Fundraising can be a fun experience rather than a stressful event. All you need to do is prepare beforehand and choose the right fundraising idea to match the style and goals of the people involved. The typical fundraising ideas generally involve either taking orders for a specific product and then delivering the product, or selling a particular item right on the spot. Baked goods, boxed cookies, and cookie dough are some of the traditional examples, but there is no need to stop there. If the group organizing the fundraising includes some good cooks, consider offering home-cooked meals, pizza bargains, frozen food, or homemade candy. You could even raffle cooking classes or set up a refreshment stand at school or church functions.
Aside from food, other great fundraising ideas include raffles and auctions. This can take the form of live auctions or silent auctions, where people present their bids inside sealed envelopes. If you collect prize donations, you could organize a sealed-envelope sale, in which the name of the prizes are written in small pieces of paper and sealed into envelopes that are then sold. Whatever is written inside, that is what the person gets. This is very popular fundraising idea, since everybody gets something. When it comes to raffles, the options are endless. Prizes can vary from a handmade quilt to a spa gift certificate. The secret to a successful raffle is to obtain the prizes through donations rather than purchasing them.
To turn a fundraising effort into a successful event, always look to your consumers for ideas. For example, if you are targeting families, you could sell Child ID Programs, in which parents can have the chance to register their child, get a special ID and a set of teeth imprints. If you are targeting single young people, go with chocolate or discount to local restaurants or health clubs. If you are in a hurry and need quick and easy fundraising ideas, you can always set up a garage sale, a book fair, or a carwash program. None of these ideas require much planning and all of them can end up turning quite a profit.
