Richard Helweg - 199 Fun and Effective Fundraising Events for Nonprofit Organizations

199 Fun and Effective Fundraising Events

for Nonprofit Organizations

By
Eileen Figure Sandlin
and Richard Helweg

199 Fun and Effective Fundraising Events for Nonprofit Organizations

Copyright 2010 by Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
1405 SW 6th Ocala, Florida 34471 800-814-1132 Fax 352-622-1875

Web site:

SAN Number: 268-1250

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the publisher for permission should be sent to Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc., 1210 SW 23rd Place, Ocala, Florida 34474.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Sandlin, Eileen Figure.

199 fun and effective fundraising events for nonprofit organizations / Eileen Figure Sandlin and Richard Helweg.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60138-148-4 (alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 1-60138-148-4 (alk. paper)

1. Fund raising. I. Helweg, Richard, 1956- II. Title. III. Title: One hundred ninety nine fun and effective fundraising events for nonprofit organizations.

HG177.S26 2010

658.15'224--dc22

2010033487

LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Web site is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Web site may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Web sites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.

All trademarks, trade names, or logos mentioned or used are the property of their respective owners and are used only to directly describe the products being provided. Every effort has been made to properly capitalize, punctuate, identify, and attribute trademarks and trade names to their respective owners, including the use of and wherever possible and practical. Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc. is not a partner, affiliate, or licensee with the holders of said trademarks.

For Dan the Man

Long may you wave

From Eileen Sandlin

For Karla and Teach a Kid to Fish

From Rick Helweg

Introduction

If you belong to one of the more than 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in the U.S. today, whether it is a charity, a school, a religious group, or another not-for-profit organization, fundraising is a key element of success. Yet, no matter the size and scope of your organization, it can sometimes be difficult to come up with fresh, fun, and profitable ideas to obtain support. Perhaps your group is struggling in this tough economy and is in need of some inspiration to stay afloat. Perhaps the thought of another bake sale or car wash makes you want to scream. Or, perhaps you just need guidance on where to begin. Regardless of your groups needs, this book is here to help.

In todays troubled economy only 18 percent of nonprofits expect to exceed breaking even at the end of 2010 profitable, creative fundraisers are needed more than ever. In spite of the economic depression, people are still willing to donate their time and money to a worthwhile cause especially if they can have a little fun doing so. 199 Fun and Effective Fundraising Events for Nonprofit Organizations will help you secure some of these contributions, which reportedly still exceeded 1.4 trillion in 2009, and find volunteers, a category that approximately 26.8 percent of Americans fell under in 2008 to 2009.

In this book, you will find 199 fresh event ideas that have proven successful for various organizations. The events have been divided into two categories: simple and complex. You will find 100 fundraising ideas for each type. The simple events require less effort and are less expensive to put together. However, they may not produce the same return as the complex events, which call for more effort and larger investments (not to mention several months of planning and plenty of advertising) to be successful.

For each event listing, you will find the name of the fundraiser and a description of what it entails. Thus, you will be able to determine which events meet your financial capabilities and suit your social objectives. The estimated cost for putting the event together is represented by up to five dollar signs to give you a general idea of expense with one dollar sign representing the lowest cost involved and five representing the highest cost.