Not only has summer almost ended and kids are headed back to school, it is also the time when organizations, churches ans schools start their fall events to raise money for their causes, church funds or for the schools annual goals.
Fundraising is year round job and for most, the planning begins for the next year the moment the event is over. I went to a meeting the other night for an upcoming campaign for a local elementary school and it can be so over whelming if you have never organized a fundraiser before. There were a few guests at this presentation that were clearly there for the first time and had the look of terror in their eyes; I remember feeling that way on my first fundraiser. It is a lot of long hours, hard work but it is fun and so rewarding at the same time. Among many of the challenges faced in fundraising is the economy and whether or not families and business have the extra money to donate and finding a fun and inexpensive event that will bring you a great return. But don’t get discouraged, there are a lot of donations out there to be had and some fantastic fundraising ideas that can fit most organizations needs.
With that said, getting your community involved and having an organized plan, a strong and dependable committee is the stepping-stones to a successful fundraiser. Having help is vital in being efficient in meeting the monetary success of your fundraiser. Once this is in place delegating the tasks and getting your committee involved with donations, public relations, and the over all layout of the event will make a great impression for your event. There are so many fun and creative ways to raise money and they do not all have to be dull and uneventful. Just like any party, choosing the appropriate theme and venue that fits your needs and what you are capable of pulling off will help in making your event well received by all, which means money in the bank.
I want to share an event that I put together for a local school ~ Happy Time Cooperative Preschool in Pismo Beach, CA ~ This was a first annual Harvest Festival that I started working on in mid spring for an October event. I had a great team to help make this event fun, inviting to families and an overall success in raising a lot of money for the fantastic programs that this school provides for preschool aged kids to jump start their creative and educational path to learning.
Setting the back drop for the Harvest Festival ~ Hay donated by a local horse rancher
We made signs for every game or area of the festival including the Pumpkin Patch ~ the pumpkins were generously donated by a family farm and the Avila Valley Barn~ I love the surfing scarecrow that one of the families made!
This was our fun photo board
A parent from the school was an artist and painted faces for the day ~ always a great way to utilize inside talent to help cut costs
For the little kids I had a drawing/craft table and I used a mini hay bale to hold the pencils~ worked out great.
This was one of the several games and is always a crowd pleaser at any festival ~ the fish toss. What was great about this game is that this school uses it for another fundraising event so you are getting a two for one investment, plus the kids painted all of the backdrop as well~ so cute.
This was a fantastic event for the kids and parents alike. The kids raffle event was set up at the entrance so the kids could look at the items that wanted to put their raffle ticket in to win. The items for the raffle were collected from families and could either be new or slightly used items. This was a great money-maker and the kids all went home with something fun.
Apple bobbing the modern way ~ The apples were all donated and were used for this game and sold in small baskets at the bake sale
Make use of all things that are donated. We put together a silent auction of items that were donated by local business ~ Silent auctions typically bring in a nice amount of money for your event.
The bake sale tent was a big success as well and can be used in almost any fundraising venue ~ churches, yard sales, car washes etc. They bring in good money and the baked goods are all donated.
It doe not cost much to make your baked goods look pretty. White paper plates, large plastic bags, curly ribbon and a pretty paper tag makes all your goodies look fantastic and the cost is very low.
Displaying your items is another great way to have your baked goods fly out the gate. I used baskets, cake stands, wood chargers, metal trays and I invested in the linens so that the school could use them year after year. Asking the families to bring in these items is a cost saver and investing in the core pieces that can be used again for other events,over time saves money.
Lunch was also available to purchase and I kept it very simple. There was a chili two ways ~ beef and vegetarian ~ along with mini cheddar corn muffins donated by a local restaurant and hot dogs for the kids. Water, soda and juices were also available.
There was fun to be had by all and the event was the perfect size for this organization to handle and have great success. Happy Time Preschool has continued to have great fun with their annual Harvest festival, held in October. If you are local or even traveling through Pismo Beach in October, it is a fun day for the family and all the information can be found on their website .
So go out there and fundraise ~ it is fun to make money and entertain!
Elegance 