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Fundraising Ideas


1. Projects to raise money
2. Sources of funding
3. Suggestions for a Face-to-Face Presentation Requesting Funds
4. Websites
5. Writing a Grant proposal
6. Sell products

 

 

  Projects to Raise Money

  1. Intergenerational Coffee House
  2. Pancake Breakfast
  3. 24-Hour Relay Challenge (www.commatters.org)
  4. Pledges for A-Thons: Bike, Walk, Run, Read
  5. Phone-A-Thon, Tele-A-Thon (through public access TV)
  6. Sports tournaments: tennis, golf, basketball, volleyball, softball, etc.
  7. Intergenerational Dances
  8. Sell products (Flowers for Mother's Day, Candy, Subscriptions)
  9. Other sale ideas: community-wide garage sale, cookbook, bake sale, plant sale
  10. Raffle (get donations from local businesses, sports figures, etc.) Hold on a regular basis or in conjunction with other events
  11. Become restaurant wait staff for 2 hours and get a predetermined percentage of total sales during that time period is donated to your project
  12. Auctions: silent or live (with auctioneer).
  13. House tours
  14. Luncheons or dinners: with speaker, style show, young people talent show
  15. Generate and use letters of support
  16. Use the advice of a professional fundraiser
  17. Theatre or concert party - tickets at different levels: patron saint, arch angel, angel, cherub! (For the luncheons/dinners and theatre/concert party, personal invitations to the event works best)
  1. Antique, handicraft, or art fair
  2. Carnival
  3. Sports Bingo
  4. Direct mail
  5. Door to door canvassing (by kids - provide training)
  6. Ask a local service club (Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions, etc.) if they would agree to buy out a local live theatre performance and then sell tickets for slightly above the ticket price as a benefit
  7. Serve-A-Thon (classes, schools, youth groups): Initiatives and families get pledges to do service projects on a specific day in the community
  8. Sell temporary tattoos - Logo of a school team on tattoos that can be sold at games. Multi-colored temporary tattoos can be purchased for about 9¢ a piece when bought in lots of 10,000.
  9. Conduct public awareness campaigns to help garner visibility prior to a fundraiser
    1. Create a mural on the wall of a community building, use professionals to work with students
    2. Write articles for your local newspaper
    3. Produce Radio/TV public service announcements
    4. Arrange for media coverage for any of the above projects to raise money
    5. Keep statistics on your initiative records that demonstrate results

 

  Sources

  1. Center for Substance Abuse Prevention within SAMHSA, DHHS
  2. Department of Juvenile Justice
  3. Local foundations (especially community foundations)
  4. Service clubs (Rotary, Kiwanis, Elk, etc.)
  5. Civic organizations
  6. Check with local Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Chapters about ways to match what you expect to raise during a fundraiser
  7. Schools raise funds to bring athletic teams/choirs on trips there is a process in your community
  8. Organizations that have funds left at the end of the fiscal year
  9. Community citizens and board members of organizations interested in youth development determine how your interests meet the interests of the individual or organization
  10. Local businesses including law firms, health and insurance organizations
  11. Congregations
  12. Ask organizations to sponsor youth to attend the conference
  13. Ask organizations to donate their frequent flyer tickets to help sponsor youth travel to the conference

 

  Suggestions for a Face-to-Face Presentation Requesting Funds

  1. Make a good impression, have a positive approach, be specific
  2. Be prepared with answers to these questions:
    - What do I specifically want to accomplish?
    - What have I accomplished to-date?
    - What have I done, up to now, to get funds?
    - What resources do I have already?
    - What's missing?
    - How's it working out?
    - What else could I do?
    - What will happen if I don't get funding?
    - What do I want from the grantor?
    (example: Describe how attendance at the conference helps develop youth leadership skills)
  3. Remember: You need to ask!!!

 

  Websites

Grants
www.grantselect.com
www.nonprofit.gov

 Fundraising
www.fundraisinginfo.com
www.missionfish.org
www.fundraiserhelp.com
www.uglymugcoffee.com

 

  Writing a Grant Proposal

If the granting agency does not require a particular format, consider using this approach:

  1. 1 - Executive summary: Clear and concise, outlines the problem, the objectives and the expected outcomes, project activities and the audience to be addressed
  2. 2 - Organization information: mission, history, structure, other funders/partners, nonprofit status
  3. 3 - Statement of need: Keep this focused on the need for the proposed project
  4. 4 - Project description: State objectives in measurable outcomes
  5. 5 - Key staff dedicated to the project short biographies
  6. 6 - Budget
  7. 7 - Conclusion (includes the "ask")
  8. 8 - Always include a cover letter

* Have someone unfamiliar with your project read the proposal and give feedback
* Try The Foundation Center's web site (www.fdncenter.org) for information on free proposal writing seminars

 

  Sell Products

There are many companies that help non-profit organizations sell products for fundraising. There are some creative non-commercial ideas at the following page that could be a lot of fun while still being a profitable fundraiser. http://www.fundraising-ideas.org/DIY/index.html