E-fundraising is simple, safe and highly profitable. Every day, millions of people visit online marketplaces like eBay to buy and sell popular media items such as DVDs, CDs, and books. Here's a fresh idea: Imagine the fundraising potential if you allowed your supporters to donate their used media items directly to your organization to resell online! All with no hassles, no software to download, and no experience required.

The Nonprofit Marketplace™ offers a fast, reliable platform for U.S. nonprofit organizations to sell donated media items online - on multiple selling venues, all at the same time. It's all automatic. There are no signup or monthly fees of any kind, and no need to process payments or refunds. Shipping is fully compensated.

By e-fundraising, you'll expand your donor network to the millions of online customers around the world. In fact, did you know that buyers are 40-50% more likely to buy an item online when it supports a nonprofit? It's an earned income venture with a social purpose. Is your nonprofit ready to join in?

Not hard at all. E-fundraising takes only moments to learn and most items can be listed in under a minute. No taking pictures; no looking up prices; no learning curve. Any of your volunteers can do it regardless of age or experience, and many find it quite fun!

When an item sells, simply ship it out and get paid. It's our job to handle all the business aspects such as payment processing, customer service, refunds, feedbacks, and buyer confirmations. It's your fundraiser, but we manage it for you.

The Nonprofit Marketplace does not charge any signup, monthly or listing fees, so your organization will never need to disburse payment. When an item sells, a service commission of 10 percent is incurred on the item price alone. We collect no fees unless you sell. Please note that all items are also subject to regular marketplace commissions - e.g., 8 percent for eBay Stores.

A sample online transaction appears below:

EXAMPLE

The Anytown Charity Counsel sells a King Kong DVD for $10. (It is purchased, via The Nonprofit Marketplace, on eBay Stores.)

In this example, the Anytown Charity Council earns $8.20 for the purchase plus an additional $2.26 to cover shipping costs; thus, a total amount of $10.46 is credited to the organization.

Online selling can be extremely lucrative. Depending on how many donations you receive and how many volunteers help out, it is reasonable to expect to earn a few hundred to well over a few thousand dollars per month. Many groups average $5-$6 per sold item, with many single items (e.g., DVDs and textbooks) selling for $10, $20, $50 or more.

In 2006, it is expected that nearly half a million Americans will make a living by selling goods online. E-commerce is a one trillion dollar industry. It's not hard to see why a growing number of nonprofits are “catching on”. In a traditional live fundraiser event such as a book sale or yard sale, donated media items might draw between 25 cents and $2, with perhaps a few hundred attendees. With an online sale, many of the same items can sell for $2 to $20 or more, advertised to over 100 million active customers.

After you collect donated media items, listing them online is convenient and free. Simply enter the title or barcode number of your item, follow a few basic prompts, and voila! Your item is posted for sale across the Internet on sites including eBay Stores, Half.com, ABEBooks, and Alibris. You can even enter a box or shelf number, to help locate the item when it sells. (A screenshot of the listing tool appears below.)

There's no need to do anything else. Simply wait until someone buys the item, at which time you'll receive an email with the buyer's shipping address. We do the legwork of collecting payments from the customer and send you the profits, including a set credit to cover shipping costs.

Note: For advanced nonprofit sellers, including those with pre-existing inventories, a convenient bulk-uploading tool is provided on the member page. Itemized spreadsheets are accepted in a variety of formats.

Pricing is a cinch. It's all automatic. When you “search” for your item using a title/barcode number, its product details will pop up on the screen, along with a suggested selling price (i.e., the “going rate”). You also have the option to set your own price, and to view a list of competing sellers and prices.

Since selling is competitive, it is common for other Internet merchants to “undercut” your prices. As a result, all of your items will be systematically repriced (optional) based on the parameters you choose. Repricing is free and automatic and involves no work on your part. There is no special software to download, and repricing options may be easily set and changed.

The buyer pays all shipping costs. When you sell an item, you are reimbursed for shipping based on a set scale of credits, depending on item type and shipping method. The current credit scale appears below:

Media Mail:      $2.26 (books); $1.84 (CDs, videos, DVDs)
Priority Mail:     $5.05 (books); $3.85 (CDs, videos, DVDs)
International:    $8.95 (books); $4.95 (CDs, videos); $8.95 (DVDs)

Note that actual shipping costs vary based on the package size and weight. In general, the credits provided are sufficient to cover these costs, often with an extra amount left over - enough, in most cases, to cover the cost of bubble mailer envelopes (recommended).

When you sign up, your chairperson will be mailed a free starter set of bubble mailers.

Every time an item sells, the transaction details and earnings appear on your account page. Payments are transferred every two weeks directly to your organization, either electronically (via Paypal) or by check. These payments include all earnings from the previous two weeks. To keep tabs on your ongoing revenue and donations, visit FundTracker, your free earnings report page in the member area (displayed below).

When it comes to finding space for storing media items (as part of a fundraiser drive), most nonprofits get creative. While it is helpful to have access to a spare “sale room”, in the past, organizations with limited space have succeeded with as little as a utility closet or bookshelf. To adapt to space restrictions, many groups set minimum “price thresholds” on items - i.e., listing only those items valued at, say, $10 or more. Other groups with limited space elect to sell only CDs, VHS tapes and DVDS – no books. Besides having higher turnover rates, the former items are light, compact and can yield high earnings while often requiring only a few shelves.

No. When you register for free with The Nonprofit Marketplace, you can begin selling anytime. The only thing you'll need is a valid e-mail address for receiving new orders.

For many users, the best aspect of our program is the ability to sell on multiple online venues without all the work. That is, our fully integrated system automatically uploads and tracks your items on different marketplaces, allowing you to manage, edit, and delete your listings from a single account page. Also, we prevent simultaneous sales: When an item sells on one venue, it automatically gets deleted from the rest. No marketplace seller accounts are needed and no special software is required. It's the best of all worlds.

Online safety is our top priority and, we believe, one of our greatest assets. Besides employing extensive security measures to ensure safe, clean transactions, all sales via The Nonprofit Marketplace are mediated. That means all monetary payments, credit transfers, and refunds are processed by and through us. You are never required to enter your credit card or checking account information and all group-sensitive information is kept entirely confidential. To learn more, please review our comprehensive Privacy Policy.

Yes! Your supporters can register (free) to sell items on behalf of your organization through the Independent Sellers Program. Independent Sellers decide in advance what percentage of sales they wish to donate (anywhere from 3 percent to all proceeds) and may select your nonprofit group from a list of registered beneficiaries. That way, whenever one of their items sells, that portion of their earnings is automatically transferred to you.

By signing up to fundraise, your group will be added automatically to our database of qualified nonprofit beneficiaries. Note: If you want to take advantage of this option without also signing up to run a fundraiser sale, feel free to sign up strictly as a Nonprofit Beneficiary.

No, all of your items will be sold at fixed prices. The Nonprofit Marketplace is not an auction service but rather a network of “stores” shared by nonprofits and nonprofit supporters. The benefits of this approach are clear: Safer, simpler transactions, greater flexibility, and overall higher earnings. Unlike an auction, there is nothing to track, no time restrictions, no bidding, no last-minute requests, no unreliable buyers (payment must go through before order is placed), no disappointing sales earnings, and nothing left to chance.

As a nonprofit seller, you are responsible for three simple tasks:

1. Sign up and provide a working e-mail address.
2. Check your e-mail at least three days per week (for new orders).
3. Ship out all sold items within two (2) business days.

That's all. In the event something goes wrong with an order (e.g., item cannot be found), simple protocols are in place; and as always, we're here to help.

That's why we're here. In addition to providing professional customer service for your buyers, we also offer dedicated e-fundraising support via e-mail () and toll-free phone (800/696-9049). We aim to answer all inquiries within one (1) business day. We realize that for many members, online selling is a brave new world: Ever friendly and patient, our team is ready to help guide you along the way. For instant answers anytime, please also refer to our complete online Help Guide.

Click here to e-fundraise now! Signup is free and you may cancel at any time.

To further discuss how the program can work for your organization, feel free to contact us directly. Since choosing a new fundraiser is a group decision, click here to refer your fellow board members to thie site.