Events with Benefits®

Latest Episodes:

Ep 22: Brian Grady - A Donor Company Perspective from Picaboo Jul 25, 2017

Show notes

Today's special guest is Brian Grady from online photo publishing service Picaboo, a for-profit company that sifts through countless donation requests each year. In this episode, Grady shares tips to make your request stand out from the pack and form mutually beneficial partnerships with corporate donors. We'll address:

Partnership success stories: How generous giving can help a for-profit company
What company partners wish nonprofits knew
How to make your request stand out
How they accept in-kind donation requests via DonationMatch.com

...and more!

For more information on Picaboo, including fundraising and thank-you cards, calendars, and photo books, visit https://www.picaboo.com
To see their Cards for Causes initiative (where 50% of customized holiday card purchases can go to your charity), visit https://www.picaboo.com/cards-for-causes
For more information on Picaboo yearbooks for your school, visit https://yearbooks.picaboo.com

Ep 21: Gretchen Kelly - Your Organization's Online Presence Jul 10, 2017

Show notes

Today's guest is Gretchen Kelly, Founder of VLink, who talks about helping PTA's, PTO's, and parent organizations with website creation and communications. Gretchen used her software development skills to solve her own frustrations about lost flyers and managing volunteers for her son and daughter's PTA as the Corresponding Secretary to build MyVLink. In this interview, she points out what she has observed and learned through working with organizations over the last 11 years about:

Saving money and time with the right online solution
Engaging busy volunteers and reducing turnover
Paying for your website (and more) with local ads
Easily-corrected mistakes you could be making on your website

...and more!

SPECIAL OFFER: Listeners of Events With Benefits® get their setup fee waived by entering promotion code podcast17 when signing up for any MyVLink subscription by September 30, 2017 (SAVE $99).

For more information on the MyVLink all-in-one communication hub for schools and parent organizations, visit myvlink.org

Ep 20: Michelle Boyer - Charity Compliance Jun 19, 2017

Show notes

Today's special guest is Michelle Boyer, President at Charity Compliance Solutions. In this episode, learn how your nonprofit can avoid legal troubles by getting registered in every state in which you solicit donations. Boyer draws on years of nonprofit registration and fundraising consultation experience to answer common questions like:

What is "charity compliance"?
How to get registered in a state (or better yet, all states) before soliciting
The consequences of unregistered active solicitation - including a "Donate Here" button on the website, email campaigns and more
Most common mistakes nonprofits make
How much it costs to get registered

...and more!

For more information on the services of Charity Compliance Solutions, visit http://www.charitycompliancesolutions.com or email michelle[at]charitycompliancesolutions.com

Ep 19: Jeff Dowler - Optimizing Donation Processing Jun 05, 2017

Show notes

Today's special guest is Jeff Dowler, CEO at Optimal Giving. In this episode, learn how your nonprofit can put even more of your supporters' donations toward your cause by avoiding credit card processing fees. Dowler draws on years of fundraising consultation experience to answer common questions like:

In terms of monthly donations, why do nonprofits need alternatives to credit cards?
What is an ACH payment?
How can direct withdrawal payments put more of my donors' gifts toward our programs and services?
How much money can we save?
How do direct debiting options affect the likelihood of monthly giving?

...and more!

For more information on Optimal Giving's services, visit http://optimalps.com or email jeff.dowler[at]optimalgiving.com

Ep 18: Janeal Ford, Fordable Freelance - Grants May 22, 2017

Show notes

Today's special guest is Janeal Ford, President at Fordable Freelance and professional fundraising consultant. In this episode, learn how better grant writing and fundraising education can help improve your results. Ford draws on 20 years of grant writing experience to share...

How beginners can get started with grant writing
What information you need to collect before asking for a grant
Top questions every grant application asks
How to find potential grant sources...and more!

For a limited time, Janeal is offering interested listeners the opportunity to request a FREE 30-45 minute "Fundraising Fundamentals" training for board members and staff. To request the free training, email Janeal[at]fordablefreelance.com. You can get more information on Fordable Freelance by visiting http://fordablefreelance.com

Ep 17: Melissa Merriam - BidPal Mobile Bidding May 08, 2017

Show notes

Today's special guest is Melissa Merriam, Area Director at fundraising technology provider BidPal. Melissa covers how fundraising and technology work together to raise more money at charity auctions, including...

Overview and history of mobile bidding technology
How fundraising technology allows you to facilitate donor relatoinships
Challenges surrounding mobile bidding (and how to overcome them)
Tips for better donor analytics
Which auction items go for much more than their retail value
Tips for stewarding event sponsorships using social media
Predictions for the future of charity auctions

To learn more about BidPal's services, visit https://www.bidpal.com/fundraising

Download their free eBook: http://info.bidpal.com/ewb-ebook

List of resources mentioned:

Non-Profit Pro
NTEN
Social Media Today
Your state's nonprofit center
Bidpal.com

Ep 16: Dan Dowling - Capital Campaigns May 01, 2017

Show notes

Today's special guest is Dan Dowling, Campaign Director with Willette, Dowling & Associates, CEO of Dubois Area YMCA, and a consultant helping nonprofits with fundraising growth and capital campaigns. Drawing from Dan's 32 years of nonprofit experience, you'll learn...

What a capital campaign is (hint: raising major funds for expansion)
The importance of pre-planning before starting a capital campaign
How small organizations can launch successful community-based campaigns
What a feasibility study is, and how to conduct one
Tips to establish relationships in the community

Be sure to stick around to the end for a great fundraising idea regarding estate and will/trust giving.

Finally, if you liked what you heard, Dowling is offering all listeners a FREE 15-minute consultation to provide professional direction for your fundraising efforts. Email dtdowling[at]comcast.net or call 814-590-2543.

Ep 15: Jeff Chang - Cause4Auction Apr 24, 2017

Show notes

Jeff Chang and business partner Howie Merrill are dads who wanted a better bidding and checkout experience at their children's school fundraisers. After waiting and hour and a half to leave one event, they set out to solve this problem by building the simplest and most affordable platform for smaller organizations to succeed.

The Cause4Auction platform enables:

Adding items, photos, descriptions to generate "item cards" with QR codes
Text alerts so bidders get the most opportunities to continue bidding when outbid
Keeping bidding active at events such as carnivals where participants are away from auction displays
Adding of last-minute items on the spot using any internet-accessible phone
Letting bidders check out on their own

Advice to Event Organizers:

If you're going paperless, cut your ties to paper bidding completely. Keeping both paper and mobile bidding results in twice the work.
Pre-register bidders before the event if possible (i.e. at school drop-offs and pick-ups), and make sure your software allows self-registration. Letting bidders register themselves during cocktail hours or once ready to place first bid removes the need to get in line to register. Door prizes for pre-registration can increase participation.
Don't close auction too early. Perhaps try closing your silent auction after the live auction; software can allow you to keep window of bidding open longer because checkout will not require as much time.
Market items prior to auction start. Promote by email, Facebook, Instagram, and other channels available to you. Introduce items throughout the week before, in waves of new items. Advertise live auction items through catalog to build buzz without allowing bidding.

Cause4Auction is available internationally. Use promo code "eventswithbenefits" for $25 OFF the signup fee!

Questions? Contact Jeff at info@cause4auction.com

Ep 14: Heath Hale - Wrangle More Bids For Live Auction Items Apr 17, 2017

Show notes

Today's special guest is Heath Hale, one of the best Benefit Auctioneer Specialists in the country. Together with his team of Cowboys, Hale raised over $9.3 Million and exceeded 100% of his nonprofit clients' fundraising goals in 2016. Today he shares his strategies for raising hundreds of thousands of dollars at his charity events, including...

Examples of thinking outside the box for exclusive auction lots
Tips to capture the second high bidder (or underbidder) competing for an item
How to market to the top tier of spenders in the room
The importance of messaging in pulling off a fund-a-need
Where to cut corners - and where to invest

...and much, much more! To find out if the Cowboys can help your organization take event day fundraising to the next level, visit www.cowboyauctioneer.com

Ep 13: Laurie Hochman - Auctria Apr 10, 2017

Show notes

Today's special guest is Laurie Hochman, Marketing Coordinator at fundraising auction software provider Auctria. As a former PTA President and Executive Board Member, Hochman shares multidimensional tips to boost auction revenue, including...

Overview of auction technology
Tips to sell more tickets and registrations
How to use Snapchat geofilters and Facebook ads for event promotion
The best way to expedite checkout at the end of the night

...and more! Best of all, all listeners are invited to request Auctria's FREE auction timeline and checklist to stay on track from day 1 to complete execution. Visit www.auctria.com for more information and to request your copy.

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