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