Practical Fundraising - Fundraising

14. Fundraising - Fun Events

Since the word 'fundraising' does have the word 'FUN' in it, it is always a good idea to hold events that everyone enjoys, the volunteers as well as the donors. If you can choose something that volunteers are passionate about, then their enthusiasm will be contagious, and the event will go smoother, and with beter results.

Dances and other entertainment events: These events usually charge for admission and the money raised from admission is used to support the non-profit group. Usually the turn out at these events is quite good as the public gets entertained for an affordable cost. This type of fundraising event can be inexpensive and fast to organize:

Dances: These events (especially dances with themes such as retro sock hops, country square dances, or 80s pop dances) are always a big draw and are very easy to put together. You need a space for the dance, some decorations, and a good DJ. Admission fees and the sale of refreshments usually ensures a profit.

Movie nights: Whether you decide to organize a drive-in or get your local movie theater to offer your group a night showing, movie nights are very popular, especially if you can offer inexpensive admission. In many cases, offering older movies for viewing will draw a bigger crowd and also prove less expensive to organize.

Plays, variety shows, and comedy shows: Live shows and entertainments can be a great way to entertain and draw in money (again, through ticket sales and refreshment sales). They can take some time to organize and require lots of practice and work from volunteers, but start-up costs can be quite low if you can get someone to arrange an inexpensive venue for the show to take place in.

Dinners: Turkey dinners, Sunday dinners, and singles dinners draw plenty of people who want to meet others and who do not want to dine alone. For a dinner event, you will want food and refreshment, a place for the dinner, some decorations and possibly some quieter entertainment that will still allow for talking among diners. Dinners are fast to organize and can be held as often as you like, if enough people seem interested in the event. Money is raised by having people pay at the door for the event.

Holiday events: Whether it's a family Easter egg hunt, a Halloween haunted house, or a Christmas caroler concert, hosting events with a holiday theme always draws those who want to celebrate a special day. Charging admission is a good way to raise money at these sort of events, and other fundraising ideas - such as sales or raffles or 50/50 draws, can be added to the event to ensure greater fundraising success.

Tours: Offering walking or driving tours of a city can be a great and inexpensive way to raise money for your non-profit, especially if you live in a city or town with a large tourist population. Tours can take place a few times a week during the summer or can be conducted year round. They require little more than a few hours of volunteer time, a staff that knows about a city or area (or can learn about it by reading books) and some advertising. In addition to raising money by charging money for the tours, a non-profit can also hand out pamphlets about the organization during the tours, raising awareness as well as money.

Hay rides and barn dances: These activities are quite popular during the fall and summer, as they offer family entertainment for city dwellers who want to "get away" for a few hours. You will need to find a farm that can accommodate donors. Additional fundraising ideas - such as pony rides and a hay bale maze - can easily be added to raise even more money. Setting up the event may take money and time, but once it is set up, it can easily operate for an entire season, bringing in money regularly. A farmer offering a pick-your-own business may be willing to allow a non-profit group to use a small parcel of land in exchange for drawing tourists and customers to the area, so it does not hurt to ask around.

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