So, I’ve been going to the library quite a bit this summer. They have boxes for donations for books at each entrance and cash donation kiosks in a few areas - not over the top, but they are visible. They also have a corner for “honor system” sell off unused books.
I just think we could steal some of the ideas and apply them.
Specifically -
Easiest to implement- cash/kiosk donation boxes near the doors (or wherever else) to just the general dms fund (I would suggest wherever the tours begin and end).
A little more involved - Specific boxes for tool donations (ya I hear the rumbling) after one week if the item isn’t claimed by a chair it goes to…
Most involved - an “honor system” shelf with a suggested donation price for said item. One shelf and a bin for money collection and stickers. Have something you don’t want but you think could raise some funds for dms. Lug it up…put a sticker on it…and let it go. The garage sale for ca taught me that funds can be brought in and memebers are willing to help funds come in.
What sounds cool and is in the works- a “I donated to dms and here’s my name” donor wall. People support what they love and sometimes it really feels good for the organization to recognize them. Let me know how I can help this come to the world of dms.
We could buy in to name tools after ourselves. I would be willing to sponsor whatever tool is my spirit animal- it’s loud and annoying but gets the job done.
I really like this idea, although I think that limiting it to cash only and not having any easy way to donate via cc will limit it’s effectiveness.
I also suspect that some of our shrinkage is due to the inconvenience of paying for consumables. Many people hardle carry cash, and cash boxes don’t give change. Media piracy dropped significantly with the advent of Netflix; people were willing to pay a fair price for their media as long as it was convenient. If the cost is too high, either in dollars or in shoe leather, people won’t pay.
Our school PTA does a naming rights fundraiser on an annual basis. They print out a sign and name different rooms, reserved parking spaces, etc. This is a great annual fundraiser since they change the signs every year.
This is a GREAT opportunity to put some x,xxx figures on the sponsorships. That’s what these are, sponsorships. We can open this up to local companies and national companies, too - like the specialty wood stores, home improvement stores, hobby stores, etc.
The key is this needs to be an ANNUAL event to pull in money every year.
As for credit card payments, we could do a card reader with Square or a bank or one of their competitors. I think the iPads here take credit cards (not sure though, I use cash).
We have documentation, so we could apply for an Amazon Smile account. People click through to the Smile.Amazon.com site, and choose Dallas Makerspace. Any affiliate payments would go through the non-profit channels. Amazon affiliate income can be a trickle or a typhoon, depending on how many people use it.
