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A New Home for the VolunteerSpot Blog

Check out the latest news and content at SignUp.com

The VolunteerSpot blog has moved and is still alive and well! We continue to add new helpful tips and ideas every month with the goal of making life a little easier for all you awesome (volunteer, PTA/PTO, teacher, faith group, league, workplace, neighborhood, and community) Organizers out there.

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SignUp.com’s Idea Center

We invite you to search our VolunteerSpot blog archive for past posts that may be of interest, and for fresh, up-to-date content, head over to the SignUp Idea Center. Here you’ll find fun ideas, best practices, smart planning tips, and free downloadable graphics, PLUS printable and fillable checklists, letters, coloring pages, appreciation certificates, thank you notes, and much more. 

We’ve got you covered when it comes to volunteer management (for nonprofit organizations, schools, teams, whatever your cause!), fundraising, holidays and other seasonal events, family reunions, picnics, potlucks… you get the point!


600x300 SignUp Idea Center on laptop

Whatever your interest, Start Planning Now at SignUp!

Posted at 10:02 AM in Back-to-School, Charity Auction Ideas (Schools too!), Classroom Activities & Party Ideas, End of the School Year, Fundraising Ideas, How 2 VolunteerSpot - Tips, Tricks and Technical, Online Sign Up Feature Friday, Personal Organization Tips, Potluck, Social Media for Schools & Nonprofits, Summer Fun, Tips for Non-Profits, Volunteer Action - Motivation and Coordination, Volunteering at School, Volunteering by the Season, Volunteering in the Community, Volunteering with your Congregation | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Spring Carnival Ideas

4 Messy Spring Carnival Booths

Updated Feb 2019

Looking to make a mess at this Spring's big outdoor fundraiser? Try some of these FUN booths kids love to take a part of!

1) Pie the Principal: Pie tins filled with whip cream or pudding make this booth fast, messy fun for the whole family. Typically as a reward for a certain amount of money raised or a raffle, principals and other school staff will have just as much fun as students who get to throw pies at them!

Three Hoover High School teachers, one AmeriCorps volunteer and Principal Doug Wheeler sat covered in plastic, bracing for the Cool Whip facial to come.  They were center court in the gym at the last assembly of the year.  The entire student body was in the bleachers — except for the students lined up on the gym floor with whip cream-covered pie tins.

2) Confetti Eggs: Carefully hollowed egg shells filled with colorful paper make for an explosive, fun carnival booth. Kids love to buy the eggs and throw them at their friends; they break easily and release all the confetti inside. Game instructions from CarnivalSavers.com HERE

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3) Balloon Dart Art: Help kids create a masterpiece at this year's carnival with Dart Art! By filling balloons with colorful paint, tacking them to a large canvas and letting kids throw darts to pop them, a wonderful work of art is created that can be hung up at the school. Instructions and ideas from Craft-Austin.com HERE

4) Dunking Booth: Watching the principal or your favorite teacher get dunked is probably an all-time favorite for kids. If renting a whole booth isn't in the budget, however, consider an inexpensive alternative where kids get to soak big sponges and throw them at unassuming victims 10 or 15 feet away.

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Tip: Control the mess! Have a clean-up volunteer crew signed up to help and necessary tools on hand like vacuums, brooms, and trash bags to make clean up swift. Schedule volunteers and even sign up for people to donate cleaning items with free online signup sheets, get started now!

 

 

Images:

Pie photo courtesy of https://www.dmschools.org/2014/03/teachers-take-pies-in-face-for-fundraiser/

Balloon photo courtesy of http://news.erskine.edu/dance-marathon-to-host-childrens-miracle-network-benefit-feb-16/

Dunking photo courtesy of http://marfapublicradio.org/?attachment_id=12003

Posted at 07:00 AM in Classroom Activities & Party Ideas, Fundraising Ideas | Permalink

Tags: carnival booth ideas, festival booth ideas, festival trends, fun carnival booths

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The Perfect Holiday Fundraiser

The holidays will be here before you know it. With the chaos of planning parties and holiday shopping, you also have the Fall/Winter fundraiser to figure out. Here are some classic favorite fundraiser ideas sure to sweeten your season.

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Still deciding on which Fall/Winter fundraiser would be best this year? Check out these tips and guidelines for selecting the right one for the season. 

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Uncover 2017-2018 fundraising trends. What sells itself, makes great gifts and offers up to 50% profit? Find out what's on the list!

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Posted at 02:25 PM in Back-to-School, Fundraising Ideas, I Support My School, Volunteering by the Season | Permalink

Tags: product fundraisers, school fundraisers

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4 Strategies for Recruiting School Fundraising Volunteers

When it comes to fundraising, the more the merrier, right? Get the extra and support you need to make this year's fundraising campaign a huge success! Here are 4 strategies to recruit volunteers from Clay Boggess, Senior Consultant at Big Fundraising Ideas.

Moms Volunteering Blog

Gala planning and hosting socials invoke glamorous images of volunteerism and philanthropy; school fundraising, not so much. Thus, when it comes to getting parents on board to help run them, it takes a little extra ingenuity to sell this as an impactful opportunity.

Parents, especially working moms and dads, already struggle to find time to make dinner. Breathlessly running out of the house with lunches, backpacks, and multiple kids with shoes untied is a familiar image for many. With such limited bandwidth to offer up, parents may choose to avoid assuming additional duties for a fear that they won’t be able to meet the demands of something like a school fundraiser.

Therefore, potential volunteers need major value propositions to consider giving up their time, which is already at a premium. As fundraising season approaches, start thinking about ways you can recruit (and hopefully retain) fundraising volunteers.

Be Social

Moms and dads, have you ever felt bad about going to that happy hour or Bunco night? Parents are the first to feel guilty when they take some “time off” from their most permanent role.

You might be surprised to know that researchers encourage you to take this time off and relish in it. Time away from the kids is something increasingly recommended, according to Washington Post, and it might even make you a more relaxed, happier, and effective parent.

Translate this into your fundraising by building in and highlighting a socialization component throughout the course of planning, carrying out, and wrapping up the school fundraiser. Find ways to make your “adult time” feel productive and fun. Consider these ideas:

  • Host a short kickoff breakfast that parents can attend when they drop their kids off for school. If you can wrap it up before 8:30 a.m., parents may be able to attend without missing any work.
  • Host an appetizer hour right after work and offer to provide babysitting. Find some high school students who can watch the younger kids, and eliminate a barrier to participation by ensuring parents are covered.

 Fundraising leaders will find that these opportunities to bring parents together will offer the dual appeal of time to unwind and the “warm and fuzzy” feeling of giving back. You’ll gain a captive audience where you can communicate your mission; get parents to sign up for specific roles; and inspire them with the unique energy and enthusiasm found in coming together for a common cause (and some tasty snacks).

Have Options for Commitment

School fundraisers are uniquely appealing as volunteer opportunities because they are generally short in duration.  Nonetheless, that does mean that some volunteer roles won’t require a couple months of commitment, or a lot of concentrated time during those few weeks. For example, if parents end up on a “planning and celebration” committee, they might have volunteer responsibilities before, during and after the selling period.

However, the modern parent may not have this kind of time, according to “We Are Teachers.” Their research found that uncertainty about what the school’s needs are coupled with too little time to volunteer are major hurdles to parent engagement. This may sound discouraging, but it also means your volunteer team has its work cut out and can strategize effectively to overcome these hurdles by breaking down big jobs into small, manageable tasks.  Ensure your tasks are:

  • Specific. Clearly define the expectations and completion time for tasks. Fill in as many blanks as possible. The less uncertainty a parent will have to overcome before signing up, the better.
  • Tied to larger impact. Small tasks don’t have to be insignificant. Communicate how even posting fliers can make a difference.

Creating roles of different sizes might mean that, as a leader, you’ll have to fight your fears of delegation. Accept as true that someone out there is good at and wants to do a task you personally loathe. If you’re investing time in building a committed volunteer team, you owe it to yourself to trust its members.

Connect Remotely

Social media and the smart-phone revolution is not just something for the kids; the power of rich, remote connectivity can be a powerful tool for parents on the go.

Find out what remote platforms the parents in your volunteer group are using by doing a simple survey at the first meeting, and make as much use of these tools as possible. Good managers in the workplace regularly talk about “playing in the same sandbox” as their audience, and this metaphor translates well for fundraising volunteers.

If your volunteers are already spending their free time on a site like Facebook, or are comfortable learning a new tool like WhatsApp, use these options to create efficiencies that will get business done. You can explore tips on how to take your fundraiser into the social space, as this is something student sellers and parent volunteers increasingly look for.

Of course, some folks will always prefer face-to-face interaction, so don’t forego the occasional traditional meeting. Being at the same table is still one of the most effective ways to work and create a sense of team spirit. But for those parents who still want to be a part of the action, explore forms of communication—such as Facebook or emailing—to update and inspire on a more convenient and regular basis.

 

About the author: Clay Boggess has been designing fundraising programs for schools and various nonprofit organizations throughout the US since 1999. He works with administrators, teachers, as well as outside support entities such as PTA's and PTO’s. Clay is a Senior Consultant at Big Fundraising Ideas.

Posted at 10:21 AM in Back-to-School, Fundraising Ideas, Volunteer Action - Motivation and Coordination, Volunteering at School | Permalink

Tags: school fundraising, volunteer recruitment

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Disaster Relief Resources

SignUp.com is Texas-proud, headquartered in Austin and we've been heartbroken watching the Hurricane Harvey disaster unfold in Houston and the Gulf Coast. We've also been inspired buy the huge local and national response for relief and recovery. From large government and national nonprofits, to local agencies, faith groups, and 'good guys in boats' - we've been (feeling warm and great) by the response and are proud to help in a small way by the many groups organizing volunteers and supplies with our platform.

 
We'd like to give a special shout to local nonprofits working to help our Houston and Gulf Coast neighbors get back on their feet - please consider these special places where your donation dollar can make a local difference: 

Disaster Relief

Teachers

Donorschoose.org created an outlet to help teachers at damaged schools rebuild their classrooms with materials like books, furniture, classroom supplies, technology, and therapy resources.

https://www.donorschoose.org/hurricane-harvey

 

Chefs and Cooks

World Central Kitchen is currently looking for volunteers with professional cooking experience to come to Houston to help them prepare meals for evacuees and aid workers.

http://www.foodandwine.com/chefs/cook-for-hurricane-harvey-victims-jose-andres

 

Military Family Support

Uncover where to get emergency prescription refills and the process for getting a referral requirement waived

http://www.pdhealth.mil/news/blog/managing-aftermath-hurricane-resources-make-difference

 

Translator Services Needed

Speak more than one language? Offer your help.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeVA-hJ8hkECZhGEifzq0lzyKE0wbL_9_m_tpD5fpPCDq34wg/viewform

 

Hungry to Help

Just type in the city and check for specific volunteer needs and local service opportunities for that area.

http://justserve.org

 

Avoid Scams

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hurricane-harvey-insurance-scams-homeowners/

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/28/us/donate-harvey-charities-scams.html

Posted at 03:10 PM in Fundraising Ideas, Volunteer Action - Motivation and Coordination, Volunteering by the Season, Volunteering in the Community | Permalink

Tags: disaster relief resources, hurricane harvey volunteers, hurricane irma volunteers, volunteers needed

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SignUp.com Fundraising Ideas

Boost Fundraiser Turnout & Participation 

SignUp.com has your back when it comes to getting organized and doing GOOD! Now, in partnership with Panda Express, we're sharing top fundraising tips and ideas to help your organization - be it a school, team or nonprofit - raise money, easy! 

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Browse our Fundraising Idea Center today for the low-down on fundraising trends, to learn more about earning 20% back for your school with Panda Express, and to find creative ways to boost family participation. Click here >

Posted at 04:30 AM in Fundraising Ideas | Permalink

Tags: fundraiser ideas, fundraising ideas, school activities, school fundraising ideas

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5 Summer Volunteering Songs your Kids will LOVE

Making Volunteering a Party with These Hit Tunes!

Looking for some fresh jams to play while volunteering? How about a great playlist for the car ride on the mission trip? Check out this sampler of what's on OUR playlist this summer!

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Car Wash by Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliot

 

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Can't Stop This Feeling by Justin Timberlake 

 

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Happy by Pharrell Williams

 

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Shut Up and Dance by Walk the Moon

 

~~~

READ MORE: 

Volunteer Party Playlist

Posted at 04:30 PM in Fundraising Ideas | Permalink

Tags: family friendly music, family playlist, feel good music, music for kids, pop songs for kids, volunteering playlist

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What’s in Your Hallway? 5 School Hallway Must-haves

5 Super Additions to School Hallways

Thanks to Elkay for this great guest post!

Has your school given much thought to making the most of its hallways? All that space where the students spend their time between classes is a great untapped educational & developmental opportunity. When you add it up, between bells, students and staff spend hundreds of hours in the hallways each year. This prime environment serves as a haven for student and staff interaction, for promoting healthy habits, for recruiting volunteers and supporting student achievement.

What's in your hallway
Are these 5 must-haves in your school hallway?

1. Water Bottle Filling Station: Encouraging kids to make healthy decisions starts with simple small acts like making clean, filtered water available throughout the day. With the ezH2O Bottle Filling Station from Elkay, students from elementary to high school can refill their reusable water bottle or cup in seconds. Encouraging the use of reusable bottles helps schools reduce their environmental impact while promoting healthy hydration. The eco-friendly ezH2O Bottle Filling Station is a sleek and modern addition to any school.

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For a limited time only, your school can enter for a chance to WIN an ezH2O Bottle Filling Station (with free installation) from Elkay and VolunteerSpot – that’s over a $2,000 value! Enter now and spread the word >>

2. Growth Mindset Bulletin Board: Helping students and educators shift from a fixed to a growth mindset? This approach to learning and education is revolutionizing classrooms, and one easy way to keep the growth mindset spirit alive is with this unique and colorful bulletin board idea.

Growth-Mindset-VolunteerSpot

Download the free printable signs to make your own bulletin board – click here.

3. Principals and Staff: A vital ingredient to an engaged student body is the presence of school and staff outside of the classroom. While kids are walking in the hallways or visiting their lockers between classes, even brief conversations and interactions with staff like principals, custodians, resource officers and guidance counselors can make a big difference. More than just providing adult supervision in the hallways between classes, having your staff mix and mingle with the student body in the hallways gives your students a chance to get to know their teachers better and meet staff that might otherwise be outside of their immediate school sphere.

4. Volunteer Sign-ups and Appreciation: Saving time with free, online sign-ups from VolunteerSpot? There’s still a way to make good use of school hallway real estate to engage parent helpers and school volunteers! Drive parents who are visiting your school to your online sign-ups from the offline world by:

  1. Posting an enlarged QR code in the hallway that parents can scan with their smartphones and which directs them to your online sign-ups
  2. Hang a volunteer poster that’s calling for help and shares a short link to your online sign-ups, i.e. We need volunteers for the school carnival! Go to vols.pt/school-carnival to sign up today!
  3. Post a parent volunteer in the hallway with an iPad during community events or fundraisers and use the free VolunteerSpot iPad app to sign volunteers up on the spot!

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5. Healthy Habits Door Decorations: Promote healthy habits in your student body with quick tips, hints and reminders on classroom doors and hallway bulletin boards. For example, share tips about getting enough sleep and sunlight, choosing healthy snacks, fun group exercise programs and social activities that students can get involved in after school, and the importance of staying hydrated and drinking lots of water.

Bonus: Don’t forget to enter the “Make a Splash in Your School!” Sweepstakes from Elkay and VolunteerSpot for a chance to win an ezH2O Bottle Filling Station! Ends 4/26. Now that’s healthy! Enter now >>


More about the Elkay ezH2O Bottle Filling Station:

Elkay ezH2O Bottle Filling Stations are the easy way to do the right thing for your school, students, and faculty. Making it convenient to keep kids continually hydrated during the school day, ezH2O stations  allow users to fill a 16 oz water bottle in about 7 seconds, now that's fast! ezH2O stations provide a free, healthy and convenient alternative to other beverages, encouraging kids to make healthy choices; and bottle counter technology helps users easily see how many bottles your facility has served. Learn more >>

Posted at 03:30 AM in Classroom Activities & Party Ideas, Fundraising Ideas, Volunteering at School | Permalink

Tags: additions to school hallway, bottle filling station for school, elkay ezh2o, growth mindset bulletin board, school bulletin board ideas, school hallway, school hallway ideas

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"Make a Splash in Your School!" Sweepstakes

Enter to WIN an Elkay ezH2O Bottle Filling Station for Your School!

Make a splash for your school this Earth Day by entering to WIN one of the coolest, most eco-friendly and modern additions to the school hallways, the Elkay ezH2O Bottle Filling Station! Enter now >>

Elkay-470x246-Banner

Your school students, teachers and staff will love their ezH2O for so many reasons, including:

  • They provide an easy and convenient way to encourage use of reusable bottles
  • ezH2O stations  allow users to fill a 16 oz water bottle in about 7 seconds
  • ezH2O stations provide a free, healthy and convenient alternative to other beverages
  • Bottle counter technology helps users easily see how many bottles your facility has served
  • They are valued over $2,000 (and Grand Prize includes installation!)
  • And much more!

It only takes a minute to enter for your school, click here - and spread the word!

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Posted at 03:30 AM in Classroom Activities & Party Ideas, Fundraising Ideas | Permalink

Tags: bottle filling station for schools, elkay ezh2o, elkay sweepstakes, ezh2o bottle filling station, make a splash sweepstakes, volunteerspot sweepstakes

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6 Spring Fundraising Trends for Schools and Nonprofits

Fundraising Ideas

What’s blooming in the fundraising world this spring? Check out these 5 ideas that are on trend and boosting profits for schools and nonprofits alike:

Spring Fundraising Ideas

1. Chocolate: Sure, sure, when is chocolate not on trend? Valid point. But new 2015 studies reveal strong associations between chocolate consumption and lower risk for heart disease and stroke, making it a more mouth-watering must-have treat than ever. See’s Candies is the go-to chocolate and candies fundraising program for schools and nonprofits looking to increase involvement and power big profits. Their easy-to-use fundraising platform and plethora of fundraising materials make it super simple for schools and nonprofits to get the word out, place orders and receive their delicious chocolate eggs and bunny boxes, just in time for Easter and spring holidays. Learn more

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2. Creative incentives: Growing your fundraising reach and incentivizing your supporters goes hand in hand this spring. Get creative with fun ideas like:

  • Encouraging spring carnival attendees to Instagram, tweet or facebook a pic of themselves with the school mascot in exchange for a raffle ticket to win something. In doing so, they can share the event hashtag and location to help spread the word.
  • Asking volunteers to bring one or two friends with them to pitch in at the spring community event. Offer them free swag like t-shirts, pens and water bottles; the bonus volunteer support is helpful and you get extra eyes and ears on learning about your cause.
  • Using the warm weather to your advantage is a must for FUN outdoor fundraising incentives. Promises like dunking a popular teacher at Field Day or pie-ing the principle in the face if fundraising goals are met are great ways to energize school families to raise more money.

Related: Boosting Fundraiser Turnout & Profits with Social Media

3. Online, volunteer sign-ups: Going green and helping the environment is totally on trend for spring. Free, online sign-ups from VolunteerSpot help schools and nonprofits save paper (and time) organizing volunteers for fundraisers and community events like festivals, fairs and concerts. With quick, intuitive scheduling tools for organizers, and 24/7 mobile access (plus automated reminders) for volunteers, VolunteerSpot is the must-have eco-alternative to paper sign-up sheets and lost notes home.

Festival Volunteer Sign-up

4. Adding product sales to community events: Boosting profits is easy in the spring when you take advantage of the spring events already in play – spring concerts, carnivals, tournaments, movie nights, etc. are great opportunities to sell fundraising product like See’s Candies. Set up a table, booth, tent, you name it and take orders on the spot, or sell candy at the event thought the fast cash program.

    Related: 6 Ways to Add Product Sales to Community Events

5. Gifts for others: Fundraisers work exceptionally well when product marketing focuses on how participants can give to others. Use the spring season to focus on events and celebrations participants will want to put money behind, i.e. buying See’s Candies chocolate eggs to give to family for Easter, to favorite teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week or to beloved moms for Mother’s Day.

Spring Fundraising Trends

6. “Fresh” community input: Nothing says spring like flowers, gardens and plenty of green! Trending for schools and nonprofits this season, shared “farmer’s markets” where proceeds go towards a common fundraising goal for a school or organization. Local farmers, garden centers and plant nurseries donate their own fresh flowers, vegetables and herbs for schools/nonprofits to sell and raise money.

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Posted at 04:30 AM in Fundraising Ideas | Permalink

Tags: nonprofit fundraising trends, school fundraising trends, sees candies fundraisers, sees candies fundraising, spring fundraising ideas, spring fundraising tips, spring fundraising trends

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Organizing Tournament Volunteers

Team Scheduling & Sign-ups Made Easy

Break out the jerseys and whistles, spring sports season is just around the corner! Save time, stress less and get more done this spring with free online team volunteer sign-ups and scheduling tools from VolunteerSpot. Start Planning

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Gone are the days of 'reply-all' email chains, last-minute phone calls and crumpled, grass-stained paper sign-up sheets. With VolunteerSpot, it's SO easy to coordinate:

  • Team meals and parties
  • Snack schedules
  • Score-keeping
  • Tournament volunteering
  • Carpool
  • You name it!

With fast, intuitive scheduling tools, coaches and team parents can create sign-ups and snack schedules in minutes. They post the schedule on the team webpage or via email or social media, and team parents can sign up 24/7 from their computer or mobile device. eCalendar syncing and automated reminders help keep everyone on track too!

VolunteerSpot-Team-Sign-ups

Did you know you can also collect money using VolunteerSpot? With the Collect Contributions feature, it's easy for team  parents and coaches to collect uniform dues, tournament registration fees, coach gift contributions, you name it. Learn more

Get more team parents pitching in this season than ever before! Get started

 

Related:

5 Steps to Team Snack Success

Fun Kids Snack Ideas

 

Posted at 04:30 AM in Fundraising Ideas, Sign Up Sheet Saturdays, Volunteering by the Season | Permalink

Tags: online snack sign-up, online snack signup, team scheduling, team scheduling software, team snack scheduling, team snack sign-up

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Funding Your Cause

3 Ways to Find Money to Support Your Community Cause or Service Project

Looking to make a difference in your community but falling short on funds? Even the littlest amount of money can make a difference towards purchasing much-needed supplies, food, and gas for your initiative. There are GOOD companies out there who want to support your ideas - you just need to know where to find them. Check out these 3 below:

Funding Your Cause

1. DreamBuilders Contest: Now through Feb. 7th, 2016, CreatetheGood.org is collecting video entries for the DreamBuilders contest where the grand prize winner will get $2,500 to support their favorite nonprofit's service project or event. It's super simple to enter, even a short video from your smartphone will do! Click here to register and submit your entry today >> 

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2. Thrivent Financial Action Teams: Thrivent Financial, a leading financial services organization "connecting faith and finances for good," supports community volunteer teams led by Thrivent members. With seed money and promotional supplies provided by Thrivent Financial, these Action Teams are an incredible way for Thrivent members to make an impact where they live, work and worship. Learn more.

3. GrantWatch.com: Keep an eye on GrantWatch for news about grants and government dollars allocated for community service. Filter your alerts by region, category of nonprofit or service initiative, and source of grants (federal, foundation, state, etc). Learn more here

 

Also see:

5 Ways to Encourage Teens to Volunteer

10 Family Service Ideas

 

 

Posted at 03:57 PM in Fundraising Ideas, Tips for Non-Profits | Permalink

Tags: community grants, dreambuilders contest, funding a service project, nonprofit grant opportunities

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VolunteerSpotlight | Histio Heroes

Cheers to Pamela Kurtz, Race Director for using VolunteerSpot to support her volunteering needs!

Please tell us about your organization and your volunteer needs.

I am the Race Director for the Histio Heroes 5K – a 5K race raising money and awareness for the Histiocytosis Association. We use a lot (over 100) of race-day volunteers to put on our event. These volunteers help in several different positions – race-day registration, t-shirts, gear check, course marshals, finish line, etc., which all have different responsibilities and time frames.

Histio heroes race

Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers. 

I used VolunteerSpot to sign up my volunteers this year. I shared the link with different volunteer groups and our volunteers from previous years. Since VolunteerSpot was updated automatically, it was easy for volunteers to see what positions were still open and to send volunteers instructions through VolunteerSpot’s website. The process was very simple, and this step took me so much less time than it had in the past! 

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

I wanted to simplify the way I kept track of my volunteers and liked the idea of volunteers signing up online. This allowed me to send out my request to different groups, and not worry about overlap or how to split up the list of positions. I checked out VolunteerSpot, and it seemed to be just what I needed!

What’s one piece of advice you have for folks organizing races and walks? 

You will need a lot of volunteers! The best way to get the numbers you need is to get some groups involved. VolunteerSpot made it so easy for us to have a few different groups involved and not end up duplicating spots or leaving any spots open. If for some reason you can no longer volunteer for the position you signed up for, please cancel out of it instead of just not showing up.

What else would you like our readers to know about your organization or volunteering? 

The Histio Heroes 5K is a run/walk along the Fox River Trail in Batavia, IL. in support of Histiocytosisis, a rare blood disease that can be deadly or can cause life-long disabilities. Patients are often treated with chemotherapy, radiation and bone marrow transplant. While this disease affects all races and ages, the majority of cases involve children under 10 years old. Because histiocytosis is so rare, it receives virtually no government funding for research. The Association receives most of its money from events such as this one, started by family and friends of those affected by the disease. If you live in the Chicago area, please come out to participate or volunteer!

We salute Pamela and all the other teachers and volunteers making a difference in their communities.  Check out how VolunteerSpot’s Volunteer Software can save you time and stress and boost parent involvement in your school. Take a tour today!

 

Posted at 03:30 AM in Fundraising Ideas, VolunteerSpotlight: Leaders in Action | Permalink

Tags: 10k volunteer sign-ups, 5k volunteer sign-ups, benefit runs, charity run volunteer sign-ups, histio heroes, Histiocytosis Association, volunteerspot

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Festival Planning | FestForward

Festival Planning Hints and Tips from FestForward

At VolunteerSpot, we power festivals big and small around the country - from one-day community events like the Mississippi Book Festival in Jackson, to multi-day international events like the Long Beach International Film Festival. We wanted to learn more and went to the experts at FestForward.

Laurie Kirby and Stuart MacNaught, two long time veterans in the festival space, saw the diversity of festivals and lack of a centralized network and community and created FestForward, a conference dedicated to festival organizers. On Sunday, November 22, over 500 attendees gathered in Santa Barbara to learn from one another over the course of three days while participating and enjoying dozens of panels, speakers, a hackathon, live music, wine and beer tastings and a “Best of Fests” Award Ceremony.

FestForward

Highlights included Lesa Ukman, a leading authority on sponsorships, who led an intimate panel that helped festivals better understand how to approach sponsors and execute sponsorship proposals, and Scott Mirkin, one of America’s most successful event producers, sharing his thoughts on the importance and evolution of technology in festivals.

The diversity of festivals is impressive and that’s before you consider the people and companies who bring them to life. From tiny non-profits, which can be staffed almost entirely by volunteers and rely on donations or fundraisers for support, to large for-profit organizations with legions of paid staff with healthy budgets and big name sponsors that can generate millions of dollars in revenue.

Not surprisingly many of these festivals and their organizers face a number of similar challenges including sponsorship activation, staffing, volunteer organization and most importantly delivering a great experience to attendees. A number of vendors were on hand at FestForward to show off their solutions for addressing these issues including Eventbase, a company that specializes in designing world class apps for festivals of all shapes and sizes.  In addition to building custom apps for events like SXSW, the London Olympics and Sundance they also offer a free version for those who might have a slightly smaller budget.

Based on the success of this year’s event dates have already been announced for next year’s conference which will take place November 20 – 22 in Santa Barbara. For more details, please visit:  http://www.aboutfest.com/home.html

 

*Image courtesy of AboutFest.com

Posted at 03:12 AM in Fundraising Ideas, Tips for Non-Profits | Permalink

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5 Easy Ways to Spread the Word About Your Fundraiser

Fundraising Ideas

No matter if you have the best product, the most entertaining event, the hardest working volunteer staff – you name it – if people don’t know about your fundraiser, it’s going to be hard to ask them to contribute. For schools and teams, the typical note home or community flyer is proving to be an outdated standby without enough traction to really tip the needle. 

Fundraising Ideas

Break away from the traditional and try out these modern-age tech tools for getting the word out about your fundraiser!

1. SmartRaiser:
What if you could give your entire team or school community access to your product or ticket sale fundraiser, right from the convenience of their mobile device? Enter SmartRaiser, the newest SMS and mobile store application for busy groups that are looking to raise money fast! Learn more

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Save time and boost profits with easy-to-use mobile store and payment services plus NEW text-to-fundraise technology and social media integration tools. Get started

2. VolunteerSpot: Streamlining volunteer coordination and communication online with free sign-ups from VolunteerSpot means more volunteer participation and support for your big event. Spread the word about volunteer shifts and events news by posting your online sign-up links in emails, on social media, and via apps like Remind. Count on mobile access, eCalendar syncing and automated reminders to keep everyone track and showing up for the big day! Get started

3. Pinterest: Hosting a gala auction or carnival? Share pictures of auction items, centerpieces, decorations, carnival games and more with your school Pinterest community. Include event hashtags, i.e. #EastElemWinterCarnival, with links to the event landing page for more information. Follow our Fundraising Ideas board on Pinterest today.

4. Periscope: One of the hottest free trending livestream apps, Periscope allows your school-parent group or nonprofit leaders to livestream a fundraising event, webinar or conference right from their smartphone. Tweet and facebook links out to your school community during the event to encourage people to check out the attractions and boost last-minute attendance!

5. Instagram: Nothing boosts fundraiser turnout like awesome incentives that encourage participants to do something fun for a chance to win. For a live-action event like a carnival, Book Fair, or community night, ask parents and kids to snap a selfie with the school mascot or honorary guest and post on Instagram with the fundraiser hashtag. Hold a raffle based off those posts and count on the free publicity to help bring in some last-minute stragglers.

Thanks to SmartRaiser for this great post!
Check out their mobile store and text-to-fundraise program today, it's easy!

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Posted at 04:33 AM in Fundraising Ideas | Permalink

Tags: fundraising ideas, fundraising tech tools, fundraising tools, online fundraiser, school fundraising ideas, smart raiser, smartraiser, spread the word about fundraiser, team fundraising ideas, text to fundraiser

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