Church Fundraising

How Church Fundraising Can Be More Fun, Less Work and More Profitable!

Are you one of the pillar members of the church who has been involved in church fundraising for years, perhaps even decades?  If you are, you know there is a ton of work involved with most methods used to raise money, whether it’s selling products or participating in activities.  Does it seem like for the effort involved profits aren’t all that great?  Church fundraising can be far more fun, less laborious and highly profitable with fundraising cards.

Think about some of the regular activities you do every time you need to raise money for the youth group or church.  Even bake sales are a tremendous amount of work, considering the time it takes for various members of the church to bake the goods, price them, then load tables, chairs and all of the other things up for transport to where you will hold the bake sale.  With fundraising cards, there’s virtually no preparation involved and the profit margins will really amaze you.

Church fundraising should be fun, but all too often it gets to be a dreaded, monotonous chore.  With spirit or fundraising cards, all of the church members will be happy to get involved, whether teenagers, young adults or even the elderly members of the congregation.  No boxes to carry (like with candy and cookie dough), no storage worries, no labor, other than presenting the cards to those you think will be interested.  The cards are the size of a credit card, so they’re easy to carry in a pocket, wallet or purse.  The great thing about them is that you can sell them literally anywhere you go, whether it’s out to eat, shopping, to a baseball game, even at work.

How profitable are these discount cards for church fundraising purposes?  Order 250 and your group enjoys a 50% profit margin; in other words, you pay $5 per card and sell them for $10.  If your group sells all 250 cards, you’ve added $1,250 to your funds!  The more cards you order, the higher the profit margin.  Order up to 500 cards and once you’ve sold them all you’ve earned a cool $3,500!  That’s really fairly easy to accomplish, considering most individuals can easily sell 5 or more cards.  Just get 90 or 100 people involved in the selling, and you’ll see that the money rolls in much quicker and easier than with other church fundraising methods you’ve tried in the past.

Why do we keep claiming it’s so easy to raise money with the cards?  Because they offer so much value to the customer, which is important, especially in economic times like we’re currently in.  The customer spends $10 and enjoys discounts on all kinds of products and services they normally spend money on for an entire year.  Who doesn’t want to save a substantial amount of money, especially on things they’re going to buy anyway?

Of course, if your church members truly enjoy the bake sales, car washes, auctions and other activities you normally use to raise money, that’s great.  But why not add fundraising cards to those activities and raise the funds you need quicker?  When it comes to church fundraising, always remember that everyone loves a bargain and that people love saving money.  If you’re all up for less work and more fun, give it a try.  On their own or in combination with other products/activities, fundraising cards are a smart addition to your list of ways to raise money quickly.

Raising money for your church can be a joyous occasion where your community comes together for one great cause-your church. However, it can also be an extremely daunting task to face in terms of planning a successful fundraiser. Your community will be filled with many talented and brilliant people, opening up the opportunity to bring everyone together for a chance to socialize, get to know each other and bring the focus in a fun and interesting way to helping raise money for your beloved church.

The first step you should take when planning your church fundraiser should be to identify how much money you require for your church. Many churches will raise money as a means to help pay for repairs which are needed on the structure or will raise money for causes such as food for the homeless, mission trips or youth camps. By identifying the amount which you require, you can use this to push the urgency of the help from the community for the fundraiser and also clearly identify to them where the raised money will be spent. This is a great way in which to create a theme for the fundraiser for something a little different. You should next think about the type of profit structure you wish to have at the fundraiser. Often, young children will be brought along to church fundraisers by their parents or other family members and will wish to buy something themselves in order to help the church. If you are contemplating selling items such as candy bars and other sweet products, it is a good idea to think about how these can be priced so that they are affordable to all who may attend your fundraiser. For example, sell candy bars for around a dollar and so forth. However, if you require a great deal of funds, you will require a larger profit structure. If this is the case, you should provide items which are worth these higher prices and so low cost items such as candy may not be the best way to go.

When deciding on the products you wish to sell, think about any additional costs which may come from ordering these, in particular any delivery charges you may accumulate. For this reason, where possible, order from local suppliers rather than using outsourced suppliers as this will result in shipping charges which will take away from your overall profit. However, if you are planning an extra special church fundraiser which requires specific items, be careful not to overspend in other areas such as decorations. Remember that this fundraiser is not just about raising money for the church, but is also about bringing the community together. Look to members of the community to help set up the fundraiser and to offer prizes, etc. Local stores and restaurants may provide you with free food, gift certificates and items which can be placed in raffles etc which will help to save you money overall. Ask around to those who will be willing to help and take any donations which are offered to you are can be used in the fundraiser. The community is also a great way in which to get some fantastic ideas for fundraisers. Although you will be aware of why you need money, unsuccessful fundraisers are usually those which are dull and have been done before. Look into new ideas and ask the community about their ideas for a truly special union of the church and the community.

Having a successful church fundraiser is as much about the community’s input as it is about making sensible decisions. By taking the time to think about aspects such as the cause for your fundraiser, your profit margins and the attractions which will be available to those who attend, you will have a truly successful fundraiser and hopefully all the money you require for your cause.

Mark South
Easy Church Fundraising