No matter what kind of organization you volunteer with, fundraising is usually an important part of how things get paid for. Sometimes interest in tried and true fundraisers is just falling off, or maybe there's an important new goal the group is working toward -- a band trip to the Macy's parade, a new playground installation or a team's desire for new uniforms.
I've participated in a lot of fundraisers, but I'm constantly on the lookout for new ideas. One site that we've recently discovered is Top School Fundraisers, which has fundraising ideas that will suit not just schools, but teams and clubs as well.
Some of the ideas here I had never seen before and sound really intriguing: team logo Nalgene bottles to replace individual (disposable) water bottles at games. Parents buy the logo bottle as a fundraiser (and save on all those water runs to the grocery store!). Flamingo Flocking -- sending flocks of pink flamingos to someone's yard and then charging for "bird removal".
The blog is one of the most informative and useful parts of the site -- from articles like 14 Ways to Increase Product Sale Participation, Are You Teaching Students These Important Lessons? and 12 Strategies for Overcoming "Fundraising Fatigue", probably any subject you are needing help with from a fundraisers perspective is covered here.
As you are planning your group's fundraising activities, go check out Top School Fundraisers and get some fresh ideas!
If you want a complete list of fundraisers that work well for schools and most other groups take a look at Easy Fundraising Ideas. They have a huge assortment of different fundraising ideas.
Posted by: Howard | March 24, 2009 at 03:45 PM
I think a good direction to go in for fundraising is to try an Online Raffle. But before taking this step, I would try to do a fundraiser like a car wash, or a bake sale. After a few successful events, then move to online. You could create a few raffles to showcase on the website and raise money more than just that one fundraiser a year. You could have tickets on sale for a few weeks or even a few months if it is a huge prize. Allow guests to purchase as many tickets as they like and then announce the winner(s) through email, phone, etc.
Posted by: Sally | September 22, 2009 at 02:26 PM