Posts Tagged ‘Fundraisers’

3 Easy School Fundraisers

August 10, 2010 - 12:25 am No Comments

Easy school fundraisers begin with getting others involved in the planning and execution of your event. Be sure to rely on the expert advice of experienced people, such as volunteers at churches, schools and hospitals. These organizations can provide you with one of your most valuable resources: people. With enough help, you can pull off a fun and successful event that others will look to for inspiration when planning their own. Tip Number 1: People Love AuctionsAuctions are exciting. The thrill of competition between two bidders can be felt in the room. Ask for donations to an auction, making sure to specify that these should be desirable items. Many chain restaurants will donate gift certificates, as will many movie theaters. Even without merchandise, you could auction a skill such as tutoring. What parent could resist bargain tutoring for their struggling student?Tip Number 2: Raid the Dollar StoreA board from an old project, some thumbtacks, balloons and a few darts from the dollar store would make a fun game of chance at your event. Dollar store items make great prizes for hitting a given number of balloons. But don’t stop there: imagination is the key here, so bring a friend who can provide some more ideas for using dollar store items. Get creative with this and you will be able to plan some very cheap and easy school fundraisers. Tip Number 3: Go Online for EfficiencyOnline fundraisers are a modern variation on the catalog sales so many of us participated in during school. Many advantages exist, including the fact that you don’t have to set anything up physically, besides maybe hanging up some fliers for promotion. Another advantage is the prices you are able to offer on items due to the tremendous spending power of these large websites. If you need ideas for easy school fundraisers, you want to keep a few things in mind. Remember to rely on the experience of others and to accept any help graciously. Although people may not necessarily do things your way, they will do their best. Keep that and the following three tips in mind and you’ll soon be able to plan an event that raises the most funds for your cause. Tip Number 1: People Love AuctionsTip Number 2: Raid the Dollar StoreTip Number 3: Go Online for EfficiencyIf you combine these tips, you’ll be able to maximize your revenue and minimize your expenditures as well as your own blood pressure. Keeping these tips in mind is an excellent way to manage an effective fundraiser. For more information about online fundraisers, please see my easy school fundraisers blog. You may also enjoy my easy school fundraisers site. My name is Jim McClinsey and writing helpful articles is my passion.

College Fundraisers – Turn Heads by Adding Creativity and Excitement!

August 1, 2010 - 7:21 am No Comments

College fundraising ideas must be able to attract attention. This is how a college fundraiser succeeds – by catching the interest of the students. But this is easier said than done, especially if the main market or audience of the fundraiser is the students themselves. Students are always preoccupied, and trying to snatch a moment of their time is very difficult. Hence, college fundraisers must appeal to their concerns and their interests.
College fundraising activities must be able to give something back to the students so they will be enticed to participate and, in turn, donate a portion of their valuable money. But what type of college fundraising ideas appeal or interest the students? According to various resources on fundraising, as well as the past experiences of the schools, the plan for university fundraisers must be youthful and innovative. Here are some college fundraising ideas which can definitely attention of the school population.
Date Auction – An Exciting and Popular Idea
One of the most common ideas for a college fundraiser is the date auction. While commonly used, this idea rarely fails because to appeals to the student population without fail and, most importantly, it does not require a substantial amount of funds to organize.
The idea here is to auction dates with popular campus figures – team captain of popular sports team, the president of the student council, or whoever is popular among the student populace. The organizers should ask local restaurants, cafes, and theaters for gift certificates or sponsorship for a few free dinners and movie tickets, then talk to the students they are planning to “auction. ” The college fundraiser marketing committee should be able to work out a deal with these establishments and students. The auction should be done in a public area within the university.
The key to success here to choosing the right students to be “auctioned,” although the dinners and activities that come with the date is also an important consideration. This works because using popular student personalities in itself is already a huge promotion tool. Of course, it works if the organizers of the college fundraiser the activity properly as well.
Athletic Auctions – More Practical But Just as Profitable
If the date auction does not sit well with the organizers – for example, if they are not able to find willing students – the athletic auction is a great alternative. This college fundraising idea uses the appeal of the school’s sports teams, which are always popular among the student population. The organizers in cooperation with the sports team of their liking, of course, can sell or auction out various athletic memorabilia such as jerseys, team uniforms, posters, and prime seats during the game season for the auction winners.
Of course, college fundraising ideas are not limited to these. There are several ways to collect the needed funds for organizations and causes. These are just some of the more popular ideas that schools have been using ever since. In essence, any college fundraising idea that is remotely interesting can work as long as the organizers are sincere with their intention to collect funds for noble and worthy causes.

How Many Candy Bars Do I Have to Buy? Can Non-Confection Fundraisers take Centerstage?

July 12, 2010 - 12:21 pm No Comments

It’s that time of year again, when the schools start planning field trips, basketball teams need new uniforms, and the debate team needs airfare money for their final match against a school across the country.   It is time… for FUNDRAISING.

Oh Boy, the peanut M&Ms, the cases of chocolate bars, and yes, dare I say it? Girl Scout cookies. One look at that nutrition label and you will see that the famous cookies contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oil — the primary source of trans fats in the U. S. diet.  And then we wonder why there is a childhood obesity problem. So, as the battle for healthy school lunches continues and activists fight for a ban on junk food advertising to children, why is it that we still march on door to door, holding the hand of our five year old while juggling an order form on top of two cases of chocolate delights in the other?

Do our co-workers really want to buy candy from all the other co-workers’ kids?  This can only come with one end result… extra pounds, over sugared and caffeinated kids, and of course, the five hours extra we now need to spend on the dreaded elliptical machine.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a girl scout Carmel D’Lite cookie now and then (why they changed from Samoas is beyond me), but do all our children’s fundraisers have to be centered around confections?

Though some schools are getting all the wiser by offering alternatives, such as candles and gift wrap, aren’t people just plain tired of this?  There has to be other alternatives and interesting ideas to fill this fundraising gap. Online Auctions.

More and more organizations, including schools, are running online auctions supplied with donated items.   Companies donate items, such as dinner for two at a local restaurant or a piece of sports memorabilia, and then the schools post the items to an auction site.   By doing an online auction, the schools open up the auction doors to the children’s relatives that may live in a different state or to people that wouldn’t normally give to their program, but wish to buy an auction item.  The school can also be rest assured that more of the funds raised will go back to them, as the cost of an online auction runs from a mere 3-9% compared to the 50% some candy bar companies take.

Online auction sites, such as BiddingForGood. com, the leading online auction platform solely for organizations engaged in fundraising for nonprofit causes, open up the possibility of expanding and exceeding fundraising efforts.   Schools across the country are raising anywhere from $2,500 to $70,000 per auction.

Hopefully the online auction platform will have a domino effect throughout the nation. This is a great way for schools and children’s programs to meet their fundraising goals with far less trips to the dentist.