Make Money Online!
The Internet is a valuable resource for making money! Check out the following ways to do it.
Accept Online Donations
Writing checks and finding a stamp is so 1997. You can get more money by adding the capability to donate online to your website. If you are a 501(c)3 you can accept online donations through the renowed Network for Good. Yes, it is a lot of paperwork, but it is worth it. People feel real secure with a "Network for Good" seal on your website and want to give money to you. Also, they automatically send out thank you acknowledgements that donors can use for tax deduction purposes-- less work for you. See a donate link in action at: www.rainbowheights.org/donate.html. Network for Good just started a Charity Badge feature.
A Charity Badge allows you to raise awareness and money for any cause you care about with a "badge" on your blog, social networking site or web page. You can personalize the badge with a photo, video and/or text and then pick up to five charities you want to support, including your own (yes, it is part of Network for Good so you need a 501(c)3). Embed a Charity Badge for your email signature or in your agency's website for truly compelling and interactive fundraising opportunities. Lastly, have everyone on your agency's Board of Directors create their own Charity Badge with why your agency and mission means so much to them and have them email their Badge to all their friends for an easy, yet meaningful, fundraiser.
If you do not have a 501(c)3 or qualify for Network for Good you can still receive online donations through PayPal. Donors don't have the same assurance that you are truly a nonprofit, but it is a lot easier for them then sending a check. See a donate link with PayPal at: www.imanihouse.org/donate.html. There are a lot of new alternatives to PayPal listed at: First-Of-Its-Kind.org.
If you do not have a 501(c)3 or qualify for Network for Good you can still receive online donations through the for-profit PayPal (PayPal.com). Donors don't have the same assurance that you are truly a nonprofit, but it is a lot easier for them then sending a check. See a donate link with PayPal at: www.imanihouse.org/donate.html. Also, there are a lot of new alternatives to PayPal listed at www.First-Of-Its-Kind.org.
A popular new trend in online donations is "collaborative collaborations" where people buy something together. The software ChipIn (www.chipin.com) makes this easy.
(1) Determine how much money you need, for what and when. (2) Create the little widget (flash software code) that displays a thermometer showing the current level of giving (you can put this on your website or ChipIn's if you don't have a website). (3) Send out emails to all your contacts with the link to your ChipIn widget so they can donate! When people give money they see in real time how their donation gets the project closer to being funded and happening! Perfect for smaller amounts and groups without nonprofit status. See an easy tutorial on this website.
Lastly, be sure to give people a reason to donate. Be sure to write up some success stories or how people's small donation can make a tangible difference to your clients. See www.irishouse.org/donate.html for a good example.
Humor Helps
Also fresh is: Oxfam's store (you can give a sheep, cow or aligator!)
Affiliate Programs
Online stores are always looking for help in driving traffic to their stores. Many have "Affiliate Programs" where they pay you a percentage of a sale if someone comes from your website and buys something at their store. So, put on your thinking cap and talk to folks who visit your website about what products would they buy to enhance their knowledge about issues related to your website? Or what fashion items or videos or ?? The following are popular affiliate programs:
Amazon (http://affiliate-program.amazon.com/gp/associates/join)- The most popular online affiliate program is the Amazon Affiliate program. You make more money, more easily, with a checking account rather than having them mail you a check. So get your checkbook and sign up! Amazon sells books and a wide range of other consumer items.
TLAVideo.com- They sell videos and a few books, including great independent films and TV shows that Amazon wouldn't carry. Also, LGBT movies and books Amazon wouldn't either.
BuyGay.com- They sell all kinds of gay (mostly male) videos, magazines, toys, condoms/lubes, clothing and holiday items. If your website is geared to a LGBT audience, become an affiliate here.
Online Malls
CafePress-
This clever online mall allows you to create a "store" page where
you upload your own graphics (be sure to create 300 d.p.i. good quality graphics)
to CafePress products. For a fee CafePress produces the product, accepts
the online payment and ships the product -- you pocket the difference! They
always have new, cute products and are reliable. The catch? They ain't cheap.
However, this is a perfect way to begin your own online store or tee-shirt shop. See the example above (click it to see related Cafe Press store). Shop at a cute store by the Brazilian Rainbow Group (brgny.org/store.html). You can have your group upload their raps or rock songs or whatever they want to sing to CDs. There are a lot of products you can create including stickers, buttons, clocks, bibs and even doggie t-shirts!
If you have a really cool tee-shirt design you can submit it to the funky folks at Threadless.com. There are @ 100 designs submitted a week and 5 - 10 chosen to be produced. People buy these designs all over the world -- you've got more eyeballs (and thus money) than your CafePress store could ever attract -- and you're famous!
CDBaby.com- This online CD store has the best new independent music, a perfect place to sell your client's raps, suites or collected pod casts. You must send them already-made CDs. Use www.CafePress.com if you don’t have already-made CDs (you can upload them) or www.BitPass.com to sell individual tracks by download (iTunes-like interface).
Accept Online Payments
PayPal- This is the daddy of all online payment tools. Most small nonprofits who accept credit cards do so using PayPal. Warning, PayPal has seized the accounts of the Leonard Pelteir Support Committee and some gay groups. If you are worried your group is similar, ask your web host what they recommend or check out WorldPay, www.BitPass.com (digital goods only, but great for selling music files and stock photography). These solutions aren't as cheap, but if you use adult images for HIV prevention, or work for political prisoners you might want to avoid PayPal. Otherwise, like 'em or not, PayPal is the the standard for now. PayPal easily integrates with Contribute and Dreamweaver to make online payment links easy.
Here are examples of groups making money through selling something online:
(1) Basketball tickets- pick a game, buy a block of tickets,
double the price and sell them online; MarennParenn.org has done this
(2)
Raffle Tickets- get some prizes donated and put up a raffle online. Sell real raffle tickets and tickets online. (Post happy pictures of the winners with their prizes afterwards!
Online Auctions
Get community-based artists or bakers or antique collectors to donate money to your organization (or 50% of the sale). Have an event and also accept bids online (close online bids before the live event). It's easy to do now that non-profit Mission Fish teamed up with Ebay to help develop a "charity" section of Ebay.
Buttons
The website Buttons of Hope (www.buttonsofhope.com) literally allows you to "put a face on fundraising." At this site you create a button to remember someone and you can put this button on your website and people can buy it to remember the person and raise money for their favorite cause. The button on the left remembers Janine Lelker, a young victim of drunk driving. Many remember people with various diseases.
Website Statistics
Key to making money (and changing the world for better) is knowing your audience. How can you scientifically measure their interests? Use Website Statistics and Monitor them at least monthly. Use the ones that come with your web hosting or the great and free one Google Analytics (www.google.com/analytics). Learn what pages on your website people are most interested in. Which ones they leave from. Do they just go to the front page and leave. How many visitors each month? 3, 6 and 12 months?
Use an Email Management/Marketing Program
Use an Email Management Program. It is a big waste of time for you to read emails from people who want to be added to your groups email list and put them on yourself. Use an email management service where people can add and remove themselves to your email list through your website – and you can email all of them with just one click (and no more accusations of spamming if you have AOL or Hotmail)! Great for beginners is the ad-driven Yahoo Groups (http://groups.yahoo.com); this last one does not measure click-through or open rates; tutorial at www.dawnreel.com/phplist.html but it is easiest.
There are a couple great free ones that let you do the basic email list stuff AND measure how many of the emails you sent out were actually opened (“open rates”) and what hyperlinks (ex. read more links) inside (“click-throughs”) were clicked on? In this way you can learn a lot about your audience. It also sets up nice email newsletters that won't get caught in spam filters and (Choose from the CGI-script powered DaDa Mail (http://mojo.skazat.com; they will install for you for only $75-100) or the PHP-based equivalent, PHP List (http://tincan.co.uk/phplist; easy for your Tech person to install if you have one).
What if you don't have a tech person to set up your email management/marketing software and would rather pay a third party. Most smaller nonprofits do and they often choose Constant Contact. Constant Contact creates and sends top-notch email newsletters and promotions with no technical expertise. They also provide easy to use list management and reporting ("click-throughs" and "open rates.") Special low rates for nonprofits!
Accounting and Paying Taxes
One of the great things about online donations and selling is that you have records of what you received and sold. (1) It is important to keep a record (excel spreadsheet or database) of names, addresses and emails of donors so you keep in touch with them. (2) Also, it is important to send everyone who donates or buys something a thank you note and receipt for their donation listing how much is tax deductible. (3) It is the law to send a receipt for donations above $250 AND for donations above $75 if you "provided a return benefit," that is an item worth more than $8.50. Read more.
Have fun, and let us know how you've made money for your group!
Learn more:
www.techsoup.org- This great online community has lots of great articles about fundraising online. They have a whole section on their website called "Technology for Fundraising." One is at http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/funding/page5068.cfm. They also sell discount software to nonprofits.
www.foundationcenter.org- A New York City nonprofit with a huge website with a lot of information and training on fundraising.
www.netsquared.org- A great website of nonprofit techies using the web for social change. Yes, it is geeky!
www.dawnreel.com/makemoney.html- This article is updated here. Print as PDF format.
Updated as of April 25, 2007