So you have decided on fundraising discount cards, now what?

This article will give you a brief overview of what it will take to have a successful fundraising discount cards. You most likely will need detailed step by step instructions as you go through your campaign. For this reason it is absolutely vital to choose a company that continues customer service even after the cards are ordered. This brings us to the most important step, choosing a full service fundraising discount card company.

Choosing a full service fundraising discount cards company.
When choosing a card company for your fundraiser there are many items you will want to take into consideration. Most importantly; will the card company get the merchants for your fundraiser card or do they expect you to do the hard work? Getting the merchants takes a bit of skill, if you tried and the merchants aren’t popular or are not offering great deals then the value of the card won’t be as great. A company that SPECIALIZES in fundraising discount cards will be able to gain popular merchants in your area and negotiate great deals. This increases the value of the card and makes them easy to sell. Additionally, gaining the merchants takes a lot of time, between your regular life and volunteering your time, you have enough to do, so leave this up to the professionals. The quality and feel of the card is of utmost importance, a card made of credit card stock with your logo and colors will have a much greater value and will be easier to sell than a generic thin paper card would be. Additionally, make sure support does not end after the order is placed, whether this is your first fundraiser or you are a pro, the experts can give you great tips.

Selecting the optimal number of cards
With most companies you will be able to place quick reorders, this gives you the chance to be conservative with your numbers, but don’t be too cautious!  If you were to order 1,000 cards at $2 each your cost would be $2,000 and selling them would raise $8,000. This great but what if you could have sold 1,500 cards? If you had ordered 2,000 for $1.50 and you sold only 1300 your cost would have been $3,000 but your profit would have been $10,000, even throwing 700 cards in the garbage your group would have raised more funds. If you have a bunch of cards left you can always have a “secondary” campaign to raise even more. With large groups you will want to order 5 to 7 cards per participant (remember if there is a price break you might want to go over that a little). With a small group you can increase the numbers because you will be able to work more effectively towards a common goal. With a 15 person group the local grocer might let you sell cards at their entrance. Greater traffic means more sales.

Creating an incentive for greater sales
The children and parents must have a specific reason for the fundraiser.  “Just to raise money” does not give anyone a reason to put themselves out to sell the cards. However if the fundraiser is specifically to “get new uniforms” or “Pay transportation so the band can march in the Macy’s day parade or compete at Disney” or “buy a concession stand”, you will get much greater results. People want to be part of a cause. If Christopher Columbus had just wanted to go sailing, would he have gotten the funding for a trip that made him world famous? Secondly, motivate the participants by offering a prize, like a Wii or bike to the top seller. The better the prize, the greater the effort.  Think about it, if you could win a brand new car by selling the most Fundraising Discount Cards how much effort would you make? For obvious financial reasons the prize can not be a car. But what if the prize for your little league fundraiser was two tickets to a sold out professional base ball game? How motivated your peewee football team be if they were competing for an autographed football by an all-star from your local NFL team? Be original and work towards a prize that will be the most motivating to your group.

How to distribute the cards
If you have a registration or start to a season or an event where you collect money, the cards should be set up as a “pay to play” sort of situation where everyone pays for their cards in advance of selling them. With a “pay to play” set up you will want to give each person a reduced number of cards (5 is fair) as you do not want to prevent anyone from joining your organization because of the cost. You will want to offer the availability to take more cards without paying for them to try to win the top prize. However, you will want to limit the number of cards given out as extras to avoid fraud and underselling. Give them a number of times that they can turn money in for extra cards, then get more cards to sell. If your organization does not have a formal start or registration, like a church or highschool marching band or you just got a late start, you will want to distribute cards and set a specific date the money is required back in, again extra cards can be gained from turning in money from previous card sales. In general you do not want distribution of cards and money to go through many hands, there should be one or two people that are in charge and allowed to hand out cards and collect money. Don’t give out 100 cards to a coach to distribute to their team and collect the money. They signed up to coach or teach and they are already volunteering for your organization, additionally if they are not motivated or believe in “the cause” the results from that 100 cards will not be as great.

Tracking your progress
If cards are given out in a prepaid distribution (pay to play) you will not need to keep track of those particular cards, and the accounting of the money will be very easy, multiply the number of registrants times your required up front money. In a prepaid distribution tracking need be done ONLY on additional/extra cards. The person(s) in charge of the fundraiser or their assistant will want to track the number of cards that are out for which money has not been received and also the money that has been received. At the very least all remaining cards or money for the cards needs to be turned in before the set deadline. You will find on “turn in day” many will have “lost their cards” or “forgotten them at home” (the old, “dog ate my homework routine”) In these cases you should ask them to pay for the cards and reimburse themselves when they sell them, most people are ok with that, (Note: make sure not to push too hard as some might have some financial hardships). Even if they try to turn in unused cards, remind them of the importance of the fundraiser and the reason for it, then ask them to write a check for the $50 rather than turning in the 5 cards, then they can sell the cards and keep the money.

Fundraising discount cards can be a very easy and profitable way to raise funds for your organization. Once you have a system in place, with help from your card provider, it will run smoothly. You may even decide to swear off other types of fundraisers for your organization.

Mark South
http://www.easyfundraisingcards.com

Raising money can involve a lot more work and preparation than you imagine; from determining who will be involved to deciding when, where and even doing some cooking or sewing, there is a great deal to think about.  Not only that, you have to decide whether the method you are considering is really all that profitable for the work involved.  With fundraising cards, there is very little work or preparation involved; you simply offer the cards to consumers, then exchange money and card if the customer decides to buy.  That is another aspect of these cards that is extremely positive – most customers DO buy, not only because they are supporting your cause but because they are getting a fantastic deal.

Fundraising cards offer tremendous value to the customer which is essential in the present economic conditions.  Discounts and other offers allow the customer to save a substantial amount of money on products and services they use every day such as haircuts, flowers, family activities, oil changes, and dining out.  Who wouldn’t like to save money when they go to the hairdresser, or get a great discount on bowling or a movie on family night?  Fundraising cards offer incredible value, and customers can easily see that.  Since the cards sell for only $10, it’s an easy sell that is extremely profitable for your project, and customers realize that the amount of money they will save for the life of the card will well exceed the money they spend.

With most fundraising activities you can expect to raise several hundred dollars, which is no drop in the bucket; with fundraising cards, your profits increase dramatically.  Imagine raising thousands of dollars for your project in just a week or two, compared with hundreds of dollars when you go with other fundraising options!  When you think about it, there is no reason why you shouldn’t include fundraising cards in your efforts to raise money, whether you also include other activities or use them on their own.  Today, many organizations choose this item as their fundraising item of choice, simply because they benefit and support the community in their own back yard.

How do fundraising cards help support your local community?  The merchants who participate are usually those in your own neighborhood.  This means new customers and increased business for these merchants, which essentially keeps most of the money spent in your own area.  It’s beneficial economically for your own neighborhood, and the value to the customer is genuine.  Can you think of any other product or activity that benefits the community as a whole as well as this does?

Whether you have a very small group who will be participating in your next event to raise money or an unusually large group, you can depend on fundraising cards to offer real value and exceptional profits.  They’re great on their own, but combine them with other activities and you will blow the roof off with your efforts!

Mark South
Easy Fundraising Cards

What makes this item superior to other methods you have used to raise funds for your project?  There is no order-taking involved, no boxes to lug around, no catalog orders to keep up with (and then deliver) and practically no planning.  They are also hugely popular with consumers, who want to save every dime they can in economic times like we are experiencing today.  Spirit cards offer amazing profits, and depending on how many you sell or how many in your group will be participating, the profits just keep rising!

Planning a fundraiser can take a huge amount of work, and it can be discouraging if the money you raise isn’t all that substantial compared to the effort you put in.  Spirit cards require very little effort; in fact, the merchant you buy the cards from do the majority of the work for you!  They will contact your local merchants in order to secure their participation, print the cards up with your organization name or logo on the front, and ship them to you in a matter of days.  Merchants are usually very willing to participate, as spirit cards help them attract new business and gain more business from existing customers through the offers on the cards.

What kind of profits can you expect if you choose spirit cards to raise the money you need?  It all depends on how many are participating, and how many you expect to sell.  One person can usually sell 10 to 20 cards; if you have 50 participating in your group, that means 500 to 1000 sales!  What this means to you is that if you sell 500 cards, your profit margin is 70%, which translates to $3,500.  Sell 1000 cards and your profit margin rises to 100%, which means you make $10,000!  It really is easy to see why these cards remain and have always been one of the top ways to raise funds for any need you may have.  Even with a very small group, sell 250 cards and you have made $1,250 – how many other fundraising methods have you tried that produced results like that?

The great thing about spirit cards is that your community is supported in so many ways.  First of all, the customer recognizes real value; after all, how many times do you spend money for something that is going to put more money in your pocket over time?  Additionally, the customer knows that not only are they supporting the needs of your church, school or non-profit organization, they are supporting their own local merchants which is good for the economy.  No matter how you look at it, it’s just a good deal from every angle.

How many more times are you going to hold a bake sale, car wash, or sell candy bars or cookie dough?  While these are great for raising the money you need, the bottom line is how much money you make and how much effort is involved.  Spirit cards are a great addition to the activities you already participate in to raise funds, or work great all on their own.  Try them out next time you need to raise money for new band uniforms or a youth group mission trip and you will be convinced of just how well they work.

Mark South
Easy Fundraising Cards

There are many reasons for using this popular method for raising funds, including:

1.  Incredible value for the customer
2.  Business growth for your local merchants
3.  Support of the entire community
4.  Easy profits for your group or organization
5.  Very little prep work or planning involved

Sounds amazing, doesn’t it?  Why would any school, church, sports team or other organization want to do three times the work to raise considerably less money?  A discount cards fundraiser can easily result in thousands and even tens of thousands of dollars.  The larger your group or the more cards you sell, the greater the profits; in some circumstances, your profit margins are 100% and MORE!

Here are a few more facts about a discount cards fundraiser that you may not be aware of:

*  Cards are usually designed and printed by the company you order from, and include your group name or logo on the front.
*  The company supplying your discount cards will contact merchants in your area to secure their participation, saving you work.
*  The product is super easy to sell, even in a down economy due to the incredible value and low price (just $10).  The services listed on the back of the card, usually a dozen or more, are services that customers commonly use, and they save a substantial amount of money over a year’s time, making the $10 investment well worth the money.
*  A discount cards fundraiser is easy for all involved, whether adults or small children are doing the selling.  They can be carried in a pocket, purse or wallet so there are no bulky boxes to carry around, no catalogs to keep up with, and no product to go back out and deliver.

It’s particularly tough to raise money for your cause or project when budgets are tight due to economic conditions.  The best way you can secure the funds you need for a new church van, a trip for the youth group, or new uniforms for the football team is to offer something that delivers real, genuine value to the customer.  A discount cards fundraiser is the perfect solution; the price is within most any budget, the value offered is real, and the entire community enjoys the support.  Merchants attract new business, and you make incredible profits!  Can you think of any other method for raising money that offers better profits or supports the local community?  It’s doubtful.

When you want to try something different, a discount cards fundraiser is the logical choice; after all, why waste your time, energy and effort planning and executing a fundraiser that brings in only a small portion of the funds you need?  By the time you’re ready and have everything in place to begin raising money, you’re exhausted and more than a little stressed out.  Next time, play it smart and go about getting the money you need the smart, easy way – with discount cards!  Once you experience the ease this method brings and the spectacular profits, you will wonder how you ever made it with all of the other methods you’ve tried in the past.

Mark South
Easy Fundraising Cards

Here are just a few benefits you will find, and why it is so easy to sell these cards:

1.  There is practically no planning or preparation involved – just order from the company, and they will take care of most of the work for you!  The company will usually contact local merchants in your area for participation, print the cards, and even place your group name or logo on the front.  What’s left for you to do?  Simply pass them out to those participating and account for how many each person has.  Easy!

2.  Fundraiser discount cards offer amazing profits.  Like most other products, the more you order and sell the higher your profit margins.  In fact, even with a group as small as 20 to 25 people, your profit margin is 50%, which means you earn $1,250 or more!  Just think of what you can accomplish if you have a large group of 50 to 100 participants each selling on average 10 cards – you will make anywhere from $3,500 to $10,000!

3.  Consumers LOVE the product, because it offers them genuine value and supports the local community.  Think about this:  When you sell candy bars or cookie dough, does it help support the merchants in your community?  Does the product offer real value for the money to the customer?  There’s nothing easier than fundraiser discount cards, and no other method of raising money supports the community in your own back yard quite like this product.

4.  Easy for participants to handle.  Think of the methods you have used to raise funds before – bake sales, catalog sales, popcorn, jerky, auctions, car washes and so on.  Fundraiser discount cards are easy for any individual involved in the selling to handle, whether they’re 6 years old or 60!  No cumbersome or heavy boxes to tote around, no catalog orders to take and fill, no worries about cookie dough souring in the back seat of the car.  Why go to all of the trouble with the other methods, when you can earn all of the money you need with one simple (and in-demand) item?

These are just a few of the obvious benefits you get with fundraiser discount cards.  These cards are filled with discounts and buy-one-get-one-free offers at many of the merchants in your local area.  Everyone eats fast foods, gets a haircut, needs an oil change or engages in family activities, which is exactly what you will find on the cards.  This is why customers love them - fundraiser discount cards allow average people just like you to save a substantial amount of money on products and services they use anyway!

If you have been involved with your group for years and are to the point where you actually dread fundraisers, try this out!  You’ll find it a refreshing (and extremely profitable) change from the ordinary.

Mark South
Easy Fundraising Cards

Sure, other products have been around for years as well.  While candy bars, cookie dough, jerky, popcorn, catalog sales and other products do work to raise the funds you need, fundraiser cards beat them hands down, especially when the economy isn’t in the greatest shape.  In times like this, people tend to be a bit tighter with their money, and don’t want to let go of it unless they feel they are getting an incredible deal, which is exactly what they get with fundraiser cards.

Let’s suppose that your second grade elementary class needs to raise $7,000 for their part in building a new library.  How many candy bars are you going to have to sell to raise this kind of cash?  Way more than you even want to think about, and candy bars generally don’t sell that well in times of job loss, high unemployment rates and cut backs.  How many fundraiser cards would your second grade class have to sell to raise the same $7,000?  Around 1,000, which would be much easier than having to sell 5,000 candy bars.

Why should you choose fundraiser cards for your project?  There are literally dozens of reasons, and first off is the profitability.  It makes sense to choose a product that requires far less sales to equal the same or greater profits of selling 3 times as many of another product!  Add to that the fact that customers love something that offers real value, and they know it when they see it.  The selling is the easy part when customers realize that by spending $10, they save far more than that amount at merchants in their own neighborhood over the next year.

What do fundraiser cards offer that make them so popular?  Discounts and buy one get one free offers on food, family activities like bowling, hair cuts, flowers, fitness, oil changes and more.  The offers you find on fundraiser cards are those things that the average person spends money on throughout the year, so they are super easy to sell.  An added plus is that consumers are smart, and they know that supporting their local merchants helps improve the economy in their area.

One big reason that many churches, schools and other organizations choose these cards is that there is so little work involved.  When you choose a company to design and print the cards for you, they may contact the merchants in your area to secure their participation, meaning you don’t have to do it yourself!  With fundraising cards, you simply place the order, hand the cards out to those participating, and reap exceptional profits.  Doesn’t that sound better than spending hours in the kitchen baking cookies and other goodies, then spending all day in the hot sun trying to sell them for a measly $200 or $300 in profits?

Very little preparation or planning, easy sales and incredible profits are just a few of the benefits of using fundraiser cards to raise the money you need.  If you want to see explosive results for your efforts, try fundraiser cards and see what you think – you won’t be disappointed!

Mark South
Easy Fundraising Cards

These days, not many people are going to part with their money unless they are really getting something great.  When budgets are tight, most people can do without beef jerky or a candy bar.  What they do want is a way to save money on things they normally purchase regardless of the economy, which is exactly why discount cards for fundraising are the number one choice for raising the money you need.  They provide the customer with great savings on food, family activities, hair styling services, auto maintenance services and more.  Most discount cards offer either a discount on products or services, or buy one get one free offers.  Customers can see the savings they will experience throughout a one year time period, and the savings stack up to be an amount well over what they paid for the card.

Using discount cards for fundraising, you can expect to raise the money you need in far less time and with less effort as well.  There is practically no planning or preparation to contend with, and your group can begin selling the cards as soon as they arrive and you distribute them.  Even if you have a small group such as 25 who will be participating in the selling, you can expect to make $1,250 easily, which is exceptional for a group of this size.  Think what would happen if you had 100 selling in your group, which could easily be the case if you live in a very large city – your profits would soar to $10,000!  At that point, discount cards for fundraising would provide you with a cool 100% profit margin, something you don’t find with fundraising projects very often.

Another very important reason that these valuable cards sell so easily is that customers realize that by supporting your project, they are in effect supporting the local community, and that is important.  Merchant services offered on the cards are for those local merchants in your own home town, so customers know they are helping those merchants by giving them more business, and the cards help attract new business to the merchants as well.  Discount cards for fundraising actually help support the local economy by providing the customer with savings, business for those stores and merchants in your area, and the money you need for your own school or church project.

The picture should be becoming quite clear to you now; you can easily raise the money you need while actually energizing and stimulating growth in your own community!  The honest truth is, when you need to raise a substantial amount of money fast and put forth less work and planning, discount cards for fundraising are the way to go.

Mark South
Easy Fundraising Cards

Discount cards are so effective for many reasons, including the genuine value the customer gets and the support of your local community.  They are extremely profitable, and no matter the ages of those who actually do the selling, you won’t find them cumbersome like other products you may have sold.  No catalogs or boxes to keep up with, no ordering, no shipping and then delivering the goods when they come in.  Selling discount cards is a simple process; the customer gives you the money, you hand them a card.  What could be easier than that?

Today, economic issues have many people watching their budgets very closely.  Be honest with yourself – would more people tend to buy candles, jerky, candy bars and cookie dough or a card that saves them a good sum of money when their budget is tight?  The answer to that one is a no-brainer.  Discount cards offer substantial discounts and savings at local merchants on a variety of goods and services.  This helps the merchant attract new business, and helps the consumer save a bundle of money on things they would normally purchase anyway.

Another aspect that those who have used discount cards in their fundraising efforts love is that most of the preparation is done for them.  The supplier contacts your local merchants in order to secure their participation, they print the cards up and ship them to you.  All that is left for you to do is account for who you hand the discount cards out to, and you’re ready to get started!  No hassles, no headaches, and incredible profits make this the best solution to your fundraising needs.

How much can you expect to make with discount cards?  It all depends on the size of your group and how many cards you anticipate you will be able to sell.  Of course, the more you sell the higher your profit level, so if you have a large group who will be participating your profit margin can be higher than 100%!  Here’s a quick example:

Say the entire elementary school grades 1 through 5 are going to participate in a fundraiser for new playground equipment.  There are 500 students who sell the cards, and each student sells on average 10 discount cards.  This means you sell 5000, which puts your total profit at over $53,000!  Now you can see why so many churches, schools and other organizations depend on this product when they need money for a project.  Your school gets the money they need, local merchants benefit, and the customer feels good because they not only save money through the discounts offered, they are supporting their own community.

If you’re looking for a way to raise money that is fun, easy and extremely profitable, give discount cards a chance – you won’t be disappointed with the results!  There is a reason why they are the number one fundraising product today.  They work.

Mark South
Easy Fundraising Cards

All too often, people get in to a rut when raising money for projects.  Over the last couple of decades, candy bars, cookie dough and popcorn have been the items of choice for fundraisers.  This seems a little odd, especially when you consider that profits aren’t all that great and the value offered isn’t really substantial.  Now that the economy isn’t in great shape, people are cutting back on spending for frivolous or unnecessary needs.  Fundraising discount cards offer exceptional value to the customer; they can save an incredible amount of money over the span of a year, so they easily see the value in the product you are offering.

Consider the following scenario:

If you were strapped for money, would you rather spend a couple of dollars on a candy bar that will be consumed quickly, leaving you with nothing for your money other than a satisfied sweet tooth?  Or would you rather spend $10 on a card that offers great discounts and savings at merchants in your own home town, potentially saving you many times the amount spent on products and services you already use?  The answer is easy to decide; most people would rather save a substantial amount of money, particularly when times are tight.  This is what you will experience with fundraising discount cards – easy sales and exceptional profit margins!

When you consider all of the benefits, it’s easy to see why these cards are a hot fundraising item.  Customers realize that by purchasing fundraising discount cards, they are helping to support your project as well as supporting local merchants in their own neighborhood.  The profit margins are great, and you spend far less time planning and organizing, which is a relief especially if you hold fundraisers on a regular basis.  In fact, the more cards you sell the higher your profit margins, so if you have a very large group you can easily make tens of thousands of dollars.

Some of the aspects that many people really appreciate about fundraising discount cards is that the company the cards are purchased from often take care of most of the work.  They may contact the merchants for you, securing their participation – which is easy, because they realize it will bring in new business.  You simply order the number of cards you need, and they are shipped right to your door.  All you have to do is assign the cards to those who are participating, and watch the profits roll in.  Can you think of any other product that makes raising money this easy?

Are you ready to take your fundraising efforts to an entirely new level, and alleviate most of the stress and effort involved?  When you need money for your organization, do things the smart (and profitable) way!  Check in to fundraising discount cards, and see why they are quickly becoming the number one method for raising all of the money you need in a flash.

Mark South
Easy Fundraising Cards

Fundraising should be fun; that’s why it’s important that you choose a product that is less work for you, easy on those participating (especially if they are kids) and profitable enough so that you can raise the money you need with far less effort.  Spirit cards offer all of this and much more!  Local merchants are eager to participate, because it brings in new business and offers a little free advertising for the company.

With these cards, you will get far more “yes” answers from customers when you offer the product, simply because of the perceived value.  Imagine if you were a buying customer, would you feel that paying $10 for a card that offers savings at a dozen or more local merchants for a one year period a bargain?  Sure you would!  Today, the economy isn’t what you would call strong, and many people will easily reject paying $2.00 for a candy bar that will be gone in just a few minutes; however, it’s a different story when they can save a substantial amount of money on products and services they use throughout the year anyway.

Another aspect of the cards that participants really love is that they are small, and can be carried in a pocket or purse.  No lugging around candy boxes or worrying that someone may take one out of the box when you aren’t looking – leaving you to pay for the missing product.  Additionally, there is practically no planning since the supplier takes care of securing merchants in your area, designing the cards and printing them for you!  All you need to do is keep track of how many cards you gave to each participant, which is far less stressful than many other fundraising activities you may have participated in before.

Spirit cards frequently offer discounts and savings at local restaurants, on car maintenance services, family activities, hair cuts and things people spend money on every day.  After all, we all have to eat, we keep our car serviced if we expect it to run, and we get hair cuts!  Doesn’t it just make sense that consumers would be eager to buy an affordable card that could potentially save them 10 times that or more over a year?  Of course it does – that’s why spirit cards are the most popular fundraising product today.

In an economy where hundreds of thousands of people have lost their jobs and many have even lost their homes, saving money is no longer a choice – it’s a necessity.  Whether you need to raise $1,500 or $15,000, spirit cards help make the entire process easier and more profitable – and you can feel good about yourself, knowing that the product that is helping you raise money is also helping those who have little money save on the things they need.

For your next church, school or other non-profit group fundraiser, look to spirit cards to help make your efforts the most profitable ever!  Offer real value, support merchants in your own back yard, and raise the funds your group needs for that special cause.

Mark South
Easy Fundraising Cards