Tap Into Your Support Network

Do you recall the popular Wella Balsam Shampoo® commercial where the women in the spot told two friends about how much she loved the product, then they told two friends, and so on, until everyone was using this fantastic product? Imagine being able to create the same level of enthusiasm and word-of-mouth marketing for your group’s fundraising campaign! It’s possible, with the Shop and Support™ Fundraising Program.

When you have a great product or service, people talk about it openly and recommend it to their family, friends and neighbours. Why? Because it works, and it makes common sense. It’s easy to understand, and requires little or no effort. But mostly because those people are in turn recommending it to others in hopes of providing a solution that they are certain will work! This is why word-of-mouth marketing, or viral marketing as it is often called, is such a powerful marketing tool. Marketers have known this for decades but the question is how to tap into it. For example, this holiday season Microsoft’s new XBox 360 game console was literally sold out everywhere and it was mostly due to the pent-up demand created by the buzz of people talking about the product. Imagine creating that kind of buzz around your next fundraising campaign!

Well first, you have to have the right product or concept in order for viral marketing to work it’s magic. Mention chocolates or cookie dough this time of year to most people, and given their New Year’s resolutions they will probably start running in the other direction. When you mention the Shop and Support™ Fundraising Program to people, it has a magnetic effect. People immediately realize that they too, consistently spend hundreds of dollars each and every week, on grocery, gas, dining, entertainment, home improvement, travel and more. With a wide selection of over 180 national brand name retailer gift cards to choose from, and the ability to convert that spending into fundraising instantly with no additional cost to supporters, the Shop and Support™ Fundraising Program is clearly your best choice. Other benefits include online ordering, payment, tracking and reporting, with flexible ship-to-group or direct-to-home delivery options, and the ability to invite others to support your cause. The Shop and Support™ Fundraising Program is a turnkey fundraising solution which you can launch and manage virtually hands-free and continue year-round.

Once your supporters make that critical shift in thinking, to divert their spending away from cash, credit and debit cards, to retailer gift cards, they realize how to tap the hidden potential of their weekly spending power to raise significant funds. While each household can effortlessly raise hundreds of dollars each year, when you multiply this by ten, twenty or a hundred supporters, including family, friends and neighbours, the potential can be enormous. The Shop and Support™ Fundraising Program is designed to allow registered members to easily invite their network to support their cause, or instantly create a new cause marketing initiative. In fact, a household can create multiple support networks to channel funds to their church, their children’s school or daycare, their sports clubs, as well as community associations, charities and public relief efforts – all powered by their weekly spending at places they already love to shop, using gift cards!

What are you raising funds for? Isn’t it time you tapped into the power of your support network?