Sometimes, running one youth group fundraiser just isn’t going to raise as much money as you need for the project you’re trying to support. So why not combine multiple fundraisers into one big evening fundraiser extravaganza!
For the next few Mondays we’ll be giving you various ideas for this fundraising evening, so make sure you check back to ensure you don’t miss out. We’ll also be updating this post as we go along with links to each of the fundraising ideas, so you can bookmark this post too.
Here are some tips for the overall planning of the evening fundraiser:
- Empowerment – Encourage youth participation as much as you can by having the young people assist you with the planning and execution of the event. Also include them when deciding what fundraising activities to include and with the promotion of the fundraising evening.
- Promotion – Try to promote the evening as widely as you can. If you’re fundraising for a church youth group, get it highlighted during the announcements and on the bulletin. Design some flyers and invitation cards to hand out as widely as possible – have your young people give them to their parents, plus get them to distribute them to their friends. Make sure it’s clear that there will be multiple activities going on during the evening – that way people will attend with the expectation that you’ll be fundraising throughout the night.
- Maximize – To raise as much money as you can, make the event suitable for people of all ages. The suggestions we’ll be providing over the next few weeks will make the evening fundraiser great fun for children and adults alike.
- Convenience – Set up the evening so that people can pay by whatever method is convenient for them – cash, card or check. Accepting debit and credit cards will also maximize the amount you’re able to raise, as some people may not think to bring cash with them. Check out our post on how easy it is for your youth group to accept credit cards.
- Location – Another way of maximizing the amount you raise is to have a location that can host as many people as possible. If your church or organization doesn’t have the facilities to cook a large dinner or doesn’t have a room large enough to host many people, contact churches, organizations and community centers that do. An alternative is to see if a local restaurant would be willing to host the fundraising evening. For example, some Pizza Huts hold fundraising evenings whereby you earn a certain percentage based on how much in sales you can generate that evening. They may be willing to allow you to book out the entire restaurant for the evening, perhaps in exchange for you taking a lower cut (to compensate for possible lost revenue).
- Be Organized – If your event is fun and well organized, people will be far more likely to support the various fundraising activities throughout the evening. Therefore, do your best to have the event running on time and well communicated throughout the process.
Fundraising Evening Ideas
Here are some suggestions on the different activities you could organize for the evening fundraiser extravaganza. As mentioned above, we’ll update the list each week with links to the different ideas:
1. Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser – The evening fundraiser should be centered around a meal which enables you to charge an entrance fee to cover the cost of the meal (and to help raise funds on top of that). Any kind of meal could work, but a spaghetti dinner is easy to cook and should be a safe option that nearly everyone will enjoy eating. Ensure that there are vegetarian and gluten-free options available if necessary.
2. Summer Kit Fundraiser – Depending on the time of year you’re planning the evening fundraiser, consider selling Summer Kits (or a winter equivalent).
3. Entertainment Book Fundraiser – Selling Entertainment Books as a fundraiser is especially good between November – February as the next year’s books will have come out, but they could still be sold throughout the year.
4. 75 Ideas For Silent Auction Items – As the name suggests, this post has a list of ideas for silent auction items, as well as advice on how to get them donated in the first place.
5. How To Run A Silent Auction – Part 1 – This post provides a guide on how to do the initial planning for a silent auction.
6. How To Run A Silent Auction – Part 2 – This second part covers what needs to be done on the day of the auction.
7. How To Run A Silent Auction – Part 3 – This third part details what needs to be done at the silent auction itself
8. How To Run A Silent Auction – Part 4 – This fourth and final part covers what needs to be done after the auction has ended
9. Paper Airplane Competition Fundraiser – This might be the most fun part of the night as people of all ages can participate
10. Flip-flop Fundraiser – This is a great way of both raising money and providing footwear to donate for mission trips or a charity you support
Question: What activities would you include for an evening fundraiser extravaganza? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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