Lately I’ve seen a nonprofit organization raising money in an unusual way: by selling stuff on eBay.  It’s not like a Goodwill or a thrift store — rather, donors simply give the organization valuables or other items to auction off on eBay, and the organization gets the proceeds from the auctions.

It’s a great idea.  Money is in short supply right now, so organizations are going to find it difficult to get the monetary donations they need.  However, many people have a lot of stuff in their homes that they don’t need or even want anymore — by asking them to give you their stuff to sell, instead of donating it to Goodwill or a similar organization, you can raise some money for your organization even when most people don’t feel they have enough to spare for cash donations.

The organization I’m thinking of has been making money by selling vintage dolls and other valuable collectibles online, but there are other ways in which nonprofit organizations can make money.  Selling gold jewelry is another option.  Nonprofit organizations can also hold garage sales or thrift sales, and ask donors to give them clothes, books, and other items appropriate for such a sale.  Additionally, nonprofits can ask donors to volunteer their services — say, washing cars, mowing lawns, shoveling walks, babysitting, etc. — and donate their proceeds to the organization.

If you are creative, you can probably think up at least a dozen ways that you can turn donations and volunteers into cash.  Even during tough times, nonprofit organizations don’t have to suffer for lack of monetary donations!

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