Rosy Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Have you participated in an effective fundraiser that doesn't involve selling overpriced junk to people who really aren't interested? By effective I mean >$1000 profit with 50ish people participating and no one killing themselves soliciting donations or whatever. Please JAWM on the need for a fundraiser. :) This is for a fantastic, non-profit, volunteer-run karate organization. Thanks for sharing your experiences! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 The gym school my kids used to go to would have chocolate sale as fund raisers twice a year. It would be timed to be near Christmas and Easter. The price was slightly higher than Ghirardelli and lower than Godiva, so most people didn't mind. Profit is good but I can't remember how much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knit247 Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Our homeschool co-op sold Usborne once as a fundraiser. A lot of books were sold, but I have no idea about the profit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ailaena Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 We have staffed food/beer booths at the stadium. That brings in a TON of money, but your organization needs to work every game, and it can only be adults. I have no idea where you are, but gyms here have made loads doing bingo. I've seen golf tournaments, silent auctions, corporate sponserships and raffles of crazy big items. Some parents have a knack at getting things donated, but it's still soliciting donations, I know. You could charge a small admission fee to tournaments? When I think of more, I will add them. I know i've seen some really creative things.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 One of the best fund raisers around here is manning a coffee and snack table for a weekend at a local rest stop (on a well-traveled freeway). You take donations while serving the goods to travelers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 (edited) car wash? we have done a car wash for Basketball. It works best if you can get somewhere there is lots of traffic. Just reread your original post. We didn't make anywhere near $1000. We only had a few families, and it was in a town of a population of 2500. I would think the bigger the population the more chance of raising more money. Edited November 6, 2012 by melissaL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSinNH Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 I help run the fundraising for DD's gymnastics team. Here are a few of our fundraisers and what we made: 1. Pizza night/basket raffle-- A local pizza place donated $1 for each pizza sold and we did a Thanksgiving basket raffle. Team parents bought stuff to fill the baskets (kitchen utensils, canned goods, linens, nothing too expensive). We made about $900 total. 2. Wreath sales--A BIG money maker. We made about $1600 with 16 families selling 6 wreaths each. PM me if you want the name of the company. The wreaths were beautiful. 3. 50/50 raffle at home meets--you could do this for your home tournament, too. 4. American Girls doll raffle-- The Girl of the Year last year happened to be a gymnast, so we bought one and each family sold at least 6 raffle tickets (I think they were $5-10). We made $1400. We have done more....gymnastics is expensive, LOL. PM me if you want more ideas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teachermom2834 Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Twice we've done a big garage sale with baseball teams. Both times we raised over $1000 with less than 10 families. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrulySusan Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Holiday tour of homes? If 3-5 families would be willing to volunteer their homes, this is a big money maker. We have even had local florists donate floral arrangements, mantle arrangements, holiday decorating services, etc for advertising purposes (also makes a nice treat for the families whose homes are being toured!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Have you participated in an effective fundraiser that doesn't involve selling overpriced junk to people who really aren't interested? By effective I mean >$1000 profit with 50ish people participating and no one killing themselves soliciting donations or whatever. Please JAWM on the need for a fundraiser. :) This is for a fantastic, non-profit, volunteer-run karate organization. Thanks for sharing your experiences! I was fundraising chair for the parent teacher fellowship at my dds' school when they were there. We did not solicit money from anyone for the PTF. The best fundraiser I was part of that was not just selling things was the silent auction at a vendor fair thing. We invited people to come sell their goods - Tastefully Simple, Mary Kay, if it was a home party, we invited them. Then also people who did their own thing - jewelry, crafts, ect. Lots and lots of people at the vendor fair. That part of it was probably to big for you to do, but it brought people in for the silent basket auction. We asked each class to fill a basket with a theme. They chose the theme. Outdoor play. Movie night. Pasta night. Cookie theme. Some classes made it personal. Those "baskets" brought in the most money cause the parents in that class wanted the basket. The largest draw on any one basket was the cookie basket. The draw was someone had gotten a large cookie jar and had the kids all paint a cookie on the side. There were 2 moms battling it out for that basket. The one basket I bought was a big pasta bowl that the kids used their fingers to make apples and pears in the bottom. It was about the lowest "price" at $30. Some of them went for over $100. We had lots of baskets to auction. And to the organization, they were free. The parents brought the stuff to put in them. But without the vendor fair how would that many people hear about it and then bid on the baskets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in IL Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Its awesome, but definitely needs some startup time. You buy gift cards for a certain dollar amount, and the stores kick in a certain percentage for the purchase. Since September our coop has made about $4000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 For the last two years, the PTAs at public schools near me have one "no fuss" fundraiser. No more magazines,candy and gift wrap. They put out a flier to the community soliciting donations in Septemper and that's it. It must be working. The neighborhood school is adding after school programs supported by the PTA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Often local restaurants will give a percentage of their profits for an evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Our 4-H club sold pizzas. We sold for three weeks or so. The Saturday before the Super Bowl we all met at the grade school with the pizza fundraiser guy and made the pizzas. We usually made over 700 pizzas in a couple of hours. They were packaged and people could refrigerate them over night and use them for the Super Bowl or put them in their freezers. Our club, 20 or so kids, made over a thousand dollars each year with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 sponsoring a bingo is a big $ maker around here. Means parents volunteer to staff it, a cpl of hrs, but apparently brings in $$$. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 we did an auction. people donated candy/baked goods, services, and actual items. it did so well, they didn't need to do a fundraiser the next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Butterbraids. Around here, they go like crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Car washes are the biggest low overhead fundraisers around here. Of course, we can have them pretty much year round. Many merchants are happy to let groups use their grounds for one. Walmart and tire stores are the usual locations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 When I was in college, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship had an annual work day. Local churches advertised that college students were willing to work for a donation of any amount and folks signed up through them. We sent teams around to work on one big day. Some folks were poor and unable to give much but soooooo grateful for the help. (They were mostly elderly, and we were glad to help.) Others were unbelievably generous. It was a win-win all around. The hours we put in were NOT on begging for money, but on actual work. The donors who received our services were glad to receive the work that was of actual value to them personally. The other effective one I have seen is youth group car washes. A well-organized car wash that also offers interior vacuuming is something people value and can generate a good amount of money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfarm Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Our 4-H club has been very successful selling the cutlery and various other kitchen products from Rada Cutlery. The prices are similar or better than most local department stores and the products are very good. People seem to love the stuff, because for months after the sale, they tell us to be sure to let them know when we will be taking orders again. Another thing I like about the Rada company is that you collect the purchase price and then mail Rada's portion in to them and you instantly have your profit in hand (around 45%, I think). No waiting for anyone to cut you a check. This is my "go to" place for fundraiser money. Last year dd raised about $300 profit in 3 weeks, selling to the few people in our rural community. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 (edited) :) Edited November 8, 2012 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharpie Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 I participated in a unique one several times. Selling fire wood. The group purchased several load of logs, cut them up in specified lengths & delivered them to the buyers. Granted the area I was in, many heated their homes with firewood. I have fond memories of that time. We all worked together and it developed a closeness that was a bit unique. Many hands made light work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 I think if the goal is to avoid the overpriced junk racket, then car washes, food sales, and experiences like the home tour someone suggested or Bingo, are all good options. Years ago, I used to buy citrus fruit by the box from school kids as a fundraiser around the holidays and I always liked that one (who doesn't want a giant box of fresh oranges in their house at Christmas?), though I don't know how much money it netted for the schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Ask for money. Write a letter that is humorous talking about all the things you could be asking them to do to raise money and then say that you are doing things differently this year and would like families to give what they can to spare themselves the hassle of hawking stuff. They can even give a version of the letter to the people they would normally sell to that is funny and asks them help out without buying something no one really wants. Let people invest in the cause rather than divide their money between a commercial endeavor and the cause. Emphasize that this way 100% of the money goes to the cause. State that if you reach a goal of X, this will be all for the year fundraising wise. If you have a gathering/ meeting for other purposes coming up, incorporate a version of this into the meeting verbally. People get a laugh and like the simplicity of saving time. You can even say something like, ok how much time did you spend on the fundraiser last year hawking pizza coupons? What's your time worth to you and would you like to just have it over with this year? How a out just giving this year and getting all that time back for you. I was a FT professional fundraiser for a long time. Every time I volunteered to help a group out with fundraising we did a version of this and out raised by far all previous years. One time we sent movie rental passes and a box of movie candy and invited them to enjoy a family movie night at home rather than come to the fundraiser. Please send in what you think not having to go to the fundraiser is worth. People loved it and of course the passes and candy were donated. Bonus points if you send everyone a nice, handwritten thanks. People will remember and want to give next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msrift Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Our baseball coach has had teams pitch in to buy an ipad or two (or some other in-demand electronics item) and then sell raffle tickets. I believe he said that tends to net about $800 with just 12 families participating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 We recently made about $1,000 doing a pancake breakfast at Applebee's. You sell tickets (we sold ours for $7 each), you provide volunteers to help serve (10-20, depending upon the size of the crowd you expect) and Applebee's keeps $2. If you sell 200 tickets, that is $1,000 for a couple of hours of work for the volunteers. Super easy and no junk to sell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0mmaBuck Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 LimeBerry (frozen yogurt place) does fundraisers where the group gets a portion of the sales for that evening. It's no work on the part of the group (beyond advertising to maybe get more people to go out that night) because those people were going to LimeBerry's that night anyway. Groups usually make about $200/night from the fundraiser. Our scouts do a flower bulb fundraiser each year.... We buy potted bulbs from a local grower at about $6/pot and sell them for $15/pot. Since the local grocery store sells the same pots for $20/pot, ours are a bargain and they sell effortlessly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosy Posted November 8, 2012 Author Share Posted November 8, 2012 Thanks everyone! Wow, lots of great ideas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starwarsmomma Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Yes, great ideas! I'm keeping this thread handy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Twice we've done a big garage sale with baseball teams. Both times we raised over $1000 with less than 10 families. :iagree: we had great luck with garage sales if you have families willing to donate stuff to the garage sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datgh Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Are you lucky enough to live near a big sporting venue or a NASCAR track? We live near a big track. Twice a year they host NASCAR which brings in over 100,000 fans who make a big mess that someone has to clean up. The track invites nonprofits to come in and clean the stands at the end of the day after the crowds go home. The job is definitely up their on the disgusting meter but we brought in 80 members from our church (teens included) and for four hours of our time we made $7,000 for the youth group. The only drawback is your shoes reek of beer afterwards. I don't know if other tracks or sport venues do this but it might be worth asking if you are close enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Not sure how profitable these are, but I always buy chocolate, or Krispy Kreme doughnuts. :D Sometimes, I will get my car washed at a fundraiser, but I usually don't have time to stop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmgirl70 Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 My daughter has organized fundraisers for causes she cares about in the past. Her first was a benefit talent show (she has lots of theater and music friends). They performed, people donated snacks, and there was a suggested donation at the door. 12 performers, 40 attenders--$800. The space to use was donated. Her second fundraiser was a holiday tea party. She invited friends for tea. Her teen friends brought donations (she suggested the price of a movie) and they raised enough to buy a bike for a girl to get to school in Thailand. Both events were fun for all participants, people got behind them, and all the proceeds went for the fundraising. I'd rather give to a cause when I am giving than buy something and have the recipient get only part of it. JMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Our Co-op preschool had 2 very successful fundraisers that each made at least a couple of thousand a year by partnering with local nurseries. The first was a Christmas wreath fundraiser. In late Oct.-Nov. with delivery of the wreaths the first week of December. Many people are buying holiday wreaths every year anyway, so this was a great easy way to make money. The second was a hanging basket fundraiser. This happened in the spring and most people bought multiple baskets for their house in addition to selling to their neighbors and friends who would have seasonally been looking for this type of decoration anyway. Between the two, they covered nearly all the preschool's expenses, they were that successful. Those were my best experiences with fundraisers to date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 I prefer service to junk. Our heritage girls are having a dinner and raffle for a painting donated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 What about outdoor work? A group we know of raised about $800 by auctioning their time. Folks bid on the work in two-hour increments, and there were maybe....fifteen?...high school boys and a few parents. They did things like rake and haul leaves, paint, trimmed bushes, weeding. The parents in charge of the fundraiser were given the discretion to say no to the job and refund the money upon arrival if the job or people seemed in any way unsafe. This would really only work for the students who are teens and adults, but the group made a lot of money. I think most people bidding figured $10/hour x 15 students and started the bidding at $150 per session, and it went up from there. I think the boys sold 3 sessions. Also, the auction was a part of an already-existing event. The pool of "buyers" were already a part of the organization so the services weren't being bought by complete strangers. Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 The most successful fundraisers I have been part of required a bit of legwork to set up. A golf outing and a tricky tray. Scrip can be very successful. The most popular scrip items were the local supermarkets and movie theaters. We also used a company great lakes scrip http://www.glscrip.com/ Yankee Candle was a good one, but at the time they shipped in bulk. You had to put everyone's order together. And cookie dough. 3lb tubs of cookie dough were always a big hit. I hate fundraisers and would rather send a donation where the organization gets all the money vs. a cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chepyl Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Butter Braids! Yummy Yummy stuff! We had 15 kids profit $1300! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 I like the ones where I buy dinner at a local restaurant and the group gets a cut. I will abstain from cooking if it's for a good cause :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elinor Everywhere Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 My dd's band just finished a Butter Braid fundraiser. They were so easy to sell! With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, people having family in town, delicious smells and tastes and an easy crowd-pleasing breakfast with coffee.....the things practically sold themselves! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 How about cookbooks? You can make your own OR sell Gooseberry Patch, which are very popular: http://www2.gooseberrypatch.com/gooseberry/dropnote.nsf/f.newfundraising Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 One of the best fundraisers our 4-H group has done is selling bare root fruit trees (has to be done in the winter time). We buy them from a wholesale nursery and sell them for $10 to $25 depending on the type. Some are single variety and some are multi-budded. Families take individual orders, and we also have one or two days where we have a booth at the farmer's market and in front of the supermarket for the general public to buy them. I think it's one of the simplest fundraisers and we always make a good profit. The other good fundraiser is a rummage sale. It involves more work though, but it's good for a spring or summer time fundraiser. We also sell vendor space for people who want to sell their own stuff - junk, crafts, or business stuff like Mary Kay, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 (edited) Our PTO's biggest fundraiser of the year is a fall carnival. They sell punch cards for the different activities (carnival games, bounce house, photo booth, etc.). Our county 4-H clubs did the same thing when I was a kid. You could do it any time of year and have a seasonal theme for the games and activities. All the prizes (mostly candy) were donated by parents. Edited November 9, 2012 by WordGirl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cera Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 We had good luck with Dutch Mill Bulbs. http://www.dutchmillbulbs.com/ They are relatively cheap and something many people buy anyway. Plus, the profit margin is quite high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear23 Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 what about gift wrapping for Christmas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evergreen State Sue Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 We've had success with Entertainment Books. They sell for $30, but I can always get my money back using the coupons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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