Here at GiveForward we’re all about making philanthropy fun. So on September 10, we’re giving the community another reason to party. Get a sneak peak of Old Town Social before its grand opening at GiveForward’s “Party for a Reason.” As an awesome pre-race shindig, we will be celebrating the runners and charities involved in “Run for a Reason.” (our fundraising competition and effort to connect with local charities by bringing together runners to participate in the upcoming Chicago Half Marathon & 5k.)

See what Party for a Reason has to offer with two hours of open bar including specialty cocktails, vodka drinks, beer, and appetizers while mingling with young professionals who know how to have a good time.  Doors open at 7pm, and Party for a Reason tickets keep you enjoying the club sans cover for the rest of the night, with a raffle and prizes you won’t want to miss. (Yes, we are offering more than free shirts! Although our shirts ARE pretty cool.) And the best part: ticket proceeds go to various charity partners of GiveForward, including organizations like Chicago Children’s Charities, Chicago Inner City Outings, and Midwest Young Artists. Now who would want to give up the chance to drink and feel guilt free? Party for a Reason promises to be a hangover you can be proud of.

Details of the event:

Where: Old Town Social 455 W. North Ave (on the El: just West of the Sedgwick Brown Line stop)

When: September 10, 2009, 7PM-10PM

Price: $25 for 2 hours of open bar (remember, it’s for charity!)

Purchase your tickets online at Party4aReason.com!

Last month, one of our users, “Carmen B.”, gave us some interesting feedback. Carmen had just raised $1700 on GiveForward to help pay for her nephew’s living expenses while he underwent dialysis treatment. She was really happy with the results of her fundraiser and suggested we start posting more GiveForward success stories on the site. She even sent us the following story and asked us to post it in our blog.  Check out what she had to say:

When I was first approached by my brother to please send an email to friends and family asking for donations for my nephew, Jon Ray and his family, I was very hesistant.  I had never done this type of thing before and I really wasn’t comfortable asking people for money.  However, I knew something needed to be done and we had to reach out to people for help.

My co-worker and I started searching on the internet and quickly came across GiveForward fundraising site.  I had lots of questions and concerns, but the site was very thorough as to how it worked, and the people managing the site were excellent.   Anytime I had a question, I would send them an email or call them and they were very quick on responding and giving me tips/suggestions along the way.

I have to admit, I was very nervous when I started seeing people I knew donating to the fundraiser and using their credit cards.  I thought to myself “Oh My God – I hope this is a secure website and nothing happens to these people’s money”.  Well, the fundraiser came to an end and Jon Ray and his family received the check within 10 days - just in time for his mom to pay the rent (which she was very worried about not being able to do since she has so many other medical expenses she has to worry about and she is not able to work).

I would recommend this website to anyone who needs to do a fundraising event and take advantage of their tips/suggestions to make it successful.  If I ever have to do another fund raiser, I would not hesitate to use GiveForward site again – they are wonderful!

What happens when “Fear Factor” meets the “Amazing Race?” You get a taste of City Chase Chicago, a scavenger hunt style sporting-event taking place this Saturday, August 22. As City Chase describes, it’s time once again “to turn the windy city into an urban playground.” And they mean that quite literally. For most of the afternoon, teams of two attempt to complete ten challenges. They will run, walk and use public transit to navigate their way throughout the city, while calling family and friends for help, accessing the Internet and even employing assistance of total strangers. Last year, you could find teams milking a cow in the middle of the city, completing a boot camp, racing horses in Grant Park, and even stuffing a snake down their shirts. (SNAKES? That’s where I draw the line.) It may sound ridiculous, but hundreds of teams have registered to participate in what’s now “The World’s Largest Urban Adventure Series,” and the chance to advance to the North American Championships, taking place from September 3 to September 5 in Quebec City, Canada.

And the best part? GiveForward is going to be a part of all the City Chase madness! We’re partnering with City Chase and sponsoring one of the event chase points. (Chase Points are the challenges scattered in unknown locations throughout the city. The challenges are supposed to “test mind, body and spirit.”) We’ve designed our own challenge, but since it’s top secret, we can’t exactly tell you what the GiveForward chase point entails. Let’s just say in the spirit of charity, it involves obtaining non-perishable food for the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

If you’re a brave soul that’s feeling up to the challenge, it’s not too late to register! For more information go to City Chase and check it out.

City Chase may not be a Chicago marathon (we do those too), but it’s a whole new game of endurance that we’re so excited to be a part of!

When Modern Cat blogger Kate Benjamin found out that the Oasis de los Gatos cat shelter in Tucson, Arizona was being shut down, she knew she had to do something to help save the 52 cats living there.  A friend recommended starting a fundraising page GiveForward and luckily for those cats, Kate did.

Kate set up a fundraising page and within two weeks, she raised $3200 surpassing her fundraising goal of $3000.  Thanks to Kate, the readers of her blog who donated so generously and an army of volunteers, vets, vet techs and other supporters, all 52 cats are now receiving daily care and over 80% of the cats have been placed in foster homes, vet clinics, or have been transferred to another cat sanctuary in Tuscon where they will be cared for.

Here’s what Kate had to say about GiveForward on her blog, Modern Cat: “This is a terrific site where anyone can easily create a fund raising page for any kind of project. It is very easy to use and the people who run the site are helpful and wonderful to work with. I highly recommend GiveForward if you are looking to raise funds for a project.”

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Run 4 a Reason is an ongoing effort to help runners raise money for ANY reason they care about. You can help your favorite charity, a friend battling an illness or any cause that is important to you by setting up a fundraising page as part of your training.  There is no minimum amount you need to raise. You set your goal amount as high or as low as you want. It’s totally up to you!

Upcoming Run for a Reason Events:

The Chicago Half Marathon & 5K
Sunday, September 13th at 8am

The Chicago Marathon
Sunday October 11th

The Poland Spring Marathon Kickoff 5K (NYC)

Sunday October 25 at 8am

To get started, all you need to do is create a free fundraising page by clicking either link above.  Then, click “Join this Group” to customize your personal fundraising page.  Once you’ve done that, you’re ready to start fundraising.  Email your page to your family, friends and your network of people you know will support your efforts and keep them updated over the course of your training.

One fundraising strategy that many of our users have found really successful is offering prizes to their donors to create a little extra incentive to donate.   Often times, this can be great way to reel in potential donors who are sitting on the fence about donating. (i.e. those people who may have overlooked your emails in the past or may not have donated otherwise).

Although you many think this tactic too closely teeters on the border of bribing, the reality is that in most successful fundraisers, people donate for a number of different reasons. Sometimes people donate because they feel really connected to your cause. Sometimes they donate just because they want to support you as a friend. And then other times, people donate because they want to win a prize.

If it helps, think about it this way: you are fundraising for a great cause, your friends want to help you reach your goal, and someone along the way gets an iPod, gift card, etc.  I’d say it’s a win-win-win situation all around!

So, here’s how to create your promotion:

• Inform your contact list: Send out an initial email/Facebook message to your contact list informing them that anyone who donates over a certain amount will be entered into a raffle for an ipod or any cool thing you have lying around the house (autographed tissue, extra pair of moon-shoes, just a couple examples).  Make sure to follow up with subsequent reminders as the promotion moves along to keep people interested.

• Create a sense of urgency. People are more likely to donate when there is a sense of urgency, so to help get donations coming in you should structure your promotion within a short time frame or on a first come first serve basis.
• Time period: Anyone who donates within a certain time period (e.g. two weeks) is entered into a raffle to win the prize
• First come, first serve: The first X amount of people that donate (e.g. first 25 or first 50) will be entered to win the prize.

Timing of the campaign

• As far as when to begin such a campaign, it’s probably best to wait until your first or second round of donors have made donations- this being your closest friends and family first, then all your other circles of friends, co-workers, former dog-walkers, etc.  When the donations start to slow down and you think you have received all the donations you will get from these people (like when you know its time to take the bag of popcorn out of the microwave because there are 5 seconds between each POP), it’s a great time to start this little campaign.

Remember to have fun with it.

• The strategy above is just one example. But there are many ways to go about implementing a prize promotion and you will have to find a way for it to fit your fundraiser and personalize it.  If you’re real hard up for an idea or the funds to back up a good prize, simply offer your services.  If you’re a great photographer, offer to do a family photo shoot for free; maybe an oil change if you’re mechanically inclined, or something as simple as an extra hand around the house.  Be creative and make it work for your fundraiser and your friends.  You never know who will turn around and surprise you.