Free Fundraising Using Insiderpages, Goodsearch, and Used Cell Phones

Most organizations are always in need of more ways to earn funds, but many times fundraisers can be massive undertakings of time and finances. A good fundraising committee always needs to be on the lookout for innovative ways to involve their supporters without putting an unnecessary burden on them. Also, another problem with some fundraising ideas is the amount of manpower necessary to complete one.

There may be some excellent ideas with large profit potential, but if you don't have enough eager support behind you, they may never come to fruition. Gone are the days that organizations' only options for fundraising is candy, bake sales, wrapping paper, raffle tickets, or a huge gala or ball with high ticket prices some may or may not be able to afford. I'm not knocking these ideas, but fresh new ideas (with lesser financial burden) may be the kick that gets your supporters more involved.

In these articles I'd like to share some ideas for some fundraisers that are free. I'm also submitting an article on low cost fundraisers so look out for that. They also don't require an army of volunteers to run. Some of them, I've personally overseen myself.

Insiderpages.com Fundraiser

This is one that I just leaned about and was really excited about the earning potential. There is no cost at all. Your organization can earn money by simply asking its members to write short reviews about local businesses like restaurants, contractors, retail shops, etc. It's very simple and easy for your organization to earn money. There's no limitation on the reviews you can write.

Each fundraiser lasts for 3 weeks and after that, they send you a check. For each review your members/supporters write, InsiderPages makes a donation to your organization of $1.50 for the first review of any business (new to the site) and $.50 for each follow-on review.

Goodsearch Fundraiser

Goodsearch is a free and easy way to have your participants support you by simply doing what they were doing anyway, which is searching the internet. You can download a toolbar to Internet Explorer or add a search engine to Mozilla Firefox. Goodsearch is powered by Yahoo. I have used it and it was very simple.

You simply register your group, and send your members the information on how they can participate. Your group gets one cent for each search. That can quickly be multiplied if you have a large number of members. The great thing about this is that your supporters don't even have to be on the same continent as you. Anyone can participate.

Cell Phone Fundraiser

If you were to look in the average American home, you're more than likely going to find a used cell phone or two or three depending on the number of cell phone users in the home. There are several companies that will buy used phones from people. These phones can be refurbished and reused. They'll even pay for the shipping by sending you a prepaid shipping label. There is one website I know of the specifically specializes in collecting these phones for the purpose of fundraising.

The site is called GRC Recycling. They provide promotional materials and tips for having a successful fundraiser. All of this is at no additional cost for the organization.

The great thing about this company is that they pay you for all of your phones, no matter what condition, unlike other companies with a short list of phones they'll accept. So if the phone is damaged, they still will pay you at least .50 for it.

Your organization collects the phones, you ship the box to them at their cost, and they send you a check within 2 weeks. Also, this can be an ongoing fundraiser. You aren't limited by one shipment. This is a simple fundraiser that doesn't require your participants to come out of their pockets. In reality you're doing them a favor by helping them clean up clutter and help the environment at the same time.