America's Got Talent....And So Does Your Organization!

If you’re a fan of the hit televised talent showcase “America’s Got Talent,” also known as “AGT,” your eyes may have been glued to the TV Wednesday night during the show’s season finale.

Out of the various stellar performances by the final round of contestants on the summer’s most-watched series, there is one in particular that’s receiving a lot of buzz.

Country superstar Shania Twain joined America’s Got Talent finalist Mandy Harvey for an emotional duet of Twain’s 1998 hit song, “You’re Still the One.” Harvey, who ended the show in fourth place, has been deaf for the last decade but continuously “wowed” the judges and viewers throughout the AGT season.

Although the latest season of AGT has come to an end, that doesn’t mean that talent showcases around the world have to cease too. Besides, there’s probably tons of talent within your nonprofit organization that can be showcased!

Talent Show Fundraiser

An easy way to highlight the talents of your organization’s members, their children, friends, and those in your community, is by hosting a talent show; which can also be a great fundraising event as well!

GIF via GIPHY

Simply form a talent show committee within your organization that will audition contestants, select judges, and plan the format of the event. Once the event is planned, decide on an admission fee (this can be as low or as high as you’d like), have a flyer designed, and promote your event locally and through social media.

Social Media Integration

A neat way to add a special touch to your event is by creating a Snapchat Geofilter. Geofilters are creative overlays that capture where you are or what you’re up to in a Snap. Create your own and surprise Snapchatters in the location you choose.

Also, hashtags can be used for sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well (ex: #PantherIdol #CMHSGotTalent, etc) to inform others of your fundraising initiatives.

GIF via GIPHY

The Grand Finale

Whether it’s a spin-off of America’s Got Talent, American Idol, or even a religiously based version like Sunday’s Best, talent shows are a simple, easy, and fun way to raise funds while having a great time enjoying the various acts. You’d be surprised at how many singers, musicians, dancers, comedians and ventriloquists that are in your area.

When planning and hosting your event, be sure to keep track of any receipts, expenses, and funds collected throughout the process so you have accurate records when you e-file with ExpressTaxExempt to maintain your tax exempt status with the IRS. Visit our website for any tax forms that your tax exempt organization may need throughout this year and save even more when you e-file with our recently reduced filing rates! We’re available to assist you via phone at 704.839.2321 on Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST or reach out to us 24/7 via email at support@ExpressTaxExempt.com.

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Boost Fundraising Through Crowdfunding

As the future of crowdfunding is becoming more promising, there are many nonprofits and charities that are realizing the potential of incorporating crowdfunding within their fundraising efforts. To keep it short and sweet, crowdfunding uses an online platform in which anyone can easily contribute a donation with just a few clicks of the mouse. With some sites, you can even set donation levels, give prizes at certain amounts, and create teams.

When used properly crowdfunding can produce revenue greater than traditional fundraising means. But it’s not as simple as creating a page and then reaping the rewards - nothing is ever that easy. For your fundraiser to be successful through crowdfunding, there is a level of effort required to get your campaign seen and heard. And with these three steps, you can build a solid campaign or save an existing one.

Step 1 - Set Clear Goals
Keep in mind - this isn’t a get rich quick scheme, or get funds rather. Hundreds of thousands of dollars aren’t going to miraculously fall into your organization simply because you kicked-off a crowdfunder. And while you’re probably thinking “It’s possible,” the point is that asking for “hundreds of thousands of dollars” won’t yield favorable results.

The best outcomes are going to come from setting a reasonable amount to reach, a clear deadline to reach that amount, and stating how the money will be used. Keep your expectations grounded, and your goals realistic. Worst case scenario - you raise much more funds than you thought you would because the goal was set low.

Step 2 - Nurture Your Campaign
This cannot be stressed enough; you can’t just create your crowdfunding event and then casually go about your business… This fundraiser is your business! Get the word, and the link, out to your donors, to your volunteers, to everyone. In hindsight, all of your regular contributors should know about your campaign weeks before it goes live so they can initiate donations.

A little notice here and there isn’t going to do too well. Get creative on how you get the word to others. The donation page is already created, so what are 101 ways you can share a URL link to people? For some helpful and easy tips to promote your campaign, check out our blog:
Promote Holiday Giving

Step 3 - Use Social Media
It should come as no surprise that social media plays a part in the marketing or promoting of anything. If big name businesses and Fortune 500 companies are using it, then why should you shun away from it? Crowdfunding and social media are like two sides of the same coin.

Create a plan to engage with your followers on a regular basis, or organize online contests with a prize to get people donating. Studies have shown that Facebook can increase crowdfunding donations by 350 percent - how’s that for some serious motivation?

Crowdfunding can work as a great alternative to traditional fundraising, if you know what you’re doing. And with those significant donations pouring in, you have to report it all come tax season. That’s where we make it easy for you; ExpressTaxExempt offers the most simplistic way to report contributions from fundraising events with your Form 990. Not only that - it will automatically subtract any expenses entered from your event and factor the net income into your overall, total revenue.

Learn step-by-step how to report fundraising events with ExpressTaxExempt.

For more assistance, or for questions in regard to e-filing any of our available 990 forms, our live support team in Rock Hill, South Carolina can help with the filing process. We’re available at (704) 839-2321, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST, or email us anytime from anywhere at support@expresstaxexempt.com.

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Promote Holiday Giving

The holiday season is upon us, and with it, the upsurge of generosity to give. For nonprofits and charities, this is quite possibly the best time of year as studies have shown that donations are substantially increased during the holiday season. But no matter how much more people are giving, your organization can’t take full advantage unless it attracts attention from donors.

Your nonprofit or charity may have a holiday fundraising campaign in place, and that’s a step in right direction. However, you also need to properly promote your holiday campaign in order to get it seen by your audience. Here are some helpful and easy tips you can use right now to further promote your holiday campaign.

Call-To-Action Display
Like the majority of nonprofit and charity organizations, you should have a website that details everything about your organization including its mission, major board members, events, etc. And with this website, you have a homepage that displays current events or services within your organization.

You’ll want to create a large call-to-action banner or display on your homepage that links to your main campaign website. The display should be the center of attention as soon as people enter your site. Make sure your banner is near the top of your homepage, and that it isn’t hidden underneath other banners or links.

Email Campaign
A great way to promote your holiday campaign is to set up a strict email schedule that regularly reminds people to donate towards your cause. You can start off with an email that explains your fundraising campaign and goals, followed by another email stating any incentives to encourage giving.

Further emails can include updates on fundraising status, ideas for gifts, or a countdown of the days left within your campaign. You can schedule these emails to go out once or twice a week; the objective is to constantly remind people to give to your organization. If you can, try to personalize each email with the recipient's name for a more casual approach.

Newsletter
If your organization regularly sends out a newsletter, be sure to use it as a platform to promote your holiday campaign. The newsletter doesn’t have to be exclusively about participating in the fundraiser, but much like the call-to-action display, it should bring attention to your campaign and how people can participate.

Social Media
Everyone is on social media nowadays, and it’s a great platform to reach multiple audiences at once. To promote using social media, you can create a holiday campaign hashtag to include in your posts. You may also want to include common hashtags associated with your organization, mission, or audience so when users search these hashtags they can find posts from your profile.

You can change your profile and cover picture to a branded image of your holiday campaign along with links in the description area to your website. Another helpful feature within social media is pinning a message about your campaign at the top of your timeline - no matter how many posts you make afterwards, that pinned message will always remain at the top and will be the first thing people see on your profile.

The possibilities of promoting your holiday campaign are virtually limitless, and you can find plenty more simply by using your favorite internet search engine. Once the donations and gifts start to flood in, you may have to report these contributions with your tax return. ExpressTaxExempt can make reporting gifts and contributions quick and simple. For more details, check out the following blog: Gifts and Contributions

As your #1 online hub for everything tax-exempt, ExpressTaxExempt offers e-filing support for Form 990-N (e-Postcard), Form 990-EZ, and Form 990 (Long). You can also e-file an Extension Form 8868 for an automatic 3-month extension, or an additional, non-automatic 3-month extension. Our dedicated support team in Rock Hill, South Carolina can efficiently help you throughout the e-filing process.

Don’t hesitate to give us a call at (704) 839-2321 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST. We can also be reached 24/7 with our email support at support@expresstaxexempt.com, or live chat with us at www.expresstaxexempt.com.

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