Now that it’s State Fair time (at least in Texas), we’re reminded just how much fun fairs are. But even at the state fair, we don’t get to play simple (and as I remember them, even more fun) games like pie-throwing and dunking games or potato sack and boiled egg races. Sure, we’ve all got Wiis, Playstations, & X-boxs to entertain us, but when was the last time you strapped your leg to a partner’s leg & ran like mad toward the finish line? Too long, if ever!

Fall is the perfect time to start planning a Spring Fair Fundraising Event. Make it as big an event as you like. Raise money for your organization with games, fun, food, and entertainment. What is really fabulous about a Fair Fundraiser is that everyone has a great time – it’s actually FUN. Fundraising can easily become that chore you have to “grin & bear” every year, so why not try something a different? Isn’t there someone that your kids would just love to dunk? Better yet, wouldn’t we all jump on board for a chance to throw pies at a “pal” – all for a good cause, of course!

If you’re thinking that this fundraising idea is too involved or that you have too much on your plate already, organizing a Fair Fundraiser does require some effort, but your kids will readily rally behind the idea and it’s a great opportunity to enlist parental help. In college, I helped organize a yearly spring fair for local school kids. With a little planning and some foot & phone work, our group of college students hosted fairs for hundreds of kids, garnered media attention, and had an amazing experience. So I know it can work and be a great success for you, too.

Let’s break down what goes into a Fair Fundraiser. Your visitors will pay for tickets (proceeds will go toward your school, church, or organization) to play in each game or event.

• Setting a Goal – How big do you want your fundraising event to be? How many people do you hope will attend your fundraiser? And not unrelated, how much money do you want to raise? Establish a proposed event budget, including prospective in-kind donations and estimated spending from the average fair-goer. The size of your Fundraising Fair will factor into venue & entertainment (game) choices.
• Venue – Get access to a park, gym, or field. If you are a church or school, you’ll probably have green space or a gym on hand. Otherwise, look into reserving a city green space. And if your Fundraising Fair is to be held on community property, make sure that you comply with city traffic/parking regulations.
• Games - Your games can be simple & inexpensive. Potato sack races, cream pie tossing, tug of war – all those fantastic children’s (& adults) games that really basic, but so much fun. Make your games repeatable so you can maximize the fun and fundraising effort. Some good guides to games are found here.
• Activities – Find a few volunteers to paint faces, blow up balloons, or tell fortunes/read crystal balls. Within your organization, find hidden talents just brimming below the surface and be shameless in exploiting them for your Fundraising Fair. If you have the budget, it’s easy to rent a bounce-house, or similar apparatus.
• Food – You can spend a lot of money in renting grills, cotton candy stands, and ice cream or soda fountains. If your budget can sustain this, then go for it. But what do you do if there just isn’t money for this (after all, if we had the money, we wouldn’t be fundraising!)? The answer: prioritize and compare against the cost of alternatives. Soda fountains will probably provide the most return on your rental investment out of all the food equipment options. Find someone with a portable charcoal grill & serve up beef/turkey hotdogs. Serve BBQ brisket on the cheap by buying beef brisket at the store (Walmart markets sell at fantastic price) & paying a local BBQ restaurant to cook it for you; I’ve done this before & my total cost (meat & cooking) was about 80% less than buying from a restaurant - it’s really a great deal. And let’s not forget dessert - keep popsicles frozen in a cooler, or make simple & tasty cookies & brownies. Better yet, you could have a food cook-off contest, so people pay to enter, eat & judge!

If you’re worried about expenses, asking for donations, or getting people to come, think about partnering with another organization. Your Fundraising Fair can benefit a local school or a foundation (like Braden Cross Autism Foundation with which Cheer For Change! works) – invite that organization’s friends & family. Spread the word about the fundraiser at local libraries, grocery stores, community centers; promote with Craigslist and online social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Invite media to cover/sponsor the Fundraising Fair – press will promote the event and provide valuable marketing for your organization too.

So, yes, there are a lot of components that go into a Fair Fundraising Event. But at the end of the day, it will be a fantastic experience.

Technorati Tags: fun & games, Fundraising Fair, School Fair

Whether it’s a school fundraiser, church fundraiser, or group fundraiser, your fundraising idea probably depends on dozens of people. So though your goal is simple – to raise money – the people and many pieces of information that you need to track can quickly become a management nightmare, and I’m not even counting the hours that you spend emailing and making phone calls.

How much easier would your life be with a common fundraising website to answer questions, provide forms online, communicate important calendar dates, and make general announcements? A LOT. You post your fundraising information, dos & don’ts, FAQs, order or permission forms, and general announcements ONCE. Your fundraisers go to the website to get their questions answered, so you don’t have to provide repeat responses to every question. More of your time is spent actually fundraising and meeting goals rather than managing the fundraising process.

So the fundraising website is a great idea and perhaps something you’ve thought of before. But how do you get one up and running when you know little about web development and have no budget (you’re trying to RAISE money, not spend it!)? Google has an answer for you (no surprise there). Google Sites gives you an easy way to create websites and also hosts them for FREE. Essentially, it’s a basic content management system that requires no html experience, so no coding required. Google Sites takes advantage of other Google tools like Picasa & Google Docs, and you will need a Gmail account. You can get more information on http://sites.google.com. Set up fundraising central command by using this free tool. Features that you may want to use include:

•    Announcements about your fundraiser – how much you’ve raised so far, etc.
•    Slideshow of fundraising event pictures (from Picasa, Google’s online album)
•    Calendar of fundraising meetings & events (from Google calendar)
•    Download fundraising files and documents from the website
•    Create a fundraising contact or order form (from a Google spreadsheet document)

You can get creative & play with what Google Sites offers. We haven’t made a Google website specifically for fundraising yet, but a friend did make one for a volunteer site. Check out this example Google website – I think it’s great considering there was no ‘web development’ involved.

Send us a comment if you want to find out more about our experience with Google Sites, or let us know how your fundraising site goes! We’ll post a link to your school, church, or group fundraiser site right here.

Technorati Tags: church fundraising, easy fundraising, fundraiser, fundraising management, group fundraiser, school fundraising ideas

Without fail each spring and summer, the streets are filled with signs directing us to garage sales. So why not tap into this yearly ritual and give your town a real showstopper of a school fundraiser: hold a school–wide garage sale and advertise it to the whole community.

Think of the crowd your school can draw with merchandise amassed from the garages of your student’s families. This mega garage sale is a school fundraising idea that takes one person’s trash and turns it into their neighbor’s treasure. You also fundraise for free, essentially, since all of the items are donated from unwanted items.

Establish a location & date for your school garage sale fundraiser. This can be the cafeteria, gym, or if it’s likely to be a nice day, school park. Cafeterias provide the advantage of tables for displaying items. Start early, like 8 am. Garage sale die-hards know that “better late than never” doesn’t apply to bargain hunting.

Advertise! Advertise! Advertise! Post signs prior to the day of your school fundraising event at community centers, grocery stores, churches, libraries, and any other place where people go. Take out an ad in the local paper, and be sure to ask for a reduced or even donated ad fee by emphasizing you’re raising money for your school. Make sure there are A LOT of signs on street corners directing traffic to the fundraiser. Street signs can make an even bigger difference than newspaper ads. Most importantly, encourage parents to spread news of the sale to all of their friends and neighbors. Word of mouth goes a long way.

Your garage sale fundraiser has the potential to raise thousands of dollars for your school. Shoppers may be more willing to buy and less motivated to bargain since the garage sale is really a school fundraiser. Not only that, this fundraising event is a fantastic opportunity for kids, parents, and teachers to work together and to know each other better. Your school will make a lasting impression on the neighborhood & community; and perhaps your kids may find their own little bit of “treasure” – and discover how fun garage sales can be.

With a little bit of prep work, this school fundraising idea could be a yearly winner.

Technorati Tags: fundraising, ideas for fundraising, school fundraising ideas