PTP would love to run on pure love and good karma but until Whuffie becomes the international medium we need the cold hard greenbacks.

Listed here are various FundRaising ideas, please add to it and cooment on what's here.

The Chinook Book - http://www.chinookbook.net

My wife and I get at least two of these every year and we more than save at leasts double what we paid for the books, heck I saved about 24$ in one day of shopping, but then again I was out to prove a point. They are a great source of coupons, we love cupons, and a great way to support community and environmentaly friendly buisnesses. Here is the blurb from thier site.

"Chinook Book is an extraordinary new fundraising tool available to schools and community groups in the metro region. Chinook Book contains educational information and thousands of dollars worth of coupons. Every product or service in the book meets your local environmental criteria.

Chinook Book is a fundraising tool for schools, non-profits, conservation organizations and other community groups. The books sell for $18 each and the seller keeps up to 50%, depending on the number sold. "

• I sent an email asking for more information on this (5/01/03 - TomHiggins )

• One of the points that came up at the weekly meeting was the number of folks who would be into this idea. Does our demographic not dig the cupon and savings sceen? I think we need feedback on this and the other ideas listed on this page to get some sort of gauge on what options will be best suited for the PTP member base. -- 05/14/03 - TomHiggins

scrip - http://www.nationalscripcenter.com/index.asp

• http://www.scrip.com

We have used scrip from our kids school. The idea is this, the group sells gift certificates and/or gift cards from various participating mercahnts. The group gets a percentage, anywhere from 1% to 25% with an avg of 5%, of the face value of what they sold. The buyer does not pay a dime.

For instnace..If I buy 100$ of Powells Books scrip (gift certificates) from the PTP I can go purchase 100$ of books from Powells. The PTP gets 5$

There is a much better explanation up at http://www.nationalscripcenter.com/fundraisingproducts.asp?pgID=953 .

The upside is the NSC has got a lot of merchants to participate so you will find that most of the stores you frequent for food, clothing and the mass of consumer spending are in on it. IF enough PTP members use the Scrip the PTP gets a percentage, the memebers still buy what they want and everyone is happy as clams.

Pros-

• as a nonprofit we are eligible
• there are a ton of merchants so everyone will find someplace they drop money on regularly
• bookkeeping seems easy enough
• Powells is in there, woohoo
• karma for spending what you would be spending already but by dealing with the scrip youll be helping the PTP
• makes for great gift giving

• I have sent an email asking for more info ( 05/01/03 - TomHiggins )

• Snail Mail package received. The application was looked over by Lucas and should be making its way back in short order. Being that there is no upfront costs or liabilities on the PTP for signing up its all good. Once we get the offical go the real deal will be in prolifterating the use of this stuff. The more we use the more we make, so its a consumptive viral type of apodtion that will be needed. -- 05/14/03 - TomHiggins

• Scrip.com might have more local merchants like Powells. I have contacted them for more info.

escrip - http://www.escrip.com/

How it works from the Contributors end-

• they register any one or all of their existing grocery loyalty, debit and credit cards for use in the program.
• participating merchants will make contributions to their chosen group, thats us, based on purchases made using those cards. Purchases are tracked and available to them online, so they can see just how much they are contributing.

From PTPs end-

• get members to register their cards and use the merchants participating
• the merchants then give x% (usualy around 5%) of the purcahses to the group
• every 60 days we get a check

Downsides

• from what Im reading they are only acepting groups with a tie in to education and schools.

from their FAQ "What types of organizations can participate in the eScrip program? The eScrip program is a program for schools and organizations that directly support the education of youth. " Could the PTP make a case for educational?

• privacy folks will hate this.
• they charge a fee , 15% I think, from what you generate.

• I have sent an email asking for more info ( 05/01/03 - TomHiggins )

Cafe Press - http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/help/

• No fee to set up
• You set up the images, pick the prodcuts to print them on..done
• Cafepress cahrges X per item, PTP charges X+Y and we get Y
• Special items, event driven one offs, etc very easy to do.
• Coffe mugs, whats not to love.
• User can pay by CC, Paypal, check, cash.. so it gets over the privacy problems.

Ebay Auctions - http://www.ebay.com

• Sell off stuff that does not find a home in/as a node or as part of another project.
• Low cost to place auctions
• With a little bit of up front research a good idea of what the ebay buying gestalt will bear can be had to determine if an item is worth ebaying.
• PTP has a sellers account set up already.

[CategoryPersonalTelco]