When you are selecting a quick & easy fundraiser for your group, consider the amount of time and resources you will need to accomplish your monetary goal. Ask anyone who has organized a quick and easy fundraiser, and they will often tell you that there was nothing quick and easy about it.
That’s where these three easy fundraisers come in. Try one of these ideas for your next fundraiser because you can actually put these activities together fairly quickly and without a lot of upfront expense.
Yard Sale/Rummage Sale
Parents, neighbors, family members and group supporters can all donate their unneeded belongings to support your cause. Arrange a high-traffic location to hold your sale. A person’s yard, church or schoolyard, or even a business parking lot will work well, with permission of course.
Advertise your mega-garage sale on Craigslist and by using flyers. Increase your traffic by advertising that this is a large or multifamily sale. How many working volunteers you will need depends on how much stuff you collect to sell.
For simplicity, position the donated goods for sale by price range, put the popular stuff where its accessible, and don’t be afraid to haggle on the prices. By the end of your sale, you will see that one man’s trash is indeed another man’s treasure.
Athlet-a-thon Events
Called by various names depending on which sport you pick, these “athlet-a-thon” type of events not only are a great way to raise money, but also to showcase the competitor’s talents.
Your “athlet-a-thon event could be a swimming marathon, a bowling tournament, a decathlon-style competition, a 5K run, or even an obstacle course.
Each participant signs up sponsors to pay a flat amount or a certain amount per milestone. They might donate x amount per lap, distance throw, accurate kick, or whatever talent or group of talents that you base your event around.
Your target sponsors can be local businesses, neighbors, family members, and so on. Save money by making your own pledge forms or hosting them online as downloadable, mail-in forms.
You can also include social media like Facebook and Twitter in your fundraising. Simply sign up for the free app at Fundrazr.com and you can accept donations online from Facebook pages or Twitter feeds.
The easier you make it for people to donate to your cause, the more money you will raise.
Car Wash Fundraiser
The most tried and true of them all, the car wash stands the test of time as a great way to raise money for your cause with some elbow grease. Some advanced planning is involved such as securing a place to hold your car wash, selling as many car washes in advance as possible and getting your volunteers lined up for each time slot.
Many gas stations and convenience stores are very approachable about having a car wash at their site. It increases their traffic and brings in more potential customers.
You will need a water source (or two), cleaning supplies, promotional posters, and plenty of car washers. Be sure to have some of your volunteers holding signs where passing traffic can see them.
Waving car wash signs at a safe location near a busy intersection works well, particularly if the weather is nice. You can charge a certain amount per vehicle, or offer free car washes in exchange for donations. Often, taking donations brings in more money than charging a flat fee per car.
You can even do a bake sale or doughnut sale at your yard sale, car wash, or “thon” event. While you’ve got your resources gathered, take advantage of it and try to raise as much money at one event as you can.
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