Fund Raising Ideas?

[OneFollowingHim]

Our church is planning a short-term mission trip to Africa, in Jan. 2006. I'm going too. Does anyone have any ideals on fund raising?

[A Cup of No]

One of our church groups just went to Brazil for a mission's trip and they had some good ideas. Car washes are good, but if your church has the resources, host a HALO 2 tournament. You can make a bundle from that. Charge 20 for a team of 4 or something. Also try basketball or soccer tournaments, same idea with the money. Hope that helps. :teeth:

[OneFollowingHim]

Car washes I know about, but what's a HALO 2 tournament?

[A Cup of No]

Car washes I know about, but what's a HALO 2 tournament?

lol okay let me explain. This might also be thrown out the window depending on how your church feels about violent videogames. There's a popular game for the XBOX here in the US (don't know where you are:shrug:). It's a multiplayer game and it's tons of fun. You can play in teams and just go around shooting each other. If you can get the resources (A lot of tvs and xboxs), you can host a tournament. Get teams of four and have X amount of rounds for the tournament. But if your church isn't too big on the videogames then it might not happen, but that's always a hit with the kids. I worked at the concession stand at one of the tournaments (Under the false idea that I would get to play 'til the tournament was over! :hmph: It took forever) and plenty of money was made there as well.

[OneFollowingHim]

lol okay let me explain. This might also be thrown out the window depending on how your church feels about violent videogames. There's a popular game for the XBOX here in the US (don't know where you are:shrug:). It's a multiplayer game and it's tons of fun. You can play in teams and just go around shooting each other. If you can get the resources (A lot of tvs and xboxs), you can host a tournament. Get teams of four and have X amount of rounds for the tournament. But if your church isn't too big on the videogames then it might not happen, but that's always a hit with the kids. I worked at the concession stand at one of the tournaments (Under the false idea that I would get to play 'til the tournament was over! :hmph: It took forever) and plenty of money was made there as well.

Cool. Sounds like a great idea.

[A Cup of No]

Glad I could help. Hope they work out for ya.

[Fizban]

Our church is planning a short-term mission trip to Africa, in Jan. 2006. I'm going too. Does anyone have any ideals on fund raising?

When I went to China we sent out support letters. Of course, its best that you have the blessings of your church before you this. Also, if the group is of moderate to small size, you could ask the pastor if it would be alright to take up a love-offering from the church.

If you work, start putting aside money now. 20 dollars a week goes a long way. If you don't, save what money you can. Get a job if you need it and have the time.

Use birthdays and Christmas for this.

There are plenty of ways to raise money.

Best of luck to you.

[OneFollowingHim]

When I went to China we sent out support letters. Of course, its best that you have the blessings of your church before you this. Also, if the group is of moderate to small size, you could ask the pastor if it would be alright to take up a love-offering from the church.

If you work, start putting aside money now. 20 dollars a week goes a long way. If you don't, save what money you can. Get a job if you need it and have the time.

Use birthdays and Christmas for this.

There are plenty of ways to raise money.

Best of luck to you.

Thank you fizban, for those ideas. We have the full support of the church body. The scariest thing is the incredible amount it is going to cost to go. I know I shouldn't worry about the cost if it is God's plan. I know He can cover it with no problem. Just my humanness showing.

But then I'm not thinking of just the cost of my share, but the entire group. So far there are 7 of us going to do finish work on a new building.

I am so looking forward to the blessings.

[Gabby]

Our churches youth group goes every other (I believe) summer to do mission work in S. America. Some of their fund raisers have been: Providing babysitting services - in homes and also for special events at the church. The coffee and muffin corner at church. Spring cleaning garages and yards. Another young peoples group is buying cows for people and their fundraising has been to mow and aerate lawns this spring.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

[themuzicman]

Our church is planning a short-term mission trip to Africa, in Jan. 2006. I'm going too. Does anyone have any ideals on fund raising?
My wife does this almost every year. Here's her best fund raisers:

1) Support letters. Write a letter to every CHristian you know fairly well, explaining your mission and the amount of money you need to raise. Ask them for a donation towards your case.

2) Easter flowers. (Yes, this has to be done around easter. Christmas works, too.) Contact florists in your area, find one that does floral fundraisers. You usually can get $3-$5 per pot.

3) Krispy Creme donuts. I know it seems hokey, but you make real money for every box you sell.

That's all I can think of for now.

Michael

[A Cup of No]

Another young peoples group is buying cows for people and their fundraising has been to mow and aerate lawns this spring.



:stunned: The group buys cows?!

[Gabby]

:stunned: The group buys cows?!

I am not overly familar with what they are doing. From what I understand they are purchasing 2 cows for people to have in third world countries where cows are considered money.

I could get more info if you like.

chris

[A Cup of No]

I am not overly familar with what they are doing. From what I understand they are purchasing 2 cows for people to have in third world countries where cows are considered money.

I could get more info if you like.

chris

Ooooh. That makes more sense. 'Cause buying cows for people here would be...well..never heard of that before. Thank you. :teeth:

[bar Jonah]

Our church is planning a short-term mission trip to Africa, in Jan. 2006. I'm going too. Does anyone have any ideals on fund raising?
I definitely agree you should do it.



:egad:

[A Cup of No]

Oh. I don't know if you considered this, but it came to my mind just now. How about robbing a bank? I think you could make some money off of that. You might want to discuss it with your church's leadership, though. :wink:

[OneFollowingHim]

Oh. I don't know if you considered this, but it came to my mind just now. How about robbing a bank? I think you could make some money off of that. You might want to discuss it with your church's leadership, though. :wink:

:whack:

[OneFollowingHim]

Our churches youth group goes every other (I believe) summer to do mission work in S. America. Some of their fund raisers have been: Providing babysitting services - in homes and also for special events at the church. The coffee and muffin corner at church. Spring cleaning garages and yards. Another young peoples group is buying cows for people and their fundraising has been to mow and aerate lawns this spring.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

Great suggestins. The work for people around the community has come up. (It's gonna be a busy summer.) I'm not too sure about the cow thing.

Thanks everybody for the great suggestions. Even RI's idea that I should do it is a good one. :ahem:

[A Cup of No]

:whack:

:lol:

[semmie]

moo!

don't buy cows!!!

:ahem:

no seriously. my old church used to do a Slave Auction. each of the persons going on the trip would be auctioned off to do work for some family or person in the church. it's still church money, but it's a little more involving than just saying "please help finance our missions trip."

and there's always bake sales.

and...you could take a bucket of filled up water balloons to the park or beach one day, and carry a sign that says "SEND US TO AFRICA: throw a water balloon at one of us for $1"

good luck with it!

blessings,
~sar

[OneFollowingHim]

moo!

don't buy cows!!!

:ahem:

no seriously. my old church used to do a Slave Auction. each of the persons going on the trip would be auctioned off to do work for some family or person in the church. it's still church money, but it's a little more involving than just saying "please help finance our missions trip."

and there's always bake sales.

and...you could take a bucket of filled up water balloons to the park or beach one day, and carry a sign that says "SEND US TO AFRICA: throw a water balloon at one of us for $1"

good luck with it!

blessings,
~sar

Great Suggestions. Don't worry. There's not gonna be a cow sale.

We do have someone who is willing to donate the timber on their property if we can get volunteers to cut and split it. Wow!

Bake sales are in the hopper. Bake sales are good ways to get people things they're gonna buy anyways, but this way it helps the cause. It's not like soliciting (stuff people don't need or wouldn't buy somewhere else) from within our own congregation.

[Dr. Jack Bauer]

Run a protection racket.

[OneFollowingHim]

None of us know how to play tennis.

[docjam]

I am not overly familar with what they are doing. From what I understand they are purchasing 2 cows for people to have in third world countries where cows are considered money.

I could get more info if you like.

chris

I'm not sure if this is what you're talking about or not but some 3rd world countries, instead of just giving money to their poor, the teach them all you can get from a cow. They give them a small piece of land and a cow or two. They can breed (if they're given two), or they learn to milk the cows and sell the milk to people in the city. The money they make from selling the milk is like their income. "If you give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day. If you teach a man to fish, he'll eat for life." It's the same concept. Instead of giving them food, or money for food, they give them and teach them how to make an income from their cow(s). and thus how to live...I'm not sure how this would be used as a fundraiser though...

[docjam]

here are a few things I've come across (that haven't already been metioned) that work...

-contact a local supermarket and offer to have your people go in their and bag groceries for tips during the day. I find that doing it for donations only works best. Just put a smile on your face and their groceries in the bag. THIS ONE WORKS REALLY WELL

-find out if there are any community companies that donate anything for non-profit organizations...for example we have two. We have one place where they pay $2.00 for every empty ink-cartridge you take into them. Not a ton of money on that one but every bit helps...the other we have is a local grocery store. If you collect their receipts, they give you 1% of the total of all the receipts collected. You'd have to call local businesses in the community to see what/if they do anything but it's worth a shot.

-sell candy-bars. Somebody out there gives you a box of assorted candy-bars (M&M's, starburts, skittles, snickers...) you sell them for I think a dollar. You pay fifty cents for each candy bar to the company and keep fifty cents for each one you sell. This is basically a free fundraiser and costs you nothing (unless you lose some candy-bars) and it takes the fundraising out of just the church and more into the community. You can sell them at work, door to door, or on Ebay.

-practical jokes...saran wrapping peoples vehicles is always a fun group activity. You get kids from the group that's going...people in the church will pay to have someone saran-wrap another person's vehicle. BUT...each person can also buy an insurance policy to make sure they don't get saran-wrapped. If they buy insurance, it's only good for one saran-wrapping....(you could also have different types of insurance that cover more than one saran-wrap, or groups...instead of a dollar for one protection, $4.00 for five protections). You could also have them pay for how many rolls of saran-wrap they want...($5.00/roll). If someone pays $20.00, they get to have four rolls of saran-wrap to someone's car...be creative with it and come up with what works best for you...just remember, saran-wrap works best because it does no harm to a vehicle...

-a jail-a-thon...people can pay to put someone in jail for an hour(you can make your jail anything you want, when I was in Brazil, it was four tables enclosed). While they're there, they need to call x-amount of people, or raise x-amount of dollars...again, be creative

-garage sale...have people from the church donate items and have a garage sale...cheap for the group and makes money...

-you can contact local businesses and get a card of some sort made up. You can fit like 16 business on the back of a card. Most businesses will give you a certain discount(10% off purchase, free drink with sandwich purchase, free combo upsize...)The front of the card could be anything from your church logo to country 2006 or bust to...anything you want...the back of the card would be equal squares with different businesses on them for discounts. The only cost to you would be to print the cards. This can take a little time and effort but is worth it. You can typically sell the cards for about $10.00/card. If each person in the group sells a 5-10 cards, it can turn into a really good fundraiser. You would need to contact businesses though to see how they're willing to participate...

-fill a jar with jellybeans and have people pay a dollar per guess...whoever guesses the closest wins the jar of jelly-beans and $10.00...the jar could be set up in the church or in a local business of a church member...

-free-will benefit concert...if you have a youth drama team, church choir, worship team, etc..., ask them to put on a benefit concert for you...

[docjam]

ok...my list wasn't done...here are a few more...

~similar to bagging groceries, but go out into the community and offer to do acts of good for donations. Offer to rake people's yard, shovel snow, walk a dog...anything to help them...if they don't want to do it for a donation, just offer to do it for them for nothing...even if you don't make a lot of money, it's a good way to build up your name in the community.

~carnival at the church...this would take someone with an imagination and would take some set-up time...it's great for little kids. This can be a big bust also but can be a lot of fun...

~if possible, rent a radar gun and have people pay a dollar to throw three pitches, or three kicks of a soccer ball to see how fast they can throw/kick (this could be a carnival activity)

~dunk-tanks are always fun, but can be expensive to rent...possibly another carnival idea

~spaghetti dinners are cheap and don't take a lot of effort

~food fast...have people get pledges to fast for a 24 hour period...make the 24 hour period into a group activity. Have all people fast during the same period, at your church or somewhere and have games and activities for them...

~craft sale...based off of craft donations..same thing as a bake sale but with crafts

~3-on-3 basketball tournament...I think that may've been said

~balloon pop---fill balloons with little pieces of paper before blowing them up. Sell each balloon for a dollar. Certain pieces of paper will havea prize...(you could even have three different sized prizes) and some ballons could have just words of encouragement...make sure there are enough prizes to make it worth the effort...(another good carnival one possibly)

~scavenger hunt...advertise this well and do groups of 4-6 or so...charge a small fee to participate and time each team. Give them a list of things to find in the community. You could also give them a clue to somewhere in the community and have the second clue at that one. Team's start in five minute increments and have an hour(or however long you pick) to complete the hunt. Every minute they are late is docked so many points. If they're going into the community to find something, make sure each team has a cell phone. If they are lost on a clue, they can call for another but each call costs them so many points as well

~hug-o-gram...like a singing tellagram, but send hugs to people with words of encouragement...with each hug, give them a flower or a hershey's chocolate hug as well...You could have hug packages for different prices...hugs only=$1.00, hug with a flower =$3.00, hug with a song = $5.00, song and flower =$7.00...come up with your own ideas/prices...

~another jar filled one...fill it with coins and charge a dollar each guess...winner gets the jar.

~calendar sale...create a calendar with pictures of your group that's going...sell the calendars for profit

~change war between adults going on the trip and kids going on the trip...have two jars, one for adults/chaperones, one for kids...have people bring in their change and fill them. Each penny counts for positive and each piece of silver counts against them. Have the team with the lowest total have to do something for the other team...for example...a hundred pennies is worth 100 points...if there's one nickel, one dime and one quarter in the jar...that's forty points againt so the jar is worth 60 points. If the jar has only eighty pennies but only a nickel, it's worth seventy-five points.

I hope these all help and you can at least use a couple of them...

**REMEMBER IN ALL FUNDRAISING, THE KEY WORD IS FUN

[OneFollowingHim]

Those are great suggestions SB! Some of those we are already doing and some sound like a great way to mix it up a little (things we haven't done yet).


Tomorrrow we're delivering subs from our sub (sandwich) sale. They're makin' about 150 sandwiches. Every little bit helps.

I am looking forward to the trip and what God has planned. :pray:

[OneFollowingHim]

Our mission team (me included) leaves for Mali, Africa in a little over a week. Please pray for us.

As an update, we collected enough money to cover the entire trip for the 7 of us to go. We did it through sacrificial giving, collecting aluminum cans and scrap metals, sub sandwich sales and a few other things I can't remember. What a belssing it is to see God work. I can't wait to see what he is going to do over the next 3 weeks.

I'll give an update when I get back.