Fundraising can look like this!
Well I am a bit tired right now as I spent my Labor Day doing a car wash fundraiser for my varsity soccer team. Non-profit organization or sports teams require fundraising in order to pay for things like equipment, travel, and other expenses. We all know this. We also know there usually are more then enough people willing to volunteer and donate their time to raise the funds necessary to keep the operation operating. Throughout the years I have been involved in many different fundraising events and have learned a few things to help me in the future. Since you have so much free time now that you cannot find a job, go with some of these ideas to your local organization. Always remember that many companies are willing to donate items to help with a cause and to help promote their business, people will volunteer, and the more unique your event is the more appealing it will be. Here are some events worth running:
Car Wash- This is pretty obvious and a common one, however add a little spin to it and it can be that much more successful. Today we had signs saying Topless Car Wash, however, it was the males that were topless. Even to make things better, the rookies on the team were actually in bathing suit tops but NOT bathing suit bottoms. No family wants to see that. It was held in a parking lot and needed very limited supplies. At $5 a car we ended up with just under $800 in about 6 hours. I got a nice tan too!
Dinner/Dance- Remember where the money is really coming from in a lot of these organizations, the parents. Parents always love to have a night out. Even though these events take a bit more money up front for renting somewhere and getting a caterer, they usually raise more then many other smaller events. Plus the money from having a bar will probably cover your costs all together. My advice is to have a themed dinner and dance where it requires them to dress up a bit. For example: old Hollywood, the 70’s, or even costumes. Don’t be afraid to charge a bit more per ticket; they usually will dish out more knowing it’s for a good cause.
Golf Day- A golf day will bring in a lot of money for many reasons. It will attract regular golfers; golfers wives may want to go, and it will also bring the attention to local business. Business’ love to sponsor golf tournaments, and usually the golf course will give discounted rates considering the number of people and the cause. Add in a BBQ and the family can definitely make a day out of it.
Washers/ Horseshoes/ Lawn Bowling – Maybe this may just be the type of people I hang around with but having a tournament of some sort usually raises a lot of money. If every team pays a certain amount of entry fee, have the winner take half the money or even a quarter of the money as a prize. Feel free to throw in a nice BBQ on the house. This is quite successful because there is very low or no cost for materials and can be done at a local park.
When fundraising do not be afraid to throw in raffles, BBQ, and alcohol. I suggest not basing your event on those things but they do add some extra cash to the pot. As well, the key to a successful fundraiser is planning. The more organized and mapped out everything is the smoother and better it will go. If you guys have any other ideas to help me or anyone else out drop some comments below. I hold a fundraising event that lasts 365 days a year (366 on a leap year) called the “Donate to the Thaddeus Bolton academic, athletic, and alcohol for the year fund”. Please participate.
Just kidding, but seriously.
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Tags: alcohol, BBQ, Car Wash, Dance, Dinner, Fundraising, Golf, Horseshoes, Lawn Bowling, non-profit organization, raffle, Recession, Screw You Recession, Thaddeus Bolton, Washers
