calling all creative minds...I need your help

[ProudGrandma]

I am on the library board of a very small library in a very small town. We are trying to come up with fund raising ideas that won't cost us anything, that will bring the community together and would be fairly easy to do. Any ideas??? Please??? THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!

[OrganicAnn]

Most fund raisers that I can think of involve selling things/services - bake sales, car washes, auctions, etc. Some people do not like doing things involving sales.

 

The other big fund raiser is more like a plain donation. People could sponsor a book or buy a brick to be used a walkway.

[Tap]

I am contemplating using a 'thousand cranes' or stars as a fund raiser. What I am putting together is that we will have builders and sponsors. People can ask others to sponsor a crane for $1.00 (or 0.50 if you are willing to earn less $$). Our plan is a fundraiser for kids summer camp.

 

I plan to ask the kids in the church to come to a folding night. What we can't get folded that night will hopefully be done by volunteers. They can seek sponsors before or after the event. As the cranes are 'bought' they will be hung on a huge Mobil.

 

We will request email addresses to send thank-you notes with a picture to those who sponsor the cranes. This will take some time to add the addresses so the responsiblity to do this will be on the person who gets the sponsor. A thankyou email will be created for a professional look and then forwarded.

 

There will be a large thank you card put up in the church signed by all the kids.

[Dobela]

Our library has a book sale room and makes a lot of money that way. It started out about the size of a closet and grew. It is oien allthe time and the librarians can take the money for the books and put it in a special place for the friends.

 

You can do a arts and crafts fair charging for booth space.

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

I have to agree, bake sales do great! Can you put an ad in the local newspaper? That is cheap and you would get a MUCH better turn out! Or could you get donations for a silent auction? Since its for the library you could probably get local buisnesses to donate items!

[Dandelion]

Our library has a book sale room and makes a lot of money that way.

 

One of our libraries in town has this too. It's not really a fundraiser, since it's ongoing (it's basically a one-room book store). But it does seem to do quite well.

 

Another thought that came to mind is an art auction. You could have local artists donate a piece (or several) of art and display them throughout your library for a couple weeks before the auction, along with advertising for the upcoming auction. In exchange for donating their piece(s), the artists get free publicity for their artwork while it's displayed at your library and perhaps you could feature them and thank them in your library newsletter and/or website as well. All proceeds from the auction would go to your library.

[NanceXToo]

Here's a site that has some really fun, creative fundraising ideas, including some that won't cost you anything!

 

http://www.fundraising-ideas.org/DIY/index.html

[ProudGrandma]

these are all amazing ideas and I can't wait to take them to my meeting tonight. thanks so much!!!

[Jane in NC]

How much money are you trying to raise?

 

One library we patronize sponsors an annual children's carnival, run by teens and pre-teens for the younger children. It is very old-fashioned (fishing games, necklace making from breakfast cereal, face painting). Teens provide the entertainment (magic shows, music) The children, their parents and grandparents love it. You can extend this to include a toy/bike sale, bake sale, etc.

 

This event does not raise a ton of money but does create much good will.

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

Our library has two book sales a year, all with donated books. There is one in June for just children's books and one in October for everything. The books are cheap and they still make a lot of money.