Fundraising Ideas - Directory Distribution

Directory Distribution For Profits

by Jesse Carter

Any nonprofit group can distribute materials to neighborhood residents. Items like phonebooks, door hanger advertisements or directories can make your group a quick profit profit.

This is a great fundraiser, but does requires a lot of time and manpower available for distributing the materials.

The great part about this type of raising funds is that you don't have to plan or make anything. You don't have to ask anybody for money, just show up and work hard at delivering the ads or directories.

Contact your local phone company, marketing, advertising or yellow page company to inquire when they hire their distribution team for getting out their new materials. Many hire by the mile or each directory delivered.

A team of volunteers with energy and good health can make good progress.

Also ask your chamber of commerce, Christian business directory, or advertising company for any special distributions that are on their agenda.

Sell Sports Programs

Sometimes you can sell pro and semi-pro sports game programs and schedules at local professional sports leagues or university games. These groups will give you a big percentage for every program sold. Usually $1.00 for each $3.00 program or 50% of the sales price of the program.

Contact the administrative offices of these organizations and offer to do this for the whole season. Or if they already have all of the help they need, then ask to be one of their "stand-by" groups. While you're at it, mention that your group would be willing to help out in the concession stands if needed.

Distribute Flyers

When you are thinking about delivering printed material, do not forget about delivering flyers or sales catalogs.

Contact your local newspaper or advertising agency and notify them that your group is willing to deliver advertisements at a moments notice to specific markets within your area.

Many times these agencies or newspapers pay by the piece delivered. This delivery method is often times cheaper and faster for them than sending it by mail.

If they paid 15 to 20 cents per piece delivered, one boy or girl could deliver to five houses in a matter of minutes; thereby, earning $1 in ten minutes or less. If you delivered 3,000 items you could earn $450 to $600 for a few hours work.

The advantage to the ad agency is that you can get information into the hands of their consumer market quickly when they have a marketing blitz promotion.

Contact car dealers and offer the same service for their special holiday sale. Get your Fundraising Committee together and brainstorm about other businesses (Pizza Parlors, lawn services, etc.) that would want information to their consumers out quickly.

Recruit one person on your committee cto ontact these businesses and offer your services to them. You may also print a little bit about your organization, the territory that you can cover and the number of volunteers that you have to help.

Other businesses to consider may be bookstores, food outlets, supermarkets, banks, and festival associations or chambers of commerce.

Train Your Team

Make sure that you have the manpower and understanding from all concerned that you will be expecting help from each member on these projects. Discuss with your helpers about courtesy, safety, and efficiency.

Safety is the key issue when working in traffic or in residential neighborhoods. Watch for traffic, obstacles in a lawn or driveway, vehicular obstruction of your drivers, and obeying all laws that are applicable.

If your group involves youth, then have enough adults supervising so that they are in sight at all times and have them travel in pairs. Make it clear that they should never enter any home. Each should be wearing a uniform, t-shirt, group badge or other identifying clothing as well.

Courteous delivery of flyers or directories should involve respecting homeowners privacy and property.

Instruct your delivery team to not run across lawns or gardens. Be friendly when approaching a resident that is outside at the time of delivery.

Do not throw the directories toward the homes. This will prevent breaking property items or trashing up their yard.

Do not place flyers or directories in mailboxes. Deliver your items to the door of each resident. This will insure efficient delivery and will avoid unlawful tampering of official postal business.

Remember to make it fun for you delivery team and reward them after a hard days work by treating them to pizza or ice cream. This will insure that your delivery team is ready for the next outing.