. Many will definitely see how to make it happen for their business. And, we’re here to help with everything it takes for success.

In tough economic times, moving marketing budget from 3% response rate methods to 50% or higher is not just smart, it’s necessary.

from http://cellforce.com/blog

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Topless Car Wash

I had to chuckle when I read this one because it strikes close to home. A couple of years ago four college coeds found themselves short of rent money, so they put on a real topless car wash. They made over $10,000 in a weekend before the authorities shut them down. It took some quick work on the part of the city council because there no laws on the books specifically forbidding topless car washes or being topless in public for that matter. Now it is definitely against the law, but it wasn't then. Anyway, here's a plan for a topless car wash spoof fundraiser. This is run just like a regular car wash. Advertise that it’s a “Topless” car wash and set up the car washing area behind a business where it can't be seen from the street. People will flock to it out of pure curiosity! Designated hunks and "hunketts" lure people to the car wash.  When the driver pulls into the wash area they find that a "Topless" car wash means 1) the bottom of the car is washed free but a donation of $X is required if they want the top washed; 2) the entire car is washed except for the roof for $X and for an additional $Y you wash the top; or 3) convertibles with the top down (topless) get a free wash! Pick the option you like best. Folks are generally pretty good natured and appreciate the ingenuity.

Get Creative with Twitter and other Social Media

Get Creative with Twitter and other Social Media

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Create a cadre of heroes to double your endowment

Here’s a wild idea for you to consider. Find some adventurous donors to become heroes with the express mission of doubling your endowment through systematic investments in the Forex market. Yes, the international foreign exchange money market can be extremely risky if you are not a skilled trader, and it would be totally irresponsible to risk the precious assets of a non-profit in this enterprise. However, it does not have to be risky if you have a tested, proven Expert Advisor and you use separate funds ear-marked for this purpose. The attractive feature of Forex trading is its high profit potential. Investments can often be doubled in a short time.

What is an Expert Advisor? This is a computer program operating on autopilot that looks for profitable trades, places orders, and stop losses for safety. The trick to successful trading is knowing when to exit , and that is what a good Expert Advisor will do for you when it places the initial order. The profit potential is staggering because a good robot will make money for you whether the market is going up or down. It is not unusual to double an investment in a matter of hours, but almost certainly within a month.

My recommendation is to get a “Hero” to contribute a certain amount to invest in the Forex market using an Expert Advisor. You could even get a group of “Heros” together for this purpose. Once the success has been established and the word gets out, people will probably prefer to be “Hero” investors rather than run of the mill contributors. The huge difference is that a regular contribution gets consumed and that’s the end of it. A “Hero” contribution sits there like a little robot continuing to generate residual cash flow, which is every fundraisers dream.

How to set up a “Hero” system

The first step is to create a Forex trading account with a reputable broker. You can easily find one through Google. Ones that I have used successfully include Forex.com, I-Trade FX, and ForexMeta.com. But there are oodles of others.

Next you must select a trading platform. I highly recommend MetaTrader because it is the most sophisticated and easiest to use. Besides that, you can download a mobile version to use on your phone so that you can track investments from anywhere at any time while you watch your positions soar.

The final step is to acquire an Expert Advisor program, download and install it. I have tested many of the ones available. The one I recommend most highly is Maestro. It is pure magic. Once it is in place, it operates seamlessly in the background making money while you sleep, all on autopilot. It is already optimized to eliminate the pesky and constant tweaking required by many other systems. It trades more currency pairs and operates on the time setting of your choice.

To obtain a copy of this program, simply go to http://tshphd.forexace.hop.clickbank.net. Yes it will be an initial expenditure of $197, but it will be the best investment your organization ever made. You could potentially turn a $10,000 investment into a $2,000,.000 endowment in a year or less. It comes with a 60 day money back guarantee so you risk nothing.

Rather than open a live account at first, I suggest that you open a demo account and trade it for a month or so until you see how the system works and you have confidence in the program. Then you can open a live account, fund it, and let Maestro orchestrate your trades.

Once this secret is out, I suspect that every board member will be testing it with an account of his or her own. It would be foolish not to put this powerful automaton tool to work for you on a personal level as well as for philanthropy.

This system promises to take fundraising to a whole new level in a depressed economy when every non-profit is hard-pressed and the philanthropic well is running dry.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Charities see donations drop as need spikes

CNN recently reported that non-profit entities are experiencing a severe drop in contributions in these dire economic times, which comes as no surprise. The article also reports an increase in volunteerism showing that people do have the instinct to serve and to give the best they can. To read the full article, go to http://tinyurl.com/agma7b.

It is a pity that more non-profits are not familiar with the OurGV fundraising method, which does not ask people for money and yet allows supporters to make a substantial financial contribution.

To find out more about this revolutionary highly effective system that creates a sustainable, residual income, visit www.ourgvrewards.com. To view a slideshow about the system, click on the link to the right.