Growth of On-line Shopping a Boon to Fundraisers Everywhere - September 23, 2008 -

Around this time of year, just about every school, sports team and non-profit organization in our collective communities send their minions out into the neighborhood to hawk candy bars, candles, Christmas wreaths and just about anything else they can get their hands on. All done in an effort to fill the coffers of the group in support of their activities for the coming year. Weve all probably done this type of product fundraising sometime in our lives. And weve all supported the effort of others since it is as noble as it is capitalistic.

But times have changed. The proliferation of groups raising money has reached a fever pitch while at the same time, prices and product quality have suffered under the weight of increasing profit demands from these organizations. We end up buying products we dont need at over inflated prices just to support little Janie or Johnnies soccer team. Perhaps we do it out of guilt or maybe obligation. We definitely dont do it because it is consumer savvy.

But there are new options on the horizon, courtesy of the ever efficient and expanding Internet, which are both consumer savvy and fundraiser friendly. It turns out that on-line merchants are actually willing to pay people to shop on their sites. Simply redirecting the buying power of a group of consumers can yield significant windfalls for those that understand and take advantage of this phenomenon. This kind of affiliate marketing is nothing new, but schools and non-profit groups have been slow to realize the opportunity. These organizations are in fact an affinity group; Familys that have banded together for a common short term purpose. They have tremendous combined buying power. The same family that hesitantly spends $7.50 on a roll of wrapping paper spends $99 on cable TV, $600 on groceries and personal care, and $420 on clothing and accessories every month. And thats not even considering the holiday season. The average US household spends $681 on gifts during the holidays alone (source NPD Group). When you start to do the math, even a minor percentage of this large pie adds up to more than a hefty percentage of the small pie with which they are familiar. Not to mention the added convenience and potential savings offered by merchants to shop at their web stores.

The product fundraising industry has been slow to adapt, selling the same stale fruit cakes and popcorn year after year. However, that is finally beginning to change. With the launch of web sites like iRaiser Mall (http://www.iraisermall.com) organizations can begin to take advantage of the tremendous growth of eCommerce and harness those internet dollars to achieve their groups financial goals. Organizations can enroll for free and, with a few mouse clicks, they can launch an internet fundraiser that has the potential to make them more money with less effort. It is an idea whose time has come and not a moment too soon. Ive got enough scented garbage bags to last 5 years.

Carlton David is a writer, artist and internet entrepreneur.

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