Church Fundraising

Church fundraising can get tiresome and quite frankly, redundant – especially if you do the same old things over and over again for years.  Are you ready to put a little new life in to your fundraising efforts, maybe get more people in the church involved?  It can become a real hassle and heap of work when you and a select few are the only ones putting forth any effort.  If the bake sales, yard sales and car washes are starting to wear thin on everybody, here are a few ideas you may find refreshing.

Depending on the time of year, offer all types of handyman work for a small donation.  During spring and summer months, this can be anything from mowing lawns and trimming shrubs to picking up sticks and rocks.  In the winter months, cleaning out gutters and raking are chores that many people would gladly offer a donation for.  Running errands, buying groceries – just use your imagination and you can come up with dozens of new church fundraising ideas!

Throw a party!  Instead of the dinners you hold at church occasionally where everyone brings a dish, throw themed dinners and advertise them heavily.  A Mexican fiesta style party, romantic Italian dinner complete with spaghetti, lasagna, garlic bread and candles – decorate the fellowship hall up to the hilt, and let everyone in the community know so that you will have a good turn out.  You don’t have to pay a bundle for advertising; just have someone create some flyers on their computer, and hang them on bulletin boards or windows at businesses around town.  You might also consider having live music, so that the event takes on a bit of a festive atmosphere.  Church fundraising really can be fun, you just need a few new ideas to gain everyone’s attention again.

Have you ever considered discount cards?  This is one product that can be used with other church fundraising activities or completely on their own.  No doubt if you’ve been involved in many fundraisers before, you know that candy bars, cookie dough, popcorn and jerky are popular.  The one drawback to these items (especially in this economy) is that people are careful about spending their money, and these items hold very little value.  Discount cards offer the cardholder discounts and special offers on foods, services and other products that are commonly used, so they save a substantial amount of money over a period of one year.

Whatever you choose, your objective is to raise the most money possible with the least effort; after all, who wants to work hard for weeks or even months, only to bring in a few dollars?  Bake sales, car washes and all of those oldies but goodies are fun, they’re a great way to socialize with other members of the church, and they do make a little money.  When your project requires a substantial amount of money, sometimes you need to re-think your church fundraising tactics.

Consider the ideas above, and put your creativity to work – in fact, get everyone involved and start brain storming!  The old saying “two heads are better than one” is often true, as some people have more active imaginations and think more creatively than others.  No matter what you decide, throw discount cards in to the mix.  There’s no other product that is so profitable, offers so much value to the customer, or that you can easily take along with you wherever you go.  Happy church fundraising!

Mark South
Easy Church Fundraising

There are dozens of popular church fundraising products and activities that churches use today to raise the money they need for various projects.  The question is, are they really that profitable when you consider the effort and time spent preparing, setting up, selling, etc.?  If you spend weeks or even months preparing for an event, get dozens of the church members involved and when it’s all over you’ve made a couple of hundred dollars, is it worth it?  Church fundraising can be much easier and far more profitable with discount cards!

It’s understandable that many churches prefer to stand by the old tried-and-true methods like bake sales, yard sales and car washes; after all, this does give members of the congregation a time to socialize and have fun.  However, church fundraising is usually done for the simple reason that you need money, so the focus should lie on profitability as well.  Depending on how much money you need to raise, there are various ways you can go about church fundraising to suit that particular project.

If you are only looking to raise $200 or $300, bake sales, cook books and the other common activities may be the way to go.  However, when it comes to projects that require the big bucks like building a new fellowship hall or sending a group of 20 or 30 kids on a week long trip, you may need to go a different route.  Discount cards are the number one church fundraising item today, and for good reason – they’re easy to sell, and they offer unbelievable profits.  Maybe it’s a good idea to determine how much money you actually need before you make a decision on how you will raise the funds.

Why are these cards so popular today for church fundraising?  To put it simply, they offer incredible value to the customer, they are within most people’s budgets at $10, they support merchants in your own community and the profitability spoke of earlier.  In hard economic times like we are currently experiencing, these cards allow the customer who spends $10 to save far more than that amount on local goods and services they would commonly spend money on regardless – and they’re good for one year, so the savings go on.

Let’s make a quick comparison so that you can see how these cards are so profitable for church fundraising. Say you have a group of 20 children and teens that are selling candy bars.  These candy bars sell for $2 each, and cost your group .50 each which means you profit $1.50 on each bar.  If you sell 200 candy bars (on average 10 per participant) your profits are $300.  On the other hand, if your group sells 200 discount cards your profits are $1,000!  Of course we realize that the cards cost $10 and the candy bar costs $2, but given the current economy most people need substantial savings when compared to a candy bar that offers no future value.

Of course you want to continue with many of the church fundraising traditions your church has been using for years; that’s totally understandable.  Why not add discount cards to the mix, or try them on their own when you need to raise a substantial amount of money?  We think you will see just how easy they are to sell, and how quickly you can raise thousands of dollars to go toward your project.  Either way, they’re a great church fundraising item, whether used in conjunction with other products or activities, or completely on their own – give them a try, you will be more than pleasantly surprised with the results!

Mark South
Easy Church Fundraising

While it may get old after a while, church fundraising can often be a blessing in disguise.  Sure, there is a ton of work involved in many activities, but think how you enjoy the fellowship with other members of the church!  After it’s all said and done, you probably really do enjoy it; wouldn’t you miss those bake sales held in the parking lot at your local supermarket?  Some would, some may not miss it so much because they are ready for a break from the planning and preparation involved.  There is one church fundraising solution that truly IS a blessing, and that is fundraising cards.

Now you may be asking “What?  How could any type of card possibly be a blessing?”  That’s fairly easy to explain, especially in light of the current economic conditions.  Church fundraising should be something you truly enjoy, something that makes you feel good about your efforts and what you are offering to others.  These particular cards offer incredible savings at merchants in your local area, so how many ways can you spread the blessings?  At least three that we can think of at the moment:

The customer gets to save money on ordinary products, food and services they would purchase whether they had the benefit of the card or not.  This means a great deal to many families who are currently struggling to pay the bills!  They pay $10 for the card, and get to save by using it over the next 12 months – imagine the savings!

Another way this church fundraising method may bless those in your community is by providing support and new business to your local merchants.  You know that when businesses dry up and close, it affects the entire community.  There are fewer jobs, hours get cut, and residents may end up moving away in order to find work.  Fundraising cards help drive new customers to the merchants listed on the card, which means an increase in profits – and hopefully a new customer for life.

The third blessing is that of your church and your need for funds for any project or cause you may be undertaking.  Very few church fundraising methods are as profitable and easy as discount cards; in fact, there may not be any activity or product that allows you to make such great profits with a minimum of effort.  Since the cards offer so much value to the customer, they practically sell themselves; after all, who doesn’t want to save money when times are tight?

Actually, there may be a fourth blessing here.  If you really enjoy all of those bake sales, yard sales, car washes, making cookbooks and other activities many churches participate in, why not add discount cards and add even more to the coffers?  They’re a great add-on item, no matter what type of activity you are involved in or what other products you sell.  Here’s a great idea; the next time the teens hold a car wash in the parking lot of a local merchant that sells burgers, shakes and the works, why not offer the cards at the time the customer makes payment?  They can enjoy their clean car, and walk right in to the establishment for great savings.

Church fundraising truly CAN be a blessing, in more ways than one – and discount cards help spread the blessings all over town!  Raise the funds you need easily, help residents of your town save money, and support your local economy by supporting the merchants.

Mark South
Easy Church Fundraising

So often in church fundraising, the same people are the ones who end up doing most of the work every time there is a need for money.  After a while, it can really get old and there is usually quite a bit of preparation and work involved.  How can you put some of the fun and excitement back in to church fundraising, and get those involved who do not normally participate?

Here are a few suggestions – of course, it’s always great to come up with some of your own creative ideas:

Let those in the youth group come up with some new, innovative ideas for raising funds – make it a contest.  Whoever comes up with the best idea wins a small prize, such as $25 in cash or a gift card to their favorite store.

On the same principle, offer a prize to the person who sells the most products, bakes the most baked goods for the bake sale, or submits the most recipes for the church cookbook.

Think outside the box when it comes to church fundraising; in winter months, offer to clean up and burn brush for those in the community for a small fee.  Rake leaves, pick up sticks or just clean up the yard in general.  Run errands for the elderly or disabled; take them to a doctors appointment or clean up the house.  During the warmer months, offer to mow, clean up flower beds, even plant a garden.  There are plenty of things you can do to raise money that people will gladly pay for, as long as the cost isn’t too exorbitant.

Add discount cards to the mix!  When it comes to church fundraising, there is no quicker way to raise the money you need because the cards are so profitable.  Whatever else you decide to do to bring in the funds you need to meet your goals, offer these money-saving cards on the side, or even as your main product.

These cards offer incredible savings to the customer, which is why so many people buy them each year.  The customer is able to save money on fast foods, family activities, car maintenance services, flowers and a multitude of other goods or services they normally pay for throughout the year.

Your church fundraising efforts benefit the merchants in the community as well when you add discount cards to the mix.  Those who buy the card may patronize the merchant for the first time; if they enjoy the product or service offered, they may become a customer for life.  It is important to keep money in your own back yard when you can, and this is a great way to do it.

Another reason that discount cards are great items for church fundraising is that they are easy to take along wherever you go.  Unlike car washes, auctions and bake sales where there is a limited “window” or time frame in which you are going to make money, you can sell a card anywhere at any time.  They’re easy to tote around whether those who participate are going to work, school, to the grocery store or to a ball game.  When a chance to offer a card opens up, you have them right there with you!

Mark South
Easy Church Fundraising

If your church is like most, some of your church fundraising activities are growing a little stale, or may not be bringing in the amount of money you need to complete a project.  For decades, people have been depending on the old stand-by’s – bake sales, cookbook sales, car washes, giant yard sales, and donations – to raise the funds they need for the youth group, new altars, even a new fellowship hall.  Unfortunately, it may take a bit more than these trusted activities to raise the money you need.  Here are a few ideas that will help breathe new life in to your church fundraising efforts.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for a while, you have probably heard of discount cards; if you haven’t tried them out for yourself, you cannot realize the incredible profits you are missing out on!  Even in tough economic times like we are in right now, these cards sell like crazy – because they really offer value to the customer.  Naturally, church fundraising becomes much more exciting to those in your congregation who participate when they realize they can do something that is easy and really brings in the funds you need.

How can you use discount cards in your church fundraising efforts?  Here are a few great ideas:

1.  When you’re holding a bake sale in town, display the cards on your tables in a prominent place, so they will catch the interest of those who buy baked goods from you.

2.  Sell them along with the church cookbook, or have the teenagers offer them to customers when they are holding a car wash to raise funds.

3.  Even if you sell cookie dough, candy bars or some of the other common items popular today for fundraising, take the cards along with you and show them to customers!  When they see how much money they can save, they will be persuaded to buy.

4.  Sell the cards on their own!  People love to save money, especially when times are tight – and fundraising cards offer incredible savings on food, haircuts, family activities, oil changes for the car, lots of products and services that everyone spends money on on a regular basis.  Since the price is only $10 and the cards are good for one year, people realize they are going to save substantially more than they paid for the card.

There are literally dozens of different ways you can sell discount cards, and the profits really are amazing when compared to other items.  The one single aspect of the cards that really make them an exceptional church fundraising item is that they are probably the one item that offers the customer real value that they can see for themselves.

Another reason you may want to use discount cards for church fundraising is that they do not require the planning and work that most other activities do.  The company you order the cards from takes care of getting the merchants in your area to participate, prints the cards up, places your church name or logo on the front – and you do the selling!

Mark South
Easy Church Fundraising

For many people, church fundraising has become a real chore; all of the members who usually participate are getting tired of the same old things like the bake sales and car washes.  It’s often hard to come up with new and exciting church fundraising ideas, but you can if you really put your creativity to work.  You need activities that will be fun, so that plenty of people join in and help you raise the money you need for those expenses that donations from church members just don’t cover.

Churches often rely on various types of fundraisers as that is often the only way to get the funds they need.  Anything you can do helps, such as the good old bake sales, car washes and multi-family yard sales, but there must be something else.  Here are a few church fundraising activities you may want to try out – and they offer fun and fellowship to those that join in as well:

Put on a “talent” show – Many high schools do this at year end.  Have the teens participate in a talent show, where they can showcase their singing, reciting or music talents – or just provide comic relief by having the boys dress up as girls and vice-versa, and participating in a “pageant” where the most beautiful girl (boy) in the pageant with the most talent wins.  Charge a few dollars admission, and everyone who attends will consider it a hoot.

Host an auction at the church.  Have members of the church clean out their attics, storage sheds and other places they keep those “things” they just can’t seem to get rid of, but haven’t used for years.  These items can be donated to the cause.  Advertise the auction on local radio stations, through flyers placed at local businesses and in the newspaper.  You can rake in a good deal of money through these types of auctions, where those who come to get a great “deal” can find all types of things that may interest them!

Church fundraising takes on a special meaning when you get involved in activities that really help those in your community.  Have the members of your church join in to help those that are disabled or elderly in the area.  You can do anything you like, from running errands or doing laundry and cleaning the house to yard maintenance or walking their dog.  If they need it done, your group can handle it – for a small fee.

Have you tried discount cards?  This is one extremely fun and profitable idea, as these cards offer great discounts and savings on products and services that people use every day.  Another great thing about this church fundraising idea is that the savings are offered at the local merchant level, which means the merchants in your own local area experience an increase in business, and the customer gets tremendous savings for an entire year.  Basically, you just order the cards and when they arrive your group starts selling!  Easy profits with very little planning or work involved, which is what many churches are looking for today.

Put these church fundraising ideas to work and brainstorm a few other original ideas with those in your church – great minds can often come up with something new and innovative that has never been done before!  It’s time to put some fun and easy profits back in to church fundraising, so that those in your church actually enjoy it again.

Mark South
Easy church fundraising

Church fundraising is hard work, and there are likely very few people that would disagree with that statement.  If your church has been going through the motions of raising money for various needs for years, it’s likely you’ve seen more than your share of bake sales and car washes.  After so long, people who usually participate in church fundraising can suffer from burnout; you do the same old things time after time, and the profits may not be that great.  Is it really worth all of the effort in planning and preparing, only to make a fraction of the money you need?  This article offers 3 secrets to a highly successful fundraiser.

1.  Choose a product that people can actually use.  This is really no secret!  Times are tough, and most people have very little extra money to spend so they want something that offers value.  Right now may not be the best time to offer candy bars and cookie dough in your church fundraising efforts.

2.  Get people to participate by offering a prize.  If those in your church are getting weary of trying to raise money for your needs, light a little fire under them to get them excited about the prospect of becoming involved!  Offer a grand prize for the person who raises the most money; you may even want to have prizes for first, second and third place.

3.  Try discount cards either on their own, or in conjunction with your other church fundraising projects.  These cards offer incredible value and savings to the customer, and they will buy the product far more often than something that offers little or no value.  Here’s another little secret (number 4, if you will); they’re super profitable!

When the economy is in bad shape and many people are unemployed, it makes sense to offer something that will actually help them save money on products and services they frequently use.  This is what discount cards are for; they offer discounts and savings on a dozen or more products and services offered by merchants in your own area.  Essentially, your customer realizes that not only are they saving an incredible amount of money, they are helping support their own local community.

While it’s true $10 can be a fortune when you don’t have a job, many people are willing to spend this amount of money simply because they can save 10 times or more the cost of the card on food, car repairs, hair cuts and other necessities.  Plus, this method of church fundraising makes you feel good about yourself, because you realize you really are helping out those in need.

Church fundraising can absolutely be fun, especially when you offer a product that is easy for the participants to sell.  Can you imagine the kids or teens in your church competing against each other to see who can sell the most cards?  Another aspect of this method of raising funds you’re sure to enjoy are the amazing profit margins, which are much higher than what you see with the usual church fundraising products.

Even if you choose to go on with the old tried and true methods of raising money purely because you enjoy it, add discount cards to the mix.  Why not add another source of profit while you’re selling baked goods or holding a giant yard sale?  You can raise all of the money you need for your project in a fraction of the time, and people love a good deal, especially when it offers them a way to save money.  Church fundraising can actually be fun again – and you can quickly gather the funds you need for your next project.

Mark South
Easy Church Fundraising

Church fundraising doesn’t have to be a chore; in fact, you can actually enjoy raising the money you need for any project when you choose a method that doesn’t require a ton of work and planning on your part.  Since most churches depend on donations and fundraisers to obtain the money they need for youth trips, a new van, summer camp and other things that come up, they usually rely on church fundraising to get these funds.  That means that you have most likely used every method under the sun to try to raise the money you need, and it does get old after years of the same old thing.

If you feel that your church is in a rut when it comes to raising money for a project, why not put the fun back in?  Church fundraising is an activity that should be enjoyed by the members of the church; it’s a time when you can get together, fellowship and just have a good time.  What often happens with many types of fundraisers (such as bake sales or car washes) is that the same people end up doing the work over and over again.  Here’s a great idea:  Why not use discount cards?  Everyone in the church can get involved, and there is hardly any planning or preparation work to do.

Bake sales have always been a staple in raising money for the church needs, but the women get stuck doing all of the work.  With car washes, the teens usually get involved several times a year, and it gets to the point where they just don’t really want to do it anymore – it’s no fun.  Discount cards are a fun and profitable church fundraising idea that let everyone, no matter what their age, get involved in raising money for the good of the church!  They’re easy to sell because of the exceptional value they offer, and there are no products to lug around all over the place.

Church fundraising really should be enjoyed, but when you have used the same old methods for a decade it’s easy to understand why people get burned out.  With discount cards, the profits are incredible and the work involved is very minimal.  After all, how hard can it be to carry around a few credit card sized cards in your pocket or wallet and offer them to people you come across?  Friends, neighbors and family members will gladly pay $10 for a card that will potentially save them 10 times that amount over the period of one year – especially in these hard economic times.

These cards offer discounts and buy-one-get-one-free offers on all sorts of products and services most people use every day.  Wouldn’t it be great if your church fundraising efforts supported your own local community, and the merchants who make their living in your neighborhood?  It’s good for the local economy, and the customer gets something that is really valuable instead of a candle or container of beef jerky.

If you have a pretty sizeable sum of money you need to raise in order to reach your goal, discount cards are the perfect church fundraising product.  Most people can easily sell 10 or 15 cards each, which means if you have a group of 30 or 40 participating you’re going to make a bundle of money!  When you have this many or more get involved, it’s no problem to raise anywhere from $3,500 to nearly $7,000.  If you have a group of 60 or 70 doing the selling, watch out!  Your profits could soar to $10,000 and even more, which is incredible considering how much work you would have to do to raise this kind of money any other way.

Put the fun and enjoyment back in to church fundraising by trying something new and exciting!  When the members of your church realize they won’t have to get involved in preparing and planning and can just go out and raise money offering a great product, they will be excited (and willing) to participate again.  Sometimes you have to motivate people to get them involved in church fundraising, and discount cards will surely do the job – try it for yourself and see.

Mark South
Easy Church Fundraising

Church fundraising is an activity that should be fun; members of the congregation should have a good time through fellowship and giving of their efforts to raise money for the church.  All too often, church fundraising becomes a chore and involves so much planning and work that many people just don’t enjoy it – in fact, they dread it!

What can you do to make it fun again, so that more people want to participate?  First of all, consider the age group of those who will be joining in the fun.  If you have a large group of girls that are ages 7 or 8 to 12, making jewelry is a great church fundraising idea!  Buy beads, sequins, elastic string and some glue and let the girls go to town with their creative talents.  They can make bracelets and necklaces in all different colors and sell them to the people of your community.

While a bake sale may not always be the most profitable way to make money, it’s a great way for the women of the church to get together and fellowship.  This has long been a popular activity in church fundraising; cookies, cakes, pies and other sweets are hard to resist, and the ladies can set up their goods in an area with a good deal of traffic, such as a local supermarket parking lot.

Congregation members of any age could get involved in making candles; they could decorate them in a unique way, add some soothing scents, and they’re inexpensive to make.  Church fundraising really CAN be fun, and that means you will get more people to participate without having to pull their leg or beg them to do it!  If you really want to attract a crowd to your fundraiser, advertise a men’s bake-off and offer a prize to the man who cooks the best dish (chosen by customers doing a taste test.)

For the little tots that are 2 and up (and LOVE making messes,) buy some small clay pots and fingerpaints.  This doesn’t cost much to do, and the little ones will have a huge time decorating their own “flower pot” – with their fingers, of course.  When the flower pots are dry, simply put some potting soil inside and add herbs or wildflower seeds.  This is a great church fundraising idea because people love items that are hand crafted, especially when created by smaller children.

Of course, you can always go with the old stand-by’s for church fundraising.  Candy bars, jerky, popcorn, cookie dough, catalog sales and other well-known methods all do work, but you want to do some research prior and decide what will be the most profitable for your group.  Discount cards are BIG sellers, offer outstanding profits, and are easy to sell because of the low price and extreme value offered to the customer.

By now you can easily see that there are dozens of different ways for members of your congregation to get involved in church fundraising. It’s fun, people love doing these things as a group effort, and the profits you raise for your church will help you pay for that new piano, mission trip or church van.  Participating in these types of activities also helps members of the church grow closer to the Lord and their church “family.”

Church fundraising becomes much more fun and enjoyable when you can participate in activities as a group.  No matter what your church decides to do to raise the funds you need, add discount cards to the mix and watch your profits soar!

Mark South
Easy Church Fundraising

Is your church trying to come up with an original way to raise money for a certain event?  Church fundraising is often necessary when you need money for a mission trip or just want to take the younger kids to a theme park on a Saturday. While having a bake sale or doing a car wash can really raise a bunch of money, nothing comes close to fundraising discount cards.  These are great for any church fundraising project, and will also save the cardholder a an incredible amount of money.

Today, people want to save money in every area possible, from food and gas to clothes, house utilities and entertainment.  Since the downfall of the economy, saving a few pennies here and there can make a difference in whether you can pay your light bill! Selling fundraising discount cards is great for church fundraising, and also a great way to save a few bucks.  Those who buy the cards save money or get buy one get one free offers on everything from fast food and family activities to oil changes, movie rentals and haircuts – things most people normally spend money on a regular basis.

Church fundraising can either be a struggle that involves a lot of hard work, or it can be easy.  For years, car washes, bake sales and church sponsored cook books have been some of the most popular ways to raise money, and it has worked really well.  Still, wouldn’t it be easier if you could bypass some of the preparation and planning work and make incredible profits without all of the effort?  Church fundraising becomes a breeze when you choose fundraising discount cards because customers easily see the value, and how these cards help support the entire community.

Like most things, the more cards your group can sell the higher the profit margins.  One aspect of the cards for church fundraising is that one person who buys a card may decide to purchase two or three so that every member of the family can have one!  Normally, one person can easily sell ten to twenty cards, so you can understand how profitable it can be if you have a group of 20 or more involved in the church fundraising efforts.  Truthfully, a large group of participants can easily raise $10,000 or much more; you don’t find this kind of profit possible with many fundraising activities.

In order to get more people to donate to the church fundraising event and to get more people to purchase the fundraising discount cards you might want to consider advertising in your local paper or even placing flyers at local merchants.  Always state where the proceeds will go, so that those in your community realize that their contribution will go toward a project or activity for your church.  Even though it’s likely that not everyone in your community attends church or is a Christian, people feel comfortable contributing for a church fundraising event.

The best way to get those in your community involved when the economy puts a damper on spending is to offer something that is truly valuable, and will help consumers save much more than they spend in the long run.  For your church fundraising needs, consider discount cards either on their own or in combination with other projects.  Your profits will soar, you will raise the funds you need, and you can feel comfortable knowing that you offered a product that really helps those in your own backyard save money.

Mark South
Easy church fundraising