Raise money for your organization - - participate in Beds for a Cause Samuel R. Brown

Transcription

1 Raise money for your organization - - participate in Beds for a Cause 2019 Samuel R. Brown

2 The Rotary Club of Cheshire, Connecticut is launching a project called Beds for a Cause. It may help your organization raise money by having hosts on vacation rental websites like Airbnb or HomeAway contribute part of their profits to the organization. These websites arrange homestays in spare guest rooms and in other homeowner spaces. Beds for a Cause A project of the Rotary Club of Cheshire, Connecticut

3 To begin the Beds for a Cause project, one would first go to the local town or city hall to ask if short- term rentals like Airbnb or HomeAway are permitted in your community. If so, you will need to submit the appropriate forms and pay the associated fees, if any exist, before becoming a host. If short- term rentals are not permitted, perhaps they would be permitted in the locations of friends or relatives who live in other towns.

4 Next, one would go to the Beds for a Cause page on the website of the Rotary Club of Cheshire, CT:

5 There are links on the Beds for a Cause web page to Airbnb and HomeAway where one may go to sign up to be a host. The step- by- step instructions on both websites are very easy to follow.

6 Once one has signed up as a host, the Beds for a Cause web page provides the sample text to use in the description box of the listing: The hosts are participants in the Beds for a Cause fundraiser. They will send a check to a local community organization for a portion of the proceeds from your lodging. For more information, look for Beds for a Cause using your search engine.

7 Suppose someone is looking to travel in the host s vicinity for business or personal reasons, to attend a game/commencement at a local college or another event that draws an extra amount of people to a particular community. He or she would select an accommodation after typing a location of interest into the search box on the vacation rental website.

8 Guests would find hosts who are participating in this project by looking for the words Beds for a Cause fundraiser in the description of the listings. If two listings are similar in price and amenities except for the host of one being a participant in Beds for a Cause, many people would prefer to book the listing that has a portion of the proceeds going to charity.

9 You may want to include a one- page description of your charity partner in the accommodation. This is a great way to raise awareness of the organization.

10 Guests make reservations with hosts and pay for the night's lodging with a credit card.

11 The funds go to the vacation rental website, such as Airbnb or HomeAway. A service fee is deducted and then the funds are deposited into the host s bank account or Paypal account.

12 Hosts who are participating in the Beds for a Cause project would make out a check to their chosen organization for a percentage of the night s lodging. Hosts could also make online payments if such an option is available on the website of that organization.

13 Beds%for%a%Cause A"project" of"the"rotary"club"of"cheshire," Connecticut A"supporter"of"a"nonprofit"or"community"organization"would"offer"accommodations"in"the"home"by" signing"up"as"a"host"on"a"vacation"rental"website"such"as"airbnb"or"homeaway."a"portion"of"the" funds"paid"to"the"host"would"be"donated"to"that"organization." Please"send"this"form"to"the"organization"that"will"receive"your"donations. Host"information: Name: Address: Phone"number:" " The"host"will"make"regular"payments"to"the"organization"listed"below"for"a" percentage"of"the"funds"that"are"received"by"guests"staying"in"his"or"her" accommodation. Recipient"organization: Name: Address: Frequency"of"payments"to"the"recipient"organization: Monthly Payments"will"be"by Quarterly""""""""""""""""" Other"(please"specify" )""" check""""""""""""""""""""""""""" credit"card""""""""""""""" Other"(please"specify" ) Percentage"of"the"funds"received"by"the"host"that"are"donated"to"the"recipient"organization: 10% 20% 50% Other"(please"specify" %) Thank"you"for"participating"in"Beds"for"a"Cause On the Beds for a Cause webpage [] there is a link to a pledge form that a host could send to his or her chosen charity. This would let the charity know of the host s intention to aid it financially through the Beds for a Cause project.

14 Besides sending a check, another option would be to set up a payment system with the vacation rental website such as Airbnb or HomeAway so your organization automatically gets a certain percentage of any funds received by the host. This system is known as Co- Hosting on Airbnb Two things to think about if you are considering Co- Hosting: 1) Co- Hosts will receive a copy of all s sent to the Host, whether it is from guests inquiring about accommodations or for other reasons 2) Nonprofit organizations should check with an attorney to see if income from Co- Hosting would be permitted under the guidelines of the Internal Revenue Service

15 These are links to YouTube videos that go into more detail about hosting: Jason Airbnb Host Stories Airbnb (1:28) Kepa Airbnb Host Stories Airbnb (2:07) Safety For Hosts Airbnb (1:22) Airbnb Hosting: A to Z (18:24) TED talk: How Airbnb designs for trust Joe Gebbia, founder of Airbnb (16:00) RFid9U

16 For more information about the Beds for a Cause project, please go to or see the handout on the next page

17 Beds for a Cause A project of the Rotary Club of Cheshire, Connecticut Sign up as a host to offer accommodations in the home on a vacation rental website such as Airbnb or HomeAway. A portion of the funds paid to the host would be donated to an organization of the host s choosing. Guests would find participating hosts by looking for the words Beds for a Cause fundraiser in the description of the listings. More information about how to sign up to be a host is available at: Contact Samuel Brown, Rotary Club of Cheshire, cheshbrownsr@gmail.com, (203) with any questions. Please feel free to make an optional donation to the Rotary Club of Cheshire to help support our humanitarian and community development service projects in Latin America, as well as those on a local level. Donations in any amount may be sent to: Rotary Club of Cheshire Care of Samuel Brown 219 Argyle Road Cheshire, CT 06410