How To Raise Funds For Your Charity
If you are serious about raising as much money as possible for your charity of choice, then you may be looking for new, exciting, and innovative ways to raise awareness of it and to persuade people to donate towards your important cause. You might want to do something traditional that you know works, or you might try something entirely different. Either way, making money come in for your charity is what is important. Here are some fundraising ideas that can help you do just that.
photo 401(K) 2012 via Flickr
Hold A Garage Sale
Everyone has plenty of items in their homes that they no longer want or need and in many cases, these items can be left out for the trash. However, it would be a great idea if you could organize a garage sale or table top sale so that not only do you rid yourself of all the things you no longer want, but you can make money to give to charity from it too. You might choose to price up all the goods, or you might run a ‘pay what you choose’ sale where people donate what they feel they can spare whether they buy something tiny or something larger.
If there is anything left at the end of the sale you could take it to Goodwill or another shop that has charity at its heart. It may not be the same cause as the one you’re raising money for, but they can all do with help, so it will never be a wasted gesture.
Design Clothing
If you are a creative person who loves to design images, then why not put that skill to good use when it comes to your charity? You can design a great image that can be used on clothing such as baseball hats and t-shirts, or that could even be used on buttons and bumper stickers. You could think of a witty or memorable catchphrase like the ones used for presidential slogans and add that too. When people are wearing these items, others will notice and want to know more about the cause they are supporting, so they should spread your message far and wide. Plus any profits made from their sale can be sent directly to the charity in question.
Do A Sponsored Walk
If you want to do something personal to get donations for your charity, then you could consider something physical such as a sponsored walk, run, swim, or even bike ride. People would pay you a certain amount per mile (or an overall amount, depending on their preference) and you would need to complete that task in order to get the donations.
Whatever you choose, make sure that it is enough of a challenge that people realize you’re doing something difficult or out of the ordinary, but also ensure that it is something that you actually can complete without hurting yourself in the process. You need to finish the task, so it should be something that you know how to do already – there won’t be time to learn once you start getting your donations in.
Baking
Baking is always a great idea when it comes to raising money for charity. People love to eat baked goods, and if they can buy some that they know will help a good cause it makes the deal even sweeter. You can also use a bake-off to get everyone in the community together because baking is something that all ages and abilities can get involved with. This way, your charity can have an even bigger boost because there will be a lot more cake and cookies for sale than there would be if you were doing it by yourself.
You can also charge a premium for those goods that have been baked according to a ‘secret family recipe’ as long as you also provide the recipe so that the baked goods can be replicated at home too. This is an additional donation stream which shouldn’t be overlooked.
Fancy Dress
Dressing up in funny costumes makes everyone smile, and it’s a brilliant way to ensure that you can raise some charity money whilst also doing something fun. Choose a day at work or at school and speak to the people in charge about whether or not it is allowed. If it is, then start posting flyers about everyone having the chance to dress up – you might choose a specific theme, or you could leave it up the people’s imaginations; the choice is yours.
Everyone will need to donate to your cause in order to participate, and because this is a chance to be a bit crazy and different, and not wear normal clothing for once, no one is going to want to miss out.
What’s really great about this is that if people are commuting or just going out for lunch, for example, they will be able to explain to curious onlookers exactly why they are dressed up and what your cause is all about. This could entice more people to donate, or at least decide to find out more about the charity and even this can be a big bonus.
Local Festival
Who doesn’t enjoy a festival atmosphere? This idea will take some organizing and promoting, but if you can manage it, it could raise a lot of money for charity. You will need to find a field or other venue where a lot of people can enjoy the festival and ensure you have all the necessary permissions. Then you will need to find people who will perform at the festival and those who will be able to arrange the lighting and the sound, for example. You may need to pay them a small amount, but some local bands will be glad to be able to help out your charity in return for exposure. You might even consider letting them sell their CD if they have one as this will give them some money for their help.
Food and drink stalls should also be arranged if possible, although sometimes the rules in certain states make this difficult, in which case people will need to bring their own. Then just charge for tickets (with the money going to charity) and enjoy!
Author: Carol Trehearn
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