Fundraiser Ideas

[mbbored]

A small organization that I'm a part of is looking to raise money quickly. However, none of us know how to do so. Does eHell have any suggestions for effective fundraisers?

[Amara]

May I ask what kind of organization this is? Is it for shelter cats, abused women, the environment or something else?

[kymom3]

I don't know where you are, but if there is a sports arena or something like that, see if they offer any fund raising opportunities.  Our local race track lets nonprofit agencies come in every race day and help clean the grandstand.  It's mostly picking up trash and sweeping, their regular crew does the hard stuff.  It's 3 or 4 hours of work for $500, not too bad.

[WillyNilly]

Well there are classics like have a bake sale, do a car wash or host a meal (spaghetti dinner, pancake breakfast). Tag sales are good way to raise money as well.

There are also more artistic ways to raise money - get some local bands to play for free or at a huge discount and charge admission to the show, or ask artists and crafts people to donate and have an art sale or auction.

If you can get your hands on any prizes raffles are good fundraisers. If you are raising funds now, but will have a product later you could start one of those internet fundraiser sites offering items to high donators.

You could try appealing to people with you mission and jsut straight up asking for donations (for example if your group does charity, just publicize the charity work you do and ask for donations so enable you keep doing the good work).

[workerbee]

Assuming this is a charitable or community-based organization, one of the most successful fundraisers I've seen around here is to ask local restaurants to donate a portion of the receipts on X night to the cause. Then publicize. People are always looking for an excuse to eat out.

[Outdoor Girl]

50/50 draws work well for small organizations at an event.  It doesn't work so well if you aren't having some sort of event.  You sell tickets for a price, like $2 apiece or 3 for $5.  You throw all the tickets into a drum and draw out a winner.  The winner gets half the money, the organization gets the other half.  As long as nobody pressures the winner into donating their money to the cause!  I've heard about that happening.  If I was expected to donate my winnings, I'd never buy a ticket.

I saw a cool take on it at a ball tournament last weekend.  They taped a deck of cards out on a piece of bristol board.  People bought a card(s) and wrote their name on it, choosing whichever card they wanted that was still open.  When all the cards were full, they shuffled a deck of cards and had someone cut the deck.  The winner had the matching card to the cut one.

[cwm]

In high school, all the groups I did always had car washes, and worked well enough for us.

[Jones]

Races. Crazy people pay money to run 5 or 10k races and get a tee shirt to add to their collection. You have to plan it a couple months in advance and get sponsors to pay for advertising, but I've seen some great turnouts at some of these, and sponsors get their logos on the shirts so everyone's happy.

[mbbored]

May I ask what kind of organization this is? Is it for shelter cats, abused women, the environment or something else?

We're a university organization oriented to those in a particular major or field of research. Two of our members were in a terrible accident this weekend and we're trying to raise money for bills, etc.

[Outdoor Girl]

I think a pub night or a dance is the way to go with a university aged crowd.  You could run additional game stations, like are done at a stag and doe/jack and jill.  The 50/50 draw would work well here.  You could even make it a 33/33/33 draw - 1/3 to the winner and 1/3 to each of the injured.  It is something you can probably organize on fairly short notice.  Some of the other ideas will take too long.

Is there a pub on campus or a regular hangout that you could approach to see about hosting the event?  If it is a regular hangout, they may offer to give a small percentage of food and drink sales to the cause.

[*inviteseller]

In my town, it is usual to see Spaghetti dinners being thrown to raise money for victims of fires/accidents.  Usually held in a local fire hall, it is spaghetti, salad, rolls, desserts (usually donated baked goods).  $5-$10 a head, and there is usually a raffle with items donated from local businesses/sports teams (We have awesome professional teams that graciously donate autographed items).  It is not something to be put together over night, but with a good organizer, it can be done in a 10 day turn around.  People will come out for food.  Bonus points if you can get a local celebrity or 2 to help serve/mc/entertain.  Most news stations will run promos for this as a community service type news story.

Wish I lived by you...would love to help!

[jpcher]

May I ask what kind of organization this is? Is it for shelter cats, abused women, the environment or something else?

We're a university organization oriented to those in a particular major or field of research. Two of our members were in a terrible accident this weekend and we're trying to raise money for bills, etc.

I'm so sorry to hear about this. I'm hoping the two will be okay, in time, and will be able to come back to your group. You and the other members are very kind in trying to raise money for such a cause.

There's always the standard "A fund has been set up at Xbank if you care to donate to the cause" type of thing that you can send out with newsletters, maybe a polite request via personal e-mail, post fliers on the doors of the research building, etc.

Print up a bunch of 1/4 page "business card" types of leaflets (8-1/2 x 11 regular paper, cut in fourths) with Cause for donation, Xbank fund info, along with a "Thank You" . . . that you can give to other organization members so that when they are asked "Is there anything I can do?" it would be easy enough for them to hand over this leaflet of info and respond "This is what we're doing. If you can help, it would be appreciated." No hassle, no muss.

Whatever you do, I think that an account should be set up at a bank for this type of fundraiser. Probably don't need to tell you, but keep careful records.



Along the lines of Outdoor Girl's suggestions, are there any students that you can reach out to? Get their thoughts and involve them with planning such a fund raiser?

[kareng57]

Assuming this is a charitable or community-based organization, one of the most successful fundraisers I've seen around here is to ask local restaurants to donate a portion of the receipts on X night to the cause. Then publicize. People are always looking for an excuse to eat out.

Yes, this is an easy fundraiser and is a win-win situation - especially if it's a pick-up restaurant such as a pizza place.  If it's well-publicized, the restaurant likely will get more $$ than on a typical night, even after subtracting the donation-portion.

[Vicki]

Yes, if you are in the States check with your local chain places.  My youth group does Pizza Hut - but I know others do it too - you get a Monday or a Tuesday night (usually) and hand out flyers or coupons. 

Your group does some of the serving - but you get a percentage of the bill of anyone who comes in with one of your flyers.  Depending on how you do on publicity it works really well - we make around $1000 every time we do it.

[Library Dragon]

Antique appraisals.  Arrange for one or two valid appraisers to do the event.  Charge $5 or $10 for each item appraised.  It can bring out a really big crowd.  There's not a lot of set up or clean up.  Just advertise, advertise, advertise.  Generally the appraisers will do it for free as a way to advertise their businesses.