While other organizations rehash the same old fundraisers yet again, you can rake in money for your organization with a unique fundraiser. Innovative ideas are more likely to generate excitement and word of mouth publicity. You’ll bring more people to your fundraiser when you’re doing something different that meets the needs of the community.
Think about your organization and what resources are available to you. You’ll also want to keep in mind the target demographic that you are trying to reach. This may be the entire community, art lovers, or parents of school children depending on your organization and ideas. By considering what resources you have, you’ll determine how much money you have to spend, what talents people have, and the facilities that you have available. For example, if you have a church building, you could put on a talent show, have a murder mystery dinner, or sponsor a dance-a-thon.
Look around at what other groups have done for unique fundraisers. Online sites, such as message boards, can be great places to find what organizations are doing. Keep in mind that you can always tailor any idea to fit your needs. For example, a poker night may not work for your group, but a monopoly marathon might.
Keep in mind that new trends are often great things to build a unique fundraiser around. Consider new games or sports that could make a tournament or afternoon of fun. You might also choose to change the rules up on an existing sport to make it more challenging or fun. Don’t forget that old things can become popular again. Consider a sock hop or a disco party, for example.
Find unique products or food items to sell. If you have creative people in your organization, consider designing your own t-shirts, hats, or other items. You could auction off services or goods produced by members, including art, organization help, fishing trips, and so on. Have members consider what they are good at and design the fundraiser from there. You can also purchase unique items from commercial companies to sell as a fundraiser.
The examples of unique fundraisers are as wide open as you can imagine. Some individuals have done fundraisers by accepting donations for "dares." Other organizations have done unusual raffles and games. Still others have developed wacky game tournaments.
Step outside of the traditional to think of a unique fundraiser. You’ll need to have courage and patience to pull it off and have others see your vision. Trying something new and unique can often translate into more excitement, publicity, and donations.