Fundraising Ideas

50/50 Raffle

Perhaps the simplest of all fundraisers is the 50/50 raffle. Many organizations that rely on fundraising efforts offer a 50/50 raffle at every meeting. Some companies have “fun teams” that are entirely funded by a 50/50 raffle and are able to offer excellent events. This is a wonderful way to provide events to members or employees that are self funded, but don’t have a compulsory payment to participate. The 50/50 raffle itself is incredibly simple. You get a roll of raffle tickets from a local party supply shop. These are the style of tickets that have two sections that both share a unique serial number. You sell as many tickets to each person as they want, for a fixed fee. Typical fees are $1, $5, or $10 depending on nature of the organization. You give the participant one half of the ticket and place the other half in a bucket or box. At the end of the event you draw a ticket from the bucket and announce the winner. The prize is the half of the amount collected from ticket sales. Typically participants have to be present at the time of the drawing to win. If nobody claims the prize when the number is drawn, simply draw another number until somebody wins.

Baby and Kids' Resale

Babies and children outgrow clothing and toys so quickly, often before they are worn out. Host a baby and kids’ resale as your next fundraiser. You will need a large building with a cafeteria or gymnasium, such as a school or a church. You will need access to long tables. Clothing racks would be helpful, but not necessary. Set a day to have the sale, preferably a Saturday or Sunday to maximize shoppers. Rent the tables to parents looking to sell their children’s clothing, toys, and accessories they are no longer using. You could rent the tables for ten to twenty dollars a piece. Charge an entry fee to shoppers. A dollar would be appropriate. Have a monitored room that the table renters can place their large items in for sale, such as high chairs and strollers. Mark each item so you know who gets the money when it sells. Have a concession stand with drinks and food for your hungry shoppers and moms. People will look forward to this sale every year.

Bagger for a Day

Sometimes it seems that your local grocery store can be too busy and that you always end up bagging your own groceries. This quick and easy fundraising idea lets you provide a nice service to your community and raise funds at the same time. Find a busy grocery store that is willing to help your group and pick a busy day of the week. Print off flyers that explain your group and what you are doing in the store that day. Hand out the flyers to people entering the store. Give your “baggers” a quick lesson on how to properly bag, for example heavy items on the bottom and eggs and bread on the top. Have a tip jar at each register. You may want each bagger to wear a nametag with your group’s name on it as well. Bag each person’s groceries quickly and with a smile. Offer to push their cart and help to unload them into their car. This should be done with adult supervision for safety reasons.

Giving Tree

This is a great fundraiser to stock a food bank or other church pantry, or collect gifts for people in need during the Holiday season. Instead of decorating a tree with regular ornaments, decorate it with hand crafted paper ornaments that have items that are needed written on them. Have ornaments that hit all price points. Items in the $1.00 to $25.00 range are best, so that everyone can participate. If you are collecting items for a food bank, request non-perishable items. Have bins set up around the tree for people to deposit their gifts in. Or have a collection date and time to gather everything at once. If you are collecting items for those in need, try to have as much information available on the ornament. It is easier to shop for someone knowing that they are a size medium woman who likes the color blue and needs some long sleeve shirts, or a little boy who needs a pair of snow boots and is a size 7.

These ideas and many more are courtesy of today's chosen website...

http://www.fundraiserinsight.org/ideas/

Saturday, May 9, 2009