People and groups of all different statures and sizes can find themselves needing the generate money for something. Maybe it’s a big company trying to do some philanthropic work in the community. Perhaps it’s a church group that needs to pay for travel expenses to do some charity work in an impoverished country. Or it could be as simple as a twenty-something looking for
some cash to buy a new car.
Regardless of what the reason is, all of those scenarios require effective fundraising ideas. The best thing is that, as long as it works, pretty much anything can be used as a fundraiser.
One popular idea for larger fundraisers is to set up a raffle. Usually whatever the prize or prizes are will have been donated, so they don’t cost any money. Therefore, the money people pay to enter the raffle goes toward the bottom line. Another popular type of drawing is a 50/50 raffle, which doesn’t require anything except participants and raffle tickets. Half the money goes to the
fundraiser and half goes into a pot for the winner of the drawing.
Raffle prizes often have to be fairly expensive to generate interest, so it can be hard to procure them. Individual fundraisers are better off keeping it simple. It sounds childish, but have a party where you make a bunch of food and drinks and charge people a small fee to attend.
Also, don’t be afraid to get by with a little help from your friends. Have people give you their best recipes and compile a cookbook to sell. Have family members and others you know pledge money if you complete a task such as running a marathon or staying sober for an entire month (both of those options might be difficult for many!)
Get local businesses and restaurants in on the action. Ask them to put out tip jars near their registers for patrons to contribute to, or donate a small percentage of their profits on a certain night.
There are a plethora of ways to raise funds, whether it’s for a large group or a single person. The key is to get as many people involved and aware of the drive as possible so there will be plenty hands reaching into pockets to fill the coffers.