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Revolutionary Fee-Free Donation Tool Gives More to Good Causes

donationtoolgraphicGot a big heart? You’ll love this. Ready, set, raise more money. With our fee-free online donation tool, you can maximize money for good causes, projects and organizations with no service fee taken from Brown Paper Tickets. Zero. Zilch. Nada. No contract. No deadlines. No limitations. No charge from us.

$667,047 has been raised to date by more than 1,000 community centers, non-profits and individuals using our fee-free tool for online fundraising. Donor money goes to a heart-felt cause instead of a ticketing company, donation tool or crowd-funding platform.

Prepare for Giving Tuesday. Use our tutorial.

1. Collect Donations without Selling Tickets

Add your own credit card processor. (Due to an agreement with our bank, the Brown Paper Tickets processor cannot accept charitable donations). Create an event and add donation pricing. Then promote the page and watch the goodwill grow.

-Support a friend, family member or community through a hard time
-Raise funds for indie bands, art and theater projects or to save a local venue
-Schools can use it to fund new programs, equipment or uniforms
-Find charity event ideas

$44,000 was the record raised from one single Brown Paper Tickets donation-only event page using the fee-free donation tool to buy clothes, food, blankets and other items for Brooklyn shelters after Hurricane Sandy. A current fundraising page is for Feather Note Music Project, a philanthropic program to prevent suicide in Native American youth by teaching and giving them tools to record music, stories and languages of their culture.

rusted-root-commoncare2. Collect Donations and Sell Tickets

You can also organize a charity event, fundraiser, or benefit and allow event attendees to contribute donations when they purchase tickets.

Ticket buyers will still be charged $0.99 plus 3.5% of the face value, but when you use your own processor Brown Paper Tickets will only take $0.99 + 1%, leaving you with 2.5% to help offset your processing fee. No fee is added to donation levels, only to tickets. Official 501©(3) organizations that qualify for a lower credit card processing rate with PayPal or their credit card merchant find that Brown Paper Tickets’ gift of an additional 2.5 percent of the face value of every ticket often covers 100 percent of their PayPal or credit card merchant fees.

-Host a black-tie fundraising dinner or wine tasting
-Organize golf tournaments, roller derby charity bouts and other sporting events
-Ask your favorite local band to play a benefit show
-Find fundraiser event ideas

A benefit music concert featuring band Rusted Root worked well for Heather Rangel, San Francisco Bay Area event organizer of a $100,000 fundraiser benefiting CancerCommons. Supporters bought tickets, donated funds or both in the same transaction. “I couldn’t believe that Brown Paper Tickets would do this for us for no fees; it felt like there must be a catch, but there never was one,” Rangel said.

Rangel’s fundraising event was held in tribute to a friend who lost her battle with cancer in fall 2014. CancerCommons, a nonprofit that educates patients and doctors about cutting-edge treatments and research, received all funds directly. Rangel was so pleased with her event success, she just created a new $1 million fundraising campaign.

Brown Paper Tickets offers a lower fee for ticket buyers than competing ticketing companies offer to 501©(3) nonprofits. Low ticket fees and zero donation fees is a social ROI example of our Not-Just-For-Profit business philosophy. “We are the first to offer free tools and service for anyone to forge a direct connection between donors and the causes they care about without taking a cut,” said Steve Butcher, CEO of Brown Paper Tickets. “Fundraising is a selfless act. We honor fundraisers by putting the financial rewards of their labor directly in their hands, where it belongs.”

Good Causes >

The Pronto Podcast — Brown Paper Tickets’ Event Guide for Seattle

BPT_buttonWelcome to The Pronto! Brown Paper Ticket’s event guide for Seattle.

Tune in every Tuesday to check out a few of our favorite events in the Emerald City! You can check back to the blog every Tuesday at 10am or hit “subscribe” on the player and get each week’s Pronto delivered right to your computer.

Have a friend that’s visiting Seattle this week? Why not share this podcast with them and give them ideas of something to do? 

This week’s podcast features a writing workshop, a make-up class, a lingerie fashion show, break dancing and more.

Writer Bill Ransom speaks at Nuts & Bolts: Improve Your Writing 50% in One Hour at the UW Center for Urban Horticulture. This class focuses on poetry, fiction and dialogue. Tonight, Tuesday, February 4.

In Atomic Cosmetics’ Pinup Make-up Class on Capitol Hill, learn how to draw an all-star cat eye, perfect your pout and create that beautiful vintage look. Sunday, February 9 at Jen’s House of Beauty on Capitol Hill.

It’s really nowhere near Halloween but you still might want to head over to Re-Bar on Wednesday February 5, and Thursday, February 6, for Thriller: A Burlesque Horror Story based on Michael Jackson’s epic album. The King of Pop and burlesque. Anything goes!

If you’re a Lou Reed fan you definitely want to make your way to Northwest Film Forum on Capitol Hill on Thursday, February 6, for Music Craft: Lou Reed. This film showcases rare footage of Lou Reed moments, rock outs and makeovers.

On Saturday, February 8, it’s all about the 6th Annual Red Dress Party at Fremont Studios. This fundraiser is designed to raise money to help people living with HIV/ AIDS. And yes, a red dress is required.

Who doesn’t like lingerie? Get an eyeful at Neighbors’ Lingerie Fashion Show on Saturday, February 8. Featured lines include Twala Intimates, Love Letters Lingerie, Backpack Girl Lingerie and more.

Saturday, February 8, at Phinney Neighborhood Center it’s the Lunar New Year Celebration at Ridge Romp. This exciting show features music, lion dancers, drummers, marital arts and more.

The Northwest Royale goes down at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute on Saturday, February 8. Watch internationally known break dancers go nuts on the dance floor. Amazing moves. Amazing music.

Not into breakdancing, vintage make-up and lingerie? Not a big deal. We have tons of amazing theater events coming up this week.  Here are just a few of our favorites.
Read More…

Arts >

The Pronto Podcast — Brown Paper Tickets’ Event Guide for Seattle

BPT_buttonWelcome to The Pronto! Brown Paper Ticket’s event guide for Seattle.

Tune in every Tuesday to check out a few of our favorite events in the Emerald City! You can check back to the blog every Tuesday at 10am or hit “subscribe” on the player and get each week’s Pronto delivered right to your computer.

Have a friend that’s visiting Seattle this week? Why not share this podcast with them and give them ideas of something to do? 

This week’s podcast features our top picks including a belly dance dinner, an improv happy hour and a benefit concert for the Philippines.

By tomorrow, Thursday, December 26, it’s probably time to get out of the house. So head on down to High Dive for Hip-Hop at the High Dive featuring Dirtay, Mike G. and M.A.R., and the The Sav among others. Good tunes in Fremont.

It is the giving season. On Friday night, December 27, help people who are in serious need. Roosevelt High School in Ravenna hosts An Evening with Stephanie Reese & Friends : A Benefit Concert for Victims of the Typhoon in the Phillippines. Great music, great cause.

Sick of Santa? Weary of wreaths? Tired of Tinsel? Unnatural Redhead Productions brings Midwinter Madness to the Jewelbox Theater in Belltown on Friday, December 27. That’s all kinds of burlesque for your viewing pleasure.

Friday, December 27, and Saturday, December 28, head on over to Unexpected Production’s Market Theater for Improv Happy Hour. That’s a sampler of improv formats and styles during what some would consider the best hour of the day.

Saturday, December 28, catch La Faux at Julia’s on Broadway on Capitol Hill. This show features a full cast of impersonators, dancers and outrageous acts. And if you’re hungry, chow down on some dinner while you enjoy the show.

Saturday, December 28, have a nice meal and check out some belly dancing at Kezira Cafe in Columbia City. The show is free with dinner. You really can’t go wrong with this one.

Dress up in your favorite handmade attire or make something new for Maker’s Masquerade at Jigsaw Renaissance in the ID on Saturday, December 28. While you’re there, learn how to make simple circuits using aluminum tape and LEDs. Pretty fun, right?

Read More…

Arts >