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On the baby forums I have been mentioning a bit lately, someone mentioned that they would like to start fundraising for a local women's shelter, since she had been involved and seen how little money the shelters get, and how little the women often leave with (ie, usually the keys and the clothes on their backs.) So, I wrote up a bit of a reply, and thought other people might find it interesting too.
Fundraising can be a lot of fun. But first of all, who is your target market? How will you get word to them of what you want to sell? Oh, and can you find some volunteers who would like to help?
I have fundraised for a few years for a Science Fiction convention in Perth, and so have tried a few things, and a lot of it does depend on who you are going to sell to. We get about 300 people through the door of the convention itself, plus we have an e-mailing list with a few hundred (don't know exactly) and of course word of mouth. We have committees of between 5 - 15 people, and each of those committee members help with promoting the fundraising activities we are having.
So, once you know WHO you are targeting, you need to work out HOW. Email is easy, and cheap. Word of mouth is brilliant but difficult to manage. It all depends.
What do people like?
-I have found our best fundraiser to be wine. The problem is the minimum purchase is a crate at a time, and we get $10 per crate sold. This is the best % and the best $ value of any of our fundraising efforts. However, the nice young men at the fundraising bottle can deliever the order to one committee member's house, and the committee distribute it to the people who ordered it, or else I can pick it up in my car as needed and take it directly to the client. I prefer big runs with every one else delivering. Last year, with very little help from the committee except someone's mum buying a crate of champagne, I sold 63 crates, making $630 raised. This year, with people helping, I am aiming for at least $1,500, hoping for $3,000.
-Chocolate? Every one is selling chocolate. But there also seems to be a bottomless demand. I found chocolate to be hard work though, with not a huge return. People lose money, lose chocolate, lose the plot, and the organizer often ends up with boxes of chocolates they can't sell (saturation point at the usual market) and then pay for themselves and then eat. (Not a good idea to organise if you are on a diet. No one's will power is stronger than a BOX of caramello koalas.)
-Movie Screenings. Talk to local cinemas about charity screenings. We talk directly to the cinemas, and there is a staggered amount we get. For example, 0 - 50 people we get $1 or $1.50 a ticket back or something. I don't organise this section, so I can't be more specific. The real profits start coming through if you can get over 100 - 200 people. (Although you are still only looking at $200 - $400 ewven if you got that many. That's only 20 crates of wine to be sold instead.)
- Local bakeries doing fundraising drives? Baked goods? Problems with that are: a) you order way in advance and get some cakes. I just don't think the wait is worth the time. b) Manpower required to sell, distribute, and collect money and cakes is reasonably high for the return.
- Raffles
I haven't explored raffles so much. Usually it's something which doesn't "cost" us so much but is prized - ie, a ticket to the next year's convention. (Which is valued at $150 odd). A bottle of vodka. A nicely present basket of chocolates and champagne (which can be done for under $20) or even cheeses and biscuits. You do need to price your raffle tickets carefully, and make sure the prize (if it contains food) will not go off. If you want to do a BIG raffle, you need to talk to the Liquor and Gaming Association of your state. (I think. I've never gone big enough.)
-Something worth noting if you want to do something more personal - Tupperware, Intimo (Lingerie/Bras and Knickers) and I expect pretty much every party plan out there does Fundraising Parties, where you put on the party and instead of getting hostess gifts, X% (usually 10% I think) goes to your charity. You might think 10% is not a lot, but it all adds up really quickly. I sell Intimo, and when the last convention ran, I had a stall and told every one that 10% was going to the convention itself. I didn't expect to actually sell a single item, however managed to raise $50 from sales. It's a great mutually beneficial way of helping other women too. Party plans are a great way for women to use the skills they already have, and make money on their own terms while doing it. (I was a Tupperware lady too once.) Intimo has also chosen to fight domestic violence as it's charity of choice.
http://www.intimo.com.au/page/intimo_aware.html
Also, if you have a good cause, more people are likely to attend, and sales will increase.
Fundraising is fantastic fun, and a LOT of hard work. The easier you can make it on yourself and your volunteers, the more chance you will be able to run your project more than once. Also, once people know you sell wine/chocolate/raffles/etc then they are more likely to buy from you again, and to donate/help.
I also found that it was a brilliant way for me to learn skills needed for life in general, like planning and budgeting and project responsibility. Skills the "normal" workforce love. I don't ever intend to go back to a normal office job, I hate offices, I think they are an unnatural set up designed to stop people from working in a happy, efficient and productive manner, but that's a different rant! I'm sorry I got so ranty, but there is a LOT of info here you might like to think about. PM me if you have questions or would like me to rant some more!! LOL
Calli
Fundraising can be a lot of fun. But first of all, who is your target market? How will you get word to them of what you want to sell? Oh, and can you find some volunteers who would like to help?
I have fundraised for a few years for a Science Fiction convention in Perth, and so have tried a few things, and a lot of it does depend on who you are going to sell to. We get about 300 people through the door of the convention itself, plus we have an e-mailing list with a few hundred (don't know exactly) and of course word of mouth. We have committees of between 5 - 15 people, and each of those committee members help with promoting the fundraising activities we are having.
So, once you know WHO you are targeting, you need to work out HOW. Email is easy, and cheap. Word of mouth is brilliant but difficult to manage. It all depends.
What do people like?
-I have found our best fundraiser to be wine. The problem is the minimum purchase is a crate at a time, and we get $10 per crate sold. This is the best % and the best $ value of any of our fundraising efforts. However, the nice young men at the fundraising bottle can deliever the order to one committee member's house, and the committee distribute it to the people who ordered it, or else I can pick it up in my car as needed and take it directly to the client. I prefer big runs with every one else delivering. Last year, with very little help from the committee except someone's mum buying a crate of champagne, I sold 63 crates, making $630 raised. This year, with people helping, I am aiming for at least $1,500, hoping for $3,000.
-Chocolate? Every one is selling chocolate. But there also seems to be a bottomless demand. I found chocolate to be hard work though, with not a huge return. People lose money, lose chocolate, lose the plot, and the organizer often ends up with boxes of chocolates they can't sell (saturation point at the usual market) and then pay for themselves and then eat. (Not a good idea to organise if you are on a diet. No one's will power is stronger than a BOX of caramello koalas.)
-Movie Screenings. Talk to local cinemas about charity screenings. We talk directly to the cinemas, and there is a staggered amount we get. For example, 0 - 50 people we get $1 or $1.50 a ticket back or something. I don't organise this section, so I can't be more specific. The real profits start coming through if you can get over 100 - 200 people. (Although you are still only looking at $200 - $400 ewven if you got that many. That's only 20 crates of wine to be sold instead.)
- Local bakeries doing fundraising drives? Baked goods? Problems with that are: a) you order way in advance and get some cakes. I just don't think the wait is worth the time. b) Manpower required to sell, distribute, and collect money and cakes is reasonably high for the return.
- Raffles
I haven't explored raffles so much. Usually it's something which doesn't "cost" us so much but is prized - ie, a ticket to the next year's convention. (Which is valued at $150 odd). A bottle of vodka. A nicely present basket of chocolates and champagne (which can be done for under $20) or even cheeses and biscuits. You do need to price your raffle tickets carefully, and make sure the prize (if it contains food) will not go off. If you want to do a BIG raffle, you need to talk to the Liquor and Gaming Association of your state. (I think. I've never gone big enough.)
-Something worth noting if you want to do something more personal - Tupperware, Intimo (Lingerie/Bras and Knickers) and I expect pretty much every party plan out there does Fundraising Parties, where you put on the party and instead of getting hostess gifts, X% (usually 10% I think) goes to your charity. You might think 10% is not a lot, but it all adds up really quickly. I sell Intimo, and when the last convention ran, I had a stall and told every one that 10% was going to the convention itself. I didn't expect to actually sell a single item, however managed to raise $50 from sales. It's a great mutually beneficial way of helping other women too. Party plans are a great way for women to use the skills they already have, and make money on their own terms while doing it. (I was a Tupperware lady too once.) Intimo has also chosen to fight domestic violence as it's charity of choice.
http://www.intimo.com.au/page/intimo_aware.html
Also, if you have a good cause, more people are likely to attend, and sales will increase.
Fundraising is fantastic fun, and a LOT of hard work. The easier you can make it on yourself and your volunteers, the more chance you will be able to run your project more than once. Also, once people know you sell wine/chocolate/raffles/etc then they are more likely to buy from you again, and to donate/help.
I also found that it was a brilliant way for me to learn skills needed for life in general, like planning and budgeting and project responsibility. Skills the "normal" workforce love. I don't ever intend to go back to a normal office job, I hate offices, I think they are an unnatural set up designed to stop people from working in a happy, efficient and productive manner, but that's a different rant! I'm sorry I got so ranty, but there is a LOT of info here you might like to think about. PM me if you have questions or would like me to rant some more!! LOL
Calli
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no subject
Date: 2005-05-25 08:13 am (UTC)From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2005-05-27 09:29 am (UTC)From:I too have been involved in a fair bit of fundraising and although I think you and others who have worked hard in fundraising deserve all the kudos and thanks you can eat for the chocolate and wine selling, I find it to be a lot of work for very little return. I prefer events, for example a quiz night can raise $1000 in one night (or a lot more if you have a larger catchmen group and a sympathetic cause) - sure you have to do a bit of scrounging for prizes (a sympathetic cause is also helpful in this area too) and write a bunch of questions and talk a few people into reading the questions and marking the answers - but still a lot less work that hand delivering wine I reckon. I just don't think that $10 a crate is a good enough return, you would be better off just asking everyone to give you $10 - or how bout asking everyone to give you an hours pay instead of putting in an hours work as a fundraising volunteer...
(no subject)
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