Hello again. It is very important you understand the significance of this next step. While there will never be a cost to you for our half million dollar system, there are a couple criteria we have put in place to make sure you succeed with it. We’re not interested in activating Malls we know will fail. We have so many organizations that were convinced by an earlier experience with other companies that online Fundraising Malls don’t work. Sadly, they were right. However, we do things differently here. Those differences mean the Shop For Charity Day website does work – evidenced by the increasing number of checks we send each month. The reason most Fundraising Malls don’t work is because they are Passive Malls. The companies are happy if you just put a link on your website. Why? Because it’s much easier for them, and they know if they put enough links out there, enough people will shop to make money for THEM since they are keeping 50-60% or more. The problem is that enough people won’t shop to make money for YOU. And isn’t that why you wanted a Fundraising Mall in the first place? Think about it. People are coming to your organization’s website for information, not to buy a pair of shoes. They are not thinking about shopping. Very few of them actually will. Again, enough to make the companies money, but not enough to make you much money.

Here’s what we know at Shop For Charity Day… The only way a Fundraising mall will be successful is to take a very proactive position. Sure, we have you put a link on your website but quite frankly that will create less than 10% of your shopping revenue. The power of our system is in our weekly E-Specials. We have a whole team that does nothing but create our weekly E-Special emails. When we introduced them in 2005 we saw a 263% increase in shopping in the first month alone. Likewise, we have seen organizations experience little or no shopping when they were not used. They are very professionally done emails that share what stores are having specials that week, as well as giving your supporters reasons for shopping online. We point out all the benefits of online shopping – saving gas, the convenience, access to shopping 24/7, and most importantly – the ability to give money to their favorite organization every time they make a purchase they were going to make anyway. We create the emails for you, send them to you, and then you simply send them to your supporters – assuring you have complete control, and also assuring your supporters the communication is indeed coming from the organization they support.

Why do we go to all this trouble? Because we understand and accept human nature. Your supporters might be excited about your Fundraising Mall in the beginning, but the old adage “Out of Sight, Out of Mind” is so true. If you don’t keep it in front of them, they’ll just plain forget that if they buy that pair of shoes, or airline ticket, or restaurant meal, or any one of millions of products and services, that they could be giving money back to you. People WANT to know their life and actions are making a difference. They just need help remembering how to do it. J Our weekly E-Specials give them that help. Again, Fundraising Malls CAN work – but only when the organization comes first!