Church Fundraising

Church fundraising can be fun, or it can be an incredible amount of work – more than you may want to deal with.  Today, there are literally hundreds of activities you can participate in or product to sell that make it all easier and more profitable.  Right now we are in the hottest season of the year in many places, and church fundraising activities can often fit the season.

In hot summer months, car washes are an easy way to raise the money you need.  Pre-teens and teenagers in the youth group often set up in a heavily trafficked area so that they can attract the attention of those who pass by and may need their car washed.  Another great church fundraising idea for summer is a water sports setting; just gather together super-soakers, water balloons, water guns, slip and slide mats, and wading pools, a sort of mini water park.  Visitors can donate in order to participate in the fun, which can include water war where teams are split up and try to prevent the other team from crossing the center line by “blasting” them with super-soakers.  These types of games and activities are super fun and refreshing for kids during the peak months of summer.

How do you get the youth group excited about joining in the efforts of church fundraising?  Sometimes it’s hard to get pre-teens and teenagers to do anything without some sort of incentive.  If you are selling a product and the teens don’t seem too enthusiastic, offer a prize to the top seller.  This could be anything from a Walmart or Hastings gift card to cold hard cash.  You can get the younger generation today to get involved in fundraising when there is something in it for them!  You may even decide to reward those who come in first, second and third place so that there is a little more competitive atmosphere.

You can enhance your church fundraising efforts by providing samples of the products you sell; for example, if you decide that candles are the product of choice, provide samples that customers can see and smell.  It’s natural for anyone to be more enticed to buy if they can actually touch and see the product they are shelling out their hard-earned money for.  This is why catalog sales are sometimes difficult; the customer sees a picture of a product and perhaps a description, but it’s often hard to visualize what it will look like when they see it first hand.  This is why many people love discount cards for church fundraising – the product is available on the spot, there is no waiting, and the value to the customer is incredible.

Discount cards not only offer more value to the customer, they help support your entire community.  Merchants join in to offer savings and discounts on all sorts of products and services, which helps them attract new business.  This means an economic boost for your area, and savings that customers truly appreciate.  The profit margins are exceptional as well, making them the product of choice for your church fundraising needs.

Of course, the best way to raise all of the money you need is to combine your efforts through fun activities and product sales.  Bake sales, auctions, church cookbooks and car washes are great, but when combined with a fast-selling product that customers find value in, your profits increase dramatically.  For $10, discount cards offer the customer an opportunity to save much more than they spent on the card, and you don’t find that in many products today.  Church fundraising can be both enjoyable and profitable, if you choose the right products and activities to promote.

Mark South
Easy Church Fundraising