Schools, organizations, businesses, nonprofits and other groups engage in fundraisers. Repeated fundraiser ideas can become dull and it can become challenging to gain interest and support for fundraising activities. Trying a new, creative fundraiser idea can gather increased support and raise more money than something that has been done before.
Making Fun of Management
This could work with any authority figures in the organization and is not limited to schools, although a school setting is depicted in the example below. This fundraiser culminates in a community event. It requires advertising and promotion in advance to garner the needed support.
In a school environment, the principal would identify teachers who are willing to participate and match the teachers with an absurd activity that the teacher must participate in, such as wearing an outrageous costume. The teachers, in turn, get together to decide on a similar activity that the principal must engage in.
Each teacher and the principal will have a large jar with their name and assigned activity on it. The jars must be placed in a high traffic area where many people will see them. Students, teachers, parents, and others vote by depositing money into the jar of teacher/activity combination they find most entertaining.
At the end of the fundraising period, the teachers who have the most money in their jars must complete their assigned activities. This performance should occur at an open community event.
Balloon Games
This fundraising activity requires hundreds of helium-filled balloons. Each balloon needs an accompanying slip of paper. Each slip of paper will contain a prize note or a 'please try again' statement. Prizes can include refreshments, small candies or cheap items.
Fill a room with the balloons. Patrons will enter the room and attempt to guess how many balloons are in the room. Document each guess and, at the end of the fundraiser, issue a prize to the person who made the closest guess.
Throughout the event, patrons will pay a designated minimum donation to enter the room and remove one balloon that they will pop. The slip of paper will announce whether they win a prize or not.
Crazy Hat Contest
Children and adults enjoy this zany fundraising idea. Management of the organization must designate a day for participants to wear a crazy hat. To participate in the crazy hat contest, participants must pay a donation. People who have paid should be given a hand stamp or other designator to prove they paid. Winners will then be selected in various categories, which can include "hat with the most colors," "largest hat," "most original," "best homemade hat," "most popular with management" and "most popular with voters."
Carnival
A carnival is an excellent way to raise large sums of money. More activities will attract more patrons and keep them involved longer. Making the carnival a large community event gives local businesses a chance to promote their goods and services, which encourages cash and prize donations to the fundraising organizations from businesses. Some businesses will occasionally pledge to match the event's proceedings.
While a flat rate for admission can be charged, it is generally more effective to charge for tickets that allow a person to participate in the activities. This allows people who do not want to participate to come and see the activities for free and potentially buy food items or donate cash to the cause.
Carnival activities could include a dunk tank, magnetic "fish" pond, ring toss, bean bag toss, three legged race, hula-hoop competition, balloon pop and jellybean count contest. At least one refreshment table should be set up, selling sodas and food items at a profit. Donation jars should be abundantly intermixed with activities for patrons who feel inclined to donate more money to the organization.
Car Smash
This unconventional fundraising activity is a natural subject of curiosity. Obtain a broken down vehicle from a junkyard or from someone in the community who is disposing of it. Relocate it to a safe location, such as large parking area. Consider decorating the vehicle with spray paint to make it more festive.
Gather hand tools and other destructive devices such as bolt cutters, sledge hammers, bricks, hacksaws and other tools. Before beginning, remove as much glass as possible from the vehicle. This will reduce the possibilty of injuries during the event.
Invite the community to help destroy the vehicle. Charge a standard rate for one person to hit the vehicle with one brick or once with the sledge hammer. Consider inviting local businesses to set up booths at the event area, as they may donate cash or other items to the organization.
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