Mr Wild Posted March 19, 2019 Posted March 19, 2019 What is the most successful fundraiser you have been a part of/ran? What made is so successful?
ChevyVanMiller Posted March 19, 2019 Posted March 19, 2019 2 minutes ago, Mr Wild said: What is the most successful fundraiser you have been a part of/ran? What made is so successful? Circle the Wagons for Darryl Talley. $153,479 raised. What made it so successful? The people on this board, for starters. 1 1
KD in CA Posted March 19, 2019 Posted March 19, 2019 -Connections to people/businesses who can/will donate stuff. -Lots of people in attendance who will bid on the stuff.
Augie Posted March 19, 2019 Posted March 19, 2019 My wife used to run the Catholic Charities Ball for years, and was on the board at St Jude Children’s Hospital. Magical fundraising there! The key, as always, is in the people with whom you surround yourself. I did small potatoes compared to that.
Augie Posted March 19, 2019 Posted March 19, 2019 (edited) 40 minutes ago, KD in CA said: -Connections to people/businesses who can/will donate stuff. -Lots of WEALTHY people in attendance who will bid on the stuff. I hate the whole FTFY stuff, but I’m feeling lazy. My wife had it out with the Bishop about moving the Catholic Charity Ball to the Ritz. Other venues were cheaper. He felt it was a waste of money on the expense side. She argued people who would stroke the $10-20k check would not attend at Denny’s. She won, and raised revenue from the event by almost 1,000 percent. The Bishop came around..... He became a fan of our family. When we first moved to Atlanta there was a St Jude event at the home of a local restauranteur. After wine tasting and small plates, they convened in the living room. They started with “who wants to write a check for $25k?”. Then worked their way down. Hands kept going up, raised a fortune in 2-3 hours. . Edited March 19, 2019 by Augie
Another Fan Posted March 19, 2019 Posted March 19, 2019 37 minutes ago, Mr Wild said: What is the most successful fundraiser you have been a part of/ran? What made is so successful? Well I didn't actually run it but I ran in it twice.. Rutgers University hosts every December The Big Chill 5k run. Instead of paying a fee you had to bring a toy to donate. Over 3,000 toys were collected for Toys for Tots. For a run that size with over 3,000 people it was very well organized. 1
Augie Posted March 19, 2019 Posted March 19, 2019 45 minutes ago, Mr Wild said: What is the most successful fundraiser you have been a part of/ran? What made is so successful? Are you working with a particular event? Need ideas? Advice?
Mr Wild Posted March 19, 2019 Author Posted March 19, 2019 22 minutes ago, Augie said: Are you working with a particular event? Need ideas? Advice? Trying to figure out good fundraisers to make money. Small town, not a lot of money here, need suggestions for future ones.
Augie Posted March 19, 2019 Posted March 19, 2019 Just now, Mr Wild said: Trying to figure out good fundraisers to make money. Small town, not a lot of money here, need suggestions for future ones. My sister in Appleton, WI does a couple. There is a summer rummage sale which is a big deal, and a lot of work. Moving appliances, etc. She also collects about $20k/year with a book sale for some scholarship fund. They get books from all kinds of sources, and sell them on the cheap. Let me know if you want guidance. I’m personally worthless, but I have family members with a lot of experience.
BUFFALOKIE Posted March 19, 2019 Posted March 19, 2019 I sold 12 boxes of chocolate bars in the third grade. 1
KD in CA Posted March 19, 2019 Posted March 19, 2019 1 hour ago, Augie said: I hate the whole FTFY stuff, but I’m feeling lazy. My wife had it out with the Bishop about moving the Catholic Charity Ball to the Ritz. Other venues were cheaper. He felt it was a waste of money on the expense side. She argued people who would stroke the $10-20k check would not attend at Denny’s. She won, and raised revenue from the event by almost 1,000 percent. The Bishop came around..... He became a fan of our family. When we first moved to Atlanta there was a St Jude event at the home of a local restauranteur. After wine tasting and small plates, they convened in the living room. They started with “who wants to write a check for $25k?”. Then worked their way down. Hands kept going up, raised a fortune in 2-3 hours. . LOL....I was gonna start with that but figured it wouldn't be much help to the OP! To your point about the Bishop, you have to know your audience. If you're fundraising from a Denny's crowd, go cheap and take what you can get. If you are targeting people who will spend, you make it an appealing destination to get them to show up, and add an open (or partially open) bar to get them to loosen the purse strings. A few years ago in CT my wife raised >$100k with a silent/live auction night ---- for our public elementary school. No sob story cause there; we just needed a new playground, ipads in the classroom, etc., etc. Didn't hurt that the average household income in room was probably $200k and you got Type A guys into dick swinging contests bidding on someone's ski house for a week. I'd always target the booze at those things figuring I'd do no worse than pay retail anyway and not look like a cheap ass. 1
Gugny Posted March 19, 2019 Posted March 19, 2019 (edited) 14 hours ago, Mr Wild said: Trying to figure out good fundraisers to make money. Small town, not a lot of money here, need suggestions for future ones. What are you raising money for? Serious question. The purpose will largely shape/define your target audience. Edited March 19, 2019 by Gugny 1
Ridgewaycynic2013 Posted March 19, 2019 Posted March 19, 2019 (edited) In terms of outlays for prizes, the easiest is probably a cash raffle. No inventory to keep track of, but do document total tickets out, sales, returns. Transparency keeps the organization honest, and subsequent fund raisers are not shunned. You can often find a local printer to print the tickets inexpensively if it is for youth sports or similar non profit. I ran one for youth sports in our town back in the early 90s. The printer donated the tickets. Check local laws to see if you need a lottery license. As Gugny said, know your audience. * A local youth hockey organization had a cash calendar one season, modest cash prizes once a week for an entire year. Great fun, and something to look forward to weekly. However, they only ran it one year, so success and support must have been less than other forms of fund raising. Edited March 19, 2019 by Ridgewaycynic2013
BuffaloBud Posted March 19, 2019 Posted March 19, 2019 Someone else mentioned it here - what is the fundraiser benefiting and who is the target audience? Here in Columbus some organizations have connections that have OSU football or basketball tix. Not upper deck nosebleeders, but really really good ones. Some with suite access. They raffle those off with good success. The silent auction event is a good idea. Check with your local patrons - they may be able to set up some sort of package deals. I went to my HOA and offered to paint/stain all the street and sign posts in my neighborhood (70) as a donation to my Pelotonia fundraising effort. For a little of my sweat equity, the HOA paid for the material / I got a nice donation, the neighborhood looked a bit better.
KD in CA Posted March 19, 2019 Posted March 19, 2019 7 minutes ago, BuffaloBud said: Someone else mentioned it here - what is the fundraiser benefiting and who is the target audience? Here in Columbus some organizations have connections that have OSU football or basketball tix. Not upper deck nosebleeders, but really really good ones. Some with suite access. They raffle those off with good success. The silent auction event is a good idea. Check with your local patrons - they may be able to set up some sort of package deals. I went to my HOA and offered to paint/stain all the street and sign posts in my neighborhood (70) as a donation to my Pelotonia fundraising effort. For a little of my sweat equity, the HOA paid for the material / I got a nice donation, the neighborhood looked a bit better. That's the key to a good silent auction -- you need to understand what you can get to auction off (and what your audience can afford to spend), and especially identify the people/groups who can/will donate the marquee prizes. Then fill in the volume from local businesses and others.
Just Jack Posted March 19, 2019 Posted March 19, 2019 Not a monetary fundraiser, and not even an original idea, I saw another team doing it, but myself and a friend of mine, when we were involved in a professional organization that was looking for charity ideas, we proposed to our local hockey team about doing a Teddy Bear Toss. 15 years later, they are still doing it, after being hesitant to even try it at first....
Mr Wild Posted March 19, 2019 Author Posted March 19, 2019 (edited) 4 hours ago, Gugny said: What are you raising money for? Serious question. The purpose will largely shape/define your target audience. High school football team Edited March 19, 2019 by Mr Wild
mead107 Posted March 19, 2019 Posted March 19, 2019 Raffle with only 250 tickets at $100. Top prize $10,000 - 2nd $1,000 - 3rd $300 4th and 5th $100. Used to do thes 2 times a year at GE.
Augie Posted March 19, 2019 Posted March 19, 2019 2 minutes ago, mead107 said: Raffle with only 250 tickets at $100. Top prize $10,000 - 2nd $1,000 - 3rd $300 4th and 5th $100. Used to do thes 2 times a year at GE. I’ll buy for a good cause. I’d also go for a good stromboli fest!
Just Jack Posted March 19, 2019 Posted March 19, 2019 (edited) 59 minutes ago, mead107 said: Raffle with only 250 tickets at $100. Top prize $10,000 - 2nd $1,000 - 3rd $300 4th and 5th $100. Used to do thes 2 times a year at GE. So, you're bringing in $25,000. But only giving out $11,500. So that's where your Stromboli fund comes from. Edited March 19, 2019 by Just Jack
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