Coming Up with Unique Fundraising Ideas

When you come up with unique fundraising ideas you need to think about a few things. You need to know what your resources are, skills of people who can help, and what will attract a crowd.

Knowing your resources can help you in coming up with unique fundraising ideas. These sorts of factors include facilities at your disposal for hosting an event, things which you have to sell and others. If you have no resources to begin with, this does not mean that you cannot hold a fundraising event, just that you are failing to take advantage of something which you have not thought of. A lot of fundraisers can be done on little to no budget.

You should also consider the skills of the people who are willing to donate their time for the fundraising event. It the fundraiser affects them at all then they should be willing to donate their time. If people in your group have skills like baking really well then you might consider a bake sale. If you have an art teacher in your group then maybe you can hold an arts and crafts event. This often works well when parents bring their children in to creatively make artwork and sell it to the public. When you know your group well then you can come up with some really good ideas for holding a fundraiser.

Also, consider the tastes of your community. This will help you to come up with a unique fundraising idea that will draw people in - and if your cause is one which will capture the attention of your community. If your neighbors believe in your cause, you will have a much easier time fundraising.

The demographics of where you plan to hold your fundraising event matters a great deal as well. An event held in the least affluent part of your city will, understandably, bring in less than if it was held in a more well to do area.

There are local businesses and private organizations which are likely to be willing to help in some capacity with your fundraising efforts. For instance, if you are raising money for your book club or local library, why not reach out to your area book stores? They may be willing to donate books for a fundraising book sale. Whatever your organization, look for businesses in your area who have interests similar to your own and ask them if they would be willing to assist in your fundraising.

Grocery stores are also a good place to inquire; they normally carry some books and will often allow groups to set out a table for a bake sale. You should look for public places too hold your fundraiser where you will have a lot of passers by. This will make a successful fundraiser much more likely.

Coming up with unique fundraising ideas can be easy once you follow these steps. Know your groups skills, the resources which you and your group have available to you and what kinds of fundraising ideas will appeal to your community.

Make Sure The PTA or PTO Hears About The Fundraiser And Repeat

Your PTA or PTO members usually do not “get it” the first time… or two… or three. The reason you are doing the fundraiser is important and should be “shouted from the rooftops” over and over again. You might find it hard to believe how long and loud you have to “get the word out” in order to get even a respectable number of PTA or PTO parents “in the know” on a particular point or event. Following are some guidelines to help you make sure that everyone knows what’s up.

Be specific. If you are kicking off a fundraiser and you know what you’re raising the money for, let your parents, teachers, and volunteers know. If you aren’t sure what you’re going to do with the money yet, tell them what you did last year. If parents and teachers know that they will benefit they will be much more likely to support your sale.

Methods: Take Home Backpack Flyers, There are several things that should always be done in preparation for your fundraiser. One action is to send a letter (take home packet) to parents shortly after school starts telling them about the PTA / PTO fundraising plan. Mention in the letter how you’re going to accomplish your money making goals. Mention to them what program or procuts you will be selling. ie catalogs sale, cookie dough sale, car wash, candy sale, smencils etc. Most will feel a sense of ownership in the PTA or PTO plans.

Second, write a letter for your fundraiser that is geared specifically for the parents of your students. In this “cover letter,” you will remind the parents what you are raising the money for. This is one more time that you have to make sure the word gets out about your purpose for raising funds.

Methods: Email If you are fortunate enough to be able to use the school’s e-mail system to announce your sale. This is a one button operation that give you great coverage with the parents of your school children.

Methods: Marquee Announce your fundraiser on the school’s marquee. Many parents drive to school twice a day and are likely to see it if it is left up for several days before the sale begins.

Methods: Reminders via students In most schools students go home once or twice a week with a “Take Home Pack.” This is an excellent opportunity to have the teachers in the school include a note about your fundraiser. Remember that you don’t have to include lots of details in this note. These are simply reminders to the parents.

Methods: Signs You can post signs advertising your fundraiser in various places around the school where parents will likely see them when dropping off or picking up their children.

Have signs posted at various locations around the school. This type of promotion is geared mainly to the students, so signs or posters that appeal to students is the best thing to do to get students to look at them and remember.

Methods: Do a live kick off A live presentation, especially one that is out of the ordinary, will leave an impression on the students. When the children return home, if the presentation has been memorable enough, the students will promote the sale better than a flier or letter ever could.

Methods: School Wide System During the daily announcements remind the students about the fundraiser. Take some time to do some bragging on some of your top selling students. This is a great opportunity to keep students motivated.

Work closely with your fundraising representative. Planning is key to communicating your fundraiser to your parents, faculty, and students. If you know what you’re going to do and when you’re going to do it, it is much easier to facilitate and run a profitable fundraiser and that is what it is all about. Your goal is to raise the most money possible for your group in the particular sale you are planning. After all, if you raise all the funds you need in the first one, you won’t have to do a second fundraiser! You can achieve that by working smarter, not harder.