Fundraising forum A Charity Badge to Raise Dough? Would a charity badge be a good fundraising vehicle for your organization? By Lance Trebesch & Taylor Robinson harity badges are increasing $100,000 raised in only three weeks, your cause by seeing who puts your in popularity and may become www.sharingfoundation.org), the ma- badge on their Web site, blog, or Cmore important in the future. jority of charity badge fundraisers social network profile. If you don’t have one, here’s what have less impressive results. Ac- 4. Targeted Audience. According you need to know. cording to TechSoup (“Show Me the to Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org), A charity badge is a small widget Numbers: Can Group Fundraising more than 61% of all donations come (a mini-Web page), often including Help You?”, www.techsoup.org), from personal requests. A charity a picture, brief description of the which collected data from group badge is often shared from one organization, and link to where you fundraising sites (these numbers friend to another, targeting requests can make a donation. The beauty of don’t exclusively reflect charity badge to individuals who may donate. For the charity badge is that it lets users fundraisers), the average group example, if you were an environ- share with one another by simply fundraiser yielded revenue of only mental nonprofit, you could place clicking on “get this badge” (word- $692.80. your badge on an established “envi- ing may vary depending on the 2. Number of Participants. The ronmental group” within a social badge provider), then copying and concept of charity badges is still networking site, and friends in the pasting the html code onto their relatively new and not yet wide- group would share the badge, giving Web site or blog. Much like a chain spread. The average group fundrais- it a much more targeted viewing. letter, the potential for spreading ing campaign has from 4-40 donors. 5. Unknown Future. The future the badge is great, especially when 3. Personal Contact. People are of charity badges is still largely up in used on social networking sites or more compelled to give if they the air. By experimenting with badges blogs. Below is an example of a char- receive acknowledgment for their now, your organization will gain a ity badge from Network for Good. donation. One problem with online better understanding of how they donations is that there’s little or no work and how you can effectively Amount raised, tracked in real time personal connection between the use them in the future. Code and links to display organization and the supporter. How to Create a Badge badge on your own According to Mashable, a social Web site, blog or social networking news site (www.mash Creating a badge is very easy and networking site able.com), a RockYou charity wid- can be done in a matter of minutes. Photo uploaded by user get received 2,257,505 views but Simply follow the step-by-step generated only $69 during that time instructions on your provider’s Web Link to donate securely period. site. Some of the most popular pro- to one of over a million viders include Network for Good charities Five Reasons Why You (www.networkforgood.org), ChipIn Video Link added by user Should Use One Anyway (www.chipin.com), and CareBadges 1. Awareness. The most important (www.carebadges.com). reason to create a charity badge is to raise awareness of your organiza- 250 characters of text tion. While there’s potential for a Lance Trebesch (lance@TicketPrint written by user highly successful fundraiser, the ing.com) is CEO of Ticket Printing, and Taylor Robinson (trobinson@Ticket most likely benefit will simply be Printing.com) is Ticket Printing’s that more people are exposed to marketing manager for the nonprofit your cause. sector. Ticket Printing (www.ticket 2. Little Expense. ChipIn (www. printing.com) is a leader in affordable chipin.com) and Network for Good online ticket printing for small-to- (www.networkforgood.org) currently medium size organizations. Over the To decide if a charity badge is past 10 years, TicketPrinting.com has don’t charge to create badges. Your designed and printed millions of tick- right for your nonprofit, you’ll want only costs would be the potential ets for thousands of events, fundrais- to know the following: credit payment fees and the labor to ers, performances, and more. Ticket create and promote your badge. Printing.com has hundreds of ticket Three Reasons a Charity Badge 3. Community Networking. Plac- templates –– just put in your event or May Not Help Your Organization ing your badge in targeted locations raffle information and Ticket Printing can help you reach new demographic prints and ships in 24 hours. Or, a 1. Campaign Success. While there design-your-own tool enables you to are some noted exceptions (such as groups. Furthermore, you’ll be able customize your ticket. the Sharing Foundation’s astounding to easily track who’s interested in May/June 2009 www.snpo.org NONPROFIT WORLD • 7.