Fundraising Ideas

[ddc101]

Is there something you or your ladies group does to raise funds for the church? Could you share it here.I am always looking for new ideas we can use.lv sis.c:bow:

[Goodshepherd]

WHat about craft sale, a barbeque, or singspiration. A singspiration is where you an offering to hear an item a second time if you like it and want to hear it a second time.

[pentecostal mom]

Peanut brittle? It seems like every church here is always making Peanut brittle. Any way the singspiration idea sounds alot more fun! How about a consignment sale? Provide the facilities open it up to the community charge each consignor an entrance fee 5$ and then you keep 30% of the sale. You open the doors early for the consignor's they price their own clothes. We have one here you put an index card on the upper right side with a brief description, size and price this is safety pinned to the garment that has been laundered and ironed.

[tufluv]

Thats a good idea PM. We also have 'bidding' sales!
We bring stuff from home, in very good cond., mostly housewares, lay them out on a table in our fellowship room, and take bids on them for a month. At the end of the month, highest bidder takes the prize!!!!!
We've also had bake sales, a walk-a-thon (which no one here cared to sponsor me on, :cry: ), to raise money for our missionaries! ummm....
Now we're putting together a HUGE basket full of goodies, mostly ladies stuff [lotion, soaps, candles, a sm.book, even food :D ]
and we're selling raffle tickets for it. Nice prize for anyone! Hope I win it! :banana:
These are all small ways of making some money, and we seek GOD for blessings of larger amounts of money, we don't want to be too consumed with raising money, when our LORD owns all the money and everything ever made!

[ddc101]

Wow I like the consignment idea.
Now I love to make and eat and sell and eat and eat and eat and eat the peanut brittle.Pardon me I haven't had any brittle in a while.Its not on my diet. But oh I love peanuts......
We are having a barbeque Saturday.
There is a company that does photo sales and take old time looking photos.We are going to do that next.
Also the company Americas Fundraising has a small first aid kit that sells well.That is another thing we ladies are going to do.
And lets not forget the old standard....cake sale...lv sis.c

[pentecostal mom]

The antiquities pics are great! I am a sucker for those. Have you ever heard of a no bake sale? Every one donates the money they would spend on making the goodies to the cause.

[ddc101]

I like the idea of a no bake sale.I guess we could pretend to get fat off the goodies...lol...sis.c

[foreverblessed]

Ddc,
I don't know if your interested in just raising money for your church, or just for the ladies.

Our church for the last 5 years have sold fireworks at 4th of July. They start selling in June and go through the fourth. I know that we don't always make the same amount, but I do know that for 2002, we cleared $15,000 for about 3 weeks of work. It takes everyone pitching in and helping man the store, and on the 4th, everyone pitches in to help because your busy.

To make up for it, my brother has always had a big celebration the Saturday afterward with cookout and fireworks at the end. We even set off fireworks like 4 break mortars, that aren't that much smaller than those you see by professionals.

TNT fireworks is who we go with, and they provide renting a store, product, and everything you need. All you provide is manpower. You get a percentage of profits.

Down south, they also sell them around the New year for celebrations. It is too cold here for celebrations.

[tufluv]

Thats a good idea, Sis Lisa! This IS 'down south' ! Hmmm...may oughta look into that. I know that my uncle, when I was younger still at home, every single year for many many years, did this as a side job.
We have fireworks sold here on the 4thofJuly, New Years, for sure. , although there are grand city fireworks shows off the bayfront other times during the year, as well.
I remember spending much good times hanging out at my uncles' fireworks stands. He made enough extra money to send his kids to college! One of my cousins is a lawyer.
One other fundraiser we did more of last year, were the barbeque sales, but since our bbq pit got stolen, its not happened this year :cry: We had lots of regulars., all supplies were by donations. We regularly have other dinner plate sales to raise funds for different projects for each department here, such as the Dorcas, the Youth, the brothers, missionaries, etc.etc.

[foreverblessed]

Tuff,
It is a good fundraiser. Anyone can do it, it doesn't have to be a church, but they like churches doing it. We're honest and easy to work with . We have several Evangelist that do it here in the Indy area. They can take three weeks off and do it in the summer, and I am sure it helps their finances.

Our church has been the best selling store in Indiana, three years in a row, they send reps from their company out to check us out to see what makes our store go so well.

My brother is very business minded, and has given them tips, and they have worked with him in perfecting the way to do things. We used to be in a tent, and have a dark store for out of state fireworks in another building. He got them to rent an old Walmart store, and combine both the family fireworks, and the out of state ones.

It worked out great, they had to bring us more product, and on the fourth, we were going to other stores that weren't selling as well, and take their product. It had all to do with the location, but also the selling strategy of those working the floor.

They always needed my ex-husband, or my brother on the floor selling, because they were the best. They are both natural born salesmen, and could sell more fireworks on their shifts than everyone put together that day. We worked every weekend and evenings for several years. Even when we lived in MI, we would come down to help the church.

[Cherokee]

When you go to Forked Island for tent Revival sell snowcones. They are inexpensive, easy to make and everybody loves them! Sometime you can get the machines from Walmart that work on a small scale...Love Ya' in Jesus!...Cherokee

[Felicity]

I have found that one of the easiest ways for a group of ladies to raise a LARGE amount of money with basically no overhead and very little work is a "ROCKATHON".

We have one yearly and we have raised close to $2000 before. We usually raise around $1500.

It's very very simple. We rock for 8 hours and we do it on a Friday beginning at 4:00 in the afternoon and go until midnight.

I find out how many ladies will participate. I give them each a goal of let's say.....$150 each. They go to their friends, relatives, church members, businesses in the community and ask people to sponsor them - not per hour - but for the entire evening.

If you have 10 ladies take part and they each reach their goal of raising $150 in sponsors, that's $1500. Most people will sponsor you for $10 up and many for more than that amount so it doesn't take long to raise $150. Some of the ladies even partially or fully sponsor themselves --- especially if they really dislike asking people to sponsor them.

I have the ladies bring their own rocking chairs and we watch videos, or read or knit or talk and always have a great time. We are especially blessed to have a lady in our church who comes and cooks supper for us. Usually home-made pizza and dessert and she provides snacks for us as well. I always give her a cheque to repay her for her kindness and that is the only expense. The rest of the money is all clear profit.

You'll find that some of the ladies will exceed the goal amount and this can be encouraged if you tell them that the lady who raises the most money will receive a 1st place award.

Honest.......we do a lot of fundraising that involves a fair amount of work. But with a Rockathon, we raise the same amount of funds, if not more - with no work. In fact, we are waited on and treated very special the entire evening and have a great time in the process.

It works! :)

[Qwizcoach]

I know that one of the churchs in Denver, CO sets up a Christmas tree lot every year. They work for about a month and make lots of $$$$$$$.

[ddc101]

Sneaux Cones are a great idea.Also the fireworks are a great idea.lv sis.c

[ddc101]

Would someone please post a good peanut brittle recipe.lv sis.c

[foreverblessed]

Ddc,
I'll ask for our church's. The building was built by it. I know that it is so good, that Mom gave it to a preacher friend in OH, and they started selling it commercially, they still do. I can get their information for you too. They make it, package it, and then sell it to churches to be sold for a profit. I can give you the original recipe too.

[ddc101]

amen I am excited about that.I love peanut brittle.I know its totally bad for you so I have to hold back but boy do I love to make it and eat it and most of all sell it for MONEY! lv sis.c

[Blest]

Our Youth Group this year sold Krispy Kreme donuts for $7.00/dozen - they made $3.00/box.

We are in an area that does not have a KK donut store (they had to drive 3.5 hrs to get them). They sold a total of 2500 on 3 different occasions raising a cool $7,500 for Youth Congress.

However, our area has become saturated with KK donut fundraiser groups selling them, and we will not try to do this again.

blest

[ddc101]

Hey I love kk donuts.Bad for me so I don't eat them anymore.But a good fundraiser nevertheless.I guess its okay to kill your neigbor with high cholesterol for a few friendly bucks.hehe..sis.c

[Felicity]

*Ouch* My feet are still hurting.........*wince*

But it's worth it because I figure we raised about $2000.00 today for our ladies aux and the money will go toward a new commercial stove for our new church kitchen.

We catered to a fancy shmancy wedding reception - about 130 people.

The menu:
Starter tossed salads
Salmon (cooked in foil on BBQs) served with a delicious white sauce with onion, garlic, basil, and lemon juice added to it. People loved it!
Roast Beef
Potato Salad
Copper Pennies (Carrots cut in rounds marinaded in something similar to a BBQ sauce)
Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad
ColeSlaw
Fruit Salads served in Watermelon baskets with dips
Rolls, etc.
Cherry & Blueberry Cheesecake for dessert.

We also provided appetizers - Shrimp Rings and such for the bridal party pre-wedding.

It was a lot of work.......but we had a good time. I appreciate our ladies so much and was so proud of them today. Everything looked so professional and appetizing. They are awesome!

Almost nothing is impossible for a group of women working together and committed to a good cause. And we're sure gonna enjoy that new stove. :)

[ddc101]

Wow Sister that was awesome.2000.00 in one day.amen.lv sis.c

[Felicity]

Yes, it was great Sis but it was also a LOT of work and really, we didn't charge enough. We should have asked at least $20.00 per person considering the work that went into it and the kind of menu they had requested. Salmon is not cheap. And neither were some of the other things on the menu either.

We received a cheque today for $2300.00. That included a $175 tip. If we had asked $20 per plate, we would have made pretty close to $3000 probably. :)

[ddc101]

That is wonderful sister.Keep up the good work.And don't forget to post your ideas.lv sis.c

[Marie]

My sister and I and sometimes some others sometimes used to cater weddings for a fund raiser. It was a lot of work, but great fun! And worth it!
I miss those days!:)

[Marie]

Peanut Brittle! Ach! LoL I've made so much peanut brittle! It IS a fun time, though! We used to sell it in advance to some of the corner stores or cafes. Or go door to door after making it. The "kids" would sometimes sell it for youth activities or sunday school.

Same with pizzas. My sister's church went door to door selling "You Bake" pizzas. They had an assembly line at the church for making and packaging them. I can't remember if they froze them before delivery or delivered them fresh. Some homes ordered several.

We have also had silent auctions here. That was my favorite! We went around to businesses all over town and asked for donations of money or items. Then we put together baskets and gift boxes. It was sooo much fun to get together and put together the baskets and such. Then we would set up a booth in the mall for a specified period and people would place silent bids on the items. At the end of the time the highest bidders were called and came to pay and pick up their "treasures" It is amazing what people will bid for some things! It seems to work best at Christmas. Mother's day and valentines are other good times to have them. I made up "sign-up" or "bidding" sheets for each item and cards stating what was in each basket or box and posters and cards naming the donating person or company. Many of the companies will donate each time for the advertising they get. Even some law offices or such places will donate money. Some places will donate gift certificates. Usually places like pizza shops or gyms, hair salons or other business will do this. Some hair salons will donate hair care products as well. I really enjoy doing the prep work for these auctions! If I had transportation, I wouldn't mind going and helping churches get started on them.

Another idea is to print up notices that you will be doing a bottle drive , in a certain neighborhood on a certain day and ask people to place the donations in garbage bags or boxes specified for your church. You can do this or have a place where people can drop off donated items for rummage sales.

LOLOL I could go on and on! I love fundraisers! (except bake sales:p )

[Felicity]

Our L.A. group has done it in the past but right now the S.S. Dept is talking their turn at putting on lunches after church on Sun. nites. They get the food pretty much donated and they make around $150 each time. Do that 4 times a month and it adds up to about $600 extra a month for a minimal amount of work really. Instead of charging a fixed price, do it on a donation basis. We've found that you usually make MORE that way. :)

Have a bake sale (sorry Marie :p) on Sunday mornings after church. People can take dessert for Sunday dinner home with them.

One of the reasons we were able to make such a large profit catering to that wedding reception is because we got all the food donated.......except for the salmon and roast beef. We asked for monetary donations for that.

[Marie]

Yes, those lunches work well. Sometimes you can have the youth "cater" a dinner for the seniors or visa versa. Or have a couples or singles dinner, with a skit, puppet show or something. This is great fun! Pie nights are good, as well. You can sell whole pies. But you make more if you sell by the piece with a coffee or cold drink. AND you get the fellowship as well:). You can sell cupcakes or cookies individually or by the dozen or half dozen. The kids love to set up a small table and do this. It does usually work best by donation for these.

For SS the kids like to do coin drives. They tell their family and friends families that they are saving pennies, nickles or dimes for a coin drive. People will usually help out. They can even ask neighbors. They can make small coin banks. All you need is small coffee cans or something, (pringles snack size cans work great and are just the right size), wrapping paper, magazines or newsprint. Crayons or markers, glue or spray paint etc. Or small pasta shells or bows and spray paint.

If your church is in a good spot, you can have a hotdog, smokie or hamberger sale. This is also a good advertisement for the church. You could have church or Bible study info handy. Some times the supermarket or mall will let you do this by their entrance. Usually you can get stores to donate the supplies. Mcdonalds will donate an "orange bowl" (that's what they call it here) and syrup for their orange pop. If you are at the church, you can combine a rummage sale and hotdog or goodies sale.

[tufluv]

Felicity:
Instead of charging a fixed price, do it on a donation basis. We've found that you usually make MORE that way.
Your'e so-o right, my sisfriend is always saying that, so thats what we do (sell by donation).
This last Sunday, she and I furnished the food-baked lasagna, sold plates, and raised a lot more than we had thought (of course, we 'prayed' for that before the sale), and the LORD answered! The other things like drinks, salad, bread were donated by various members.

FOOD is always a seller! We've done bake sales (I bake), and tonight, I think we'll do a simple cupcake/drink sale! Every little bit of $$ helps any endeavor, ours is for missionaries!

[ddc101]

I want a peanut brittle recipe.Anybody have one???Forever?? sis.c

[SisClarissa]

You were asking for *Fundraiser* idea's.
I have a *Fundraiser* we offer from "Home & Garden Party"
which I sale. I am a "Desigenr for the Home & Garden Party"
Our church is getting ready to do a fundraiser with our "Jared
Candles" I can explain it some here anad if you are interested or anyone else for that matter you may contact me by email and I will send you all the information along with everything you will need to get started.
"First let me say, this is a great fundraiser . . .because you can profit 100 %. That is all up to whoever is doing the fundraiser.
Our Jared Candles has 18 different fragrances. Customers love the high quality of our Jar Candles, they love the affordable Price, most customers will order Multiple Jar Candles!
Your group will love the high profits & the ease of our program.
Your members simply take orders on the order form I would supply you with, on our Jar Candle Flyers I would supply you with.
Collect payment then simply have them turn the orders in to you on a designated date: You would then allow 3 weeks for delivery of your candles.
Also we have a total of (three fundraisers) the Jared Candles, our Lotions and Gels and then our cookbook.
You would pick the profit that will work best for your group. 50% - 100% Profit!
Your wholesale price is $4.00 for each Jar Candle sold.
For 50% ($2.00 each Profit - you would sell the candles for $6.00
For 75% $3.00 each Profit - you would sell the Jar Candles for $7.00
For 100% $4.00 each - you would sell the Jar Candles for $8.00
It Is That Simple ~

God bless you all
Sister Clarissa
Love In Christ Jesus~
my email is :
upperoom_sister@yahoo.com

[ddc101]

Thanks Sister I got that catalog in today.They really have such nice home interior stuff.lv sis.c

[milady]

Originally posted by ddc101
Is there something you or your ladies group does to raise funds for the church? Could you share it here.I am always looking for new ideas we can use.lv sis.c:bow:
Our church always has bake sales for fund raisers