Fundraiser Ideas for Churches, Schools, and Nonprofit Organizations

Choosing the right fundraiser ideas for your organization can be a daunting task. A particular fundraiser can be wildly successful or fail miserably, depending on the circumstances. Some time-tested fundraiser ideas include:

• Bake sales
• Selling fundraising items door-to-door
• Auctions
• Dance-a-thons
• Consignment sales
• Face-painting
• The hCard

Tips for Selling Fundraising Items

Tired of cookie dough or the same old car wash fundraiser every year? Try something new to pique your supporters’ interest and set your organization apart. 50/50 raffles are easy to organize and tend to be successful. One half of the raffle ticket goes to the participant while the other half goes in a bucket. At the end of the event, a ticket is drawn from the bucket and a winner is announced. The prize is half of the raffle ticket sales.

Selling items door-to-door is a popular and effective fundraising method. Remember that whatever product you choose to sell will ultimately represent your organization. Fundraisers tend to fail when the item being sold is not a good fit for the organization or lacks value. For example, if your supporters are mostly men, don’t sell candles, Tupperware, or anything that’s obviously geared towards women. You can poll your supporters to get their opinions on what items they think would represent your organization well. Try to sell items that are different from what everyone else is selling. Your fundraising efforts will be more successful if you sell something unique.

A fundraising item that has proven to be very successful for organizations of all types is the hCard ® . The hCard ® is appealing because it provides cardholders with great year-round savings at multiple locations locally and across America, and it simultaneously enables them to support their favorite organizations/schools. The hCard ® is sold to members and supporters of organizations for only $20 and up to 75% of the profit goes directly to the organization.

Explore fundraiser ideas prior to deciding on one that fits your organization’s mission and goals. There are several items you can sell and events you can organize to raise funds for your organization but the key to success is combining proven tactics with innovative ideas.