Church Fundraising

Are you tired of selling the same old products every time you need money for the church youth group activities or new equipment?  There are dozens of great church fundraising ideas that will help you raise the money you need quickly and easily.  Of course you want to accomplish your goals in the easiest way possible, and make sure that everyone involved has a good time so that they will participate next time.  If you are fresh out of church fundraising ideas, we have a few that perhaps have never occurred to you.

Of course there are always the good old bake sales and summer car washes that are always effective for bringing in some of the money you need.  Here are some church fundraising ideas you may not have thought of.  It might also work to your advantage to try out several of these ideas in order to raise your funds even faster!

1.  Create a church cook book to sell in your community.  Most people love cook books, and some people even collect those that are full of great homemade recipes.  Have all the ladies (and men) in the church donate their favorite recipes, then compile them in a book that can be sold for $8 or $10.  People in your area will feel good about supporting the church, and getting something they can get good use out of for years to come.

2.  Church fundraising ideas can consist of more than selling physical products.  Consider holding an auction at your church, which can be a great source of the funds you need if you have a large membership.  Members can sign up to offer services such as dog walking, housekeeping, manicures, yard work or running errands, while other members bid on these services.

3.  Ask for support from members of your church that own local businesses. For example, if a church member owns a clothing or retail shop of some sort, ask if they would be willing to donate a couple of dollars each time someone spends $20 in their store.  They can display a sign informing patrons that for every xxx amount of dollars spent, so much goes to the church for their needs.

Some of the more common church fundraising ideas are raffles on items such as quilts, gift baskets, sound systems and other popular items.  You could also hold a church wide yard sale, in which all members donate goods they no longer use or need for the sale.  If your church is located in a remote area or where there isn’t a good deal of traffic, you might want to think about holding your yard sale in an area where traffic is heavier such as a retail merchant parking lot, with their permission of course.

Discount cards are another way to quickly raise the funds you need for your cause, and they are more profitable than many other common fundraising products.  These cards are readily available to the customer upon purchase, and offer a wide variety of discounts on products and services offered in your local area.  People realize they are supporting not only the church, but helping local businesses draw new customers as well.

If you find that you are still in a quandary when it comes to church fundraising ideas, ask all of the members of the church what their thoughts are!  You never know, someone with a creative mind may come up with an original idea that will help you raise the money you need quicker than ever before.

Mark South
Easy Church Fundraising

The words ‘church fund raising‘ may already have you doing somersaults, simply by thinking about your past efforts. But do not worry, there is no need to turn the church over and shake out all the change.  Church fund raising is a project that should be enjoyed by all who are involved, from the group or individual responsible for the planning to the ones who actually raise the money.  You can choose to make things hard on yourself, or you can put an action plan in to place that will have you looking forward to your next project.

All too often, especially if it is the first effort, church fund raising is done in an unorganized fashion.  It may be that you didn’t really know how to proceed, and everyone just jumped in blindly.  If you plan and organize well ahead of time, your efforts will be streamlined and you will experience a profitable and successful fundraiser.  Here are a few tips to help make your next church fund raising project a complete success:

1.  Write out a detailed plan that includes how much money you need to raise and how many people will be involved.  What is your deadline for raising this money?  Consider every aspect of your project and be ready for ‘plan B’, in case ‘plan A’ doesn’t pan out so well.

2.  Consider multiple activities to raise the funds you need.  While it is simpler to sell only one product or participate in one event to raise the money you need, combining several activities may help you reach your monetary goals quicker.

3.  Carefully research the profit margins on the products you are considering for your fundraiser.  Many times, people simply think “Oh, we can sell cookie dough!” and that’s the end of it.  Did you take the time to think about how profitable the product is, and how many containers your group will have to sell to reach your goal?

4.  Take into consideration the age group of those that will be doing the selling, and fit the product to the age level.  Those over the age of 12 or so are better able to handle selling products that require additional tax, shipping, etc.  Small children shouldn’t be required to lug around a lot of “stuff” they have to keep up with.  Make things as simple as possible for the maturity level of those responsible for raising the money.

5.  Remember, the fewer details the easier your church fund raising will be.  Consider all of the activities your church members can engage in to raise a portion of the funds, such as bake sales, raffles and car washes.  Add to these activities a product that is readily available and that people will find value in, such as discount cards.  These cards offer great profit margins, and people love them because of the tremendous value they offer on common, everyday goods and services.

Many people in charge of church fund raising automatically think about products that are commonly used these days to raise money such as candy bars and popcorn.  To be successful without placing a huge burden on yourself, it often helps to think outside the box just a little.  Get your creative juices flowing, and you will no doubt come up with dozens of church fund raising ideas that are original and profitable.

Your next fundraiser doesn’t have to be filled with headaches, stress and endless problems!  The tips above outline a plan of attack that will make church fund raising easier and highly profitable.  The truth is, when done right you can experience double the profits with half the work – and that sounds like music to anyone’s ears.

Mark South
Easy Church Fundraising

Church fundraisers often involve much more work than you thought would be necessary to raise the funds you need.  If you are or ever have been involved in the planning stages, you know that setting up fundraisers are not all fun and games.  You never thought it would be so much work or such a headache, but it turned out to be quite an undertaking.  It really doesn’t have to be so complicated, especially if you plan ahead and do a little research before you get started.

What are you raising money for?  Whether it is a new church van, a basketball hoop for the teenagers, or a week long trip for the youth group, you need to determine just how much you are going to need.  Maybe your members have decided that you need to add on to the church due to the growing membership.  Whatever the need, church fundraisers should be well thought out in order to gain a good amount of profits for the least amount of work.  If you think about it, your profit margin plays a key role in the success of your fundraiser.  Why put yourself and your group through a grueling amount of work, selling products that make only small profits?  If you need to raise $10,000, you certainly don’t want to choose a product that only offers you $1 or $2 profit – it would take a ton of work to raise the funds you need.

With church fundraisers (or any other for that matter), it’s important that you know exactly how many people will be involved in the effort, so that you can figure out just how much each person would need to sell in order for your efforts to prove successful.  Also, consider the age of the group.  Teenagers and adults can handle just about any type of product or do labor if that is what is involved, but it’s different with small children.  In this case, things should be kept as simple as possible as children are not capable of keeping up with a lot of material and are easily distracted.

Here are a few simple ideas for church fundraisers:

1.  Yard sales – Holding a yard or rummage sale in the parking lot of the church is a fairly easy way to raise some of the money you need.  Have members donate items they no longer use such as quilts, clothing, furniture you may have stored in the basement or attic, kitchen gadgets, etc.  Set your sale up on a beautiful Saturday morning, and everyone will have the opportunity to enjoy each others company while raising the funds you need.

2.  Recycle – This can be a long-term fundraiser, where money can be collected year round and put aside for future needs.  Collect old cell phones, printer toner cartridges, or anything else that can be recycled.  Post bulletins around the area to let people in the community know where they can drop their items off.

3.  Discount cards – If you have a sizable attendance at your church, offering discount cards is a great solution for your needs.  They offer savings and discounts on dozens of products and services that are frequently used by people in your community, and the profit margin is tremendous.  Offering a product that provides real value and a huge return on your investment is a smart way to raise money.

Church fundraisers really do not have to be a whole lot of work.  By laying out your plan ahead of time, figuring out exactly how much you need and how many in your group are going to participate, you will have a good idea of what is required by each participant.  Also, if you are selling products always research so that you know what the profit margin will be.  By choosing products with a great profit margin, you will make more money selling fewer items, which makes it all much easier.  Church fundraisers should be enjoyable and fun for all involved, not filled with stress and more work than you can handle!

Mark South
Easy Church Fundraising

Fundraising has always been a necessity for churches, youth groups, and non-profit organizations. Most people realize that funding is a tool to do God’s work and the amount of funding earned helps to determine the effectiveness of our giving.

Easy church fundraising sounds like an impossible feat, doesn’t it?  Preparing for a fundraiser can be overwhelming to say the least, especially if you are the one left with the responsibility of organizing it all.  If you are looking for easy church fundraising ideas, there are many things you can do to make it all run a little more efficiently.  You want a great item that is easy to sell, affordable for most peoples budgets and offers a great value for their money.

In order to make things easy, church fundraising items should probably be limited to products that do not require shipping and other extra costs.  The less steps involved, the easier things will be for everyone who participates in the fundraiser, from organization down to the ones who are actually doing the selling.  All too often, raising money for a new church van, a basketball goal or trip for the youth group can become complicated and overwhelming, so keep things simple!

Here are a few easy church fundraising ideas:

1.  Have a bake sale on the parking lot of a local grocery store or restaurant.  Most church memberships include lots of women (and many men) who are great at making cookies, brownies, pies and cakes.  The ingredients cost very little for most of these items, and you can make some extra cash for your cause.

2.  Host a fundraising benefit at your church and serve spaghetti, hamburgers, hot dogs and all the extras.  The ingredients are affordable, the recipes are easy to make, and you can put a little more away for the cause.

3.  Offer services!  If you have a number of teens or young adults involved in the fundraiser, have them offer to mow yards, trim hedges, clear away brush or anything else other members of the church need done for a donation.

4.  Sell products that you can offer to your customers on the spot, products that are really useful.  For truly easy church fundraising, nothing beats discount cards loaded with offers from local and national merchants that the customer already uses!  Consumers love getting the item they paid for instantly, especially something that allows them to save more than they originally spent over the course of a year.

The economy is not in the best shape recently, and everyone loves to save money; perceived value is also essential if you want your fundraiser to be successful.  Most neighbors and other citizens in your local community are glad to support the church, but no one wants to spend more than they feel is within their budget.  Offering discount cards is a no brainer for easy church fundraising – the value is exceptional, the product is affordable, and local merchants are supported in the efforts as well.

Easy church fundraising starts with efficient planning.  You need to determine how many in your group will be selling, how much money you need, and which products or services will allow you to collect the funds you need quickly, with little fuss or confusion.  Also, consider product costs and how much you will make.  For example, if you need to raise $1,000, what sounds easiest – selling 200 discount cards or approximately 650 candy bars at $1.50 each?

Keep these things in mind the next time you need to raise money for your church or youth group; try to keep things simple and streamlined.  With proper planning, easy church fundraising really is just that – easy!  When you see just how simple it can be to raise money quickly, you will find that you don’t dread the next fundraiser nearly as much.

Mark South
Easy Fundraising Cards

Fundraising discount cards are a great way to raise money for your church. To find out how to make the most out of your fundraiser read more.

Fundraising discount cards are a great way to get an 50%-105% profit in a fundraiser. They are based on providing for a flat fee a book of discounts to local area merchants. Often times the discount card will be shopping discount cards, pizza discount cards or fast food discount cards. The idea is that they are items that people already use and will find easy to purchase.

Discount cards are small and light weight making it easy for your volunteers to carry them around. This makes for immediate delivery. It is always easier to get a donation or a purchase when you can give the discount cards at the same time as purchase.

The three different types of discount cards vary only slightly;

Shopping discount cards are wallet sized and offer special savings and limited coupons to merchants in your area. They may include hair cuts, dinners, auto motive services or a host of other types of discounts.

Discount pizza cards often times are full of two for one offers or buy a large pizza and receive a medium for free. This type of discount card can be used in the restaurant or order by phone.

The third type of discount card is a fast food discount card. This type offers limited coupons to fast food chains in your area.

The main benefit to fundraising with discount cards is that they are easy to carry and quick to sell. Most households eat pizza, fast food and shop a local merchants. This makes discount cards an easy sell to both your congregation and to families in your community.

Shauna Hanus builds and maintains fundraising websites for churches and small ministries. Shauna has years of experience building websites and internet marketing. For more information on how to get a church fundraising discount cards visit Fundraising discount cards

By Shauna Hanus Published: 5/25/2007

Fundraising for a mission trip is a great way to get active and keep involved in your church. Mission trips are mutually beneficial. Both the group receiving the help and the group providing the help come out feeling good about the whole experience.

In the months prior to your mission trip begin to advertise your event with posters and fliers. You can distribute the Church fundraising posters in your local neighborhood, at grocery stores and around your own church. This will help to raise awareness of your mission.

The next step is to write letters about your mission trip. Your letters should be very specific about your mission and that you are asking for fundraising donation to help support the mission. Also be sure to ask each letter recipient to pass the letter along to a friend or relative. It is easy to raise thousands of dollars from a simple letter campaign.

An open meeting or forum where you give a speech with the details of your mission event is also a great way to get parishioners involved in your fundraising. This will allow people to learn what your mission is about and give them an opportunity to ask questions about the mission. This allows people to feel a real part of the event which in turn will help fundraising donations soar.

Advertising in local newspapers, magazines, on radio stations and on TV is another great way to get the word out about your mission. When you advertise you should be very clear about the mission and place a call to action in the ad. Your call to action should encourage people to give time or money to your fundraiser for your mission.

Remember to thank everyone involved in your mission church fundraising. It is key to thank in two ways. First thank volunteers and donors before the mission. Let them know how grateful you are that they were able to help. Second is to thank donors and volunteers after the mission is complete. Give them an update on the mission so that they know their hard work and fundraising money truly went to a good cause.

About the Author:

Shauna Hanus builds and maintains fundraising websites for churches and small ministries. Shauna has years of experience building websites and internet marketing.