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    CtYankee's Avatar
    CtYankee Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #1

    Nov 11, 2005, 01:03 PM
    Non-Profit fundraising
    My Kids attend a catholic school that is funded only by tuition and fund raisers. The problem is they have 30 fundraiser a year that make minimal money. There are so many that they become less and less efective. How many rolls of wrapping paper can you convince people to buy..

    I need direction on finding bigger and better fund raisers.. something that works and will actually get people excited about being a part of...

    Thx
    fredg's Avatar
    fredg Posts: 4,926, Reputation: 674
    Ultra Member
     
    #2

    Nov 12, 2005, 06:54 AM
    Fund Raising Ideas
    Hi,
    Here is a link with many, many ideas.

    http://www.fundsnetservices.com/fundrais.htm

    I do wish you the best, and I am sure there will be something on the above page.
    CtYankee's Avatar
    CtYankee Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #3

    Nov 14, 2005, 01:39 PM
    Tried them...
    Thanks you fredg for the link, the problem we are having is that all the ones they have listed we are doing or have failed at before. We need something original that can raise some serious dough so we shorten the amount of fundraising time each parent must spend
    Fr_Chuck's Avatar
    Fr_Chuck Posts: 81,301, Reputation: 7692
    Expert
     
    #4

    Nov 14, 2005, 08:55 PM
    Fund raising
    Some groups have yard sales that do well

    Have food sales in some local event (fair, city event)

    One group had a "non fund raising" fund raiser they actually sent letters to people who normally buy items and the such and merely asked them to dontae money. Idea, you buy 15 dollar item to help church, only 5 goes to church normally, Just give us 10 you save 5 dollars and we make more money.
    CaptainForest's Avatar
    CaptainForest Posts: 3,645, Reputation: 393
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    #5

    Nov 30, 2005, 08:12 PM
    It sounds like you have diluted the concept of giving.

    Instead of asking people to donate 30 times a year, ask them fewer times, and perhaps they will give more each time.

    But when you dilute, people might become sinical of it and feel like its just another cash grab.

    I would rather donate one big cheque than a million small ones.
    orange's Avatar
    orange Posts: 1,364, Reputation: 197
    Ultra Member
     
    #6

    Dec 29, 2005, 07:44 AM
    Grant proposals
    Have you ever tried writing funding proposals to local charitable foundations, companies or corporations such as banks? If your school is a registered non-profit and/or charity, you should be able to get some cash grants that way, or at least grants to fund certain school activities. There may even be government grants for this.

    In order to do this effectively, you will need to find someone who knows how to write a grant proposal. I used to write such proposals for a living. Here is a website I found useful:

    http://www.charityvillage.com

    Not only does it list all the possible foundations which grant money and what kind of charities they grant to, but it also gives tips on how to write a good letter of intent, proposal, etc... The site is Canadian but it also includes many foundations and organizations in other countries. Good luck!
    LITLK's Avatar
    LITLK Posts: 7, Reputation: 5
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    #7

    May 7, 2007, 09:38 AM
    You might try doing fewer fund raisers, but do larger ones. They will take more involvement, organization but you might all have more fun doing it, making new friends and probably would generate more revenue thus resulting in fewer fund raisers a year.

    Such as holding an annual carnival. One with games made and manned by different groups of your congregation. Charge to play games. Maybe have popcorn, hot dogs, lemonade, etc. If you have a large congregation you could limit attendance to them and their guests.

    If you have the room available you might consider putting on a play, this will take some planning. But could advertise and open to the public to attend and charge a small fee.


    Have a kitchen? Have members volunteer to organize and donate the ingredients for a Spaggetti Dinner, maybe include a small tossed salad, bread and ask for a small donation
    ($5.00)? A plate?

    Have committee in charge of marketing the event.

    Open your mind to ideas that could get the children and adults excited to participate. Selling candy bars, gift wrap, etc is OK but not a lot of fun and most people only buy to support the child selling it. Gets old.

    Hope this helps.
    gallivant_fellow's Avatar
    gallivant_fellow Posts: 157, Reputation: 31
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    #8

    Oct 7, 2007, 01:35 PM
    This may sound unholy to you, but many people who donate money, do it to be noticed as a good person. If someone donates cash, any amount, have them thanked on stage for their wonderful donation and make them look like a hero for keeping the school going. After that, things will get competitive.
    annalaurabrown's Avatar
    annalaurabrown Posts: 3, Reputation: 2
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    #9

    Oct 13, 2007, 06:25 PM
    I offer great profitable fundraisers with my home business. Check out
    http://www.fundraiserswithmiabellacandles.com for free info
    Clough's Avatar
    Clough Posts: 26,677, Reputation: 1649
    Uber Member
     
    #10

    Oct 13, 2007, 07:29 PM
    Anyone still posting to this thread please be advised that the original poster has not so much as logged back onto this site since November 15, 2005 at 07:23 A.M.

    Also, we're not supposed to be advertising in the answers that we give to people for a business that we do.
    Helpufundraise's Avatar
    Helpufundraise Posts: 1, Reputation: 2
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    #11

    Dec 15, 2007, 11:09 AM
    Hello,

    I have read your post and think I have an answer for you. I run a cell phone recycling program and have cut and paste a letter we send to schools who use our program as a fund raiser. It is very successful and can be run all year round. Plus it solves the problem of what to do with all the old cell phones laying around the house. Please read and reply. The program is free and we provide all the materials and pick up the phones for free. I look forward to hearing from you.

    Dear Superintendent,

    Your School District has been chosen by HelpUFundRaise.com in Partnership with The Wireless Alliance to participate in a totally FREE environmentally friendly fund raising program.
    As you may know, there is a growing problem with the improper disposal of electronic waste. The average American gets a new cell phone every 12-18 months yet it is estimated that less than 10% of the phones in circulation are being disposed of in an eco-friendly and responsible manner. Consider that one handset without a battery can pollute up to 40,000 gallons of water when the metals such as mercury, arsenic and beryllium leach out of the phone. We need to be more aware and active when it comes to protecting our earth, and setting up a cell phone recycling program with us is a effective and easy step in that direction! Furthermore, our company pays for all cell phones that we receive. Certain phones collected currently pay as high as $75.00 each.
    This is how the program works…
    HOW IT WORKS:
    1. We send to you free cell phone collection and donation boxes (approximately a cubic foot in size).
    2. Once the boxes are received, a teacher or other staff member can act as a coordinator to get students and their parents to bring in their old cell phones for recycling or ask local business to sponsor corporate clean up days and collect phones for you. Once a box is full of phones, it can simply be handed to any Fed Ex or UPS driver making a regular pick-up. Postage is covered by our recycling partner, using pre-paid shipping labels.
    3. Once a box is received, our recycling partner will produce a report that will then be sent to the participating school district, detailing the cell phones received and the amount due to that district.
    4. Finally, payment for all cell phones received in a given month will be sent to the participating school district at the beginning of the next month.
    All cell phones and related items received are handled in an EPA regulated manner. Our mission is to:
    a) Provide a responsible recycling option for old batteries, chargers, and cell phones;
    b) Create new revenue for school districts on an on going basis by paying them for used cell phones; and
    c) Encourage awareness by students, their families and district staff of our environment and what we can do as individuals to make a difference.
    This opportunity offers a very easy year round permanent fund raiser for your school district at no cost. By assigning a coordinator in each school and making an announcement, you can start raising funds immediately.
    RECOMMENDED NEXT STEPS:
    1) Assign a coordinator for the entire district or each school.
    2) Have the coordinator(s) contact us at [email protected] and provide their name and contact information along with where he or she wishes collection materials to be sent.
    It's that easy to have a cell phone recycling fundraising program up and running.
    Thank you so much for your time and consideration and Good Luck with your Districts cell phone recycling and fund raising activities.
    HelpUFundRaise.com

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