Different Fundraising Ideas
Most non-profit organizations and charities have to rely on fundraising dollars to continue the work they do. Hosting the same fundraising event year after year can become boring not only for the organization's staff but for participants as well. If you are bored of car washes, 50/50 raffles and bake sales, there are plenty of other fun and exciting fundraising ideas that have been proven successful.
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Dance-Off
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Host a dance-a-thon and watch as your friends and family members boogie into the late night hours. Advertise your event, giving people enough time to schedule the night. You could ask for people to dance as couples or singles. Each dancer gets pledges from the community. Make sure to allow enough time for your dancers to collect their pledges. You will need to find a space large enough for your event. A school gymnasium, community center or church basement are good options. Provide water and light snacks for your dancers and guests. You can charge a small cover for guests to maximize your fundraising pot. Find a volunteer DJ with an iPod full of funky songs and make sure to have a small prize for the last one standing.
Dinner Auction
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This can be a very fun event that has the added benefit of being delicious. Ask a group of volunteers to make one dinner dish each. The dish could be an appetizer, main meal or a yummy dessert. Package the meals in take-home containers. Everyone brings their meals to the fundraiser night. Arrange all of the meals on a table so everyone can see what they're bidding on. The auctioneer should start the bidding around $5 each and watch as people bid against each other, raising the pot. Imagine what you would pay for a chocolate hot fudge cake. Everyone goes home with at least one meal for that night or the next day.
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Rent-A-Puppy
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Puppies have a way of bringing an instant smile to people's faces and attract a great deal of attention. People love to pet and play with these cute creatures. Why not take advantage of puppies' emotional draw and rent out puppies for your next fundraiser. Contact your local humane society and get them to participate by donating puppies to your event for the day. You can rent out the puppies for $5 per 30 minutes. Have a designated area where people can walk or play with the puppies. It's a good idea to take driver's licenses or some form of ID to guarantee that they will return the puppy. Your event could become so popular, you may need to start a spreadsheet to keep track of who rents which puppy, reservation time and return time.
Children's Clothing Resale
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Babies and children outgrow clothing and toys very quickly, often before they are worn out. Some clothing may be completely unused. To host a clothing resale, you will need a large space where you can lay out several tables. A church basement or school cafeteria will do. Send out a notice to parents looking to sell their children's used or unused clothing, toys and accessories and give them a deadline for donating items to the sale. You will have to set a price for each item, or set a general price. For instance, you can price every item at $2 to make it easier for cashiers to calculate. It might be a good idea to set up a concession stand with drinks and snacks to take advantage of hungry shoppers and their children and maximize the revenue your event brings in.
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