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Coming soon! The Easy Fundraiser!
Our 2018 fundraising book with be out in mid August. Be one of the first 10 groups to sign-up before Aug 15th
and receive 5 FREE books!


4 Ways To Diversify Your Fundraising
by Allyson Kapin on Aug 19, 2016

If you rely on one type, here is why you should consider diversifying:

Does your nonprofit rely one type of fundraising to bring in revenue or is it diversified? For example, a diverse fundraising program would include direct mail, telemarketing, foundation grants, online fundraising through email appeals, your website, social media, etc. Crowdfunding and Giving Days can be helpful too. In fact, we just shared 12 Giving Day tips you should know. 
If you feel that your nonprofit can do a better job of disversifying its fundraising check out this infographic, which digs into where money is coming from, how it's being donated, and the importance of providing a variety of options for people to give.
We've pulled out 4 key points that will help your nonprofit to fundraise even better:
Don't discount the individual. While lots of foundations give grants and corporate giving can be helpful, the individual donor is still going to be your biggest money-maker in most cases. On average, 72% of nonprofits get their funding from individual donors. 
Annual gifts trump one-time gifts. A one time gift of $103 (the average amount of a one-time gift) sure sounds a lot better than a monthly gift of $10, but that monthly gift will have much more of a lifespan as you will get it year after year and if these sustainers are cultivated properly they will increase their gift size. Plus, an average recurring donation is actually $32, or $384 annually.
Don't rely solely on crowdfunding campaigns or sponsorships. While crowdfunding and sponsorships can be effective in the short-term, they aren't necessarily sustainable means of income. Make sure that you have other revenue sources that allow you to continue your day-to-day work effectively, and without panic.
Major gifts don't happen without effort. Even the wealthiest donors won't just give a major gift if you haven't cultivated, engaged, and moved them up the ladder of engagement. Communicate regularly with prospective major donors without bombarding them - find that sweet spot. 
What are ways you have diversified and varied your fundraising efforts? What's worked well, and what growth have you tracked?



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~ Congratulations to Josh B from KNY Kings, you're the winner of the 
$50 Dick's Sporting Goods gift card! We truly appreciate you taking the time to participate in our drawing during the SWOL meeting held on 10.3.15! 
Please message us for info on how to collect your prize! accesstothecity@gmail.com
Access to the City wishes you the best of luck this season! 


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High School Fundraising:

Access to the City loves to help high school students with their high school fundraising ideas. At this age the students have usually found a passion for a sport or a club and that’s what they are raising money for. They are closer to the needs of the group they are helping and better understand why they need high school fundraisers in the first place. 

Did you know that fundraising gets a whole lot easier once students reach high school?

If you are a parent who pays attention you know how bad middle school fundraising can be. Those years can be painful. The kids for the most part don't care a whole lot and parental involvement shrinks tremendously.

But then comes high school and fundraising becomes profitable once again.

There are a few reasons why high school fundraisers become profitable again. The most obvious is that high schoolers usually only get involved in fundraising when it benefits a team, club or group they have a passion for. Once they care about the reason you are raising money then you've won the fundraising game.

The other reason is that you no longer require parental involvement. Once it disappears in middle school it will only resurface in certain instances. In ‘most’ cases parents of high school students get more involved with booster club fundraising.


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             Congratulations to Jake Sanders with the Butler County Bandits!                                           You're the winner of the $50 Dick's Sporting Goods Gift Card.                           Please message us for info on how to collect your prize! accesstothecity@gmail.com


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Healthy snack ideas for your young, and young at heart, athletes in the family... Visit https://www.youthletic.com/cincinnati-oh/articles/5-easy-and-healthy-half-time-snacks for more information 


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~ Congratulations to MARK GABBARD from MVP Baseball, you're the winner of the 
$50 Dick's Sporting Goods gift card! We truly appreciate you taking the time to participate in our drawing during the SWOL meeting held on 9/27/14! 

Access to the City wishes you the best of luck this season! 


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Fundraising Fears | 5 strategies to face your Fears
“Fundraising makes me break out in hives. I abhor asking people for money. ”

Are you intimidated by Fundraising? Is this you? If you’re shaking your head YES right now, then you are part of the majority. No judgment here. We understand. Fundraising is not for the faint hearted. It involves facing all kinds of fears. You must overcome your fear of rejection, possess humility to ask others for money, and most importantly, have the confidence that only comes with a strong belief in your cause. Successful fundraising is about setting goals and opening up communication lines.

Here are 5 strategies for conquering your fundraising fears.

1. Be positive, sincere and passionate about your cause. It’s a matter of perspective. Change your approach to one of being a “cause ambassador”. You are passionately informing your constituents of their opportunity to meet a need. 

2. Clearly communicate your purpose and goal. Express in detail to supporters how the capital raised will benefit your organization. Tell them how their money will be used. 

3. Ask for support. It’s ok to tell donors about your goal. Being specific has been shown to increase sales. Telling a supporter what your goal is and how much is needed to reach that goal connects them and gets them invested. For example:  Little Becca is going door to door in the neighborhood selling the Access to the City booklet. She shares the product, talks about the new playground at the school, states that if she sells “X” amount of books, she gets to be “Principal for a day”, and then asks, “Would you consider purchasing “X” to help me reach my goal?”

4. Be confident. It’s simple but true! This strategy piggybacks strategy #1. If you believe in your cause and have the proper perspective you CAN be confident. 

5. Smile and say Thank You. Say thank you for every opportunity you are given to share your cause and goals. Instead of viewing “NO” as a rejection, view it as a “seed planted” for the future.

                         Fundraising is not something to be feared. Get organized, embrace the process, focus on your goal, and have some fun!



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Sneak peak of the new front cover!


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May 19, 2014
~ Love youth sports? Here's a site to make it easier for parents to get kids involved! For the parents in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky here is an online tool to help you discover the perfect youth sports organization for your kids. Youthletic is also giving three users a $500 gift card that can be used towards your child's equipment, lessons, camps, or leagues. visit: http://www.youthletic.com/contest/registration500/ 




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 CONGRATULATIONS TO DANNY DAVIS WITH MASON HIGH SCHOOL - YOU'RE THE WINNER IN THE DRAWING FOR THE $50 GIFT CARD THAT WAS HELD DURING THE OHSBCA CLINIC ON 1/17/14.  


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1/20/14 - 
This past week I had the opportunity to attend the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association in Columbus, Ohio -  Let me just say, what a GREAT group of guys! Out of all the vendor clinic’s I’ve attended I must say this is now one of my favorites!

If you’re not familiar with the OHSBCA let me tell you a little about them.  The purpose of the OHSBCA is to unify all baseball coaches in the state of Ohio, to promote high school baseball, to create an official line of communication with the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA), to foster higher standards of professionalism and ethics, and to maintain a strong contact with national, state, and local coaches organizations of baseball.

I’m simply writing today to say thank you to the Board of Directors, particularly Ray Hamilton and Kevin Yoder, these two fellas made me feel right at home - from the personal phone calls (before and after the event), to the extra plugs about my fundraising program during the meetings, and of course who could forget the ticket(s) to the hospitality suit on Thursday evening. I have never felt more welcomed as a vendor and I truly appreciate all the added attention!

This is defiantly something I’ll be attending for years to come!

During my two-day stay I had the pleasure of meeting some great vendors as well, but one vendor stood out from all the rest, Zephyr – The Z hat. - If you're looking to outfit your team with hats this year you def. need to check them out! GREAT product, GREAT prices, and GREAT guys! - Contact me for more information and I'll introduce you to the area's rep. - Jonathan Sullivan. I promise you, you wont be disappointed!

For more information on both the OHSBCA and Zephyr please visit the links provided below.

http://associationdatabase.com/
http://www.zhats.com/

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