Downstrike's Easy Non-Profit Fund Raising Idea

Why should you? You're on the Internet!!

Once again, the internet is poised to automate your work for you, with this easy non-profit fund raising idea!

Here's how: First, your charitable, non-profit group needs a simple, but well-designed web page. If it has one, you can skip the next part.

No, you don't need your own server or webmaster, just an internet-savvy volunteer with an internet connection. If you can use HTML-generating software, or fill out forms on web pages, you'll do. If not, the first member who brags, "oh, I do that all the time", just volunteered. Now, find a server on the internet that hosts web pages, either at low cost, such as HostingWithUs, or for free, such as Netfirms.

Go to their home page, follow links to sign up for free pages or low cost hosting, fill out a form in the name of your group, and follow instructions for building your web site. Unless you have an html expert in your group, this usually involves using a "Page Wizard" or HTML software, which automatically writes HTML code for you as you fill out forms telling what you want on the page. WebTeacher gives further instruction at their web site.

A number of partnering programs will even supply you with an entire web site designed just for paying you commissions for promoting their products. Some are listed at Downstrike's Free Web Site Index. Downstrike's favorite fund-raising program is Cognigen:

Downstrike suggests having your HTML checked with a tune-up wizard such as SelfPromotion.com's PrettyPrint.

If you choose a free server, make sure they allow you to place banners, or "paid advertising", on your page. Now hold on!! Did Downstrike say you would have to sell advertising? No, he didn't.

Instead, look for web sites which advertise that they pay you to link to their page. These are called partnering, associate, or referring programs. You'll find links below to pages which list a lot of them. If this is old news to you, you can skip to the good part.

Then, there are commission partners who pay from any where from 1% to 50% commission on each sale they make from their site resulting from your link. Read the fine print though. Some pay only on a visit to their site from your link, while some pay on purchases from each visit a customer makes who used your link. Bear in mind that when a potential customer surfs from your site to the partner's site, and the partner offers a free demo of the product, the free demo is what the customer will obtain on that FIRST visit! So don't let these programs con you.

Another kind starts with a commission, but pays you a commission on a "downline" of other partners who join their partnering program from your link. These commissions are likely to be smaller than in a regular commission program, but have the potential to multiply into a lot more, if you can get a lot of other sites to join under yours. If this doesn't seem clear, have someone involved in Multi-Level-Marketing or two-tier programs explain it. If you're concerned that such programs may be pyramid schemes, bear in mind that pyramid schemes charges their affiliates sign-up or maintenance fees, or require affiliates to meet a purchase quota, in order to qualify for referral bonuses.

Once you find a program you like, follow the site's instructions to join, usually by filling out a form. Then the site will show you a page with some HTML code on it. Don't worry about understanding the code, unless that's your idea of fun. They may email the code to you also.

All you need to do is follow their instructions to copy-and-paste the code from the page or email, into a page wizard form. If the form won't let you use HTML, you need a server with a page wizard which will accept it.

To copy-and-paste, click and drag across all the code so it changes color and press "Ctrl" and "c" simultaneously. This is copying. Then, in the page wizard form, click where you want the link to be, and press "Ctrl and "v" simultaneously. This is pasting.

Now, the good part: A single web page will only do so much, and the money is only a trickle. That's why many people with web sites will give up on partnering after a while. Your group has more than one person in it. Hopefully, some have web sites. You know others not in your group who have web sites.

Explain to your membership, that you have a method which will allow them and their web site visitors to donate to your worthy cause, WITHOUT COST to them, or their visitors by placing links on their sites, and how grateful so many people would be for such an inexpensive donation.

Yes, Downstrike knows you're brilliant and can see this coming a mile away, but please bear with him: Copy-and-paste your HTML link code into an email and send it to anyone who is willing to copy it into their web site. Each of these sites alone will only bring a trickle, some trickles large, some trickles small, and you may never know which site brings how much of a trickle. But the point is to add enough trickles together to make your fundraiser work for you.

• Downstrike's Free Web Site Index
• Downstrike's Free Web Site Advertising Co-Op
• Downstrike's Regional Linking Partners