Organizing a fundraiser can be tough work– especially during a recession. Businesses may not have as much in their budget for donating and people are staying home more rather than going out. I recently sat in on a webinar with information compiled by Claire Thompson over at Wave PR. I’m organizing the upcoming Twestival in my community and the webinar offered some great tips for anyone looking to raise money for a good cause.

Determine your goal- Stephen Covey said, start with the end in mind. A fundraising goal will help you figure out how big your sponsorships should be. Set a goal by talking to the cause you’re supporting. Making the goal tangible is huge. For instance, tell people that their $10 donation will build “X number of wells” or “Y number of cat beds.”

Target your Sponsors- Align the non-profit with the right sponsors. If you’re raising money for an animal shelter, you may want to approach pet food companies. Be as organized as possible so your team isn’t soliciting the same companies over and over.

Offer Various Sponsorships- Try having a range of sponsorships that allow the sponsor to buy in at a price that fits their budget. Some sponsors will pay to have a link from your site, others may get a blog post about them on your site. You can have a variety of levels for sponsorships. They can also sponsor different goods and services like the event venue, music, food or drink. Ticket sales would then go to the cause itself.

Look for Revenue Enhancers- Look for ways to make more money beyond ticket sales. Simultaneously hold a silent auction or raffle. Make sure you have any needed permits or licenses and always have an estimated value starting bid.

Try Event Draws- Look for celebrity status to help you out. Ask a local DJ to MC for the night. Giveaway t-shirts or swag bags featuring sponsorship logos or coupons from local businesses. Ask for donations on the night of the event saying, for example, if we raise an extra $50 this person will shave their head. It will spur people on and get them in the mood to raise money for your charity.

Consider Creating an Event Program- A program can include information about the local charity and the organization’s latest news. It’s also a great place to thank those that donated, sponsored and volunteered for your event.

Keep the Flow- Make sure there is a lot going on to keep the event flowing. People will be networking, but it’s important to keep the energy level high so that they feel good about the event. Show a video of the event cause or bring something from the charity along to the event. If you’re supporting an animal shelter, bring a box of kittens along to the event. It will remind people why you are all there.

Imagine shopping around town spending your hard-earned money and when you return home you find you have some extra money in your pocket. We all know what pickpockets do and know it’s a crime, but have you heard of the new phenomenon ‘putpockets?’ Twenty former pickpockets are paying it forward and rewarding unsuspecting Londoners with money. They slip it in pockets, purses and bags hoping to help others.

Broadband provider TalkTalk is funding the initiative which runs until the end of August before being rolled out countrywide. By the time it’s finished 100,000 pounds (that’s just over $160,000) will have been given away. In the Bible, God tells people to give back to others. Hebrews 13:16 says “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”

I’ve heard of people passing through a toll on a highway and out of nowhere they pay for the car behind them. What if it became a cycle and people just continued paying for others? A gentleman who attends my church recently came into the office and he brought a coffee for our campus pastor. He did it just because he heard his pastor was having a tough day.

But giving back to others doesn’t necessarily have to involve money. On the web, the Random Acts of Kindness foundation is full of ideas and stories about what others are doing around the world. It provides materials like activity ideas, lesson plans, project planning guides and workplace resources. Random Acts of Kindness also has a Twitter account sharing a new kind idea each day.

Maybe the “putpocking” will spread to the U.S. Having extra money show up in your pocket always puts a smile on your face especially in this economy. Click on the video below to watch the London putpocketers in action.

Men, women, young, old– everybody likes free stuff, right? I’ve received some great freebies this week: milk shakes, bathroom products, spices, and more. The good news is there are plenty more freebies for you to take advantage of. Here are some of the best ones I could find:

Free Mascara: Take in the October issue of Seventeen magazine, or just a print out of the homepage of Seventeen.com to any Ulta store and you’ll get free Benefit Bad Gal Blue mascara worth nearly $20. The offer starts September 15.

Free Recycle Labels: Encourage others to recycle or just give yourself a lovely reminder with these free labels from Oh, Hello Friend.

Free Cat Food: Get a free sample of Fancy Feast for your kitty from Walmart.com.

Free Stickers: Spread some love with free stickers that say “You are Beautiful.” It’s part of a cool project to bring more positive messages to the world. Use your stickers however you want– to brighten a stranger’s day or to give your loved ones a boost.

Free Granola: Sign up for the Eat Better America newsletter and you’ll receive a free trail mix bar plus free Granola Nut Clusters from Nature Valley.

I recently came across a website that has been a source for many news organizations this month, such as CBS News, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Fox News, CNN and Bloomberg. As they discuss the ins and outs of credit card use, these sources have been quoting Billshrink to help consumers understand the new government credit card lending changes and they have been using the website to offer advice to consumers.

Billshrink recently took a look at several credit card companies and found that people are paying way more for purchase rates and balance transfers. They are up 20 percent from January to July of this year. The study found that American Express and Bank of America kept their rates basically the same while Capital One, CitiBank, Discover and U.S. Bank were the ones whose rates changed the most.

These findings corresponded to the Credit CARD (Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure) Act that was implemented August 20. It states that requires credit card companies to provide cardholders to a 45-day notice of changes to the annual percentage rates and to mail the bills 21 days before the due dates.

Billshrink is free and offers recommendations and tools to help you save money on your bills. All you do is enter information about your expenses, such as gas, credit card and telephone bills. The site tracks market changes and alerts you when better savings comes along. The founders of the site realize that there are so many confusing options when it comes to cell phone and credit cards and want to help consumers save the most money they can. They compare what plans you have versus what the companies are offering.

I have the iPhone and found a tab on Billshrink that shows you the detailed specs, pros and cons and reviews of the product. I can also look at plans for my service. I know I occasionally have trouble picking the right plans or understanding what I’m getting. Looks like this site may be beneficial in relieving some of that confusion.

Does your debt really impact your waistline? It does according to a new survey titled, “over-indebtedness as a marker of socioeconomic status and its association with obesity: a cross-sectional study.” The study examined 949 over-indebted Germans from 2006-2007. They found that the amount of debt you carry directly impacts the amount of weight you carry.

The study pinpointed several reason for this:

1. Lack of Health Care Access: First of all, the state of the economy could also be affected health care providers, especially charitable ones which means people are going to the doctor less.

2. Debt Causes Depression: Another explanation could be the when you are in debt, you are more psychologically distressed and depression often leads to increased food intake. Eating may cause a positive feeling which can substitute other areas in life that aren’t going so well, such as your finances.

3. Health Food Costs More: The study also says that healthy food costs more which could be another reason why those with more debt are more like to be obese. Energy-dense foods such as fatty snacks and sweets tend to be less expensive.

4. Increased Debt Limits Leisure: If you have more debt you may not be able to or want to take part in leisure activities such as regular exercise.

The entire study is available for your review. The study does realize that there are some issues that prevent complete accuracy. For instance, could overweight people have a more difficult time getting hired or keeping employment which would impact the amount of their debt? Also, for this study participants were asked to self-report their weight which may mean the results were not entirely accurate.

Monday night somebody hacked into my Facebook account. The hacker posted rude comments and also sent an e-mail to one of my accounts. It was very upsetting and my husband and I had to kick it into high gear to secure any other accounts that may have been affected. Soon we were checking his Facebook account, my e-mail accounts and even our bank account. I foolishly had the same password for both my e-mail accounts and my Facebook account. Luckily, our bank account information was separate. In August, MSNBC and other news sources reported that hackers are beginning to target social networking sites including both Facebook and Twitter and discussed recent incidents.

I decided to write this post to help others to remember that we are all vulnerable to identity theft. Thankfully the hacker seemed to only be focused on my Facebook account, but it could have been a lot worse. One of the main things to keep in mind is to continue to keep track of your passwords and change them frequently. I now have several different passwords for my accounts. Another thing to remember is your bank account. Make sure you are using your personal computer to check your account and changing your User Ids and PINs frequently. If you are using a public computer, they are much less secure.

There are websites and basic information out there that offer advice on the best ways to try and prevent hackers and others from obtaining access to your personal information.

MSN Money explains different types of hacking and has several tips on how to safeguard yourself against identity theft when using your computer.

Phishing is one threat to your identity. This is when you receive an e-mail that looks like it’s from your bank. If you click on a link, a hacker may have just gotten into your account. Don’t be fooled. Your bank won’t be calling or e-mailing you for your account information.

Pharming or Spoofing is when hackers redirect the traffic of a legit website to an imposter site.

Spyware can pop up when you unknowingly click on an attachment or download. Criminals use this to gain access to your credit card numbers and passwords.

So what can you do? Keep your system software up-to-date, don’t click on pop-ups, don’t open e-mails from people you don’t know, make sure you use a safe site when giving out your credit card and use passwords with symbols, numbers and letters, says MSN Money.

As soon as you suspect that you’ve been hacked, contact the group that can help you, such as the social media site, your bank or credit card company. I contacted Facebook right away and heard back within a couple of days. They were able to reset my account and got me back to my social media site. Funny thing is I realized how dependent I was on Facebook and how much I missed it. But no matter how much we enjoy these sites, we still need to remember to be careful.

Toys “R” Us has come up with its own cash for clunkers national program. Today the store announced that shoppers can now bring in used baby items and receive a discount off of the purchase of a new item. Toys “R” Us wants to help parents purchase new cribs, car seats and other items instead of having to search for deals at garage sales or Craigs List.

“The Great Trade-In” is the coined phrase for the event and Toys “R” Us is hoping this will help to get some of those potentially unsafe toys out of the hands of parents and kids. The stores will accept returns of used cribs, car seats, bassinets, strollers, travel systems, play yards and high chairs in exchange for 20 percent off a new item.

According to Toys “R” Us, consumer safety agencies have noticed how it continues to be a challenge to remove dangerous products from the home. Safe Kids USA recommends not purchasing used car seats and other safety items for children. There are several manufacturers participating in the event, including  Baby Cache, Baby Trend, Evenflo and Graco.

The promotion begins Aug. 28 and continues until Sept. 20.

While her kids are napping, Ellen gets blogging. You might know her as @ThrifyChicMom on Twitter. She’s the woman behind ThriftyandChicMom.com. While being a mom is a full-time job in itself, Ellen takes the time to find and share deals with the rest of us. A resident of Columbus, Ohio, Ellen is happily married with two daughters and baby number three is set to arrive in a few weeks. For this week’s Twitter Tuesday Profile, Ellen tells us how she stays motivated to save and how finding deals helps her to experience more in life.

OODC: How did you get started blogging and tweeting?

@ThriftyChicMom: I started blogging about a year and a half ago to share deals with my friends and family in one central place, then I heard about Twitter as my blog grew and decided to join to be able to chat with other bloggers with similar interests as well as my readers. It’s a great way to connect with others!

OODC: You seem very adamant about the fact that being thrifty does not mean missing out on things. What kinds of things are you talking about?

@ThriftyChicMom: Being thrifty doesn’t mean you live a very minimalistic life– it means you spend wisely and with the savings you can buy what you want. I go shopping at the stores I want to, I just watch for sales and coupons. We eat out at restaurants when they have great deals or coupons or as special treats, just not every week.

OODC: What do you do to stay motivated to save money and be thrifty?

@ThriftyChicMom: My blog helps me to stay motivated even when I want to just go on a spending spree (I have a weakness for all things fashion!) and my great readers and friends on Twitter help motivate me too. Plus I get a thrill from finding an extra great deal, who doesn’t!?

OODC: It seems like you blog a lot throughout the day. How do you do that while taking care of two little kids? Does it ever get difficult to juggle?

@ThriftyChicMom: I blog when I have free time like before they get up or during nap time and of course at night. It can be tough to juggle with kids but they are my full time job and that comes first although hunting for deals and sharing them is important too!

OODC: What do you hope people get out of your Tweets and blog posts?

@ThriftyChicMom: I hope they find great deals and realize that being smart about how you spend your money is freeing and not binding, especially in this economy you can eat great, be well dressed and experience all the great things in life without going into debt!

OODC: Who are some of your favorite money tweeters?

@ThriftyChicMom: All the Top 30 deal hunters are great!

Would you like to be featured in a Twitter Tuesday Profile? Go ahead and tweet me for your chance to be profiled.

A friend of mine in California bought a beautiful home this year and got a great deal because it was a foreclosure. There are definitely real estate deals available for those willing to go this route, but it’s not the easiest way to buy property. According to RealtyTrac, US foreclosures hit another record high in July with 360,149 homes filing for foreclosure within that 30 day period. Nevada ranks the highest in the number of foreclosures, despite a new law that now requires lenders to offer mediation to homeowners that are facing losing their homes. California, Arizona and Florida rank second, third and fourth behind Nevada. Here is a list of all state foreclosure records if you want to see how your state stacks up. July was the third time in five months where a new record was set in property foreclosures, according to RealtyTrac.

If you’re interested in buying one of the millions of homes in foreclosure right now, it’s best to contact your real estate agent and have them walk you through the process. Often the lender wants to recover the amount of the loan which means you could buy a property at a 10 or 20 percent discount. However, the owners of many of the properties being foreclosed on did not have much equity in the property. That means the discount could be relatively low. Wondering where the best discounts are? Check out this article in Business Week that lists the biggest cities with the most discounted homes.

If the home is in pre-foreclosure, you may decide to contact the owner directly and make an offer on the home. This would limit the damage to the owner’s credit report and it would give you an opportunity to get a great price on a home, making it a win-win situation. If the home is already in foreclosure, you will likely have to deal with the bank if it is a bank-owned property. As with any home, you will want to have the home thoroughly inspected before making an offer to make sure it really is the great deal you believe it is.

I recently visited our local Humane Society and it hit home that overcrowding is beginning to be a problem and the economy seems to be the reason. According to Newsday and other news sources, there has been an influx in pets at animal shelters because their owners just can’t afford to care for them anymore. Some animals are even being abandoned due to home foreclosures. And some of those who can afford a pet are having to skip on the animal’s shots or treatments and cut back on food or toys.

Although the American Pet Products Association says that Americans spend an estimated $45 billion on their pets, that number may start to decrease due to cuts in spending. However, there is some advice out there to help you continue to care for your pet. A recent article in Family Circle magazine caught my eye: “Recession-Proof Your Pet.”

If you are a lucky one who is holding on to Fido or Fluffy, there are some things you can do to save money:

Payment plans

Some vets will allow you to pay off debt on a monthly or weekly basis and there are other resources out there to help you do that. Believe it or not, there is a credit card specifically designed to help you pay for the care of your pet. CareCredit is just for health care services and helps you manage out-of-pocket expenses. According to the website, it not only can be used for your pet, but also your dental needs, vision, hearing and cosmetic treatments.

Get in touch with a school

If you have a vet school nearby, they may offer services at a lower cost. The AVMA website will help you find a list of schools in your area.

Clubs for certain breeds

These groups can also be source for possible financial assistance. The American Kennel Club site may help you find a club nearby.

Do-It-Yourself Pet Grooming

You don’t have to pay $50 to have your pet groomed. Learn how to do it yourself and save money. Ask your vet for pointers and learn how to clip your pet’s nails as well.

Help with affording pet food

If you are struggling to feed your animal, contact your local shelter. Many of them offer pet food assistance programs. Website searches may also help. Check out Save Our Pets Food Bank. Or if you’re really creative, offer your pets some homemade treats.

Spay, Neuter and Shots

Yes, it can be an expensive procedure but there may be a clinic nearby that has low-cost or free treatment, according to the Family Circle article. The nonprofit group Friends of Animals also may be able to give you a much cheaper quote than your doctor. A certificate that can be used for a routine spay or neuter can be purchased and is honored by licensed veterinarians. I found a mobile group of vets that travel to different locations around town and offer discounts on shots. We took our cat Agent Orange recently, spent $45 and it covers him for three years.

If you can afford a pet during these tough times, there are plenty out there. Consider adopting and help to save an animal in your area.