Fundraise money for your team, school, or non-profit organization! Try these great fundraising ideas with very lucrative results.
Not every group has the cash flow to participate in the activities they would like to be a part of. Some groups get the majority of their money through fundraising. With so many groups hitting the streets looking for money, groups have to think of innovative new ways to profit from fundraisers. Here are some great new fundraising ideas!
Host a game of “Bingo Poop!”
This great idea for a fundraiser stems from a horseback riding school raising money for a new horse trailer, but if you can borrow a pony and a field for a few hours, it is great entertainment and an excellent source of income. Sell blocks of the field for $2, measuring from left to right and up to down. Each participant will “own” this piece for the day— for example, if someone draws block 8X6, they will own the piece of land eight blocks over and six blocks up. Whichever block the horse “poops” in first, wins half the money in the pot (or some other predetermined prize.)
Fundraising Tip: to make even more money, rent a pony from a local stable and use him for pony rides after the Bingo Poop. Make sure you get an experienced handler to help out, and use helmets in case of any accidents!
Sell Pre-Packaged Fundraiser Items
Chocolates are available from a variety of sources at a discounted price, and can be sold for $2 to $3 a box. World’s Finest Chocolates even makes their chocolates in a peanut-free facility, making it safe for kids with peanut allergies to sell them as well. Allergic to tree nuts? Worlds Finest also makes “100% nut-free” chocolate too.
Another great and easy thing to sell is tubs of cookie dough. The tubs are a great idea for busy moms on the go who want to make home-baked cookies but don’t have the time.
Fundraising Tip: encourage group members to sell as much as possible by offering a prize to the top seller. Cookie Dough Sales recommends setting a goal quantity, and then offering a small prize such as a big bag of gummy bears to anyone who meets the goal.
Make Submarines
Meat and cheese subs are one of the best fundraiser sellers a group can participate in—not only are they popular sources of income, they are a lot of fun as well! Contact a local deli for prices on sub meats, and a bakery for the buns. Have the whole group get together to make the subs. Make sure you add a couple packs of mayonnaise and mustard, a stir stick, and a napkin so customers can put their own condiments on. Typically, a sub and a drink sells for about $6 and the group profits around 45%.
Fundraising Tip: if you have a group that is looking for new members, print up tags to staple to the sub bags with the name, address, website, and contact information for your group.
Have a Bottle Drive
Recycling is a great way to raise money and help the environment. All you need to get started on this fundraiser is a few pick-up trucks and some people to knock on doors. If your group has team jackets, make sure you wear them so people will recognize you’re with an organization. Ask people to donate their old bottles and cans, especially beer bottles, which bring in the most money.
Fundraising Tip: clean out wine bottles with hot water and sell them to people who make homemade wine for even more cash.
Pump Gas
This great fundraising idea doesn’t cost a cent to run. Simply ask a local gas station to let your volunteers spend a day pumping gas and cleaning windshields. Have a set rate for the service, or simply ask for donations for your team.
Fundraising Tip: to increase income, ask the station owner if your team can set up a car wash in their lot as well. Or set up a barbeque and sell hotdogs and cold drinks to customers. Just be sure to check with the owner first.
Other Ideas
Fundraising is a great way to raise money for any team, and if you pick the right fundraisers it can be fun as well. It’s important to make sure you have the volunteers and resources to run a fundraiser, since you don’t want to get stuck footing the bill for chocolates or car wash soap. Other great ideas include craft fairs, flea markets, silent auctions, candygrams, bake sales, shoveling snow, doing lawn work, or selling raffle tickets.