Church fundraising can fall under many umbrellas. There is raising money for mission trips, youth outings, camp, Children's Ministry, to pay down church loans, and many, many more. Whatever your reason for wanting to run a fundraising program, there is no shortage of ideas and/or products that can help you get the job done.
Fundraising Letters
Writing letters to your congregation is a good avenue for fundraising if you need extra help with paying down a building loan, church-related repairs, etc. It is a direct plea to your congregation for help in a professional way. Here are a few key points to remember when writing a letter asking for additional funds.
- Have a tagline that catches the reader's attention, such as "Your help is needed."
- Avoid the tendency to sound like a radio or TV commercial. Be honest with your congregation and get directly to the point.
- Provide a means for people to send money to you using a self-addressed envelope with the letter. It is okay to ask the donator to provide a stamp, but meet them halfway with the return envelope.
- Include statistics in your letter, if possible. People want to see exactly where things stand, so they feel comfortable about giving.
Fundraising Activities
These types of campaigns are very successful with missions teams. Some people like to feel active in their giving. By providing an activity, you are giving people hands-on involvement in giving money, and they are happy to comply. Here are some activities you might try.
- Raffle tickets. Offer a drawing with a set amount for a raffle ticket ($1, $5, or more). The prize can be something donated by a church member or local business. You need to keep good records of what tickets were sold and by whom. Remind your congregation often about the pending deadline for purchasing tickets.
- Church auction. Gather up some things lying around your church that are not being used and hold an auction. You can even open this auction up to your entire community, if you desire. You can also ask members of the church to donate items they are not using. Make sure donated items are in working condition.
- Benefit dinner. Cook up a delicious meal, and you will get results. Sell tickets to a homemade dinner given at your church. Be sure to announce this event often and have kids send home reminders in their Sunday School bags!
Fundraising Products
This option is mostly chosen by Children's Ministry and Youth Ministry organizations. It is a great way to get kids to participate in the campaign, and feel they have made quite an accomplishment when profits roll in. You may even consider having a party at the end of the campaign to thank your workers.
Remember that familiar brands often have better results than brands no one recognizes.
Candy Bar Sales. Selling candy bars is a popular fundraising option. The only problem with this pursuit is that the profits can be low or high, depending on how aggressive your "sales" people are. Some good resources for this kind of fundraising include:
- Jackson Candy Fundraising
- Red & Yellow's Fundraising Solutions (M&Ms and other candies)
Pizza Kits This is also a popular fundraising campaign. Divide names of your congregation among your "sales" people and let them call people directly to buy from them. This type of campaign gets much better results when you use the telephone calling method.
Holiday Items. Holidays make a great time to sell products that people can buy and give as gifts. They are looking for gifts anyway, so why not buy something that will help your cause?
- Easter Fundraising. Have kids make up Easter baskets for parents and grandparents to purchase for their children. The profits go to a great cause and someone else's child will wake up to a basket full of treats handmade by caring kids.
- Christmas Fundraising. Have kids make ornaments, wreaths, and other holiday items and hold a sale in your church gym.
- Valentine's Day Fundraising. Have kids make candy heart packages for husbands to purchase for their wives, or kids to give to their grandparents. You could also sell flowers for men who have waited until the last minute to get their wife something. A little imagination, and you can have a very profitable campaign.
