- —Bake sales, concession stand sales, handmade craft sales, book sales, and clothing sales are educators' number-one picks because they're fun and easy—and because they work!
- — In a classroom, set up tables with inexpensive items for sale. (Make them $1 or less so kids can take something home for the whole family.) Bring in classes one at a time, and let the kids go wild.
- —Collect items through a donation drive, then hold the sale on a weekend in the school gym, the cafeteria, or even someone's home.
- —From candy bars to wrapping paper, or somewhere in between, there's a company out there that would love to help you raise funds for your school.
- —Raffle tickets, "Las Vegas Night," and Bingo can be very successful fundraisers, but be sure to check both your local and state gambling regulations before proceeding with any sort of promotion of this nature.
- —Pancake breakfasts, spaghetti suppers, chicken stews, ethnic meals, or any change-of-pace foods are always popular.
- —From a hilarious evening of donkey basketball to a slapstick hockey-style game of broom ball, you'd be surprised what people will do in the name of fun and charity.
- — Some classic ones are read-a-thons, walk-a-thons, jog-a-thons, math-a-thons, sing-a-thons, dance-a-thons, fish-a-thons, and
bike-athons.
- —If you can't afford a professional auctioneer, use local celebrities like your police chief, mayor, radio or television personalities, or even the principal of your school.
- — Popular ideas include car washes, babysitting, housecleaning, mowing lawns, raking leaves, running errands, and food concession stands at sporting events.
- —Cookbooks of recipes contributed by your volunteer group or members of the faculty are often very good sellers.
- —Some companies, such as grocery and department stores, are willing to provide matching funds, often they will be open to requests for donations as well.
The Internet is changing how we do almost everything from shopping and entertainment to education and communication. Therefore, it's not surprising that the Internet is now an efficient and popular way to fundraise as well. As with anything, it's important that you research to find a solution that best meets your needs.
The tips below are intended to help you get started, but are by no means, exhaustive. They can be used in two ways:
- You can hold a fundraiser where you simply ask for donations to help meet a specific goal without selling anything.
- You can incorporate these strategies into an existing fundraiser such as candy or pizza sales.
- Efficient—Through the use of the Internet (social media sites, email, Web sites, etc.), you can quickly get your message out and send regular reminders and updates.
- Reach a large audience—When communicating electronically, you can reach a large audience quickly and have the opportunity to extend your reach even further through email forwards, Facebook© posts, and Twitter™ "tweets."
- Cost effective—By taking advantage of electronic communication, you can minimize the cost of paper and copying, and not worry about order forms getting lost.
There are many online Web sites to help you with fundraising. It's important for you to do your homework and choose a site that best meets your needs.
- Investigate any fees involved before you choose a Web site. Some sites charge a monthly fee for use, or take a percentage of each donation, while others are completely free.
- Evaluate payment options. Most sites allow your donors to pay via PayPal™or credit card.
- Understand how and when you will receive donations from the fundraising site.
- Consider the capabilities. Most allow you to personalize the site by adding text, photos, links, etc.
* Renaissance Learning is not affiliated with any of the sites mentioned.
The more specific you are, the better your results will be. It's best to create a sense of urgency. Fundraisers with a lengthy time frame tend to fizzle out. Communicate all information with donors.
- Specific Purpose—How will the money be used?
- Specific Date—When is the money needed?
- Specific Amount—How much money do you want to raise?
Having a written, well-organized plan is essential. The sample Event Planning Guide above provides an easy-to-follow, 15-step plan that will help you completely organize your "do-it-yourself" fundraiser—from start to finish.
Donations are a great way to minimize your fundraising expenses, because every item you can obtain for free represents real dollars that will be in your pocket at the end of the event.
- Sale Item Donations
- Prize Donations
are things that you want to sell for money at your fundraiser (i.e., cookies for a bake sale, used children' s clothing for a rummage sale, etc.).
are popular or better-quality items that you want to set aside as prizes (i.e. gift certificates, new CDs, bikes, etc.). Of course, obtaining these items is not as easy as sale items because the best prizes tend to be things that cost a little more money.
These companies specialize in offering products, goods, and services you can purchase for your own fundraising effort. They can provide complete materials and all the helpful advice you' ll need to get going. A blank Fundraiser Company Contact Form has been included under Step 3 Resources above.
Please click here to continue to Step 4.
|
Eating Events