Social Club Fund-Raising Ideas

While you, like many people, probably donate to charities and organizations that hold personal meaning to you, you may not be as likely to offer a random donation to a social club outside of your interest range. Raising funds for a social club requires hosting an event or drive, such as an auction, yard sale or car wash, that draws the interests of nonmembers.

Auction Action

An auction draws interest from the local community if the items include general-interest goods and luxury gifts such as cases of wine, dinner for two at a swanky restaurant or antique furniture. Ask local businesses to donate gift cards, gift baskets, or treats such as chocolates or microbrewed beers. Other nontangible auction items may include a free guided tour of historic buildings in your area, pet-walking services or lawn mowing for a month. Advertise the auction in a local weekly paper and on social media community pages.

Yard Sale Simplicity

A yard sale is a simple one- or two-day event with all proceeds going to the social club. This type of fund-raiser works best if there are many members in the club -- each member donates unwanted items for the sale, then volunteers from within the club host and run the yard sale. Pair it up with a bake sale, selling homemade cookies, cakes and brownies at the event, or acquire a booth at a local event such as a farmer's market to sell the homemade treats.

Partner With a Business

Partner with a local restaurant, cafe or wine bar to host a social club night in which a certain percentage of sales goes to your club. To make it worthwhile for the business owner, pay for a DJ or live band that night to make the event special, and give away small gifts as prizes during trivia games, such as a coupon for a free appetizer, paid for by the social club. Another way to build an ongoing relationship with the business for future events is to tell the owner the club will rent out a private room or hold private gatherings there such as club meetings or holiday parties for the club.

Car-Wash Weekend

Pair with a local business with plenty of parking space to hold a weekend car wash. This works well for social clubs involving high school or college-age students who can hold signs up from the sidewalk advertising the event. Volunteers from the club wash and dry the vehicles. The club keeps all the proceeds or may pay a small percentage to the business owner for using water and space, if the business owner is not a member of the social club.