Most Successful Fundraising Ideas

Some of the most successful fundraising ideas have ended in failure because of improper planning or from lack of information. Whether you are trying to raise money for a charity, a school event, or for any other cause, becoming informed about what works and what doesn't work for a fundraiser will tremendously increase your success.

Fundraising Events

The top performing fundraisers in the country and in local communities can tell you a lot about what makes a fundraiser work, and what doesn't.

According to a 2007 study published by the Run Walk Ride Fundraising Council, the top ten financially performing fundraisers included the following.

Most of the events above raised the funds in a single day and in one location. Those events raised funds through engaging sports enthusiasts into an athletic event, and those athletes individually raised funds from sponsors. Additionally, one of the critical components of each of these top national fundraising events was the fact that a very large number of people took part in the event. This is the primary factor of any fundraiser, and one of the most important issues you'll face throughout your event. Obviously, with a small event like a fundraiser for your child's Girl Scout troop, or a school sports team, you won't be expecting to raise millions but the basic principles of fundraising still apply.

According to the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), a survey reported that most local fundraisers experienced more financial success with planned giving, major gifts, or foundation grants. It's important to note that the least successful were solicitation over the phone, Internet or email. The information in the AFP's survey helps to explain why athletic sponsorship events usually perform better than most, because the sponsorships are not only a form of "planned giving," but many of them represent substantial gifts to the cause from both individuals and corporations.

If you don't have the time, skills or energy to put on a large race or biking event to raise funds, another popular and successful fundraising tool is the use of novel fundraising opportunities like special cards or products where the majority of sales to toward charity. [http://www.easy-fundraising-ideas.com/ EasyFundraisingIdeas.com lists the top fundraising ideas by profit, many of these are very simple to implement and use for your own efforts. Just distribute the products among team members or throughout the membership of your organization, and let them sell the products to their friends and family. The success of this technique comes from the power of networking. The top five performing fundraiser efforts in this category include:

• Sandwich shop fundraisers
• Fundraising pizza cards
• Fundraising scratch cards
• Fundraising calendars
• Frozen cookie dough

The truth is, people love food, and those are the cards and products that always sell the best.

Whenever you run any fundraising effort, it's easy to become disappointed or lose motivation along the way. There are a number of ways that you can help to ensure that your fundraising work reaps the most reward.

The following tips and tricks should help your make the best use of your time when you're organizing a fundraising event.

1. Set Realistic Goals: At the very beginning, it's important that you sit down the entire fundraising team and come up with a realistic number that you know you can reach. With that amount front and center, your group can understand and plan for what it will take to successfully reach that goal.
2. Plan Ahead: The more time you have to prepare for all of the tasks that your group needs to accomplish, the more chance of success you'll have. Another benefit to having more time to raise funds is that you can spread your efforts over time, distributing reminders through newsletters and other events along the way.
3. Create Mile Markers: The way that you know you're on schedule and within budget is by creating specific objectives along the way that you can meet. If you're able to meet those objectives within the timeframe you set up, then you know you're on schedule for success. If you don't, then you need to ramp up efforts in order to catch up. It's best to know that you're behind earlier rather than later.
4. Incorporate Businesses: One of the most powerful ideas that helps fundraisers raise the most money is when members of your group network with not only other people they know, but also businesses they may have connections with. Often, businesses will dedicate a certain percentage of funds every year for local community donations, and they're always looking for good uses for those funds.

Whether or not you reach the goal that you set out to obtain at the start of your fundraiser, the important thing is that you're dedicating your time and efforts to an important cause. You can feel proud, at the end of your fundraising efforts, that the funds you were able to generate are going to a cause that you personally believe in.

For more fundraising tips, see these informative slideshows:

Special Events

Novel Fundraising

Funny Fundraisers

• Tracking Charitable Donations for Taxes
• Fundraising Strategic Plan
• Request for Donation Letters

• List of Nonprofit Organizations
• Furniture Donation Pick Up
• Sample Letters Asking for Donations
• Samples of Non Profit Fundraising Letters
• Samples of Thank You Letter for Donations

• Ideas to Raise Money for Charity
• Bake Sale Ideas
• Free Fundraising Sample Letters
• List of Fundraising Ideas
• Non Profit Fundraising Event Ideas