Need good fundraiser ideas for small chapter!

[Nibbz]

A really great idea that was successful on this campus was a chilli cook-off. Every organization was invited and put $5 entry fee and students paid $2 to eat and vote. The winner for the best chilli won at least $100 or up to $500 of the profit. It is a great PR event and fundraiser.

[sairose]

Thanks for the ideas, everyone! Let's keep them coming!

I actually have a good one to share. Last year, on Valentine's Day, we set up a "kissing booth" in the music building(we're a music sorority). We charged 50 cents for a hug, or a dollar for a kiss(on the cheek, or a few Hershey's Kisses). We made almost 200 dollars! Guess it helps that our chapter has some real hotties.

[BabyP]

Originally posted by chideltjen
can you guys do bake sales on your campus? i have seen different clubs and organizations post outside a building early in the morning and sell bagels and donuts to people who forgot breakfast in the morning. We also have the option of having a small fundraiser at our college's open house day. CSUS used to open up to the community and future and perspective students, even kids on field trips, organizations could sell baked goods, strawberry shortcake (mmmm...) candy bars, bbq, soda, you name it they had it, right at their booth/table. And you draw attention from other organizations as well because people get hungry.
This one latina organization was selling tacos and fajitas with baked tortillas... to die for and a lot better than a BK broiler from the student center.

Really? Sac State is so strict now.........but I know what you mean I did see them before but now.........

[chideltjen]

i couldn't say now... the last time that happened was when i was active. i have been an alum for 2 years now.

See if you can pick up ballot boxes on election night. You get posted at certain polling areas and you load ballots into the "counting trucks." Don't know the details but your chapter will get paid bank for every member you have there for like 4 hours.

[Sahara27]

Yankee Candle has a great fundraiser for organizations. I think you make 45% profit from the orders -- everyone loves candles!
Also, we have a bowling ally that lets local groups have fundraising nights. Bowling costs $6 per person, and he gives us about $4 each! Talk to local college hangouts and see if they'd be up for it.
There's always car washes too if you want to freeze your butt off! Maybe people would feel bad for you, and give you more money...

[chideltjen]

Originally posted by Sahara27
Yankee Candle has a great fundraiser for organizations. I think you make 45% profit from the orders -- everyone loves candles!
Also, we have a bowling ally that lets local groups have fundraising nights. Bowling costs $6 per person, and he gives us about $4 each! Talk to local college hangouts and see if they'd be up for it.
There's always car washes too if you want to freeze your butt off! Maybe people would feel bad for you, and give you more money...

OOOOh! Forgot one... Try Partylite candles too!

[ncstatetke]

No matter how worthy the effort or undertaking, Yankee Candle does not support:

individuals
individuals who participate in an athletic event on behalf of a charity
team sponsorship and/or travel expenses
student exchange or travel programs
private schools
program book advertising
religious, political or fraternal organizations
beauty pageants or talent contests
capital campaigns and multi-year pledges
endowments
:

[babyhootie]

a cute fundraiser idea is to have people donate money for X-number amount of balloons and ya'll can have a water balloon fight.... another idea is to 'rent out' or 'sell' waterguns. The SGA and RHA of my school plan on doing this sometime in the future.

[ASTDD2002]

My sorority is in Chicago, so we sell 50/50 raffle tickets for the CharitaBulls at the Bulls games. If you are located in or near a large city, you could see if you could do anything for one of the sports teams like that, some other orgs sell tickets at the White Sox games, also.

[Bradshaw826]

My sorority was only 11 members 2 semesters ago (now we're up to 28!!) and we're local so I know where you're coming from. I recommend staying clear of magazine sales, we had a horrible time with those. We weren't too sucessful with candles, but it was better then magazines. What has worked the best for us is getting a local bar to have an open bar party sponsered and advertised by us. They charge ten at the door for a few hours and we get $3 per person. We have to pay some up front, but we always make a lot, especially since the bar we do it at is usually packed on weekends and open bar for $10 will attract a crowd with very little adverstising, we usually just do word of mouth. Plus, all the sisters go too, which is a lot of fun! Also this semester we're doing a rummage sale. It's basically a collective garage sale, mostly books, clothes, knick knacks and because a few of our graduating seniors have apartments we have furniture and other stuff like that to sell. This is the first semester we're doing this, so I'm not completely sure how it'll turn out, but it's coming together really well and I think it'll work well. Good Luck and I hope this helps!

[sairose]

Oh, yard sales are great fundraisers! Everyone has stuff to get rid of, plus it's all profit.

[krg007tb]

We (SAE's) were able to team up with the kappa sigs on campus and throw a Halloween party together at a local club that had shut down. We charged $10 at the door with all you can drink. We had to buy all the kegs beforehand, but you make more than twice you're money back. Us SAE's alone made over $1000 in one night, finished off 23 kegs in three hours, and got a great reputation from it. Not bad for 25 actives.

PS: we had all our pledges dress in camouflage pants and black shirts and work security and the bar, that way you can sit in the VIP room emptying your own keg or two. Also, it's not exactly legal to have pledges who don't officially work for the bar to serve alcohol, especially when the bar does not have a current liquor license.

the big one is a 50/50 raffle-- there are about 25 of us and we made $700 profit from this one. Ever girl sold 50 raffle tickets and half of the money went to the winner. It is so easy to sell because each ticket is only $1. [/B][/QUOTE]

I love the 50/50 raffle. I think this is a must do this semester.

[bonelifer]

Try national pizza franchises like Pizza Hut, Pizza Inn, etc that have servers. Those two have a program where your organization comes in one night and gets the profits from buffet, and you get the tips from the buffett tables. We made 200 in one evening for very little actual work and it was fun. That's 140 from tips and 60 from buffett proceeds. The more you advertise this the more likely people will show up.

[chideltjen]

I am trying to get involved with this for another charity, but what about wrapping gifts at Christmas. This may only work if you have a Non-Profit license, otherwise malls may not let you park outside and wrap gifts for people. But if you have that advantage, get some paper at a dollar store, some groovy ribbon and get crafty with it.