Fundraising “Boot-Camp”

It’s all about stretching the dollar when you host a fundraiser. Since you are not overburdened with wealth, I’m going to send you to Boot-Camp to show you how to combat the enemy, LACK OF FUNDS”.

Whether it’s an individual or an organization you need to pinch pennies for your overhead expenses. And always find products that will not cost you up-front money, P&H charges and printing charges without losing site of products that will make you 97.6% profit and up. This is called bootstrapping which means not seeking venture capital. If it is a church, don’t count on to much help from the collection plate or if you are an individual you might want help from friends and relatives if they are available. This goes back to my number one rule, get into a situation that you can get 30 days to pay with no interest to get your fundraiser off the ground.

The next step in the process is starting small. Get at least 10 helpers and get enough product to work 10 helpers to get the engine running. Don’t think you have to hit the big time right out of the gate. The key to starting on a slim budget is using your limited resources wisely.

Market Throught Media And Word Of Mouth. It’s one of the cheapest yet most effective ways to market your fundraiser, getting other people to do it for you. Seek out small local media outlets to begin with. This is the best vehicle you could ask for. They will be more than happy to give a helping hand.

When you pick your helpers, pick your helpers that are on fire and have a passion for helping. Dig a little deeper than just letting someone come on board that might be dead weight.

Negotiate for the best deals. I have found the best deal is getting the best bang for your buck using the web. I offer a free web-site that helps many fundraisers reach their goals. Inexpensive tools are the best way to go but don’t lose focus on products that generate the most capital.

Use a credit card or debt card wisely. If you go this route, be sure and get extra’s for your fundraiser. I offer if you use a credit card or debt card , 20% more product to help you off set any cost using a credit card or debit card for payment.

The bottom line is be consistant with whatever your raising money for and don’t go in with a defeated attitude. What you relay over to your giver can make them excited for you and want to give or not very interested in what you are raising money for.

Fundraising And “The Pie Lady”

Sweet Adie Pie’s will raise the money for Bethel Baptist Church Of White Rock Sports League.

The greatest dessert in the world is homemade pie’s in my opinion. I met the lady that reigns from upper state New York that was in dire need of raising $1500.00 to write a cookbook that was brought down through the years from here Great Grandmother. She contacted me to help her raise money and put it all together in the fundraising department selling her pie’s as a vehicle to raise the money. I introduced her to the 2 for 1 card which she would offer two pie’s for one price. She liked that idea but I still had to work an angle on getting the cards on the street for her to raise the money she needed. By the way she brought me a homemade chocolate pie laced with expresso coffee and it was just like grandma’s kitchen.

Now, Bethel Baptist Church Of White Rock started a youth basketball program for under privileged youth that could not afford any money for uniforms. If the kids were hit up for $25.00 for a uniform you might as well say $2500.00. That’s how bad it is for the kids to have an opportunity to play basketball. The church sits in an old area of Dallas,TX that at one time had a good upper class congregation but  it is not like that anymore. So I thought about the opportunity to connect the pie lady with the youth sports program and “kill two birds with one stone”. And it worked!! I met with both parties and the pie lady is going to use the 2 for 1 card and the church is going to buy the cards to sell for $10.00 and pocket $6.50 profit per card and the pie lady is going keep all the money for her pie’s. It’s a win win situation and the church is even going to let her use their kitchen to mass produce her pie’s.

Being in fundraising since 1979 and working with thousands of churches, I find that” where there is a will there is a way”.

Fundraising’s Greatest Little Secret

“COME ALONG MY BABY……WHOLE LOT OF SHAKIN’ GOING ON

AIN’T FAKIN   WHOLE LOT OF SHAKEN GOING ON”

Jerry Lee did not know that there is more to this song than just the words say. “AIN’T FAKIN”!

Well I’m not fakin either when I share the greatest little product that is working for many organizations right now. Baptist Churches-Youth Groups-Lions Clubs-Senior Citizens-Catholic Schools-Christian Academies and many more non-profits.

A personalized children’s CD. Now I know you are saying OH! That’s Not Nothing. I’ve heard of that the before. It’s not a secret.

Well, this is not a product like Veggie Tales. Don’t get me wrong about Veggie Tales, it has it’s place with small children. This CD is made for each child with his or her name entitled in the song. The song’s are real song’s that kids are into now. Eight songs of each genre of music. Rock-Country-Pop-R&B-Ballad-Gospel-MOR-Oldie’s.

Now the little secret I want to share with you is that it is done in my production studio with real musicians! Distributed by the largest distribution company out of Dallas,TX, Dallas Sounds.

And guess what is the greatest part of this story. The organization takes orders for this CD and when they have 10 CD orders sold, I split the money down the middle with the organization. They pocket $75.00 for 10 CD orders. So if the group sells 100 CD’s they make $750.00 right off the bat. OVER and OVER again.

NO MONEY UP FRONT. It’s a win win situation for a fundraiser. The kids love it because it’s up-to-date personalized, the parents love it because it is a keep-sake and the organization loves it because it did not cost them one red dime to make the money they need.

Now, you give me any feed back you want on this product that I have shared today with you, positive or negative. But I guarantee you won’t find a negative problem with a fundraising product like this one.

HAPPY TRIALS!

Fundraising “Will Fix It”

AIN’T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH……AIN’T NO VALLEY LOW ENOUGH…….

What a great line that means so very much.

Back in 2007, in Mansfield,TX the food bank was torched down to the ground. It was a terrible thing to do to such a great helping hand situation.

I just recently got a call from the veterans out of Caddo Mills,TX needing help to replace the electrical wiring in the building that has been rebuilt by them. The gentlemen I spoke with was very nice and needed a fundraiser that would raise them about $20,000.00

I suggested the Spinner which has worked a million times in a situation like this. I asked how many folks he had to help and he thought at least 20. So I got them 20 Spinners to kick it off and as I’m writing this blog they are raising the money for the electical work to be down, so the food bank will re-open again. Also, they are going to purchased a stack of Scratch and Help cards which will add to their earnings for the food bank.

I’m just glad as can be that I can come to the rescue in helping people that are in need reach their goals in raising the money that is needed. 

Shiloh Terrace Baptist Church in Dallas, TX  is the next great story I have to share.

I spoke to the youth director a few days ago and ask him if they were raising money with the Spinner that I hooked them up with to send their kids to Honduras on a mission trip.

He said that money is coming in and the Spinner is what is doing it. They are preparing to leave in July for the trip.

Another great situation that I can say that I helped through the products that I offer at my workshops.

Fundraising With Professional Wrestling

WE WILL WE WILL ROCK YOU…….WE WILL WE WILL ROCK YOU!

Remember that song be Queen?

Well, this Blog is going to take you way outside the box and show you how Professional Christian Wrestling can bring your organization out of the red into the black.

I’m going to give you a little background first on myself knowing about the wrestling world before I give you the TIP of your life for your group to know how to do it. But now if you don’t want to step out of the box and try something different, then I can’t HELP you and that’s what I’m all about is helping groups raise the money they need.

Being raised in a musical family with a mother that was a blues singer from Kansas City, MO, I was destined to go into to show business. My all time idol growing up was Al Jolson. He put on a show! I took piano lessons everyday of the week and my mother taught me how to sing but I wanted to be an Entertainer. My Grandfather took me to the wrestling matches here in Dallas,TX and man I saw some of the greats. Fritz Von Erich, Bull Curry, Danny McShain and many others. They would come out in their costumes and prance around and give the crowd a show. Man I knew I wanted to be an Entertainer in the music business for sure.

My first show was in Grand Prairie, TX at the Hi-Ho Ballroom opening up for the Drifters in 1959. Man the show they put on with their show costumes was the next step in my show business career.

I continued staying up with Professional Wrestling and started meeting the big names in the Wrestling world. I figured out that many of them were guys that started out in music and they really enjoyed being around musicians and entertainers like myself.

The first wrestler that I became to know as a great friend and still is today was a black wrestler that billed himself out of Detroit, Michigan, Tom Jones. Tom was looking for a place to stay and I got him an apartment out in Plano, TX at the Springbrook apartments. I was on the road and he was in and out of town but there would be some nights we would hook up and I would go with him to the matches and I would set in the back and see the mechanics of how it was run. Then the Von Erich boys were wrestling along with the One Man Gang, Jake The Snake, Bruser Brody and many others.

I met Kenny Mantle who was the Junior Heavy Weight Champion who had a brother out of the west coast that was coming out of baseball into pro wrestling by the name of Johnny Mantle. Johnny introduced me to Red Bastien, Steve Parde(who lived with me), Chic Donavan, The Freebirds, The RocknRoll Express, Killer Tim Brooks,Tony Russo, Hulk Hogan,Rick Flair,Billy Graham(not the preacher) and many others. I was learning the ropes of how wrestling was promoted by being around the wrestlers.

Then in the 70’s I was performing at a club called Fannie Anne’s here in Dallas and I asked my neighbor who was a professional wrestler to come out to the show. He did and was amazed how easy it was for me to perform in front of a big crowd and talked me into getting into professional wrestling as a manager and managing him. So I did and went on TV up north  with Pretty Boy Larry Sharpe. We were called Little Anthony Love and Pretty Boy Larry Sharpe. Then I met King Kong Bundy who became a great friend and lived with me here in Dallas, TX. Went to do TV in Houston at Gilley’s with Bam Bam Bigalow and made many TV appearances with Bam Bam as well as Pretty Boy Larry Sharpe.

In the 90’s I became the announcer for Johnny Mantle’s TV wrestling shows out of the Dallas, TX area. That was pretty crazy because with my night club humor and Mantle’s insanness, we went at it at the annoucers table each show.

I have associated with professional wrestlers all my life and am the only non wrestler that is invited to the wrestler banquet every year here in Dallas,TX. I met Mark Von Erich at one of these get togethers and he heard that I promoted Christian artists and he just happen to have a Christian wrestling organization that wrestled at many different events and wondered if I could help him come up with a Von Erich style song that was a Christian genre song to enter the ring. I did ! One of my writers on the west coast wrote one called “Carry Our Cross” and “Open The Door” which is an alter call song. 

Now comes the SECRET I’m going to share with you on how to get a Christian Wrestling show to help you raise money for your organization. First I work with Mark Von Erich as of today with his fundraising needs. He likes the SPINNER that makes his wrestling alliance big money at the T-shirt table and he likes the SCRATCH and HELP card that he uses also at the T-shirt table. Mark uses the FREE Web-site that you have heard me talk about in the past  www.PromoFundraising.com/Go3711

Now here comes the best part of this article. I can get Mark Von Erich for your organization, if you would like. All you got to do is contact me through this blog and leave me all the information I need to contact you back.

Mark Von Erich will bring everything anywhere but you will have to have money up-front to pay for the set-up. NOW YOU ASK HOW AM I GOING TO PAY FOR ANYTHING UP FRONT WHEN WE ARE TRYING TO RAISE MONEY??? I’m glad you asked because Mark would tell you to set-up a fundraiser using the SPINNER, SCRATCH and HELP and the FREE web-site to raise the start-up money to bring a Christian Wrestling show to your organization. Mark will split the proceeds of the gate and refreshments and with a packed house you will make your money back that you had to raise(not out of your pocket) plus a huge profit. Bring a lot of FUN and make an impact on the community. By the way Mark Von Erich is an ordained minister and helps many young folks get their heads on straight.

Well folks that’s the way it’s done! If you would like more on this idea of using a Christian Professional Wrestling Event to raise money that you need, contact me!

Until the next blog, Happy Trails!

 

Fundraising Using A Music Venue

YOU KNOW THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE……BUT YOU CAN GIVE THEM TO THE BIRDS AND BEE’S….

I WANT MONEY (THAT’S WHAT I WANT) I WANT MONEY (THAT’S WHAT I WANT) I WANT MON EY   MON  E Y MON  EY    THAT’S WHAT I WANT!

Do you remember that song? If you are a baby boomer like I am you would or into the retro thing, you have heard it.

Well, this topic I know about. I have been in music promotions for almost 50 years. Have traveled to 42 states for 21 years, promoted for Star Search for 7 almost 8 years and am presently promoting Christian talent for radio and national air play.

Taking all of this into consideration, I’m going to show you how to apply a music venue for your fundraiser. This will be the first of several series on music to raise money for your needs.

Let’s first look at your building venue. You must be able to hold at least 200 people. You know way back in the late 70’s I lost my mind for awhile and put a heavy metal band together. Well the first place that we got to debut our heavy metal rock show was a “United Methodist Church” in the sanctuary none other. The youth department needed to raise money for camp and I went in the church sanctuary with flash pots and fire boxes and light the place up. Needless to say we did raise the money for the entire youth department to go to camp.

I don’t mean to get that drastic but you need a community hall that will have a stage, a great sound system, lighting and especially some folks that can run it. Seating should be comfortable. You should appoint a stage manager with grips(people to move bands off and on). Also, have a committee to handle all the promotions, getting the groups, setting up all the outside promotions and putting the in-house needs together.

You need to have three groups at least. Try to please different age groups with music. I have found that in my experience of almost 50 years to have 3 to 4 times the amount of your seating in tickets printed up with the groups names on the tickets. Work out a deal with a printer to have his name printed on the back as a barter for him donating the printed tickets. These tickets should be given to all the band members, every member of your organization and any merchant in town that will want FREE advertising at the concert. The merchants can put up banners to promote their business, pass out flyers and even speak between the set-ups of the groups. These tickets are at a discount price of $15.00. $5.00 off the door price.

Now let’s say you need to raise $10,000. You seat 200 people at $15.00 per ticket. That comes to $3,000, not including what you will get at full price at the door. So let’s add another $500.00. Well you still need $6,500.00. Now your concession stand comes into play. Refreshments could bring you in another $1,000. Now you are at $5,500.00. Well we have a t-shirt table with the church name or organizations name printed on them. Work out a 60/40 deal with the local merchants to sell their t-shirts also. $15.00 each. You sell a 100. Brings in about $1500.00 or more. Now you need another $4,000.00. Now comes the best item I offer in this pretty little picture of you reaching your goals. “The Spinner” at the t-shirt table. Each Spinner will raise $200.00 to $400.00 instantly. 10 Spinners will bring in the rest of the money that you need. Give out a printed brochure with the FREE Web-Site on it at: www.PromoFundraising.com/Go3711  and that gives you the insurance that you need to have all the money you need.

Let’s top it off with asking a local Celebrity or well known media person to give his or her time to make an appearance to either speak or just show up. Get newspaper coverage and radio and television to give you a little publicity about your concert with a special appearance from………. and that will add more fuel to the fire for your fundraiser.

I worked with Denver Pyle on fundraisers. Also, when I performed on the Feed the Children’s show, many show biz personalities besides myself appeared on the show to help Feed The Children raise the money they needed.

This is a general brake down of how to do it with music and can be adjusted to fit your situation.

If you have had any experiences using music to raise money and would like to share your experiences with me, please do!

More to come using music to raise money and I’m going to give you a real treat. The how to’s of using a professional wrestling event for a fundraiser.

Little Anthony

Fundraising With Cookbooks

I’m going to start you out with the easiest cookbook ever for your church group or youth group. I only direct my instruction in my blogs to church organizations but can be adapted to all non-profits.

The easiest to start out with is a recipe card pack. You need at least 50 recipes. Get you some index cards that are four to a page for your computer that are perfortated that you can type on back and front. You can number the recipes. Once you get them typed, then laminate four to six cards, cut them out and put them in a plastic card file. Custom make you a sticker to go on the file case. It can be a logo if you would like.

The most effective is to have the youth make all desserts for the youth group to sell. Make only a few samples of your recipe card packs to show to take orders with. 

If the adults want to use this item to make money, then the recipes should be all styles for all tastes.

There should not be a problem making 70 to 80% profit. Now if you want to kick it up a step, then you contact any retail merchant that deals with anything to do with food. Give them a 30% cut, put your products on the shelf with a “because’ statement for your fundraiser. Then this can work all year round.

Sort of the same concept applies to putting a cookbook together. I have found at least 100 recipes works well. Have everyone in the church contribute their own personal recipes. Each recipe should have the contibutor’s name on each recipe.  The pages can be used with half pages, back and front. They need to be neatly typed and when completed, taken to Kinko’s, Office Depot and spiral bound. You can put them in sections for each style of food but not required to be successful.

Same concept. Put an order form together. Take orders. Work out a 70/30 %deal with merchants and put products on the shelves.

Now, contact media: newspaper, television and radio in your area. Reach anyone in these groups that have anything to do with food. Get interviews on radio or television about your cookbook or recipe packs and your fundraiser. Contact the person that writes food articles for the local newspaper and when you introduce your new product to your church, invite these editors to endorse your new product. Get one endorsement and your on your way making lots of money for your group.

I suggest that you increase your profit using your cookbook or recipe pack from 70% profit to 100% profit using the FREE Web-site that I offer at all my speaking events    This will add the icing on the cake and you will be surprised.

Also, keep in mind you can put your cookbook or recipe pack on the net. E-bay, get you a blog like this one or for $3.00/$4.00 a month you can get you a web-site. I have many sources that I direct people to that attend my speaking events.

But if a church or youth group says this seems like a lot of work, my answer is “Your fundraiser for your needs can only work if you work at it”.

Fundraising On A Shoe String

You know today I went to a garage sale. As I was looking through their items for sale, I saw one of the children sitting by a little table with a box of the World’s Finest Chocolate. I ask what the candy was for. Their mom said they were selling it for a church mission trip. I asked how it was working. She replied not to good.

Now this brings me to a point I have touched on in my other blogs. Perishables don’t work if your trying to raise a lot of money. 50% profit is about it. It was a semi hot day so you know the chocolate was getting a little soft and if they keep moving it from hot to cold, the candy will not stay in good shape.

It costs a lot of money to buy the candy up-front, P&H charges and not to mention what you don’t sell, it’s a done deal. To me not a good investment when you need a big amount of money for a mission trip.

When I speak at events to an open minded church group that realizes that they need to come out of the box to meet their financial needs, the first thing I mention is NO MONEY UP FRONT, NO INTEREST ON A 30 DAY ACCOUNT, NO SHIPPING CHARGES, NO LOGO PRINTING CHARGES AND The FREE WEB-SITE  www.PromoFundraising.com/Go3711. Not to mention I will personally give them a 24/7 consultation on any problems they have pertaining to their fundraiser FREE! Give the top person that brings in the most money FREE passes to any amusement park in their area which will be over $50.00.

Just remember that the candy story falls under the category that the majority of the money goes to the company that gives you this “fundraising opportunity”. I teach that the products I introduce make you 97.6% profit and can get you started on a shoe string and with the Free Web-Site, piggy backed with any other items being used, it will pump your profit up to 100%.

Remember candles and trinkets will only make you 33% profit. Avoid selling someone else’s products. Fruitcakes make only 30% profit. Cookie dough 50%.

Start a church newsletter that will be able to be used for a weekly up-date on your fundraiser. That will help keep your church motivated to know what is going on every 7 days.

I offer two companies that will buy old cell phones by the truck load. I offer so many products that can piggy back with the other products I introduce that you will raise money quicker and easier than you have ever imagined.

3 Quick Things To Remember For A Successful Fundraiser!

1. Senior citizens get their Social Security checks on the third of the month.

2. Salaried workers usually get paid twice a month.

3. Ask students at the beginning of their new term and when they get their scholarship checks, they will be good to go.

My next blog will cover a fundraiser using a cookbook completely put together from your church group, economically and not only sold through the church but marketed to retail outlets. Profits should be as high as 80%.

Three Important Points For A Fundraiser

1. If your need isn’t communicated clearly and concisely, it will not be understood and internalized as a deserving cause by your prospective supporters.
2. If your member’s of your group don’t understand your group needs, then they won’t have the drive to meet the needs of your group.
3. If your need isn’t general knowledge in your community, then your fundraising job will be that much harder.

Community Awareness
Get the word out and make sure the message gets through to the community exactly what your group is doing to raise funds.

Just to put it simply,
If people believe your need is for a good cause and is in agreement with the value proposition of your offering, they will help you with a donation.
A value proposition is a summation of your offering, combining with a reminder of your need, that’s expressed in a way that informs each prospective supporter of what’s in it for them, which will be the gift of giving.
The prospect needs to be aware of your needs, be linked to it on an emotional level and be in agreement that your offer has a real value in it for them to give to your group which again goes to the value of giving.

The Essence Of Fundraising

Getting your need and what you are offering to as many potential supporters as possible.
I always suggest setting up in malls, Wal-marts, eating places like Sonic, Arby’s and any high traffic area. As long as you can prove your position as a liable fundraiser on paper, nine times of of ten you will get permission to set up in places like these.

Another strong point is take the time to develope short sentence statements so you don’t confuse the giver and you don’t make it look like you are running a scam for money.

If you will work with your group and group leaders will work together with the group on basic value statements when they talk to prospective supporters you will tripple any other profits of your past fundraisers and hit the mark of your needs financially and let’s face it “that’s the bottom line”

Your church group should read Revelation 3 to see what God says about half way results.

Action Steps For A Fundraiser

Brake the steps down that will produce the highest level of results with the most cost effective effort and products.

If your fundraiser is for the youth, team leaders should step in to help the youth understand their roles in taking action to execute their mission flawlessly.

If they can’t articulate in two sentences or less a convincing reason why they are raising funds, then you as team leaders need a plan that helps communicate your message more effectively.

Again staying focused comes into play.

Work smart and set a good daily pace. Don’t overburden anyone, but go with your goals and with-in 3 weeks, at least 20 helpers and the products I present at my workshops, your fundraiser can make at least $5,000-Guaranteed! And NO MONEY UP FRONT!

When you keep everyone motivated and fresh and have a well thought out plan for your leaders and your helpers, $5,000 will not be a problem with-in 3 weeks. Along with the FREE web-site www.PromoFundraising.com/Go3711 your fundraiser will be successful.

Rehearse and be aware!

1. Can your needs be expressed in two-sentences?

2. Has everyone memorized those sentences?

3. Is expressing your need a part of your approach?

Randomly ask individuals to tell you and your leaders why the group is raising money. You will be surprised at some of the answers. 50% of most groups fall into this catagory.