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All donations must go through Voluntary Service. If you would like to make a specific donation, either monetarily or materially, please check with Voluntary Service at 585-393-7757 to ensure its appropriateness and necessity. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 8301, VA is authorized to accept donations or gifts for the benefit of patients.
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- Engraved Bricks. Donor walls are an excellent way to encourage donations. Self-engraved bricks are a unique take on this idea. For a predetermined gift amount, donors can add their name or the name of a soldier they want to honor.
- Walkathons. Walkathons are another popular fundraiser for veterans’ organizations. By focusing on health and physical stamina, organizations can encourage donors to support veterans in their communities.
- Restaurant Partnerships. Most major chains have campaigns to partner with nonprofits to raise funds. This type of fundraiser is one of the simplest on the list.
- Envelope Fundraising. An envelope fundraiser can work well for veterans’ organizations that have a lot of foot traffic. Nonprofits can create a display of envelopes with specific amounts on a bulletin board in their busiest location.
People also ask
How do I make a donation to the VA?
How can nonprofits support veterans?
What is a good fundraiser for veterans?
How do veterans donate money?
- Types of Veteran Organizations
- Fundraising Ideas For Veterans Organizations
- Fundraising Ideas For Veteran Medical Needs
- Fundraising Ideas For Veteran Housing
- Fundraising Ideas For Active Military
- Fundraising Ideas For Military Families
- Wrap Up
Veteran organizations can generally be grouped into five categories that account for the most common types of needed support. Each type of veteran organization also lends itself to certain fundraisers. Take a moment to review the types of veteran organizations and determine which category your organization or the organization you want to support fi...
Peer-to-Peer Fundraisers
Peer-to-peer fundraising campaignslet your supporters raise funds on your organization’s behalf by reaching out to their friends and family for donations. Peer-to-peer fundraisers can attract new donors who may be unfamiliar with your organization but have a personal connection to your other supporters. For supporters with family members who are veterans (or perhaps are veterans themselves), this type of fundraiser allows them to actively raise money while recruiting their whole community to...
Engraved Brick Fundraisers
Memorials for fallen servicemen and women honor and remember their sacrifices while giving veterans and their families a place to remember their friends and loved ones. Brick fundraising campaigns can help your organization build a memorial by asking donors to purchase a brick to be engraved and used in the memorial. After partnering with an organization to supply the bricks and engravings, the process goes like this: 1. Ask donors to purchase a plain or engraved memorial brick. 2. Collect en...
Matching Gifts
You can maximize the impact of each donation you receive with matching gifts. Corporate matching giftsare additional donations businesses make when their employees donate to an eligible nonprofit. Research estimatesthat more than 18 million people work for a company with a matching gift program, and chances are that some of your supporters are eligible for the program. Managing matching giftsis a multi-step process that can help inform donors of their eligibility and provide resources for the...
Donation Pages
Setting up a separate donation pageon your website specifically for veterans’ medical needs can inspire donations from people who may be unsure about donating to a more general cause. Customize your donation page with information specifically regarding the medical need campaign you’ve launched, appealing to the emotions of your prospective supporters. You can further assure your supporters that their money is going directly to a specific cause by communicating the impact of their donation in...
T-Shirt Fundraisers
T-shirt fundraisersallow your organization to design and sell t-shirts with messages of support for either organizational missions or specific individuals. When you raise funds to help cover the medical expenses of a specific individual, supporters can envision exactly who their donations are helping and what their support means. T-shirts also help spread the word about your fundraiser whenever your supporters wear your design out in public. Encourage supporters to spread t-shirt fundraisers...
Shoe Drive
Not everyone who wants to give has the ability to make a monetary donation. However, fundraisers like shoe drivesgive supporters other options to donate without reaching further into their pockets. Shoe drives work by asking supporters to donate new or lightly used shoes, which are then mailed to a partner organization to be repurposed. In turn, your organization will receive a check based on the number of shoes you contribute. Shoe drives work especially well for athletic clubs and other exe...
Text-to-Give
Text-to-give fundraisersallow supporters to donate from anywhere as long as they have their phones (and cell service). Work with a text-to-give provider to create a phone number dedicated to your text-to-give service, then encourage donors to contribute by texting a keyword and a dollar amount. Direct response television outreachcan help boost your text-to-give campaign by creating TV ads that spread your message. When your supporters see your ad, they’ll be able to help donate by texting you...
Garage Sale
Donating lightly used items to a veteran housing organization can help pursue its mission in two ways: 1. These organizations can donate the items or offer them at discounted prices to veterans looking for furniture and other necessities for their new homes. 2. These organizations can host their own organized garage sales to earn money they donate to assist veterans with other housing expenses. You can also put both of these practices into action at the same time! Host a garage sale to donate...
Give it Up Challenge
When your donors give to your organization, they’re using funds that would otherwise go to something else. Lean into this idea and raise funds while simultaneously demonstrating how little daily expenses can make a difference if dedicated towards a greater cause like veteran housing. For example, ask everyone to donate the $5 they normally spend on their morning coffee to your fundraiser for a month. You’re not asking them to spend additional money but to replace one of their usual expenses b...
Charity Auctions
In-person and virtual charity auctionsraise money for your organization by allowing your supporters to bid on items collected for the event. The most successful charity auctions have items that are experiences or packaged bundles that provide more value than individual items. Reaching out to local businesses who support your mission for donated or discounted items also allows your nonprofit to establish relationships with them that can lead to future donations. Consider hosting a charity auct...
Letter Writing Campaign
With the rise of digital fundraising, many view traditional direct mail fundraisers as either more formal or more personal, depending on the style in which the letter is written. Letters of appreciation also hold special meaning for the active military who may not be able to stay in regular communication with friends and family. Launch a letter writing campaignby giving volunteers guides and templates for donation letters. Then ask them to write two letters: one for a potential donor and one...
Pledge Challenge
Pledge drives inspire donations in times of emergency, creating a sense of urgency to follow through on their donation down the line. For active military support organizations, sudden travel needs or emergency situations can encourage already pledged supporters to contribute their promised donation. Pledge challenges work best when supporters are contacted on multiple platforms. For example, a supporter may make a pledge on the phone, then receive a follow-up text a couple of days later remin...
Charity Concert
Both in-person and online charity concerts can be fun ways to raise awareness and donations simultaneously. Ask local artists in your community to perform or recruit team members or volunteers with musical talents to join your line-up. Make sure to ask the musician to shout out to the troops during the event! In addition to providing a night of music, you can raise funds at your concert by selling both tickets and t-shirts to commemorate the event. Set up your online registration form to prom...
Used Book Sale
Used book sales are simple but effective ways to take unused resources in your community to spread entertainment while earning donations. Ask community members to donate used books to your campaign, then host an event to sell them back to the community. Don’t forget to offer a discount to active military, family members, and veterans! You can even set up a table dedicated to military-related reads.
Restaurant Partnership
Businesses and corporate sponsors often help nonprofits because their philanthropic missions align. However, they also offer sponsorships because they appreciate the marketing efforts your nonprofit does for them and the reputation boost that partnering with a nonprofit brings. Partnering with local businesses such as restaurants can benefit both your organizations when you set up events such as giving nights. Find a restaurant that fits with your campaign’s goals and establish an evening dur...
These fundraising ideas should get your organization started planning its next campaign to help out veterans, and their families have their unique needs met. All fundraisers require preparation to be successful, so if a veteran fundraising idea inspires you, be sure to do your researchon what it takes to get started.
Nov 10, 2017 · By Anthony Giorgianni. November 10, 2017. If you're thinking about donating to a veterans charity this year, the hardest part may be which one to choose. Saturday is Veterans Day, and we...
Veterans and Military Service Members. Organizations focused on wounded troops services, military social services, and military family support. Our expert analysts have curated a list of highly rated charities providing a variety of services, including mental health and supportive services, financial assistance for food, utilities, and medical ...
Jul 2, 2021 · Once done, you can now apply for the 501 (c) (3) if you are planning to be a charitable veterans’ nonprofit. Having a tax-exempt status can significantly help with your plan to start a nonprofit for veterans, and 501 (c) (3) allows that tax deduction on donor donations, as well as exemption from sales and property tax.
When deciding where and how to donate to veterans, it’s important to do your homework to ensure you’re donating to a reputable charity. You want to know about the organization you are donating to, understand the mission and vision of that veteran nonprofit, and—most importantly—know your money is going to the cause that you support and ...
