Effectiveness of Fundraisers

Being a student at a Claifornia High School, I am involved in many clubs and organizations. But one thing that all organizations need is a sturdy financial basis. Sometimes clubs taper in terms of having the funds to do the things that the club has to do like for example, a club party, picnic, event, etc. Or even to compete at what they love. And we all know that the one way to raise funds is, of course, a fundraiser.

Trust me when I say this- I've heard them all. I challenge you to send in an idea for a fundraisert that I haven't heard of or participated in. From carwashes to hand crafted teabags, I've raised money in the weirdest ways. But the question is, Does it all Work? It just seems that all these goofy fundraisers aren't paying off in the long run or hell, even the short run. I want to know how effective some of these things really are and what is the most direct and appealing approach to acquiring a stranger's money.

The first and most direct way is just asking. Simple as that. All you do make a call, send a letter, even knock on a door. Show them some kind of proof as to where the profits are going to so they know it's not just gonna go into the "Buy Me A New Couch" fund. Then be grateful for any donations and be on your merry way.

Then you get creative. You give them a free gift as an obligation to send you money even if the gift was like 10 cents off a bum.

Then you have your event fundraisers. The ones like carwashes or rummage sales where you peddle your useless crap to strangers who want it for god knows what and make a healthy profit depending on how much you charge per thing. Car wash is sorta self explanitory.

Also, you have the showbiz fundraisers. You put on a cost-efficient show (has to be entertaining or else noone will come see it) and then you sell tickets at a decent price. That one can make you a helthy profit too. Examples: talent show, battle of the bands, and the most profitable- a sports event. Now THAT will get the money flowing.

After that comes the sponsorship fundraiser, my personal favorite of all fundraisers where a loved one or a total stranger pledges a certain amount of money for every time you complete a certain task. Like bowling for instance- they pledge to pay you a dime for each pin you knock down. Or hunting- for every time you shoot a friend in the face. (Cheney's bankin' off that one) But then again, it all depends on you being good at the task so you have to push yourself.

And then you've got these totally insane not-worth-the-trouble-costs-more-to-cunduct-than-you-actually-make-from-it fundraisers. For instance- celebrity auction. (Write a celebrity asking for anything they have ever come into contact with and try to auction it to total obsessors.) Now first of all, hardly anybody ever donates anything that they might be able to sell themselves. And the few items you do get are from people you've never heard of. I just think that it's a very impractical way of getting the money you need.

So now we've learned a bit about what you can do. Now let's ask the question. Does it help?

Absolutely.

Is it worth it?

Sometimes.

Some fundraisers are very profitable and fun, and others are just a waste of time. It's up to you to decide what exactly those are.

And so ends my first article.