Fundraising discount cards are a great option for a close community, especially if you have specific, local merchants in mind. Most fundraising groups know where everyone in their area goes for oil changes, flowers, and pizza.

How Fundraising Discount Cards Work:

Groups sell the fundraising discount cards to their supporters, just like they would sell candy bars or pop corn. They sell typically for $10 and cost as little as $1.50 each. Each supporter can usually sell 10 – 20 cards. The fundraising discount cards can have one to a few offers from local and major chain merchants. The discount cards are the size of a credit card with the details of the offers written on them. Some cards have scratch off dots or some sort of counter to control the amount of times the card can be used. Merchants usually prefer a counter since they can calculate the exact cost to them.

Customized Fundraising Discount Cards:

A few companies offer this popular option with their fundraising discount cards. It allows you to pick the merchants in which the cards can be used. The offer with each merchant can be negotiated as well, but most merchants are ready with a standard offer. A typical offer is ” buy one get one free ” or ” get a free drink when you buy a sandwich ” and many more. If this is not the way you want to proceed, only a few companies offer to get the deals for you for a fee.

Fundraising Discount Cards Tip:

Since a discount card fundraiser is also a great opportunity for the merchant, most of them will stay with a group fundraiser year after year. That means that most of the setup work is done. For the next one, the merchants on the card just need to be asked if they want to change their offer for the following fundraiser. Some groups actually form waiting lists of merchants to get on their fundraising discount cards.

Things to look out For:

Quality Of Printing – Make sure the company will guarantee the printing on the card
Return policy – Some companies will offer returns for unsold cards, consider these first.
Watch for quality – Choose cards that can last so your supporter can benefit from the card offer for the entire period.
Offer Counter – Most merchants prefer a counter, so this option may work better in your area.
Free Shipping – Make sure you can get free shipping included so you don’t get surprised at delivery time.
Name & logo – Some companies will print both your group name & logo on each card free of charge, some will only print your name and some not at all. Try to get both as it will show your participants and donors you are serious about your fundraiser.

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