Make a Fundraiser Out of Any Event — And Raise Donations Online

Have you ever had a UCP supporter contact your affiliate inquiring about any of the following:

1. Host a special event to benefit your organization,
2. Collect donations to benefit your affiliate, or
3. Provide information about how to host an event to benefit UCP?

Firstgiving.com makes all of the above a possibility without the need for an affiliate to invest in hosting an event or gathering donations. Anyone, regardless of whether they are specifically endorsed by UCP, can access Firstgiving.com's free service allowing the public to raise money for any charity that files IRS Form 990 and is located within the Guidestar.org database.

What is Firstgiving? from Firstgiving.com on Vimeo.

As of October 26, 2009, 2,165,082 people have helped raise $116,363,707 for 30,924 non-profits using Firstgiving.com

For example, UCP supporter Cesar Rondon participated in a non-UCP-related event in August 2009, and he wanted to raise money to donate to UCP. He found Firstgiving.com after speaking with the UCP national office and quickly set up his own event. After a few short steps, Cesar was off and running, or rather cycling to raise $2060.00 for UCP.

Great reasons to use this service:

• It is a simple way for a supporter to set up a personalized event by raising funds for an organization without an affiliate having to worry about collecting and keeping track of donations at the event.
• It crosses geographical boundaries. If a student studying overseas wants to hold an event on another continent, he or she can still ask his or her friends and relatives to support a cause by easily by signing up online.
• The site is safe and secure, and friends and family donate via credit card.
• Firstgiving.com provides advice and support through its blog, which offers tips and pointers about how to create successful events. The blog is available at OnlineFundraisingBlog.com
• Reports are accessible online and available in real time.
• And much more.

Here are some potential events that fundraisers can use to jump start an event dedicated to UCP:

Pool or Darts Tournament	Read and Recall
Quiz Time	Story telling
Barbecue	Picnic Party
Chess Tournament	Comedy Evening
Bowling	Sing or or Hold a Play
Video Games Competition	Face Painting
Fancy Dress Walk or Party	Cheese and Wine Party
Cooking Contest	Treasure Hunt
Run a Marathon or to the End of the Block	Climb a Mountain
Ride in a Bike Event or Race	Host a Golf Scramble/Tournament Among Friends and Co-Workers
Host an End of the Year Holiday Event or Party

The fee for hosting an event on Firstgiving.com is 7.5% of each transaction, which covers securing each transaction online, connecting to Guidestar.org, providing support and ensuring a transfer of money to the benefiting organization. Please click the following hyperlink to learn more about how it works.

The following is a presentation from a Webinar hosted by Firstgiving.com: Nine ways to promote your personal online fundraising page and 99 places to do it.

Nine ways to promote your personal fundraising page

View more presentations from Firstgiving.com.

For more information, please visit the Firstgiving.com Web site or contact Will Hull at (202) 973-7106.