Fundraising Tips: HOW TO RAISE MONEY 101

First, realize that there are two ways of making money for your organization…

FUNDRAISING and SPONSORSHIP!

some fundraising ideas:
- date auctions: note! girls make MUCH MORE than guys
- garage sales/swap meets: make sure you gather tons of items and maybe even post them online beforehand!
- food! call up a restaurant, tell them you’re going to be bring out a lot of people, and ask them what they can do for you
- jail cell: put up a canopy, rope it off, and arrest people for 50 cents for 10 mins! its fun, its cheap, its easy
- bowl-a-thon
- bike-a-thon
- sell food on campus: make sure it’s okay with the school first!
- go clubbing! ask around some local clubs and see if they can cut your a percentage of the profits they make off of pre-sale tickets
- hold your own dance! doesn’t have to be at a club, maybe you can find a cheaper venue somewhere else!
- casino/poker night! get some businesses to donate prizes/gift certificates as prizes, trade in your poker chips for raffle tickets!

some tips on fundraising:
- always ask around for connections, the more resources you have…the better!
- it’s all about the HYPE! publicize your events well!
- attend other organization’s events, they’ll return the favor and come out to your events!
- plan earlier and stay organized, this ensures success.
- Use all means of promoting! facebook, twitter, myspace, email, texting, calling, do whatever it takes!

now sponsorship is a little different, that’s usually just your organization going around, and asking for money.

surprisingly, it can be pretty successful if you do it right.

also, it’s usually easier to ask for sponsorship for a specific event, such as a fundraiser or a culture night.

ideas & tips for sponsorship:
- know your details well! a lot of people will ask you to explain why you want money
- be professional: act mature and dress nicely
- go everywhere! you won’t know til you try
- ask your friends, family, and relatives
- have a sponsorship packet ready to go!
- offer your sponsors advertising space in your program
- don’t forget to acknowledge and thank you sponsors after the event!
- do sponsorship runs in groups or at least pairs, shows unity and teamwork