What’s in a name? Celeste M. Tyree, Heather Raymond, and Mindy Feuer, the three women behind A Better Fundraiser, believe they’re giving schools, children’s charities, churches, community groups, and other nonprofits the most important information about their company right up front. Well, you may ask, is it…better? Identifying products people are already using and giving them an opportunity to support a group they’re involved with while purchasing them has, indeed, yielded a novel, safe, profitable, and in many ways…better fundraising concept!

There are no risks involved with raising money through A Better Fundraiser; no pre-purchasing of products, no complicated records to keep, and no expensive advertising or marketing required. This is a 100% web-based fundraising program yielding as much as a 30% return on purchased products. Parents have been especially responsive to the elimination of door-to-door selling. Peace of mind is priceless with growing concerns over children’s safety.

A Better Fundraiser’s greatest strength is the simplicity behind its concept: “Provide access to useful software products via a website. Assign each fundraiser a unique identification number. Drive consumers to the website, record their purchases, and distribute the proceeds.” Available products fall into several useful categories:

• eBooks (Electronic Books) – Fiction & Nonfiction
• Mobile Content – Games, Graphics & Ring Tones
• Games – Arcade, Card Games, Educational & Puzzles
• Interactive eBooks (A Step Beyond Reading) – Children, Classic Fiction, Mystery, Fantasy & Humor

Mindy Feuer, Vice President of Business Development and Co-Founder shares, "A Better Fundraiser is more then just a hassle free way to raise funds. We have made technology accessible by creating a safe, advertising free website, enabling children and their families to browse and download a wide variety of “E” rated software."

This fun and educational software is available for immediate download and purchase. Products are continually added to the already impressive lineup. In fact, downloadable movies and music will be incorporated into their available options within the next few months. Gift Certificates from $5 - $25 are available for shoppers who can’t decide what to buy or want the recipient to enjoy choosing their own gift. The steps to succeeding with A Better Fundraiser include:

• Each member of your fundraising group/fundraiser receives a member card and 25 giveaway cards. These uniquely identify each member.
• Your members give away cards to friends, family and neighbors, asking them to visit A Better Fundraiser’s website (also printed on the card) and purchase cool games, e-books, and other downloadable products.
• Your organization receives up to 30% of all sales. Sales are automatically tracked on the website.

Founder and President, Celeste M. Tyree, launched A Better Fundraiser in January of 2003. A self described techie, Tyree is the former CEO of UltraComm Inc., with more than 20 years of experiences in all aspects of the telecommunications industry. She points to a recent report that estimates an almost 30% increase in eCommerce trade during the last quarter of 2003.

Celeste Tyree’s partners in A Better Fundraiser are Heather Raymond and Mindy Feuer. Both are experts in Information Technology, Technical Sales, Marketing, and Product Development. This impressive trio’s synthesis of educational software and internet sales technology streamlines fundraising efforts for groups of all sizes.

These enterprising women arrived at A Better Fundraiser through personal experience with fundraisers for school and community activities involving their children and grandchildren. They believe the benefits of their brainchild will appeal to other parents, grandparents, teachers, and family friends. Their website reiterates a multitude of attractive aspects connected to this promising new business:

• All purchases are made online using safe, secure payment methods.
• Better, more useful products lead to repeat customers and higher profits.
• No shipping and handling costs – All products are delivered electronically.
• All products are downloaded immediately after purchase.
• Up-to-date reports of funds raised are available all day, every day.

With all of these positives and nary a negative in sight, trying A Better Fundraiser leads to the cliché question, posed rhetorically, of course: What have you got to lose? The no-risk nature of this fundraising concept leads to the next obvious question: What have you got to gain?

Heather Raymond, VP of Technology Services and Co-Founder of A Better Fundraiser sums it up: “We wanted to bring fundraising into the 21st century by offering a simple, low-effort, no-calorie, fundraising program that not only makes you feel good because you're making a difference but also because you are getting something you actually want in return.”

-- DeWayne Lumpkin

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A Better Fundraiser