Set goals

The first fundraising tip is to set financial goals for your fundraisers. Goals are motivational for volunteers and donors alike. Many fundraisers use graphs or big “thermometers” filled up to show how much has been raised and how far there is to go. Of course you can’t do this if you don’t know what your goals are.

Goals also allow volunteers to see that there is an end in sight – something that they will appreciate in the later stages of a fundraising project!

Choose fundraising events that will achieve your goals

This second fundraising tip follows on from the first. When you know what your goals are, you can think about what type of fundraising events will best achieve those goals.

For instance, if you want to raise $5000, you’ll need more than a bake sale! If it seems like you do not have the resources to organize the kind of events needed to achieve your goal, adjust you goal to something you can realistically achieve .

Set short time limits

Another fundraising tip is to set short time limits for achieving your goals. If you have chosen the right types of events for achieving those goals there is no reason why the a fundraiser should continue for a long time.

Extending fundraisers rarely achieves a worthwhile amount in additional funds. Volunteers become weary and events costs increase.

Organize your fundraising calendar

Many fundraising groups have messy event schedules – a fundraiser here, a fundraiser there. Volunteers and donors alike can lose enthusiasm with this stop-start approach to fundraising.

With this in mind, a valuable fundraising tip is: get organized! Select some key events in the year – ones you do each year – and set firm dates for them that will stay the same from year to year. For instance, decide that your major bake sale will be held on the second Sunday of every August.

By following this tip, your events will become well-known fixtures in the local calendar. Everyone can plan ahead and make sure they are available for the event, including valuable volunteers, and the local paper can log your events to be included in “Upcoming Events” when the relevant months come around.

Ideally, stagger your events evenly throughout the year, concluding with your biggest fundraising event – the grand finale.

Reward your volunteers

Fundraisers would not be possible without the hard work, patience and enthusiasm of volunteers. Though volunteers don’t expect to be rewarded, they will appreciate a token of thanks.

These do not have to be costly items. Perhaps you have surplus goods donated for one of your events – key rings, mugs or t-shirts. Perhaps your group organizer would be prepared to host a barbeque. Alternatively, organize a pot luck picnic in the park, an opportunity for all the volunteers to meet each other and for the group organizer to give a vote of thanks.

Get a database

The final fundraising tip is to collect valuable information on a database. For instance, contact details of volunteers as well as donors to your fundraisers. Having this information organized and at your fingertips will make it easier to plan events.

A “Trick or Treat” Halloween fundraiser

Trustworthy teenagers and adults can trick or treat along with the kids, but while the kids get candy the adults can trick or treat for loose change. It is surprising how much money small change adds up to, and the cute kids encourage donations!

It is good idea if volunteers do this in their own neighborhood where they are known and trusted. Even better, take along a letter from the school or organization that the Halloween fundraiser is for, as well as a specially prepared box or collection jar.

Classic Pumpkin Decorating competition

This classic Halloween event makes a great fundraiser event too. Local stores usually have huge stocks of pumpkins. See if any are prepared to donate pumpkins for your Halloween fundraiser.

This Halloween fundraiser works in two ways. First, contestants pay for the pumpkins. Secondly, you display the decorated pumpkins with a jar or some other container in front of each one. People “vote” for the pumpkin they like best by putting money in the jar. The pumpkin that gets the most money is the winner.

Just think of a good place to set up the display, and give contestants a deadline for entering their pumpkin. Don’t forget to do some signage about who the fundraiser is for.

Halloween “Insurance” Plans

After the fun and excitement of Halloween, there can be all sorts of items to be cleaned up – candy wrappers, broken pumpkins and so on.

An unusual Halloween fundraiser idea is to go door-to-door “selling” insurance plans. The idea is that in return for a small fee, volunteers can be called in to clean up their front yard and sidewalk the day after Halloween.

This fundraiser works best when volunteers use it their local neighborhood. They can easily get up early and get on with the job. In practice, few people make call in their plans but you should have some trash bags ready just in case!

You can give the plans a fun name such as “Hobgoblin Insurance” or “Wizard Clean Ups.” All you need is a volunteer with a computer and some paper to come up with a fun insurance “certificate.” It will need to include the name and number of an adult volunteer who they can contact, if they want to call in the plan, as well as information about who the fundraiser is for.

If you stop and think about the colorful events surrounding Halloween you are sure to think of some Halloween fundraiser ideas of your own. With a little imagination, many Halloween traditions are good opportunities to raise money for good causes.

In a typical blind auction fundraising, people are invited to donate items for the auction. Each of the items is wrapped, by the donors or volunteers, so that bidders cannot tell what they are bidding on. Hence, “blind” auction.

The items are given a number and put on display some time before the actual auction. Guests have fun trying to guess what each item is. At some blind auctions, items are tagged with helpful hints. Guests then bid on the item numbers that interest them.

Blind auctions fundraisers are usually part of a larger event, such as a charity dance, dinner or fair. The items make an attractive display and the auction itself usually takes place towards the end of the event, as a grand finale.

Regarding donated items, it is a good idea to set guidelines regarding the type of items that can be donated. This will ensure that items are not inappropriate or dangerous to your guests. You can also suggest a minimum value so that all winning bidders will get a worthwhile item.

Local business and individuals may wish to donate high-value items to your blind auction fundraising event. If so, you can put them into a separate “premium” auction, for an exciting grand finale. Alternatively, you can mix the expensive donated items with the others for added excitement as everyone tries to guess which ones they are.

Donors can have fun too. You can invite them to wrap the items in a way that disguises their true weight, size and so on, and have fun writing mysterious clues to what the items are. Children especially will have great fun with this, making small items large, light items heavy, and so on.

The actual auction can be done in the traditional way, by a volunteer acting as auctioneer. Perhaps you can persuade a professional auctioneer to volunteer their services. Professionals are usually very entertaining.

Alternatively, you can use a silent bidding system. In silent bidding, people write down the number of the item they want and the amount of their bid. Winning bids are announced at the grand finale. A simple way to do this is to place a clipboard or box (if you want to keep bids secret) by each item.

Many organizations have great success with blind auctions and they become a popular annual fixture. For your own blind auction, there is plenty of scope to use your imagination to use your imagination and make your blind auction fundraising event unique and exciting.