Creative Fundrasing Strategy

As stated before, I hope you not only have friends from one social circle (work, church, volunteer group) but from many. Whilst sometimes it can be perfectly ok to fundraise amongst many different people for one single cause, sometimes it might make more sense to combine two or three (I don't recommend more) causes in one fundraiser. For example:

"Fundraising Fun Fair

All proceeds will be equally divided between our local church and our local animal shelter. Everybody welcome, no entrance fee."

Chances are, that people find so easier a cause they can identify with. That is called practical psychology ;-) Additionally you might even gain volunteers to help in the animal shelter amongst the 'church crowd' and volunteers to help to mow the churchyard amongst those that don't come normally to church – a nice side effect. After you have decided which charities you want to raise money for, you now have to decide on

What kind of fundraiser to do

If it is your first ever fundraiser / event you organize, only one thing matters:

• 'Start small, small is beautiful!'

Yes, I do know that I repeat myself here ;-) But it is not only about 'small', it is also about how difficult / scalable your fund raising event is. For example:

• Organizing an event for 20, that consists of a talk by an invited speaker and refreshments served by you is relatively easy.

• Organizing a cooking course “Learn how to make Sushi” for the same number of people is not.

Do yourself a favor and keep your first ever fundraiser easy and fun! And as we are on it, keep it to something that you are really familiar with and that you can do easily. If you just have learned yourself to make Sushi, it might be a bit early to teach others ;-)

• On the other hand, if you are a fluent Spanish speaker, it shouldn't be to difficult for you to start a 'learn Spanish for your next holidays / vacations' group.

Fixed Donation or open box?

That is another point you have to consider. You will need to know in advance how many people will attend your fundraiser, but you also have to decide if these people will pay a fixed (ticket) price to attend or if you count on their generosity and simply put up a box where donations can be deposited. Pros and cons:

Pro Fixed Price

• If you need to cover costs for speaker, material etc a fixed price makes sure that you get at least your expenses back.

• It is easy and less confusing for people to just pay a fixed price.

Cons Fixed Price:

• Few people will give more then the indicated amount.

• People have the feeling that they “pay for something” and have more expectations that “all will be perfect” and are less forgiving when something goes wrong.

• Some people will simply not attend because it is too expensive for them.

Pro Donation:

• People are more generous, at least in my experience, when you ask for a donation.

• Less pressure on you, that all has to be perfect just because people “pay for it”.

• Everybody that is interested can attend.

Cons Donation:

• There is always the risk that you don't cover your initial costs. This risk is small in my experience, but it does exists.

• People can feel watched as to how much they give and can feel awkward because of this.

Fundraising and Outreach

Apart of raising money for your chosen charity, another charity, a fundraising event is also a possibility to reach out to those that don't know much about your cause. Please bear in mind that a fundraiser is not an Evangelization event, still there is certainly a place for explaining why you raise money for this particular cause and what it means personally for you. A good place to do this is in your short “Welcome everybody!” speech and / or at the end of the event. Have also little leaflets handy that people can take with them and that give more information about the cause you are fundraising for – including bank details.

So, that should cover the basics, now down to -finally, finally- finding what to DO actually for your first fundraiser:

Fundraiser ABC - Basic decisions

Sit down with a piece of paper, or before the computer, and ask yourself a few questions like:

What am I really good at?

The better you are at something, the easier it will be for you and the more enthusiastic will you be to share it.

Whom do I know that has interesting skills and is willing to share them?

Sometimes it is more important whom you know, then what you can do yourself. Inviting somebody to share their own talents, leaves you also free to concentrate on welcoming and catering, rather then trying to do everything yourself.

What are my friends / colleagues interested in?

It doesn't matter how great the offer is, you have to find something that people are interested in! Don't offer apples to people that want to buy pears for example. Or, don't invite people to a chamber concert if the majority of the people you know is tone deaf ;-)

Will the raised money be shared with another charity and if yes, which?

After you have decided this, put it right on the invitation, so that people know what they sign up for.

Will people pay a fixed amount or will you work on a donation base?

Another point that belongs on your invitation, allowing people to bring enough cash or their cheque books. If you decide on donations, your invitation is also the place where you can give hints about a suggested amount of money. Remember to remind people that their is no upper margin to their donation ;-)

Include refreshments

Always include some form of light refreshments, people are more generous if they are fed and watered well ;-)

Numbers, helpers and where to hold your fundraiser.

These three go together, the more people you invite, the more likely it is that you need people to help you. If you hold the fundraiser in premises that are not yours, you also have to check if the owner of said premises is comfortable with the whole fundraising idea taking place.

Practical Fundraising Ideas:

To get you started, I have added some fundraising ideas below. Please feel free to adapt them to your needs and situation:

Sponsored walk, cycle ride, haircut, weight loss or other task

The idea is simple, you decide on a task you want to complete and invite people to sponsor you. After you have completed the task, people will pay you the amount they have pledged for. You can celebrate the completion of said task with those people. Especially great for sponsored hair cuts or weight loss parties! Or simply report back to them after you finished your “Iron Woman Triathlon” and hunt down the money. The important thing here is to keep track on who has pledged how much money for what and to get it from them. Apart of this, it is one of the easiest fundraisers to organize and to scale. There is not really a limit on how many people sponsor your marathon!

Guided Visits / Tours

Know something that others don't know? Zoos, galleries, museums or simply the hidden corners of your town or city make for great guided tours. Set a time and date and entertain people with your knowledge. In case of an outdoor event, have a plan B ready for bad weather. Remember when it comes to time / length that it is always better if people say: “Oh, it is already over? What a pity!” then “Grace God, we have finally finished!” If you do a guided tour or visit to premises that you don't own and / or that are not free to the public, make sure that the owner of said premises is informed and ok with the idea. Especially places that have their own tourist guides, might get unfriendly when they sense competition!

Jumble / White elephant sale

Have a lot of things in the attic, cellar etc you don't need anymore? Make a garage sale. Invite people to bring / donate stuff they want to sell. Provide light refreshments to keep people happy and on site. You need time, space and helpers to pull this one off. Consider also what you will do with items that have not been sold, especially if you have asked others to donate items to the sale. You don't want to end up with even more stuff that clogs up your cellar or attic. A great location to do such a sale would be the school your children attend or the meeting room of your club or association. Or your own drive way or garden. Just make sure you have some shelter available in case of bad weather.

Cloths / Toys / Book sale and exchange

That one is especially great when you have children and know a lot of other parents. Instead of buying new clothes for their fast growing offspring, they can bring things the kiddies have grown out of and buy nearly new stuff for great prices.

Meal / Cake / Marmalade / Jam sale

Are you a great cook or pastry chef? Do you know a lot of people that are too busy to cook or bake, but enjoy homemade food? Make a batch of “ready for the oven / microwave food” or “homemade cakes like from Granny” and sell it to them. Be careful when it comes to food safety and allergies.

Talk with cheese and port

Know somebody that knows something? Invite them to give a talk to your friends and serve light refreshments. This is an easy to organize fundraiser that is ideal for beginners. Remember, it is better that people regret that the talk was too short than to be bored to death because it is too long!

Auction

Ideal time for this would be in late fall / autumn when people are hunting for Christmas presents. Or in January when people want to loose their unwanted presents.

Talent Show / Circus for kids and adults

Invite your friends and their kids to a talent party and give them the possibility to entertain others with their skills whilst you provide the refreshments. Prepare some prices and let the public vote who was the best, funniest, most creative etc.

Themed Picnic

Invite people to a themed picnic party that you prepare. You provide food and drink and they turn up dressed up accordingly to the theme. Prepare games, plays and a tombola / lottery for extra income ;-) Have a plan B for bad weather.

Bridge, Bingo, Quiz Nights and other games

Challenge your friends and / or colleagues to a game, provide refreshments and have fun!

Sport (soccer, cricket, football, bowling competition)

On the same lines as above. Get together a few people for a sporty competition and perhaps a picnic for the spectators. Football / Soccer are always great magnets.

Ethnic Food or cooking course

Can you cook some unusual dishes and / or teach others to cook them? Organize a “food from...” party or a cooking course. If you decide on a cooking course you will need a big kitchen or garden, in case you want to show people how a real American, Australian or South African BBQ is done.

Music, concerts, painting

Show off your artistic skills, or, even better, invite others to join you. Give a concert or make a little exhibition of your paintings or photographs.

Selling your skills

Can you cut hair? Sew clothes? Are you a computer wizard? Consider to donate your skills in exchange for a donation to your fundraising efforts.

Hospitality

Do people continuously ask you if you know a good hotel or B&B where you live? Why don't you donate your hospitality skills, and your guest bedroom, from time to time in exchange for a donation to the charity that you support? Keep it occasionally, so that it can't be considered a business as that is liable to taxes and all kind of health and safety measures.

Feedback and Comments:

This is by no means a finished article or guide to fundraising. It is more a work in progress that depends on your feedback for getting better and better with each day. What ever you can contribute to share with others will be appreciated by everybody. Especially interesting would be to have short testimonials about fundraising events you have organized, new fundraising ideas and “Things I wish I would have known before I did my first fundraiser!” Looking forward to reading your ideas!