Fund Raising

Assistance

Marketing Comment

For those who are experienced fund raisers, a marketing discussion would probably not be useful. You know your membership, and with a little ingenuity should be able to shape this Internet approach to your situation very nicely. (As you do implement the program, please drop us a note. funding@awss.com )

Anyone who is new to marketing / selling should read through the two marketing articles located on the AWSS site. They step through a low-keyed approach that should work well in fund raising environments. (Follow www.awss.com to How-To Booklets, to "So You Don't Like Selling.")

Assistance

It surfaced that some fund raisers don't have the Web expertise to pull all these parts and pieces together. To ensure that this segment is not left behind in the wave of Internet commissions, the folks at this site will provide you with a standard Amazon.com book store. The free store front will be on the no-frills side, but you will be able to benefit from all book store type promotions. You still need to contact Amazon for your account information.

Once your account is active, you direct point your membership to a URL we provide. All Amazon.com commissions are mailed directly to you.

How can this be? Nothing is ever free.

Well...we want free to mean free. We are hoping that our side bar activity for book referrals and browser commissions will cover the extra costs. Our sense is that the more we can remove obstacles, the better it will be for everyone. And, if we're lucky, we all might make off with some of that advertising money."

Although the free program is an attractive option, you'll quickly find that having your own site is more effective. When you have design control, you can shape the bookstore offerings to your membership, and the store weaves itself into the flow of day-to-day activities. Making purchases there becomes natural, and the whole fund raising dynamic becomes less strained. So, try to use the free assistance only as a last resort.

Patricia's Bookstore roughly represents what the free store would look like. It also shows how a few personal touches add warmth and character to the store. (For those using the no-frills site, Patricia Bason has graciously offered to lend a watercolor painting for display.)
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That's it. You have all the basic tools and knowledge to be successful. Do it.

Let us know how it goes.

As mentioned earlier, if for some reason you won't be setting up your own bookstore, please click on the following link and bookmark the page (or add it to your favorites). By using that page whenever you wish to purchase an Amazon or Varsity book you will be contributing to this fund raising educational effort. Thanks. - JD