Learn to Think Outside the Box when Fundraising for Clubs

Fundraising these days can be a daunting task to say the least. There are literally thousands of different clubs, charities and organizations across the United States crying out for our support. From the local Boy Scouts to the National Kiwanis Club, they all need revenue to keep their respective organizations prosperous and operating.

One of the challenges you face in drumming up support for your club is the fact that as human beings we can be a little selfish by nature. Most people are not willing to spend a lot of time in this hurry up, not enough hours in the day, era we live in, promoting, giving or even realizing that your club exists.

There are hundreds of different ways to raise funds for your club. Here are some of the more traditional methods. You can wash cars, have a garage sale, flea market, door-to-door sale, book sale, bake sale, cake sale, art sale, crafts sale, cookie sale and… well, you get the idea.

While all these ideas are good, and take some considerable effort to coordinate to really be effective, they only raise temporary cash and can be seasonal events at best. What you need is a way to create revenue that will last, while benefiting the giver at the same time. Something that will keep them giving over and over again with little or no effort on their part.

In my humble opinion, your club must be able to break outside the norm and embrace a new world of fundraising that will allow you to expand your horizons and reach all areas of society from all around the world. You really must learn to think outside the box.

Below are listed what I believe to be the most important aspects to consider when looking for ways to raise funds for your club or organization.

* Must provide a benefit to everyone that participates
* Must be able to be done on-line as well as off-line
* Must provide a product or service that is valuable and accepted by the community
* Must enforce a positive image for the club or group
* Must provide participants with on going benefits
* Must require minimal effort by the participant

If you implement the above guidelines into your requirements when searching for ways to raise funds you’ll be able to sort the good from the not so good and be on your way to creating a never ending stream of funding for your club. Remember, it’s about the benefits you are providing your donors more than what you are actually getting in return. Providing your prospective donors with something new and refreshing will have them beating a path to your door.