Fundraising Ideas To Raise Funds (With Examples)
If you are organizing a charity or looking to raise funds, you may have been looking around for some non-profit fundraiser ideas to help you get the capital you need for your cause.
You probably thought that fundraising ideas wouldn’t be a problem because most people are compassionate enough to donate to a good cause. That may certainly be true, but if you do not plan and organize your non-profit, charity, or school fundraiser properly, you will likely experience very little money raised.
When looking at the various non-profit fundraising ideas (as opposed to “for-profit”), you want to make sure that you pick something that is along the lines of what your cause is all about. This will make it much easier for your non-profit organization members to get motivated to go along with your fundraising ideas.
The more devoted your members are to your cause, the more devoted they will be to whatever fundraiser ideas you choose to help generate capital for that specific cause.
Be Ambitious With Your Fundraiser Ideas
You want to be ambitious with your non-profit fundraiser ideas, but you do not want to go crazy with the whole thing. Yes, marketing will be important, but you want people to realize that your cause is important to the community, to society, or to the whole world. You do not want to act like you are selling a service or hype up the cause you are promoting.
Make sure that your non-profit fundraising ideas abide by your local, state, and federal laws. When accepting donations for charity or any fundraiser, realize that there are many legal implications if it is done incorrectly.
Also, be aware of whether the donations are taxable by the government or not. If you know the proper loopholes and deductions, you can retain a very large majority of the capital raised with your non-profit fundraiser.
If this all sounds to be a bit overwhelming and stressful, you may want to check out the fundraising ideas that is mentioned in the video.
In this video, you can get 48 different non-profit fundraiser ideas for your school, business, or charity.
When you are exposed to that kind of information, it will make everything much easier and more streamlined. You will be glad that you have this information at your disposal because it will ensure that you get your fundraiser off to a good start and you are maximizing the donations received.
Remember, most people in a community are always going to be very happy to contribute in whatever way they can to a cause they care about. However, if you do not execute your fundraising ideas in the right manner, it can also turn into a huge failure.
Host A Website To Receive Donations
You can try to go online first and host a website to receive donations that way. However, you will have to follow the information closely to ensure that people out there do not believe you are a scam or a fraud.
On the flip side, if it is done right, the internet can be used to your advantage. You will find a major source of wealth on the internet if you properly conduct your research on how to go about setting up your charity campaign online.
Again, don’t go crazy with your fundraising ideas. Keep in mind that these are non-profit fundraiser ideas, and you do not want to run them like some promotional campaign for a product or service. There is a major difference between the two.
You are relying on the kindness of people’s hearts to donate their hard-earned money to a cause to which they can relate and strongly believe in. Use this to your advantage and tailor the campaign to this concept. Be thankful for whatever you receive and always strive to improve your fundraising ideas for the next time!
A Bargain Book Sale is an Excellent Fundraising Idea
An interesting fundraising idea is a Bargain Book sale. In the past, this type of fundraiser has been most often done by groups like “Friends of the Library” and school groups. It, however, can be used for just about any charity.
Book Donations
Most if not all, of your members, have books in their libraries that they can donate to your cause. You can also solicit books by putting a Facebook ad in your local community, or a special website ask for book donations.
What Sells Well, and What Doesn’t
The very best sellers are Fiction books, Cook Books, Children’s Books, and Young Adult or Teens titles. What doesn’t sell well is nonfiction, especially self-help, “Dummies” books, and How To’s which are more than a couple of years old. The one exception is recent political titles, which can sell well.
Courtesy City Public Library
It helps that if an author is noted for a specific series like the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling, then they should be bundled and sold as one.
Other items can be sold well in a bargain book sale. Some examples are Audio Books, CDs, and DVDs.
Special Deals
Readers of romance novels, read many of them, sometimes in a single sitting. Since they come mostly as paperbacks, it may be a good idea to bundle a package of various titles and sell them at one price.
Harlequin publisher, which is the largest romance publisher maintains its titles in various niches. When you make up the bundles, keep the books in each niche if possible.
Pricing
When holding a Bargain Book sale, you should have similar pricing. You should set one price for Hardbacks, another price for paperbacks. You need to have similar pricing for items like audiobooks, CDs and DVDs.
When offering packs like Romance novel backs, Pricing should be lower than what one book would go for. For example; If you sell paperbacks for 50 cents apiece, then the price for a ten pack should be RM 2.50, or RM0.25 a book.
Your Venue
The best venue for a book sale is a large room with tables laid out around the room in your exhibition event. You can put the tables against the walls, with the Cashier on a table near the door.
If the exhibition room is big enough, you can also set some tables in the middle of the room. You should have several volunteers there at all times. One or two should be acting as a cashier, others are available to help customers.
What to do With Leftovers
On the last day, hold a bag sale. Sell as many books as you can put into a paper bag. You sell the bag for RM5 and customers can pick up whatever you have left.
The Chinese Auction
The Chinese Auction is a fundraising activity, which can be used as both an auxiliary fundraiser as part of a meeting or special event, or as the main reason for a fundraising event.
The Chinese Auction is a combination of an auction and a raffle. You sell tickets usually in groups of ten, and the tickets are used to bid on items in the auction. As an auxiliary, the Chinese auction can be used as a substitute for door prizes. The benefit here is that the auction can be used to raise funds.
Sell Tickets For Group
Sell tickets for RM1 or RM2 for a group of ten. Buyers should write their names on the back of the ticket. They then go and put tickets in a receptacle placed next to the auction item.
When using a Chinese auction as an auxiliary to another event, be sure to limit the number of items to five or six only. Also, remember that since you are only charging a dollar or two for ten tickets that the prizes are not that expensive.
I suggest that you have most items be RM10 – RM25 gift cards, or local restaurant gift certificates. One prize should be for a higher amount, perhaps something with a value of RM50. It should probably be something other than a certificate. A gift basket or some wine perhaps.
The prizes should be donated so that any monies collected go to your organization.
If you want to use this idea as the main event, some changes should be made. Many more items are needed. There should be enough prizes available so that every person goes home with something. Sell tickets in several tiers.
For example, have several tables with 10 for RM2 tickets. Add two or more tables with 10 for RM5 tickets, and a final table with 10 for RM25 tickets. Divide the prizes into 3 tiers.
The most expensive prizes go into the top tier, and the least expensive go into the bottom tier. You will need to use different color tickets for each tier. Decorate each area differently and use a color scheme similar to the tickets.
Sell tickets in advance, as well as at the event. Arrange to have a buffet available. You can charge admission which includes the buffet or have the buffet at an extra charge. Prepare a program with closing times for each table.
At appropriate times, the master of ceremonies will pull winning tickets from each table. Allow at least 15 – 20 minutes between tables. Mix the lowest and second tier for calls. Save the top tier for last.
Sell Tickets At Only One Price
One variation which may be more profitable is to sell tickets at only one price but in groups. For instance, RM25 buys 5 tickets. RM50 for 10 tickets, and RM100 for 20 tickets.
The master of ceremonies, who is also the auctioneer, brings each item up as in a regular auction. Bidders hold up their hands and volunteers collect the tickets, which are put in a receptacle. Then the winning ticket is drawn.
The audience may run out of tickets so the ability to buy more tickets should be available all evening. This version is better for a full evening event but requires larger and more expensive items.
Make sure you and your guests have fun.
