Serendipity,
I didn’t want to be drawn back into the thread, but I’m afraid that if I don’t address your concerns that others might say to themselves… ‘My thoughts exactly” and not volunteer to answer my question.

The site is a commercial site with regular prices, special offerings, close-out sales, gift certificates, etc., etc. The products range in price from 98¢ to over $200. About 48% are below $15. We try to keep the items fresh and about 10-15% of the items are replaced each quarter. Allowing local 501(c) groups to use the site to raise funds is something we do; it is not what we do. We offer the site for their use; we do not pursue them as customers. After the initial contact, only two more are made; two emails or one email and one voice call. These are done to insure they have all the information they need to make a decision. If they have not followed any of the links we provide or indicated they wish to proceed, we discontinue contacting them. This is an offer to assist them; it is freely given and must be freely accepted without pressure. Interested groups then make formal application, providing officer information and tax id. Groups can audit their earnings in real time, 24/7. Submit an order and the contribution immediately shows in their account, subject to month end accounts reconciliation. Funds are paid by wire transfer the 10th of the month and two officers are notified by email of the amount sent. When someone comes from a group’s website they are given a cookie that identifies the site they came from. If they bookmark us and come directly to us, the group continues to receive full credit for any purchases. The link alone will not generate much revenue for a group; some promotional activity must occur. This could be by newsletter, parent’s sigs on their email, etc. In the case I mentioned, we discussed their group passing out our monthly sales flier, with their web address stamped on it. I posed the question, “If each parent took a copy of this flier into work and showed it to 2, 3-4 associates, what do you think the sales might be?” I had to scale her estimate back until I got it down to $30. “Well, if each of your 500 students took a flyer home and the flier went into Mom or Dad’s work and generated a $10 donation, you would earn $5,000 that month and perhaps $5,000 every month for the rest of the year. Plus any other ideas you might come up with to get people to use your link. Everything considered, that could add up to $50,000 this year. I’m not disputing what you said about the products and the flyer. I just don’t think people will accept that you can make $20,000 a month from this. Let’s keep a little closer to earth and estimate $10 per flyer.” Serendipity, there is no free lunch, no magic link that rains money on you. But, getting the parents to each contribute 15 minutes a month could produce significant income. What a novel idea, a fundraiser based on items on sale, not priced up to cover the group’s earnings. And, the group’s work is done when the customer arrives at our website; we handle all the rest.

In short, the produces are at or below market price, cover a broad range of products and price points, and successful groups will probably create a network of patrons who look forward to getting their monthly sales flyer. Your job is to get people to the site; our job is to make them want to return.

I’ve tried to answer your concerns, in broad terms without too many specifics. In part because of forum etiquette; in part because this is only intended as a local outreach program to PTO and PTA in ours and neighboring communities. People we can meet, talk with, share common experiences, and help them help our kids.

Two people told me, “This is too different from what they are use to. You are giving them too much. Cut it back to 20%. They’ll probably appreciate it more.”

Before doing that or possibly completely withdrawing my offer to help these groups, I would like to know…

What do you people expect of a fundraising organization?

I would be very wary about putting any link connecting my group to something that I am not familiar with or have yet developed a relationship with. Often things seem to good to be true and this seems to be one of them...a parent group's actions is a reflection on the whole school.

It is hard to say why or why not I would be interested in your products without looking at them and the site. Are the products being sold items our parents would be interested in? Are the prices on said items prices people would pay for these items? The one thing you said that would make me wary is

“I just offered her $50,000"

That is one of those too good to be true statements. Noone is going to believe that they will make $50,000 just by putting a link to your site on their site. Perhaps the possibility exists to make that much but only after people have purchased how much stuff? There is no guarantee people will purchase that much stuff to get you anywhere near that ballpark.

Sometime ago I created a website. It is a full service ecommerce site with one major difference; I give 1/3 of the sales to 501(c) charitable organizations. The only requirement to participate in the program is they must put a link on their site to our site, so we can determine their share of that month’s donations.

Not one PTO or PTA has accepted my offered. After meeting with one PTO President, who said “Maybe next year”, I turned on my heels, walked out of the school, muttering under my breath… “I just offered her $50,000 and she said, “MAYBE NEXT YEAR! One of us has to be crazy. And, I think it is me.”

I can’t, and I wouldn’t, use this forum to promote my own interest, but I need someone to explain why a “click-through” program, with near catalog sales profit %, is of no interest to a PTO or PTA.

What do you people expect of a fundraising organization?

I bet myself that I have already included everything you expect and MORE; with the key exception of a track record.

I’ll sit back and listen, while you debate it among yourselves.