Affiliate Fundraising

So what is Affiliate Fundraising? And why is it so profitable?

Many companies online use what is called affiliate or associate programs as a means of marketing themselves and their products.

They allow website (etc.) to refer people to them through a special link.

They then pay a commission to the referrer if a referred person buys something or performs a desired response (like creating an account or getting a quote).

Some companies will pay per click, pay per lead, or pay per sale. And some will have multi-tier commission programs.

For example webhosting companies will pay up to 50% commission on sales referred through a link on your website (pay per sale). While eBay will pay you a small amount every time someone clicks through a link on your site (pay per click).

Commissions will vary greatly and some will even pay as high as 75%. YES... as high as 75%.

So, do you see how profitable affiliate fundraising can be hey?!

Affiliate Fundraising - Profitable Internet Fundraising Ideas. (Photo by Kevin Zollman off Flickr)

You will find that most online merchants will have an affiliate program. But the easiest ways to find suitable affiliate programs will be through Backend Providers.

A backend provider is a company that provides a directory of merchants looking for affiliates. They also take care of all the link tracking and payments from all the merchants.

They then pay you one monthly lump sum for all your commission earnings.

Some Reliable Backend Providers Are:

LinkShare - Very popular affiliate backend provider that has loads of affiliate programs available.
ShareASale - Same as above. Popular with loads of selections available!
Commission Junction
Clickbank – Provides thousands of e-goods that you can promote (e-books etc.). You can also sell your own e-goods through them!

What I would suggest you do is sign up to these backend providers and look through them carefully.

Try find merchants that would be of interest to your supporters. Like maybe insurance companies (they pay good commissions) or book stores (like the Book Depository).

Specific Affiliate Types:

Then there are some specific Affiliate programs or types of merchants you could look to represent with your affiliate fundraising...

Magazines and Newsstands
Inkjet cartridges
Books Merchants - Like the Book Depository.
Specific Book Publishers
Webhosting/Webmaster Affiliates - Like Sitesell’s 5 pillar program.
Insurance companies

TWO SPECIAL NOTES ON
AFFILIATE FUNDRAISING:

1. When finding an affiliate to represent you must make sure that they provide quality products/services!

Only recommend companies/products that you would be happy to buy or use. Don't lose your credibility by recommending poor companies/products.

An example for me would be Sitesell's affiliate programme.

I personally use their services for my websites and after having used many other webhosts before them I really believe that they are the best hosts on the net.

And therefore I am confident in recommending products!

They also have a really rewarding affiliate program... You should definitely check it out!

2. When linking to an affiliate that you are representing try not use banners or graphics...

Rather refer to them through a recommending text link. Research shows that people's eyes actually avoid banners and advertising images when they search on the net.

So please use text links instead... Your Affiliate Fundraising will be much more rewarding that way!