8 unique low-cost ideas for Fundraisers
Sometimes its hard to be in the non-profit or charity sector, because let’s face it raising money is hard to do on a shoestring budget. This week we will be looking for some tips and ideas for low-cost fundraisers that any organization can do even if the team is small these events should be simple to pull off.
#8 The “No Event” Event
This one is simple to do, simply set up a Facebook event that your supporters can follow along with at home. No need to get any special items or tables etc. that normally go along with an event it's as simple as sitting at home and asking for donations. A few years ago, a local drinks company ran a very successful campaign around this idea and got people doing “nothing much” on mass. It’s also a great way of getting attention for your organisations social media page as well since it has that “LoL” factor and you can even do a “send us the best picture of you doing nothing” competition to boost engagement.
#7 Near New Auction
The idea here is to hold an auction whit items sourced from your supporters, things like homeware, clothing and knick-knacks that they either don’t want or need can be given. The catch is they need to be near new and interesting (no socks or items that are a snore) think of regifting or when online auctions fill with unwanted gifts after x-mas, the same principle just with a charitable angle to it allowing maximized funds for your NPO or charity. You can either set up a page for this or even tie it in as part of a bigger event you may be holding.
#6 Cook-Off
Everyone loves a good eat so why no host a cook-off? Get your supporters to a location such as a park or a beach along and create banners and buzz to get the passing public involved. Outreach to local supermarkets could help source materials for the cook-off and be a great way to build ongoing relationships with potential sponsors. You could even get their exec team to play judge for the cook-off!
#5 Recycled Art Auction
Recycled art auctions are not new but they are an awesome way of raising funds. Reach out to local artists and get them onboard for your cause, especially if your organization has an environmental spin to it. Since the materials are sourced mostly for free this keeps your costs down and you can run the actual auction either online or at a bigger event you may already be doing like #7 in this list, auctions are just a great way to get more value from big events.
#4 Gamers Marathon
Everyone loves a good bit of fun so why not do a fundraiser around it. A gaming marathon is a fun way to do this, just borrow a few tv’s or have the participants bring their PC’s along for a LAN party and live to stream the whole thing on Facebook or Twitch. Create a Peer to peer page for people to sponsor their participant of choice and even run spot prizes for viewers to win.
#3 Tie-Dye Party
Tie-dyeing is fun by itself but why not use it to get donations? Get some cheap tee shirts without any logos form an online shopping platform, this can normally be done for just a few dollars per shirt. Simply set up shop at a location like a local park or a community center and charge a door fee to cover the cost of materials and a donation. You can even have a BYO item for a small extra fee per item and it’s a great way to get out and meet the community you work in.
#2 Walk & Paw
This is a spin on the walkathon idea, the idea here is to get people and their pets out walking for sponsorship, you can also have collection buckets on the day and the appeal to animal lovers will be huge!
#1 Guess Jar
Probably the most tried and true and cost-effective fundraiser you can do the guessing jar is a perfect way to get an office collection going. The idea is to fill a jar with something like jelly beans and have people make guesses as to how many are in the jar. The prize, of course, is the jar of candy, but participants can make multiple guesses for a few dollars a time. As competition heats up people will often make multiple guesses just to block others, so the funding potential is awesome especially if you nurture people’s competitive nature.
So, there you have it, some ideas to get your next fundraiser up and running no matter if it’s a big charity dinner with an auction or just a small simple office fundraiser there are options galore out there to fit your needs. If you still feel a bit lost reach out to us and we can help you with events and peer to peer fundraising, here at TicketSuite we know that every dollar counts so get in touch and let’s reach that goal together!
