Creative Business Fundraising Ideas
For many businesses, fundraising activities are a central part of operations. Whether the money is used to support a charity, sponsor a local group or help the business expand, a fundraiser can be a significant source of additional income. As you plan ways to raise money, involve as many employees as possible and make use of your strengths as a team.
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Networking Gala
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As a professional, chances are that your business works with a range of clients, vendors and suppliers. To raise money and give your contacts the opportunity to meet each other to form new, productive partnerships, host a networking gala fundraiser. Make the event semi-formal to encourage a slightly relaxed atmosphere and invite everyone on your mailing list. Bill the event as both a way to support a good cause and to make new business connections; charge a fee per person or per table. Organize the seating arrangements so that people in complementary professions are seated at the same table. During the evening, encourage people to mingle to receive maximum benefit.
Community Education
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To spread the word about your business and make use of your team's knowledge and expertise, hold community education seminars. Select topics that your employees can speak authoritatively about and ask a different person to teach each week. In doing so, you can spread some of your valuable knowledge, raise money and bring new people into your circle of contacts. Advertise the courses around your community and charge a fee per class or a flat fee for the entire series.
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"Celebrity" Auction
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Make use of your contacts in the community and ask local high-profile individuals to donate goods or services to a charity auction. For example, a well-known chef might donate a meal cooked in the winner's home, a carpenter can offer an afternoon of fixing problems around the house, and an artist might donate a painting or a custom mural. Choose people who are known to a large percent of the community to draw attention to the auction, and advertise it widely in the area. You can elect to have the function emceed or use a silent auction format for simplicity.
CEO Office Raffle
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If your CEO has a cushy, comfortable office that is the envy of your colleagues, convince him or her to give it up for a day to raise money. Organize a raffle where each person pays for one or more tickets to be entered into the drawing to win the use of the CEO's office for one day. Encourage your co-workers to buy more than one ticket; consider offering a special price for large numbers. The winner can enjoy relaxing and working from a fancy office while the money raised will go to a good cause.
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References
- Photo Credit office 2 image by Omely from Fotolia.com
