Adobe Creative Suite 4

For your next fundraiser, design your own business cards instead of spending valuable organization resources to have them created and printed for you. Use members of your charity or group to brainstorm ideas, work with a theme you already have or to pick out the most useful information about the fundraiser to use for the cards. You can use resources already available on your computer, such as Microsoft Publisher, included with most Office Suite installations, to make the business cards with just a few clicks and minutes of your time.

1. Brainstorm the theme for the business cards. (Use colors, patterns and images from the fundraiser itself if available.) For example, if the fundraiser is to raise money to provide a computer to each needy child in the city, consider using photos of children working on computers, pictures of keyboards and monitors and colors such as bright neon to represent the colors on a screen.
2. Step 2

   Consider a key phrase or slogan for the business cards. The cards will be used to represent you to potential donors and fundraiser attendees, so they should capture attention. Research facts from the last fundraiser, such as “More than 12,000 computers donated in 2010″ or “Every single attendee means two computer screens and three laptops.”

3. Step 3

   Determine how business card recipients will find out more information. Decide whether you’ll have information on the card about the fundraiser’s website, an email address or a specific coordinator contact to inquire more about donating or attending.

4. Step 4

   Open Publisher and click “Publications for Print,” then choose “Business Cards.” Click the “Plain Paper” option and scroll through the pre-set designs. Don’t worry if you don’t like the colors or designs; you can change them later. Double-click one, and it will appear on your screen.

5. Step 5

   Notice the “Business Card Options” box on the left of the screen. Under “Logo,” click the “None” box. Under “Copies per sheet,” click the “Multiple” box.

6. Step 6

   (Optional) Change the colors on the card by clicking the “Color Schemes” link, then selecting one that matches the colors chosen for your fundraising event.

7. Step 7

   Drag your mouse cursor in a box to surround the two boxes on the left with the name and “Your Title” inside them; they become highlighted. Press the “Delete” key to remove them.

8. Step 8

   (Optional) Click the “Insert” menu at the top of the screen and select “Picture,” then choose “From File.” Browse to where you have a photo saved for the fundraiser, such as an object to be auctioned, an image of a person from the charity or a group photo from the last fundraiser. Double-click it for it to appear on the workspace. Use this step to insert your charity or organization’s logo, if applicable.

9. Step 9

   Click the “Insert” menu at the top of the screen and select “Picture,” then choose “Clip Art.” Pull down the “Search in” box and check all the boxes. Pull down the “Results should be” box and check “Clip Art,” “Photographs” or both.

10. Step 10

    Type a word into the “Search for” box, such as “Eagles,” “Children” or something else the fundraiser is supporting or search for an image of something you’ll be raffling or auctioning off. Press the “Go” button. Scroll through the image results, then double-click one for it to appear in the workspace.

11. Step 11

    Type your organization’s information into the address lines on the card; include a website address if applicable or information about how to get the latest fundraiser information. (Optional) Include a way to contact you personally such as an email address or cell phone.

12. Step 12

    Click the “Text” tool, which looks like an index card with an “A” on it, on the “Tools” palette on the left side of the screen. Draw a rectangle on the business card with your mouse, then type something about the fundraiser into the box, such as last year’s net results, the reason for the event or the ticket price. Add more text boxes as preferred.

13. Step 13

    (Optional) Click the “Format” menu at the top and select “Background.” Choose one of the pre-set backgrounds for the card, which will cover the entire backdrop like wallpaper. For more options such as tye-dye, sunbursts and other patterns, or to use your own image as background, click the “More backgrounds” link.