Did you have to cancel the school or youth group fundraisers you had planned for March? Let’s not panic, let’s re-group. There are things you can do while home with the kiddos so that not all is lost.
Yesterday while sitting in the car waiting for my daughter, I went live on the Entri Ways to Fundraise facebook page and talked about a few things you can do. You can view that video HERE.
These were quickly off the top of my head while waiting in the car, but wanted to expand on them here for you. And if you have more ideas, please share them in the comments below. I want to hear them all!
Of course the first thing you want to try to do is re-schedule your fundraiser for a month or two from now. If that’s not possible, consider one of these ideas…
Plan a Spring Yard Sale
Parents and kids are home. It’s the perfect time for them to clean out their closets and purge their home of things that they no longer use.
Here are a few quick steps to get the process started. Then go HERE and read all about Planning a Yard Sale Fundraiser.
- Call or Email your fundraising committee (PTO, PTA, Scout Troops, etc.) and ask them to approve a mid to late April or early May yard sale fundraiser. Provide them with THIS link so they can see exactly what’s involved.
- Call or Email your school principal for approval and to reserve the school’s outdoor field (and cafeteria or gym in case of rain).
- Email school parents and ask them to sign up as volunteers and clean out their closets and save items for this upcoming yard sale fundraiser.
BAM! Planning done.
Plan a Calendar Raffle
Who couldn’t use a cash, gift items, and hope right now? Plan a Calendar Raffle or a Cash Calendar Raffle to take place in May when all of this virus-stuff will hopefully subsided.
Go through the approval channels mentioned above (fundraising committee, principal, etc). Email your committee a copy of the instructions of how to run a Calendar Raffle. And then…
- Purchase the Calendar Raffle or the Cash Calendar Raffle templates on Entri Ways. We laid out the calendars so you just have to fill in your info, photocopy, and start selling. Grab the auto download for just $7.
- Ask committee members to email friends and family and start selling. Have them keep a detailed list of buyers so they can collect the cash and give them their calendar later.
A few important notes…
Do NOT post the calendar templates online. You do NOT want people duplicating the template and entering your raffle without paying for them. Instead, publish an email with a list of the daily prizes.
My first suggestion would be to purchase the Cash Calendar raffle right now, rather than the blank Calendar Raffle where you have to fill in prizes that were donated. It’s not a good time to ask local businesses for donations. They will be going thru a difficult time and asking would seem insensitive. I would hope you would do the exact opposite and perhaps order takeout from a local restaurant or order online from a local shop so support them.
If you prefer physical prizes as opposed to giving out the $1,000 in cash money, then try something a little unique during this unique time…
Just as you would do with the yard sale fundraiser, ask school parents to clean out their closets. Ask them to donate any new items they find laying around that they no longer have any use for.
This could be really fun. You may get gift cards, boxes of unopened diapers, unopened Christmas gifts. You could label some days on your calendar as “white elephant grab bags”, meaning the prize is a total surprise!
Have fun with this one! And grab your digital download of the Calendar templates.
Plan a Clothing Drive Fundraiser
While we’re talking about having school parents (and staff) clean out their closets, it’s the perfect opportunity to run a clothing drive fundraiser. There are companies (i.e. Savers, GoodThrift, etc) that will pick up your items, weigh them, and send you a check for your contribution.
Run an online search for “clothing drive fundraiser” in your state. Choose a company and check their website to confirm what items they take (i.e. clothing, shoes, linens, household items, etc.)
Evaluate & Plan for Next Year
Now is also the time to evaluate the fundraisers you worked on over the past 6 months, then use that information to plan for next year.
- What fundraisers did you run?
- How did they perform (expenses, income, attendance)?
- How many volunteers were needed for each?
- How did your supporters feel about the fundraisers?
Once you gather this information, make a plan for next year. Which fundraisers will be repeated and which should be replaced with something new?
Perhaps you’d like to try Entri Ways’ Academic Challenge Fundraiser. Stay tuned for more information on this educational event. Be sure to join our email list so you’re notified when it’s released.
Do you have other ideas? What are you planning to work on while you’re home for the next few weeks? Tell us in the comments.
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