Fundraising Ideas
Easy Fundraising Ideas to Implement Now
Many congregations are looking for ways to raise additional funds. There are many ways to add to our income without affecting current pledges and donations. Here are a few easy ways to get the ball rolling in your congregation. All ideas posted here have been used successfully in our diocese.
Scrip: Scrip is a prepaid cash card that is available for most stores and other merchants across the country. Cards can be purchased for Grocery stores, department stores, airlines and other goods and services. Your parish will receive a percent of the face value. Using these cards for everyday purchases can provide additional income and add up nicely. The cards are also great gifts and great fundraisers at the holidays. One of the largest and most reliable scrip companies is: Great Lakes Scrip, for more information visit: Great Lakes Scrip Center http://www.glscrip.com/index.aspx
Souplantation: The Souplantation restaurants offer “Funraisers’” where they will donate 15% of the sales from your event back to you. They make it easy and provide flyers and coupons for distribution. It is a fun evening out and is especially good for small groups or youth groups. To choose the date or for more information visit the website; http://www.souplantation.com
Amazon.com Associates Program: Amazon offers a terrific way to earn money for your congregation though purchases made by members. They offer several different ways to raise money but the simplest and most effective may be the Associates program. By placing a link on your website anyone can click it and be linked to Amazon, any products purchased will be credited to your parish and Amazon will donate a percent of the order. It should be remembered that Amazon offers many different products and purchases can really add up. Also, books for study groups and other supplies can ordered through Amazon. For more information visit: http://www.diyfundraising.com/Fundraising_with_Amazon.com.html
Super market community partnerships: Some supermarkets offer community partnerships connected with their rewards cards. One example is Ralphs which offers a program of donating cash back to the church each time the card is presented. The congregation must register online and individual cards must also be registered. Ralphs will also provide a quarterly report of funds sent. Albertsons offers a similar service. To learn more visit: www.ralphs.com
Wine Tasting Events: Wine tastings can raise money as well as provide an enjoyable social occasion for your Parrish. They can be easy and require less volunteers if you work with professionals. They can be coupled with a silent auction to add extra dollars and can be small or large, casual or black tie. Tickets can be sold for the event or by the glass. There are many ways to organize a wine tasting; we recommend working directly with a shop or distributor. Truly Fine Wines is a local distributor and has done tastings in our Diocese. Owners Damon and Sabrina are easy to work with and have great ideas to help you raise money. Contact them at 877-264-9463 or http://www.trulyfinewine.com/index.html It is important to remember that this event is adult oriented and is not appropriate for youth group volunteers. For more information, contact Howard Smith at
How to Plan Successful Fundraising Dinners: Dinners are the most popular and most difficult and time consuming fundraisers. They can raise money if well organized. Dinners can be very casual or large black tie events. It is important to keep in mind that the larger the event, the larger the cost. The following is a guide line for a successful dinner.
When deciding on a type of fundraising dinner it is helpful to set a goal for the amount of money to be raised. For example, if a congregation wants to raise $5,000, they need to sell 250 tickets at $20.00 a piece. In addition to ticket sales, the cost of food and entertainment must be factored in. It is also important to consider the size of the space available and how many tables the venue can hold.
It can be helpful to combine a dinner with another event such as a choir concert or an auction.
TICKET SALES: One of the goals of a dinner is to bring new people into the church. One of the ways to encourage this is to designate Ticket Captains who earn their tickets to the dinner by selling tickets to friends and family outside the church. Another way is to offer discounted tickets to new visitors. It is important to track the ticket sales in order to plan the amounts of food needed. If you use a caterer they will need the number of reservations a week in advance.
COMMITTEES: In most cases a committee will be needed to insure everything is completed on time. Establishing a time line and a budget are the first things a committee must address to be successful. A check list of volunteer jobs such as set up and clean up should be made in the early stages to know how many volunteers are needed.
MENU: The menu should be planned out well in advance according to the budget and type of dinner. Spaghetti dinners are popular for casual dinners and are generally inexpensive. For a more formal event it is often worth talking with a professional caterer.
ENTERTAINMENT: Outside entertainers can be a good draw for ticket sales if the budget allows. Some entertainers will give special rates to churches and non-profits. Auctions and raffles will help raise money if all items are donated. A chair person should be appointed to be sure all items are appropriate for the event.
CHOOSING A DATE: It is very important to consider the church calendar when choosing a date for an event. Dinners require a lot of volunteers and it is important that they are available and able to participate in the event
For additional information, contact Rich Glauser.
How to Plan a Successful Rummage Sale: Church rummage sales are a good draw to meet new people and raise money. The following will give you pricing strategies, suggestions for setting up, how to have adequate help to work at the event, what to sell, how to organize, and what to do with leftover merchandise.
Scheduling: First of all pick a date for your sale and stick with it. Depending on your location, it can be one or two days starting on a Friday and ending at noon on Saturday. The length of the sale may depend on how many volunteers you have to work.
Donations: When asking members of the congregation to donate items, make a list of those items that typically sell well. Do not let anyone bring old, worn-out, broken, or dirty items. You will just have to pay to have someone haul them away and those items will not be a good reflection of your congregations and any sales you might have in the future. You might even advertise in your local newspaper to ask for donations. Some people welcome a rummage sale as a way to get rid of their own items while helping someone else. It is important to know your neighborhood; a low income neighborhood may buy a lot of clothes but little furniture or luxury items, and a high income neighborhood may sell antiques and jewelry.
Publicizing: After you have chosen a day, place an advertisement in your local newspaper. If you do not want to pay for advertising, many local newspapers will accept a "press release" for a fund-raiser, as longas it’s from a not-for-profit organization like a church. The City Paper, in San Diego, will place an ad for free if they receive it two weeks ahead of publication time. Making posters and flyers for local bulletin boards and store windows is helpful. Large banners with the date can be inexpensive and effective, and can be purchased at a local sign maker.
Volunteers: Finding help to work at the sale might be easier if it's during non-school days. You may be able to get your youth group to help along with those who are trying to clean out their garages and closets. When a sale slows down, have volunteers reorganize and straighten up the merchandise. It can be helpful to have a few volunteers with trucks or other vehicles who are able to deliver large purchases such as a piece of furniture if it is being delivered nearby.
Setting Up: If space is available, start collecting merchandise a few weeks ahead of time. Find as many tables as possible and try to keep everything off the floor unless it's meant to be there. Borrow clothing racks if possible. Store all boxes until you know where they will be placed and if you are also selling furniture and other large items such as exercise equipment, set those up in an area close to the door so they are visible and won't have far to be moved far once they are sold.
Organize your items in categories. The better customers can see what is available, the more you will sell. Some suggested categories are: toys, books, household decor, men's clothing, women's clothing, children's clothing, things for baby, things for the kitchen, bedroom, crafts, jewelry, collectibles, small appliances, tools, outdoor stuff such as bicycles, rakes, lawn furniture, outdoor toys, etc.
Pricing: As you are setting up, a group of workers may choose to do the pricing. You can price items individually or post signs with basic prices for certain groups of items, example; CLOTHING -adults clothing -$1. - $2, children/baby clothing -50¢ - $1.00, Stuffed animals - .25 - $1 coats - $5., shoes & purses - $1., linens $1.-$2., books - 25¢ - 50¢, CDs - $1., DVDs - $3, VHS movies - $1., knick knacks - 10¢ to 50¢. Most other items such as coffee makers, furniture, jewelry, Christmas trees, toys, etc will be individually marked or the cashier will quote you a reasonable price when you check out. If you are having a one day sale, have a bag sale with price reductions the last 3 hours. If you have a 2-day sale, have a bag sale during the last 3 hours of your 2nd day. Make the price reasonable and customers will come back just for that and take lots of merchandise away
Cashiers: Have a table or two set up near the door for checking customers out. Have pads of paper, pencils, calculators, and money boxes. The more workers you have to check out customers, especially early in the sale, the smoother it will run. The more cashiers, the better. Don't forget to have plenty of bags and newspapers for packing.
Miscellaneous: If possible, have an outlet available for those wanting to test electrical items. Have SOLD signs available to place on large items that people purchase but need to come back to pick up.
Leftovers: Before the sale, decide what to do with leftover merchandise. Contact a local thrift store to find out if they have pick up service. Or arrange for volunteers with large vehicles to transport the leftovers to them. In some cases, and if storage allows, it may be worth saving some items for another sale later in the year.
Well organized sales can raise large amount of money for a congregation and provides volunteer opportunities for all members. It is also a great way to meet people in the area and give them an opportunity to visit your congregation.
For additional information, contact Paulette Glauser.
See’s Candy: See’s candy offers several different fundraising opportunities and is easy to work with for more information: http://fr.sees.com/index.cfm/Fundraising/Fundraising_Programs.
For additional information contact Canon Howard Smith, 619-481-5451.