It’s like a Groupon with non-profits, where everyday a new charity is showcased and users are asked to donate $1 and no more than $10. With the default donation of $1, the people behind Philanthroper hope that users will find it easy giving $1 to another charity the next day, and so on, harnessing a lot of people giving a little to create a large contribution for organizations.

Paypal has teamed up with Philanthroper on this initiative to make giving a habit.
What do you think of the concept?

Organizations often recognize their donors by putting their name on something: a wing of the hospital, the university library, bricks of the church, or plaques on an honour wall.  Are you effectively using naming to motivate giving? Are you making it exciting?

These two organizations are divvying it up and raising funds from smaller parts. But they’ve added a heaping dose of creativity and injected some digital vitality to broaden their fundraising efforts.

Greenpeace is retiring their aging ship, the Rainbow Warrior, and replacing it with a $32 million wind-powered vessel fully equipped with a biological sewage treatment plant and satellite communications system onboard. They’ve put every part of their ship up for sponsorship. The amazing digital campaign for A New Warrior highlights every piece of the vessel for donors to pinpoint an exact part of the boat to sponsor.

Ave Maria University in Florida has taken their memorial fundraising campaign online, allowing visitors to pinpoint the exact location of sponsored bricks, flooring, statues and other items in the Ave Maria Oratory. Their Memorial Locator is a simple design that adds a level of visual excitement.

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.

It’s that time of year when people get together to celebrate with friends, family, food and gifts. So in the spirit of the season, why not throw a big party, make merry and benefit your organization while you’re at it?

It’s a simple idea that can achieve spectacular results. HoHoTo has been doing just that. Their first party last year raised $25,000, their second collected $15,000.  Last week, partygoers raised close to $50,000 and over 1000lbs in canned goods for the Daily Bread Food Bank. Sponsors were lined up, volunteers pitched in, tickets sold out, and the food bank received a much needed donation during this busy season.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays from all of us at MWO Philanthropic Advisors!