SVA Forum

caroline · Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2009 1:45 pm Post subject: SVA Fundraising Ideas for 2009?

Hi there,

Well, it's a brand new year and that means a brand new round of funding is needed for SVA, so that we can keep it a free resource. As ever you can donate to: http://tinyurl.com/37urec

But really what we are looking for are ideas to raise money which are of value to the members. E.g. we have a variety of Guides available to buy:

SVA Best Practice Audio Typing
http://payloadz.com/go/sip?id=292938

101 Ways To Market Your VA Business
http://payloadz.com/go/sip?id=317996

SVA Guide: Call Answering
http://payloadz.com/go/sip?id=324982

SVA Newsletters That Work
http://payloadz.com/go/sip?id=332925

SVA: Team Working ebook
http://payloadz.com/go/sip?id=382844

SVA: Time Management ebook
http://payloadz.com/go/sip?id=382845

SVA Audio Guide: Virtual Assistant PR with Penny Haywood
http://payloadz.com/go/sip?id=384343

SVA Client Contract Template
http://payloadz.com/go/sip?id=435510

SVA Subcontractors Agreement
http://payloadz.com/go/sip?id=435516

SVA start up guide for virtual assistants
http://payloadz.com/go/sip?id=436144

SVA: Start Delegating Now ebook
http://payloadz.com/go/sip?id=440172

We'd also like suggestions about what you would like from SVA - more chats? Or paid-for access to areas of the forum? A tag-team style mentoring programme?

Post all your ideas below!!
C.
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To support SVA please donate to: http://tinyurl.com/37urec

expressva · Joined: 06 Jan 2009 Posts: 10 Location: Hampshire

As a new memeber to this site and having studieda couple of other sites, i think that a chat area would be great. The forum would still get things posted on it but with chat you could get an almost instant response.

Another idea i had was that you could also act as a recruiter and charge a small fee for the client to advertise jobs. They would be repaid with an outstanding service and help this site to grow even more.

As for charging us, if this happened i would still be here, i am abolutely loving this site and it is so useful.

Sponsors? I dont know whther this is another option. How about contacting PC world or people like that to have a link to their site, i know they pay small fees for this as it is advertising space?

Just a few ideas for you, they may be no good though lol

Susan

caroline · Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 11:59 am Post subject:

Thanks Susan - some great ideas there!

We used to have a Skype work chat for urgent outsourcing, but we did find that there was a lot of pinging with non-essentials, which sort of defeated the purpose!

I'm keen not to bombard everyone with adverts all over the place, but would you use SVA sponsored stuff - like for example we have an Amazon reseller account which gives us a % of anything sold thru Amazon?

C.
_________________
To support SVA please donate to: http://tinyurl.com/37urec

sara - Office Bird · Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 2:06 pm Post subject:

Hi Caroline.

I don't know how much money is required to keep SVA going for a year but I would have to say a paid membership option would be the first thing I do. You woul dhave to make benefits for the paid members in order to get new people to cough up but you already have a lot of them in place. If a paid member had the right to a signature link, access to the private forum, access to the 'work available now' section and other such things then I think most people would join. I don't means hundreds of pounds but something like £30 a year. Payment could be made after the website approval.

The most fantastic thing about the fully approved members is the ability to ask questions about your business in the knowledge that Google won't find it. So if you have something sensitive to ask or you don't want to look silly you can still get the answers you need without worrying that your potential clients will see it.

The second thing I would suggest is ceap paid advertising for businesses that offer things a VA needs. So for say £50 a printing firm could have a small banner displaying for 6 months. I know you don't want to bombard people ith adverts but I think people are so used to them now they wouldn't really mind. At the end of the day a few tastefully placed ads by other small businesses shouldn't really make a difference to the visitor and could keep this fantastic free hub of information online. I have to say there really should still be a large free section for those that don't want to pay up.

The idea of using SVA sponsored accounts is great and I'm sure most of us would use them but they have to be worth it. I know when I had some printing done at MKPrinting I didn't bother claiming my £5 off, which in hindsight means you probably didn't get a cut. Maybe if I had known SVA would get some money as well I would have mentioned it.

On a raising awareness issue the combined blog idea that was mentioned once before would be good, which could increase footfall and bump up the advert prices and increase paid membership.

Sorry I'm not very creative with this kind of thing. I know you would have preferred noval ideas that didn't involve members paying or adverts!

Sara
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Sara
Office Bird
Your Perfect Business Partner

www.officebird.co.uk

Burford Secretarial · Moderator Joined: 08 Nov 2006 Posts: 540 Location: Kent

I agree with regards to paying a subscription to be a Member of SVA as a way of raising money. I think that anybody who has used the site and found the wealth of information on here useful would not have a problem with that.

I currently pay another Association (who shall reamin nameless) over £100 a year and apart from a few documents at the beginning and access to a chat the information is nowhere near as comprehensive as that of SVA - I will not be renewing my membership and would rather put the money to good use and buy some of the SVA Guides.

If you had a paid area for SVA you could use it for the approved members, who would get the "Jobs Availalbe Now" section as well as asking questions, but also perhaps you could put out special offers on your Guides i.e. 10% discount on x guide this month or something like that. It would be a great way of raising money for SVA.

Not sure if this helps.
_________________
Charlotte Burford

Burford Secretarial
www.burfordsecretarial.com

For monthly SVA training sessions please visit: http://tinyurl.com/39abrt

Or to support SVA please donate to: http://tinyurl.com/37urec

caroline · Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2009 5:16 pm Post subject:

that's a good idea - I'm aware there are a few other paid ones and actually my main objection to paid for memberships is that unless you make it free to join there is a barrier there for people not to subscribe to the rules & regulations.

Let me have a wee think.... Business coach did some interesting musing the other day too!
_________________
To support SVA please donate to: http://tinyurl.com/37urec

admindoc · Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2009 6:03 pm Post subject:

I too am cancelling one of my subscriptions to another forum. I get far more benefit from this forum than any of the others.

Cheers
Angela
_________________
Angela Dawson
The Admin Doctor
t: 01670 618628 / 07855746777
http://www.theadmindoc.co.uk

For monthly SVA training sessions please visit: http://tinyurl.com/39abrt or to support SVA please donate to: http://tinyurl.com/37urec