How To: Set Up a Fundraiser

Sometimes, Sponsors want to help their children above and beyond what they themselves can afford. Home improvement projects and educational costs can be quite expensive, even in the countries where the USD goes far. To accomplish these goals, Sponsors often set up an online fundraiser. Then, via the power of social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and MSC, they spread the word and solicit donations to their cause.

A list of fundraising sites* used by Sponsors in the past:

www.aurashouse.com – Aura's House is hands-down the best option for a fundraiser to benefit a child sponsored through Children International. Donations are made directly to CI, and Aura's House does not withhold any fee from any donation received. All donations are tax-deductible. There can be a long wait to have your fundraiser hosted, however, so plan ahead and contact them early!

www.firstgiving.com – One of the most popular choices of Sponsors, FirstGiving has a user-friendly interface that allows you to set up a fundraising page easily. Funds donated will go directly from FirstGiving to Children International when the fundraiser reaches either its goal amount or its end date. FirstGiving charges a fee: it’s 5% on donations, plus a standard credit card processing fee of 2.5%.

www.gofundme.com – GoFundMe differs from Aura's House and FirstGiving in that the funds raised go to the Sponsor conducting the fundraiser instead of directly to Children International. Like FirstGiving, it has a user-friendly interface. It also allows you to link your fundraiser to your Facebook and Twitter accounts, so that when you update your fundraiser it makes announcements across your social media automatically. GoFundMe charges a fee of 7.9% + $0.30 per donation.

www.crowdrise.com – CrowdRise is similar to FirstGiving. The money raised goes from CrowdRise to CI when the fundraiser reaches its goal amount. Setting up a fundraiser is very easy, and their interface is user-friendly. The fee is 5%, plus a credit card processing fee of 2.5% plus $0.30 per transaction.

*inclusion of a site in this list is for informational purposes only and does not in any way constitute endorsement of the site by Children International

Shopping Online In-Country

As an alternative to sending DPs, Sponsors have recently begun experimenting with the idea of finding vendors within the children's countries where you can shop online and have your purchases delivered to the service center, negating most of the shipping time and the risk of customs fees and holdups.

You will need to contact Children International via phone or email to request the address of your child's service center, which is where the package must be delivered. It's a good idea to then contact the site directly and ensure that they will deliver to the center before you place an order. The follow-up report, letter and photos from these types of gifts are the same as for a DP.

Below, you will find a list of known services by country (constantly changing and updating). A site's inclusion in this list is for informational purposes only and does not in any way constitute endorsement of the site by Children International:

Guatemala:
http://www.tuguatemala.com – The site is in Spanish, but it is extremely user-friendly and designed for people from other countries to send goods to their loved ones in Guatemala. The delivery fee for Guatemala City is $7. On the very last page before you submit your order, you can enter a note with instructions or a message. This is where I put in my girls' ID numbers and said that it was a package from their sponsor.

India:
http://www.tulikabooks.com/  – The website is in English, and they carry books in a variety of Indian languages.

http://www.prathambooks.org/ – Pratham Books is a not-for-profit book publisher in India whose mission is "a book in every child's hand." Their website is in English, and they carry books in English and ten different Indian languages.

Philippines:
www.PhilGrocers.com – Mostly groceries, but they carry other items as well. Flat shipping rate of $9.99USD in metro Manila. Charge for provincial delivery is USD 9.99 for up to 5 kilos of total weight. For each succeeding kilo, there is an additional charge of $2.00. The system will charge a flat $9.99 upon checkout and if the order is more than 5 kilos, an email with a link to pay the additional shipping fee will be sent. They do not deliver “raw, wet type of items” to provinces unless it is a canned item. 

http://www.nationalbookstore.com.ph/ – Similar to online bookstores in the US like Borders or Barnes and Noble, the site carries mostly books, stationery, and office supplies. Orders for delivery within metro Manila will be delivered within two to three days from the process date of the order. Orders to be delivered to a provincial destination within the Philippines will take three to five days from the process date to be delivered. The shipping charges are based on weight and destination, with metro Manila being less expensive than Tabaco and Legaspi.

Zambia: 

www.shopzed.com – “The Delivery fee is K80 (~$14.99) and the Convenience fee is K40 (~$7) per order. Additionally, a PayPal processing charge of 3% is included in your total price.” Under groceries they have a “packages” category with pre-made bundles of groceries and household items for a set price, and for most of the packages that price includes the delivery fee.