Fundraising is a common act for collecting money either to donate to a charity or for funding a large product, and it is often schools and businesses that perform fundraisers. Other groups or even individuals can launch fundraisers as well, and fundraiser ideas are nearly limitless in terms of spreading awareness, activities for raising the funds, and of course, fundraising ideas for where they money is going. Often, a fundraiser may be linked to humanitarian interests such as fundraising to build a shelter for the homeless or battered women, or fundraisers for research into cancer or raising money for a children’s hospital. Fundraising ideas can span fundraising apparel such as custom company shirts, or a custom T-shirt or hat for everyone involved. Fundraising ideas expand to paper and digital media as well, that can advertise when and where the fundraiser event takes place or what cause the fundraiser is supporting.
Fundraising Ideas and Rates
Many fundraisers take place all over the country, big and small. A survey done by the National Association of Elementary School Principals in 2007, for example, found that 76% of schools will hist up to five fundraisers every year, and 2-0% hold five to 10 such events. Similarly, a survey done by Causera.org, a software company that works with various nonprofits, found that 98% of parents reported that their children’s schools take part in fundraising, and 40% of those parents said that those activities take place frequently, and plenty of fundraising ideas may be used for all those events. Public fundraising programs fund nearly $1.4 billion worth for field trips, computer labs, sports team uniforms, and playground equipment, and fundraising companies donated nearly $4.8 million worth of goods to charities in the previous year. Many people are donating to these charities; for example, back during the 2005-2006 school year, some nine out of 10 parents had purchased a product to support a school’s fundraiser, according to data from a nationwide survey commissioned by AFRDS. Also, 71% of parents aid that they had sold fundraising products to family, friends, and co-workers, driving up funds even more.
Fundraising ideas vary as widely as the people launching them, the cause that they are supporting, and where the fundraiser if taking place, if at a physical location at all. In fact, some fundraisers might be done entirely by digital means. With the rise of social media and the Internet, it is not just possible, but often easy to set up an online charity or fundraiser through certain websites or apps and spread awareness of this fundraiser to anyone and everyone interested. A company raising funds for wildlife protection, for example, could launch a website and use social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to raise awareness, and funds may soon start coming in from people all across the United States. This can be a solid fundraising idea for groups who cannot or are not interested in carrying out an in-person event for fundraising.
Fundraising ideas are wide when an activity is carried out, such as with schools. Fundraising can be done such as putting on a live concert and raising funds by charging admission and for concessions, and other fundraising ideas can be such things as petting zoos, auctions for items, a breakfast or lunch buffet, sports events or obstacle courses (charging admission for those too), and anything else that a fundraising group can think of. A combination of a print media campaign such as flyers and posters can be launched, alongside a digital one using Facebook, Twitter, and even YouTube for a similar effort online to reach the maximum audience. For local people who could donate, colorful flyers and attractive posters or signs can advertise the fundraiser quickly, and for those living in neighboring areas, digital media is the best way to reach out to them. Those people are less likely to see a sign or poster, but they are bound to find the fundraiser on social media platform posts that lead them to the fundraising website or find directions to the fundraiser event. Local or nation-wide causes can be supported by these fundraiser ideas, from funding the school sports team’s uniforms or building a new sports field all the way to supporting cancer research or even a zoo.