“The more you download, the more we donate” –fairsharemusic.com

Across the pond, UK music website fairsharemusic donates 50% of profits from downloaded tracks to a charity of your choice. Songs are priced at rates similar to other downloading sites like iTunes and Amazon MP3. All you do is create an account, choose a charity, and download. We like the sound of that!

Can this idea be incorporated to benefit your organization? Could you run a campaign (short or long-term) with a music label to donate part earnings to your cause? What about partnering with a musician beyond the level of spokesperson and have proceeds, from an album or song, donated to your foundation?

And go beyond the music realm to collaborate with industries looking to differentiate themselves from their competitors.  Offering consumers ‘feel-good’ purchases is a formula where everyone wins.

(Source: National Post Business)

Is the fear of failing hampering your organization from innovating? Many organizations tend to become more rigid as they grow, minimizing risk to avoid making ‘mistakes’.

But remember:

There is no such thing as perfect. If a culture of perfection is prevalent within your organization, you are doing more harm than good. Innovative success seldom occurs without failure. Experiments in various fields have failure built into them so that all possible wrongs can be cancelled to achieve the desired right. And sometimes a surprise outcome may exceed your expectations. But none of this will happen if failure in the work-flow is discouraged. Don’t cling to the past because it’s how you’ve always done it. Try something new and if you fail, learn, modify, build, and grow.

There is no such thing as failure. Failing is perspective. Failures are just stepping stones toward getting it right. But if you don’t step out and take that risk, you will never move forward. So welcome it, build it into your culture, and encourage more risk taking.

“There is no failure. Only feedback.” ~ Robert Allen

We came across the RockCorps movement on the Haft2Know blog and we’re singing its praises. 4 hours of volunteering in your community = 1 ticket to a concert. That’s music to our ears.

The RockCorps movement was founded in 2005, offering volunteers tickets to big-name gigs across the US. Then, in 2008, the organization partnered with Orange to bring their movement to the UK and has now spread to France and Israel. Orange directly funds the program and provides the communications campaigns.

Thus far, over 60,000 people have volunteered through RockCorps, with more than 450 charity and non-profits. Is your organization part of the movement?

What incentives do you offer your volunteers? We’d love to hear from you.

As companies buy letters, ABC shows their appreciation on twitter and then tweets a call-out to their supporter’s competition.

“Thanks BC Honda Dealers purchasing the letter ‘B’. Where are you Toyota and Hyundai?” Feb 10th

“Thanks to HarperCollins for purchasing the letter H. Luckily P is still available Penguin.” Feb 10th

Organizations have been picking up letters, including the CBC [C], Scotiabank [S], and Tim Hortons [T] but there are still a few up for grab.

What we like about this?

• This is a creative twist on a really simple idea. The building blocks for words formed the foundation for this campaign. The next time you’re brainstorming campaigns for your organization, start by thinking small…really basic. Then build on your simple idea.

• There’s an element of competition and playfulness woven through this campaign. We especially like the gentle “taunts” that were tweeted. Don’t forget to have fun with your campaigns!

The Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation runs a campaign to raise funds by recycling old tech devices (mobile phones, digital cameras, computers, laptops, monitors, printers, CDs, DVDs, cables and ink cartridges).

Send the foundation your old items free of charge. Items are refurbished and sent to developing countries while those beyond repair are recycled. A percentage of sales is given to the foundation, which uses the funds to provide care to families with children with developmental needs.

200 old phones = one month’s nursing care for one family.

20,000 phones = a nurse for one sick child for one year.

Their Phones for Boards campaign teams up with schools to install Interactive Whiteboards in classrooms for a donation of 300/500 old mobile phones.

The nationwide media campaign was so successful they made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for the most phones collected.

What can you do?

• This campaign serves two causes in a simple and complementary way: recycling and health care.  Complementing one cause with another extends the reach and appeal of your campaign. So be creative when thinking of collaborative ideas that will complement your fundraising drive.

• Donors were able to raise funds at no cost to them, essentially allowing them to make a difference for ‘free’ and encouraging greater numbers to participate in the campaign. So think beyond direct monetary donations and consider incorporating ‘free’ into your fundraising ideas.

Guoman Hotels of London has created a unique cocktail collection with 100% of profits donated to their charity partners.

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants run numerous programs focusing on social responsibility through their Kimpton Cares program. These include the Red Ribbon initiative for HIV organizations, EarthCare, and partnerships with The Nature Conservancy and The Trust for Public Land.  Employees at their Chicago hotel, Hotel Burnham, partnered with the Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation of Chicago, wearing pins that said “Ask Me Why I Wear the Bear” to raise money for the foundation.

Sage Hospitality Hotels offers a Give a Day, Get a Night special to guests who complete eight hours of volunteer service with a non-profit organization. The incentive includes 50% off the room rate, or a complimentary night.

Is your non-profit taking advantage of collaborations in the Hospitality and Tourism industry? Talk to us about how your organization can check-in on some creative partnerships.

1. REthink a current fundraising campaign with your ENTIRE organization. Asking everyone to contribute can yield excellent suggestions, even from departments not traditionally involved in the idea process.

2. REmove fear. There are no wrong questions. Allow for open idea sessions on a regular basis.

3. REdesign your workspace to inspire! It can be as simple as a fresh coat of paint or framed pictures on the wall. How about a new mural or some fun lighting?

4. REalign your fundraising strategy to improve efficiency. Analyze which programs raise most money for every dollar spent and invest accordingly. Our MWO Fundraising Optimizer software produces a three-year forecast of fundraising results that is the best combination of your fundraising programs.

5. REtreat, REjuvenate, REfresh. Organize regular outings for your staff, like a bowling event or a movie night.

6. REward hard work. Create team incentives and recognize your staff’s achievements.

On a trip to Argentina, Blake Myscoie saw young children without shoes and wanted to help them. So he founded TOMS Shoes based on the One for One principle: With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need.

Three years later, the successful company has given over 150,000 new shoes to children in Ethiopia, South Africa, Argentina and United States.

What We Like About This Idea:

TOMS Shoes is a great example of philanthropy and commercial products working together. Without compromising on ethics (the shoes are made in factories that follow a strict human rights code of conduct) or quality (the shoes are durable and eco-friendly), Blake sells a product that is exciting to customers who look stylish while helping a cause. And the fact that TOMS Shoes has been running successfully for three years means the One for One model is sustainable.

This is just one creative idea running on the One for One principle. Would this model work within your organization’s fundraising strategies? The system has already been profitably tested, so why not tie in an appropriate product that fits with your organizations mission and establish an exciting new fundraising program?

Here’s how you might start:

1)     Think about what the people you serve need in a large quantity.  (Shoes, CDs, cell phones, water, medicine, etc.)

2)    Who makes that?  (Look especially for organizations trying to enter a new market or launch a product.)

3)    How can giving one product to your organization for every product sold help increase sales?

We think it will probably be smaller start-ups that find a partnership with your organization appealing, or a product from a bigger firm that needs a re-launch.  The opportunities are many; see them, use them.

“We take an outside-the-box approach to activism, to educating and mobilizing young people,” says Andrew Slack, founder of the Harry Potter Alliance, as he enthusiastically details his organization’s achievements over the phone. “Based off a modern myth, we’re building a worldview in our members. We’re encouraging each other to tap into the magic of our creativity.”

We’re inspired by Andrew’s passion, dedication and ingenuity. Here is an individual who, like many of us, wants to change the world and is harnessing the power of youth and creativity to do just that. His out-of-the-box thinking moved him to start the Harry Potter Alliance, a 100,000-strong network of “Harry Potter fans from everywhere to spread love and fight the Dark Arts in the real world.”

Thus far, the HP Alliance has raised over $15,000 for Darfur and Burma, donated over 14,000 books across the world, and brought attention to numerous issues though their activism using the media and internet.

What can Andrew Slack teach us about our organizations?

• I suspect there are ‘Andrew Slacks’ within your organization, but most of us do not allow them to pursue new and innovative ideas.  Instead, they are stifled and pushed down/away; they are “kept on task” and as a result, nothing really innovative gets done.  Perhaps you should have lunch with the “Andrew Slacks” and give him/her some unprecedented freedom and resources – nothing crazy, just some space to be who they can be.  The results might amaze you.

• Through our work with our clients, we have discovered that fantastic ideas are often hiding in the minds and files drawers of people within the organization.  We just ask the simple question, “What great idea have you thought we should be pursuing and, for whatever reason, we are not?”  Everyone has an answer, and they are really good ideas.  Somehow they have been buried by the day-to-day.  All you have to do is ask for the ideas, make a list, prioritize them and choose the best one to begin transforming your fundraising.  Our MWO Incubator can help with the really big ideas, but you can also turn your “Andrew Slack” loose on one of them.  They can take a concept and turn it into a new fundraising program for your organization!

• Maybe we are limiting the development of new and exciting fundraising programs because we are so concerned about years of experience and proven success.   Andrew Slack was 25 when he started the Harry Potter Alliance – he had no professional experience or proven success.  Nothing new can ever get going if it has to be proven first.  Scientists call it experimentation, in business it’s called new product development, and in fundraising – well, we don’t even have a term for it!    I recommend you take a risk and support a new fundraising program for your organization every year.   Start small, experiment with something new, and perhaps you will discover an idea as exciting, engaging and powerful as the Harry Potter Alliance.