Watch video of the check presentation to MinnPost.com at their annual fundraising event MinnRoast April 26 in Minneapolis

Congratulations to MinnPost.com on their win of the 2010 March Goodness Tournament. This fundraising campaign was hosted by Razoo.com.

Razoo.com is a rapidly growing and innovative online marketplace for philanthropy and a proud partner of GiveMN.org, helping donors in Minnesota give efficiently and easily.  To date, nearly $20 million in donations have been processed through Razoo.com since it went live in late 2008.  March Goodness is just one of Razoo’s annual giving campaigns.

Ninety-six nonprofits took part in this year's second annual tournament. In total, March Goodness raised $265,000 for the participating organizations -- $100,000 more than the 2009 competition.  MinnPost had an ingenious campaign for the first round called the "Ten Buck Slam Dunk" and rode a wave of donor enthusiasm all the way to the Final Four. Helping Paws of Minnesota also had a noteworthy performance raising $5,475 in the regional tournament and $16,386 in the Final Four. They claimed the West region championship and a prize of $1,250.

On Monday night, Minnesota Community Foundation Vice President for Strategy and Knowledge Management Jennifer Ford Reedy presented MinnPost Editor Joel Kramer with the $10,000 March Goodness grand prize on behalf of GiveMN and Razoo.com.  In addition to the grant for winning the Midwest region and individual donations during the Tournament, MinnPost raised more than $60,000 through March Goodness.  GiveMN and Razoo.com are pleased to present the 2010 Razoo's "March Goodness Champion", MinnPost!

Check out MinnPost.com's March Goodness tournament video:

I've been soaking up a lot of healthful vibes these days - all while sitting in front of the warm glow of my laptop. Since March, I've had front row seats to a spirited community campaign working to address the issue of obesity in Minnesota.

You may know the campaign as the Minnesota Idea Open. You likely memorized the fact that it’s a venture of Minnesota Community Foundation with major funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. For certain, you bookmarked www.MNIdeaOpen.org, became a Facebook fan and obsessively tracked the Twitter hashtag (#mnidea1).

Green Your Fundraising to Save More & Earn More!

You would have to live under a rock and think that Elvis is still alive to not notice that saving money by going green is now hip, wise and effective.  However, if everyone is worried about saving their money, how does a well deserving non-profit earn money in these tight times?  Fortunately, being green not only works for individuals and businesses, green fundraising is relevant and easy for non-profits and many of you may not realize but you’ve already begun!

You’ve heard it many times before, “We’d love to donate but budgets have been cut.”    In tough times, people still want to lend a hand but can’t always write a check.  Giving them a non-monetary way to help such as an E-Waste Recycling Collection Fundraiser is an opportunity for your organization to provide a community service (free recycling) while earning cash for the items collected.  Landfill-free recycler, BCS Recycling Specialists provides organizations with free logo’d recycling boxes to collect e-waste (inkjet cartridges, cell phones, iPods, PDAs and digital cameras).  The boxes feature your organization logo and you place them in high traffic locations (i.e. large & small businesses, high traffic spots like banks, coffee shops, retail stores, etc.) and tell everyone to recycle their e-waste in the box. When the box is full, seal it, fill out the attached pre-paid FedEx Ground label and call FedEx Ground (800)GO FEDEX for a pick up. When B.C.S. Recycling Specialists receives the full box, they execute data erasure and recycling on all items and then send you a check for the value of the items collected.  Prices paid for items range from $.50 for scrap phones up to $10 for a laptop.  Next, a new empty box is sent to the host location.  BCS recycles all items and nothing goes into the landfill.  You can also visit www.scrapdr.com for more information.   All in all, the program is free, easy and earns you money - a perfect way to go green and earn green.

Green Giving Online:  Saving time, money and trees!

If you are reading this blog, you already know how easy and efficient using GiveMN is.   But, do you realize how much you are already doing to green your organization by fundraising on GiveMN? According to the EPA, over 40 % of municipal solid waste in the U.S. is paper—about 71.8 million tons each year.  GiveMN has already helped you save paper each day by reducing the need for costly, rarely-read mailings that use up staff time and money.  Everything from contacting potential donors to sharing your story can be done without wasting one scrap of paper.  Add social media like twitter or Facebook to further publicize your giveMN page and you’ve already made strides towards environmental sustainability.  Now, that’s one efficient click!

Watch video of the check presentation to MinnPost.com at their annual fundraising event MinnRoast April 26 in Minneapolis

Congratulations to MinnPost.com on their win of the 2010 March Goodness Tournament. This fundraising campaign was hosted by Razoo.com.

Razoo.com is a rapidly growing and innovative online marketplace for philanthropy and a proud partner of GiveMN.org, helping donors in Minnesota give efficiently and easily.  To date, nearly $20 million in donations have been processed through Razoo.com since it went live in late 2008.  March Goodness is just one of Razoo’s annual giving campaigns.

Ninety-six nonprofits took part in this year's second annual tournament. In total, March Goodness raised $265,000 for the participating organizations -- $100,000 more than the 2009 competition.  MinnPost had an ingenious campaign for the first round called the "Ten Buck Slam Dunk" and rode a wave of donor enthusiasm all the way to the Final Four. Helping Paws of Minnesota also had a noteworthy performance raising $5,475 in the regional tournament and $16,386 in the Final Four. They claimed the West region championship and a prize of $1,250.

On Monday night, Minnesota Community Foundation Vice President for Strategy and Knowledge Management Jennifer Ford Reedy presented MinnPost Editor Joel Kramer with the $10,000 March Goodness grand prize on behalf of GiveMN and Razoo.com.  In addition to the grant for winning the Midwest region and individual donations during the Tournament, MinnPost raised more than $60,000 through March Goodness.  GiveMN and Razoo.com are pleased to present the 2010 Razoo's "March Goodness Champion", MinnPost!

Check out MinnPost.com's March Goodness tournament video:

I've been soaking up a lot of healthful vibes these days - all while sitting in front of the warm glow of my laptop. Since March, I've had front row seats to a spirited community campaign working to address the issue of obesity in Minnesota.

You may know the campaign as the Minnesota Idea Open. You likely memorized the fact that it’s a venture of Minnesota Community Foundation with major funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. For certain, you bookmarked www.MNIdeaOpen.org, became a Facebook fan and obsessively tracked the Twitter hashtag (#mnidea1).

Green Your Fundraising to Save More & Earn More!

You would have to live under a rock and think that Elvis is still alive to not notice that saving money by going green is now hip, wise and effective.  However, if everyone is worried about saving their money, how does a well deserving non-profit earn money in these tight times?  Fortunately, being green not only works for individuals and businesses, green fundraising is relevant and easy for non-profits and many of you may not realize but you’ve already begun!

You’ve heard it many times before, “We’d love to donate but budgets have been cut.”    In tough times, people still want to lend a hand but can’t always write a check.  Giving them a non-monetary way to help such as an E-Waste Recycling Collection Fundraiser is an opportunity for your organization to provide a community service (free recycling) while earning cash for the items collected.  Landfill-free recycler, BCS Recycling Specialists provides organizations with free logo’d recycling boxes to collect e-waste (inkjet cartridges, cell phones, iPods, PDAs and digital cameras).  The boxes feature your organization logo and you place them in high traffic locations (i.e. large & small businesses, high traffic spots like banks, coffee shops, retail stores, etc.) and tell everyone to recycle their e-waste in the box. When the box is full, seal it, fill out the attached pre-paid FedEx Ground label and call FedEx Ground (800)GO FEDEX for a pick up. When B.C.S. Recycling Specialists receives the full box, they execute data erasure and recycling on all items and then send you a check for the value of the items collected.  Prices paid for items range from $.50 for scrap phones up to $10 for a laptop.  Next, a new empty box is sent to the host location.  BCS recycles all items and nothing goes into the landfill.  You can also visit www.scrapdr.com for more information.   All in all, the program is free, easy and earns you money - a perfect way to go green and earn green.

Green Giving Online:  Saving time, money and trees!

If you are reading this blog, you already know how easy and efficient using GiveMN is.   But, do you realize how much you are already doing to green your organization by fundraising on GiveMN? According to the EPA, over 40 % of municipal solid waste in the U.S. is paper—about 71.8 million tons each year.  GiveMN has already helped you save paper each day by reducing the need for costly, rarely-read mailings that use up staff time and money.  Everything from contacting potential donors to sharing your story can be done without wasting one scrap of paper.  Add social media like twitter or Facebook to further publicize your giveMN page and you’ve already made strides towards environmental sustainability.  Now, that’s one efficient click!