subject: Supplementing Nonprofit Organizations With Online Fundraising [print this page] In the United States, nonprofit organizations brought in around $1.9 trillion in 2008. That number dropped by billions in 2009, and is expected to drop even further in 2010. Because of the loss of funds, many nonprofits are having to cut employees or cancel programs. Some even have to close down.
This will harm the U.S. economy further. Consider the numbers: nonprofit organizations employ nearly 10% of our workforce. If many of these people are let go, our unemployment troubles will worsen. It is projected that nearly a million nonprofit jobs will have been lost by 2013.
Talk about a fundraising scare! Many nonprofit organizations are now looking into new ways to generate revenue. The typical bake sales, charity auctions, and golf tournaments haven't been cutting it. Instead, many nonprofits are turning to online fundraising.
There is a very simple system to online fundraising. Consumers are able to support their favorite nonprofit while shopping online. When a consumer makes a purchase at a participating merchant, such as Apple or BestBuy, a percentage of their total purchase is donated to their chosen nonprofit.
Via online fundraising, nonprofits have been able to raise millions of dollars in the past few years. The popularity of Internet fundraising is partly because it is so successful but it is partly because it is free.
There's no charge to setting up an online fundraising campaign. The nonprofit organization simply fills out a registration at an online fundraising website to start the ball rolling. Then, people can provide financial support when they shop at sponsoring sites.
The nonprofits are not the only ones who benefit from this arrangement. Consumers also benefit, by getting special online discounts, or sometimes getting free shipping when contributing to online fundraising.
Nonprofit fundraising efforts have really taken a dent from the recent economic turmoil, but online fundraising is helping to offset this. Consumers who are also nonprofit supporters are urged to shop online and make their purchases count.
