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<title>Latest Fundraising Articles</title>
<link>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/</link>
<description>Articles at BetterLifeAdvice</description>
<language>en-us</language>
<item>
<title>About Non Profit Fundraising</title>
<link>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/finance/fundraising/about-non-profit-fundraising.html</link>
<guid>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/finance/fundraising/about-non-profit-fundraising.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:45:56 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Did you know that 85% of Non Profit Fundraising every year is acquired from direct individual donations? 

That 85% consists of large and small donations but it is the steady stream of small donations that keep most nonprofits afloat. 

One should plan and forward his or her steps careful if the organization is new and they are not sure about the process of Non Profit Fundraising.


Ideally, first step should be to cultivate donors in the local community and than move on to Internet Fundraising. 


How does one raise funds? 

One can raise your funds through grants, product sale and special events and by phonathons. Online fundraising is very popular around the world these days.

Primarily one has to find one or two donor who will make a large donation (known as major donors).  
 
Let us discuss some simple steps to get prospective donors interested and involved in the project.

1) Create a list of prospective donors who may get interested in organization’s activities.

2) Primarily one should concentrate on friend-raising activities rather than a 
fund-raising one, like organizing some special events (a spaghetti dinner, carnival, concert, or some other fun activity) with several door prizes.

3) Now create a mailing list of those persons who are somewhat interested or may get interested about the organization. One should include the following points in the mailing list-

    a) detailed address of office and residence 

    b) phone number  

    c) personal & detailed information 

4) Within 3 days mail a nice letter to every listed individual. In addition, tell them-

    a) how the organization is helping someone in the community.

    b) that it is only possible with the support (monetary and otherwise) from 
       good people like them.

    c) ask them for contribution and include a pre-addressed return envelope to make it easy for the donor.

5) Try to invite the prospect to come as a volunteer.

    a)  have a volunteer coordinator well prepared in advance to accept all calls, and to put them to good use.

    b)  the coordinator should introduce them to the staff, and make them feel to be a part of the organization. Once a volunteer feels to be a part of the 
organization, he or she (and friends) is more likely to contribute. 

6) Send letters and newsletters to those who did not volunteer. It may work to good effect if they are asked to speak to their civic groups, church groups about the organization. A good relationship always pays. . 

7) Thank anybody and everybody whenever and however possible on whatever occasion.

Finally, maintaining donors’ involvement over time is indispensable. Try to get them excited about what you are doing with their kind help.

Remember: Non Profit Fundraising is all about building relationships. ]]></description>
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<title>Being Creative With Your Fundraising Ideas</title>
<link>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/finance/fundraising/being-creative-with-your-fundraising-ideas.html</link>
<guid>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/finance/fundraising/being-creative-with-your-fundraising-ideas.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:37:56 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Have you realized just how much fundraising is going on these days? There is fundraising for little league, school fundraisers, and the college fundraiser, as well as  church fundraisers. Day cares need more funds, hospitals need new equipment, and cheerleaders need to fundraise for their costumes. And to think up new fundraising ideas that will be successful is becoming more challenging every day.

On a good note, it shows that people do care how others live and cope with their lives. However, it also means that, because we are always being asked to donate to one good cause after another, we are not always able to help. Despite our best intentions, our own funds simply will not stretch that far.

However, if we request the donation of items instead of cash, that is often a relief to a potential donor. People will often gladly donate a can of food for a food drive, or a kitchen item they have never used for a sale, whereas they would not donate cash. And there are many kinds of fundraising ideas you can use to hold sales based on items collected.

For example, you could hold a toy drive that would give your organization toys to sell to support your work. Or what about a gardening sale? If you have some volunteers with green thumbs, they could easily grow some plant cuttings or start some seeds or bulbs growing ready for a plant sale in the spring or early summer, when the general public is looking to restock their garden after the winter.

Book sales are always well attended, but of course you will need to collect a lot of donated books to make this a success, as books do not generally sell for a high price. You could approach local publishers to see if they have any books that they could donate to support your cause. If they do give you some books, don't forget to write them after your event to thank them and also to let them know how successful you were and how much their donation helped you. Donors like to be thanked, and they are more likely to support you in the future if they know their gift has been appreciated in the past.

Some groups like to ask for donated items and then they use these to make up some themed gift baskets which they then raffle, usually at another fundraising event. For example you may make up a bath basket containing some soap, hand towels and bath salts from your donated items. The trick here is to keep raffle tickets affordable, especially if you are expecting those that donated the items to be buying the raffle tickets!

You may find that some people are willing to volunteer their time rather than funds. For example an electrician may prefer to spend a half day checking the wiring in the new offices your non-profit group just moved into, rather than donate cash. As long as this benefits your non-profit organization, any donation is welcome, whether it is time or money, but make sure your donors know what the goal of your organization is, and how their assistance will help you. They may then mention it to their circle of friends, and this kind of promotion is very valuable. ]]></description>
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<title>Candle Fund Raisers Are Highly Profitable For Your Organization</title>
<link>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/finance/fundraising/candle-fund-raisers-are-highly-profitable-for-your-organization.html</link>
<guid>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/finance/fundraising/candle-fund-raisers-are-highly-profitable-for-your-organization.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:29:56 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Fund raisers are a great way to raise money for your school, sports team or other type organization. What’s also nice about them is that they are a very sociable way to earn money for a good cause because you’re out there meeting the community. For younger participants, fundraisers can even be an early lesson in sales and marketing. 

A very high-profit fundraising item right now is candles which are fun and very easy to sell because of their popularity. Candles are a much better choice than food or over-priced novelty items that tend to generate lower profits. They are a rapidly growing option that is more appealing to the public because they are a non-junk food alternative to fund raisers. 

Candle fund raisers can also be very lucrative because they come in so many different varieties of size, color and scents creating a great earning potential. For school fundraiser such as band or sports teams, you can purchase and resell candles in your school’s colors. For any type of organization, especially religious congregations, think about holiday themed candles for those times of the year. 

If your group has decided to embark on a candle fund raiser, a plan of action is a very important step for reaching your fund raising goal. You should start by determining the amount of money you want to raise. Next, figure out how many people in your organization are willing to take part in the campaign and then set your deadlines by deciding on when your group is planning to start and stop the fundraiser. 

Research the candle manufactures that get involved with fundraisers and supply these types of items for that purpose. You’ll want to start comparison shopping so that you can ensure the most profit. Once you’ve got your partnership in place, the next step would be to determine the ‘new’ sale price of each candle and the number of candles each participant in the fund raiser will need to sell in order to achieve your goal. 

Be sure to let everyone involved know what the expectations are and encourage them to use their best selling skills. Also, if you’re using brochures to sell the candles, you’ll want to supply your sellers with everything they’ll need to make meeting your fund raising objective as organized and easy as possible. Give them plenty of order forms and make them aware of shipping and delivery time periods so that they can let their customers know when to expect their items. 

By following a few guidelines and setting a fair, but profitable pricing structure, your organization should be well on its way to reaching its fund raising target! Good Luck! ]]></description>
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<title>Car Wash Fundraiser Ideas</title>
<link>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/finance/fundraising/car-wash-fundraiser-ideas.html</link>
<guid>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/finance/fundraising/car-wash-fundraiser-ideas.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:21:56 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Car wash fundraisers are a proven money-maker in virtually every community. All you need are willing volunteers, a high-traffic location with good visibility, and some attention getting signs.

You can put a car wash fundraiser together on short notice, but they work best with a little planning. Here's how to get started...

Things To Do List
1- Line up a location with good main road frontage 
2- Ensure it has suitable water access 
3- Assemble supplies list – hoses, buckets, wash towels, dry towels, squeegees 
4- Assign each volunteer an item from the supplies list 
5- Make 8-10 poster board signs in high-contrast colors 
6- Arrange your volunteers in 2-hour shifts 
7- Get advance publicity, if possible 

How To List
1- Organize your group into teams - Promotion, Sales, Wash, Dry 
2- Promotion team attracts new clients with signs 
3- Sales team explains offer (use flyer for quick info) and up-sells clients 
4- Wash team soaps, scrubs, and rinses each car 
5- Dry team gets water residue off, vacuums, does tires, etc. 
6- Have at least two lines so you can wash two or more cars at once
7- Wash cars for six to eight hours (Saturday 9:00 to 3:00 preferred) 

Your fundraiser’s success will depend on the weather. If you can wash 12 cars an hour (one every 10 minutes in each line), you can raise $500- $1000 in one day.

Remember to put together a quick flyer that includes the reason why you’re raising funds and clearly states the price. You can even offer some extra services such as providing high-gloss tire treatment or vacuuming interiors for an additional fee.
 
Car Wash Fundraiser - Success Tips
1- Location, location, location! 
2- Sell car wash fundraiser tickets in advance 
3- Use a flyer that clearly explaining why you're raising funds 
4- List all prices concisely in large, bold type 
5- Up-sell to include additional services 
6- Partner with another group if your head count is low 
7- Increase revenue with an extra offering such as a 2-for-1 pizza savings card 

Alternatively, you can advertise a free car wash and just ask for donations for your cause. 

Often, this can raise more cash than stating a specific price, because people will see a group of volunteers working hard and having a good time, and may part with their money more easily. 

Final Advice
Make sure to keep the event fun for all your participants and your customers. Play upbeat music. Provide soft drinks and snacks to keep the energy level up. 

Keep safety in mind. Be sure to get volunteers to hold and wave signs toward passing traffic, not just volunteers to wash cars. 

If you have time, get your car wash fundraiser some publicity coverage in the local newspaper, or by posting signs a day or two in advance. ]]></description>
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<title>Cheerleader Fundraising</title>
<link>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/finance/fundraising/cheerleader-fundraising.html</link>
<guid>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/finance/fundraising/cheerleader-fundraising.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:13:56 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Cheerleading fundraisers are the ultimate in small group fundraising. Cheerleaders possess boundless energy, determination, and loads of contacts (for potential supporters).

Harnessing all this energy and enthusiasm can be a challenge,but having the right cheerleading fundraiser is a great start. You want to leverage their skills by giving them an exciting fundraising product to sell.

So, what cheerleading fundraising ideas will generate excitement?

In this article, we'll consider three types of cheer fundraisers. Each involves doing something a little different, each of them are easy to do, and each fundraiser packs a profit punch.

Cheer Fundraiser #1
One unique approach for a cheerleading fundraiser is offering custom posters of school sports teams or of the cheerleaders themselves. 

For instance, feature the team photo of the football team, or use a series of action photos. Each can be turned into a wall-sized poster or a fundraising calendar.

Add some allure to these cheerleading fundraisers by including your game schedule or team slogan printed on it in a contrasting color.

You could also design one to celebrate your championship teams, commemorate your previous titles, intensify a cross-town rivalry, recognize all of your school's sports teams on a spirit poster, or feature the cheerleading squad in action. 

Any of these items is sure to be popular with a wide range of students. Local businesses will often buy one to put in their front window. Players will want a souvenir copy suitable for end-of-season autographs. Proud parents and grandparents will want their own keepsake copy.

The posters can be sold easily at pep rallies, sporting events, through the school store, and by the cheerleaders themselves via a merchant table at a high-traffic location on a weekend. 

Think of creative ways to design and market your own unique set of cheerleading posters. Consider adding merchant sponsor logos to reduce the cost. You could also cross-promote with another school on a rivalry poster and double the overall market.

Cheer Fundraiser #2
Another idea for cheerleading fundraising is selling customized Holiday Greetings CD's. This is a brochure or order-taker sale of a personalized selection of holiday music favorites.

One of the nice things about this product is that a purchaser selects their ten favorite holiday songs by checking off boxes on a list of thirty classics. 

Included in the choices are favorites such as Let It Snow, White Christmas, Jingle Bells, and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.

These are licensed copies of the original recordings by the original artists, assembled on a personalized CD that costs your group a mere $4 each. 

A retail price of $10 coupled with the ability for the customer to order a personalized message on each copy, make these a great cheerleading fundraiser.

The CD's are available in six basic designs - Singing Snow Men, Rudolph, Christmas Tree, Peace On Earth, Kwanzaa, and Happy Hanukkah. 

There is room for a holiday greeting of up to thirty characters on each design. For example, the Christmas Tree version has the phrase "Merry Christmas" in green and red, with space below it for a "From the XYZ Family" greeting. 

Shipments are sorted by salesperson and customer, making your delivery a very simple task indeed. 

Cheer Fundraiser #3
A third type of cheerleading fundraiser that creates an air of excitement is selling flowering "airplants." 

Airplants, or more properly, Tillandsias, are unique, soil-free plants that absorb nutrients and water through their leaves. All they need is air, water, and light.

Tillandsias are attractive and fascinating members of the pineapple family (Bromeliaceae). Their native habitat is the southern United States, Mexico, and Central and South America.

Bromeliads - Tillandsias - can be placed in anything: rocks, shells, pottery, driftwood, around water fountains, fish tanks, etc. They like bright, indirect lighting, and a heavy spraying or soaking two or three times a week.

They have a growth cycle starting with one plant growing to maturity, then blooming. One to two months after the blooming has finished, new plants form around the base of the "mother" plant. Each will continue growing and reproducing if given the proper care.

A cheerleading fundraiser Airplant package consists of a beautiful example of the Bromeliad family, comfortably ensconced in a natural seashell holder. 

Your group pays $3 per Airplant, including the seashell holder, shipping and handling. Each Tillandsia retails for $6, so your cheerleading fundraiser is ensured a good profit margin.

You can organize your sale as a special event or as an add-on to a regular gathering. Set up a table with your sales display and place a colorful Tillandsia poster on the wall behind to let your prospective customers see how beautiful these Airplants are in full bloom.

You can also conduct your cheerleading fundraiser as an order- taker from a sales brochure. Each brochure contains colorful pictures of these exotic, but easy to care for, plants. 

Simple text explanations are included describing the simple steps involved in nourishing these fabulous specimens.

Summary
All three of these fundraising products will add some excitement to your next cheerleading fundraiser. 

When all the participants are enthusiastic about offering something new and unique, it packs a powerful profit punch. 

Heres to making your next cheer fundraiser a resounding success.

Cheers! ]]></description>
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<title>Cookie Dough Fundraisers</title>
<link>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/finance/fundraising/cookie-dough-fundraisers.html</link>
<guid>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/finance/fundraising/cookie-dough-fundraisers.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:05:56 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Looking for good school fundraiser? Cookie dough sales are an easy moneymaker. What is a cookie dough fundraiser? The basic concept is the same as all order taker fundraisers. You equip your sellers with a brochure, an order form, and a basic sales script.

Your group does catalog sales of a three-pound tub of cookie dough. Average retail price is $10 per three-pound tub. The dough comes in a wide variety of flavors, including some that are sugar free. 

Some suppliers are now offering the dough in pre-sliced packages to further simplify the baking process.

Others are offering it in a dry mix that doesn't need to be refrigerated. All you do is add water, mix by hand, and you have your cookie dough ready for baking.

Profitability
Most fundraising companies offer the three-pound tubs of cookie dough at a 40%-50% discount. Some suppliers also offer a larger four-pond tub for slightly more.

Cookie dough needs to be refrigerated, so this fundraiser requires a little more delivery preparation.&nbsp; Kids like selling this because it’s something that they enjoy themselves.

The average seller makes ten sales or approximately $100 in revenue. That translates to roughly $50 in profit per seller, which is quite good.

Factors affecting your cookie dough fundraiser profitability include freight charges, quantity discounts, quality of the brochure, number of available cookie dough choices, and the need to keep the dough refrigerated.

This product works well for both elementary school and high school fundraising.

Larger groups can easily earn a quantity discount above 50%. As always, do an RFQ fax quote to the supplier list and get your best possible discount up front.

Sales Tips
Here's what they need to do to sell:

1 - Smile, use their name in greeting, and introduce yourself
2 - Use the power of "because" (give a reason why)
3 - Ask for their help (ask for the order) 
4 - Make eye contact and suggest a favorite

Example sales script: (Keep it short & sweet)

Hi, Mrs. Johnson! (Smile & make eye contact)

I'm Jimmy Roberts from down the street. (Hand over sales flyer with large bold print)

Our school is doing a cookie dough fundraiser because we need new computers.

Can you help us out with a $10 contribution? That gets you a three-pound tub of cookie dough. My favorite is the chocolate chip, but peanut butter is real popular too!

(Pause and wait for a response)

The important points are to smile, use a sales flyer, use the word because, ask for their help, and suggest an order size, then wait for a response.

Each prospect has a potential dollar value to your organization. Don't waste prospects by not being prepared. Make sure all your sellers know what to say and how to say it. ]]></description>
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<title>Easy Ways To Make Money through School Fund Raising</title>
<link>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/finance/fundraising/easy-ways-to-make-money-through-school-fund-raising.html</link>
<guid>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/finance/fundraising/easy-ways-to-make-money-through-school-fund-raising.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:57:56 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Did you know that school fund raising brings big business to many companies? This is because schools purchase the supplies they need for fund raising in large quantities. The company can easily give a discount because they sell a lot of products at one time. School fund raising is also becoming an important part of school life because it offers schools different ways of fundraising the money they need for the equipment and trips.

Schools are constantly on the lookout for fundraising ideas for their next school fund raiser. They have to be creative to come up with unique ideas so that people will attend the fund raiser and contribute to the cause. Every season of the year brings school fund raising events and some are easier for coming up with fundraising ideas than others.

Halloween, for example, provides schools with fund raising ideas in the form of a haunted house or a costume ball. This type of school fund raiser needs a lot of volunteers and is best for middle schools and high schools. An idea for an elementary school fund raiser for Halloween could include a Halloween party where the children have an opportunity to take part in games where they win prizes.

Quite often school fund raising takes the form of selling items that people need or want to buy. Selling chocolate at Easter, for example, always goes over well as a school fund raiser. Instead of purchasing large amounts of chocolate in hopes it will sell, most schools take orders. The company supplying the chocolate for the fund raiser offers a discounted price along with specials for orders of a certain quantity. They also supply prizes if the school wishes to award prizes for the person who sells the most.

Read-a-thons are a specialty for school fund raising. Parents avidly support this type of school fund raiser as it does promote a school activity while raising funds for other programs. Students really get into this type of fund raiser as they compete with the other classes in the school. The principal sometimes sweetens the pot by offering an incentive for the success of the fund raiser, such as offering to shave his beard or come to school dressed in pyjamas. 

School fund raising is a competitive field, and needs some good ideas. ]]></description>
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<title>Elementary School Fundraisers</title>
<link>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/finance/fundraising/elementary-school-fundraisers.html</link>
<guid>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/finance/fundraising/elementary-school-fundraisers.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:49:56 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Perhaps nothing matches the enthusiasm and zeal of elementary school children. This carries over to elementary school fundraising events where young students strive to complete every assigned fundraising chore with determination and dedication. Teachers and parents participate and guide the children to ensure their hard work is successful and raises a lot of money. 

Candy is a favorite of children, and candy makes a great fundraiser for elementary schools. Gourmet, Hershey, Maredy Candy are a few companies that provide excellent fundraising programs. You can find out more about the companies and the programs on the Internet or by calling the company.

Selling perfumed candles is a traditional way for children to raise school funds and the returns are quite good. Companies offer attractive brochures for customers to browse through and place orders. The company, in turn, gives a percentage back to the school.  Avia Candles, Botika Candles, and Christ’s Light Candles are some of the companies who offer a variety of attractive candles for fundraising.

Book fairs and carnivals are excellent ways to raise funds for elementary schools. School carnivals could include game booths, talent shows and bake sales. Sporting events with parent/child participation have also proven to be successful fundraisers for elementary schools.

An important point to remember with any elementary school fundraiser is the children participating need close supervision throughout the event – safety comes first above everything else.

One thing to keep in mind is that if elementary students want to fundraise door to door, a parent or guardian should accompany them. ]]></description>
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<title>Fair Trade Fundraisers</title>
<link>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/finance/fundraising/fair-trade-fundraisers.html</link>
<guid>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/finance/fundraising/fair-trade-fundraisers.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:41:56 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Organizations everywhere are starting to see the benefits of staging certain types of fundraisers.  As you may have discovered through trial-and-error, some fundraisers are simply more successful than others.  We all want to raise as much money as we can for our respective organizations, but there are times when we ought to give pause to other considerations.

Coffee fundraisers have been massively successful in the United States and beyond.  It should come as no surprise, mind you.  Everyone loves coffee, especially really good coffee.  It is estimated that over 200 million people in the United States alone drink coffee on a daily basis.  At approximately one dollar per cup, you can imagine how staggering the profits can be.  Organizations have an excellent opportunity to tap into this market, and to brew up massive revenues for their respective ventures.

The difficult part of doing coffee fundraisers, is convincing people to compromise their morning coffee routines.  It may sound absurd, but many people feel very passionately about the coffee they drink.  From what I have been told by some of our readers, Canadians are absolutely fanatic about Tim Horton's coffee.  The challenge for people involved in fundraising, is to convince people to try something new.  We have to appeal to their thoughtful side.  It is for charity, after all.

One of our friends has had tremendous success by putting a new twist on the traditional coffee fundraiser.  Instead of offering people unimpressive gift boxes of coffee, why not consider selling bags of Fair Trade Coffee?  If you are not aware of the Fair Trade movement, you should be.  It is essentially an effort to ensure that farmers in developing countries are properly compensated for their labor and their products.  The movement also tries to address issues regarding the environmental impact of certain farming practices, as well as local economic sustainability.

There is a significant percentage of the population in America that truly cares about what is happening in the world today.  The environmental movement has been going strong for decades now, and people have become both active and aware of the issues that affect citizens in America and beyond.  These conditions create a wonderful opportunity for fundraisers, as we can give people an opportunity to support two wonderful causes; the Fair Trade movement and your organization!  Let your conscience guide you in your fundraising efforts, and help make trade fair. ]]></description>
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<title>Free Easy Fundraisers</title>
<link>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/finance/fundraising/free-easy-fundraisers.html</link>
<guid>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/finance/fundraising/free-easy-fundraisers.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:33:56 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ When your youth group needs to raise money quickly, you need a fast free fundraiser that you can rely on to generate the necessary revenue. The amount you make on these free easy fundraisers will depend on how much time you have to prepare and how well you execute your plan. 

Here are three time-tested projects to raise some fast cash:

1 - Car Wash
2 - Yard Cleanup
3 - Community Cleanup

Car Wash Fundraiser
Car washes have proven to be great fundraisers in virtually every community. All you need are willing volunteers, a high-traffic location with good visibility, and some attention getting signs. You can put your car wash fundraiser together on short notice. 

Here’s what you need to do:

1 - Line up a location with good main road frontage
2 - Ensure it has water access
3 - Assemble supplies list – hoses, buckets, wash towels, dry towels, squeegees
4 - Assign each volunteer an item from the supplies list
5 - Make 8-10 poster board signs in high-contrast colors
6 - Arrange your volunteers in 2-hour shifts
7 - Wash cars for six hours (Saturday preferred)
8 - Have dual lines so you can wash two at once

Your car wash fundraiser’s success will of course depend on the weather. If you can wash 12 cars an hour (one every 10 minutes in each line), you can easily raise more than $500 in one day.

Remember to put together a quick flyer that includes the reason why you’re raising funds and clearly states the price. You can even offer some extra services such as Armor-All tire treatment or interior vacuuming for an additional fee.

Alternatively, you can advertise a free car wash and just ask for donations for your cause. Often, this can raise more cash than stating a specific price, because people will see a group of volunteers working hard and having a good time, and may pay more than you would hav asked. 

Keeping safety in mind, be sure to get volunteers to hold and wave signs toward passing traffic, not just volunteers to wash cars. If you have time, advertise your car wash event in the local newspaper, and post signs a day or two in advance.

Yard Cleanup
A yard cleanup fundraiser is extremely fast and easy to put together. Simply create a set of instructions for your group detailing what to offer, what to say, and how much to charge.

Like most fundraisers, the target market is family, friends, and neighbors. Depending on the age of your participants, your offerings can range from simple lawn care all the way up to mulching flower beds or pruning tree limbs. In many climates, autumn is a great time to do this fundraiser, because leaf clearing is always a needed service during those months. 

Create a flyer describing your fundraiser and clearly list your prices for the various cleanup options. Assign a fundraising quota to each participant. 

Offer some individual and group performance bonuses. There’s nothing like a team pizza party or movie passes to motivate a youth sports group.

Community Cleanup
A community cleanup, also known as a trash bag fundraiser, performs a valuable community service while also providing a significant revenue opportunity. Organizing a community cleanup project is a way to raise funds and send a positive message about your group at the same time.

This type of one day or weekend fundraising event is very similar to the Athlet-A-Thon or Fun-A-Thon concept. Here your group's participants solicit pledges from the usual suspects - family, friends, and neighbors. Have local businesses donate trash bags and recruit parents and relatives with trucks to haul what you collect. 

Pledges are tied to a specific attainment goal such as the number of pounds of trash collected or the number of road miles cleaned of debris. You'll need to create a one-page overview of your cleanup program and a pledge signup sheet.

It works best if your overview specifies a suggested range for donations, say anywhere from a penny to a dime a pound for a large project. An amazing amount of garbage can be collected from a local stream or illegal dumping area, so it's not a bad idea to also put a maximum limit on pledge amounts of $20. 

Have local businesses donate trash bags. Recruit parents and relatives with trucks to haul what you collect. 

Do the math. You'll be surprised at how much money you can generate. Assuming 50 participants, each of whom has five pledges of a penny a pound, if you collect a ton of garbage, your group will raise $100 per participant or $5,000. 

That's not bad money for a free fundraiser! You’d be surprised at how easy it is to collect a ton of garbage. 

Each of these fundraisers is fast, easy to put together, and a reliable revenue generator for your group. As with any youth group event, an adult should be in attendance at all times for safety purposes. Get started on your free easy fundraisers today! ]]></description>
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