 What
fund raisers work? And what fund raisers are actually WORTH all the
work? Good questions. Here's the top 5 creative and effective fund
raisers that youth ministry's use today.
1. The Work Day
The number one fundraiser that I use each year with outstanding
results and a bonus of social service experience is what I always
called the "Salvation Army Work Day."
I simply call the local Salvation Army shelter and schedule a
day we can come and work for 8 hours. (I usually brought a group of 20
to 30-the Salvation Army in my town was able to use all of us. Some of
us would work in the kitchen, some would do basic cleanup.)
Several weeks before the work day I make up pledge sheets for the
kids. They solicit hourly pledges from family, friends, congregation
members and neighbors for the 8 hours of work they will do. Do the
math: if they can get 20 people to pledge a dollar an hour, they will
make $20 an hour for 8 hours of work. That's $160 for ONE KID! This is
better than your typical car wash- and it's a great experience at the
same time.
I have a sample form I used for this fund-raiser on our web site on
the LOGISTICAL CRUD page under the heading "fund raising form."
CLICK
HERE
I know a church that brings about 400 kids to serve in Mexico each
year. To raise funds for this mission trip, the kids do a workday like
I've outlined above. As you can imagine, it might be difficult to find
one place that 400 kids can work. So this church finds numerous work
projects that the kids will do. They do community clean up, work in
several shelters, and help needy people that need home repair. This
creates an opportunity to start working as teams as well as raising
dollars for the event.
Whether your group is small or huge, the work day can provide all you
need.
2. Selling Stock
This is a great way to help people invest in your ministry for a
certain trip or project. Basically, you make up certificates that are
"a share" of a certain trip. One share might be $10 or $20. People buy
a certain number of shares, supporting the trip. When kids return, you
have a stockholders meeting to report the "return" on the investment.
This is a great way to get people interested in the results of your
trips. I used to run an outreach trip every year where we did
something similar to this. Upon return of the trip, I would report to
my investors with the results of the trip: how many received Christ,
how many made re-commitments, how many signed up for our weekly Bible
studies, etc. Whether outreach, discipleship or student leadership
opportunities, supporters love being involved in something where they
see the difference that God is making in the lives of kids.
3. The Auction- Vintage T-shirt, Pies...
I know non-profit organizations that make over $30,000 with a once a
year auction. They use a free facility-the church. They decorate it
nicely and have a nice catered dinner. The ticket price of the auction
pays for the catering and most the costs, then they get all the
"auction items" donated. All the proceeds from the sale of these items
are a net gain.
Different auctions bring out different kinds of items. Here are some
of the great items and ideas that I've seen bring in a lot of money:
- Pies... with a perk! At one
local charity auction the group auctions off 12 delicious pies
donated by a local restaurant. But the people aren't interested in
the pies. This organization also gets one very nice piece of jewelry
donated, usually valued at between $1,500 and $2,500. One of the
pies contains the little fuzzy box with this ring or necklace in it.
People pay up to $250 a pie for a shot at this great prize.
- Vintage t-shirts: Some
youth groups have done complete auctions just selling vintage
t-shirts. They put the word out and collect donations of old
"collectable" t-shirts from people and auction them off: old band
T's, old slogans like "where's the beef"...
- Crazy auction: this is a
type of live auction where people bid a little differently. When the
auctioneer holds up an item, people start their bidding. This is
where it's unique. When people bid on the item... THEY PAY. For
example: The auctioneer might auction off a signed jersey from a
great basketball player. If the starting bid is $20, the person who
bids pays $20 into the auctioneers hat right then. If another person
bids $25, then they put $25 in the hat. Each time someone bids, they
pay. And if they don't get the item... thanks for the donation.
This works really well with cheap items that only cost a few dollars
because people aren't scared to lose a few dollars. The more
expensive items only work in crowds that have a lot of money to
spend.
4. Loose Change Collection
Many of you have seen this age old idea that still seems to reap great
results. Simply get some large clear containers-I like the empty 5
gallon water jugs. Place them throughout the church with a sign that
says something like, "Your Loose Change Makes a Difference!" Then have
some more information in small print about what the funds are used
for. These loose change jugs can raise some great funds, especially if
they are plugged from the pulpit.
I've been to small towns where certain restaurants and stores will
display these containers for churches as well. And lots of people will
contribute to a good cause. It's all about how it's perceived, so
choose the right project for this fund raiser. People won't be as
eager to give to someone's Disneyland trip, but they'll happily
contribute for a trip to Mexico to rebuild an orphanage.
5. Christmas Trees, Fireworks...
In some areas holidays bring fund raising opportunities. In my city,
firework stands are great ways for organizations to make a huge
profit. This takes a lot of volunteers and some administration, but
it's worth it. If you've never done a booth before, I recommend you
asking someone in your area who has-you'll want to make sure and take
their advice for set up, clean up and security.
Christmas tree sales are another great fund raiser for those that have
the right connections. I saw a group that simply bought their
Christmas trees at Costco for $39.99 and sold them for $49.99. It
doesn't sound worth it... but they had a great niche. They would
DELIVER the tree for $20 more. They would deliver and REMOVE the tree
for $30 more. This became their big money maker.
Any of these ideas can work. You just have to know your area, evaluate
your resources, and see which of these are worth the time and effort.
 Jonathan
McKee is president of
TheSourceForYouthMinistry.com and author of the new book "Do
They Run When They See You Coming? Reaching Out to Unchurched
Teenagers."
(CLICK HERE FOR THE BOOK) Jonathan
speaks and
trains
across the country and provides free online resources, training, &
ideas for youth workers at
www.TheSource4YM.com |
