Youth Group Fundraiser

Everybody wants easy fundraisers. The problemcartridge recycling setup (at no cost to your
is that you also want good results. So, how dogroup) is the Funding Factory. They recycle inkjet
you get the best resultsfrom an easy fundraiser?cartridges, laser cartridges, and old cell phones.
Three things to consider in evaluating easyMega Yard Sale
fundraisers:A big yard sale is another easy fundraiser to pull
Effort Involvedoff. It's short in duration, usually just a Saturday
Resources Neededsale with some prep time the night before.
Duration of FundraiserChoose a nice high-visibility location like a school or
EFFORT INVOLVEDchurch parking lot. Advertise in the local paper and
An easy fundraiser shouldn't take a lot of effort,put up signs for the cagey veterans who troll
but let's be honest. It is going to take SOMEaround on Saturday mornings looking for bargains.
effort.Group your items together by category - kids
The level of effort is often directly proportional toclothes, tools, toys, books, pictures, music, etc.
the size of your group's monetary goal, but notPlace general price signs around items instead of
always. That's why you are considering an easypricing everything individually.
fundraiser in the first place - you're looking forFor example, "$5-$10 Tools" or "Books: $1-$3" are
less effort, not more.signs that allow people to haggle and help you
RESOURCES NEEDEDavoid putting price stickers on hundreds of items.
Resources are always a problem in small groupResources are needed most for helping to sell.
fundraising. You can never have too manyRecruit outgoing types who can be enthusiastic
volunteers and you usually never have enough.about these odds and ends. Make it a fun time
For an easy fundraiser, you want programs thatwith some helium balloons for small children and
don't require an excessive time commitmenthave coffee and doughnuts available for adults.
from a large number of people.By grouping items together from multiple
You want either a single weekend-only activity orhouseholds, you create a bigger draw as well as a
a program that takes only a small amount of timebigger workforce.
each week. It's easier to get people to help withIf you attract enough shoppers along with enough
something that doesn't require more than adonations, you can raise as much as $500 per
two-hour commitment from them.participating household.
Conserve your resources with an easy fundraiserOnline Yard Sale
and you'll have more folks to draw on later whenA variation on the yard sale fundraiser is to sell
you really need help.the items online. The best place to sell large
DURATION OF FUNDRAISERquantities of lower-priced items is on eBay. You'll
Duration is important. An easy fundraiser thatget more for books, music, and consumer
lasts more than a single weekend should notelectronics that way.
require a lot of attention to keep it productive.Keep it in mind as a way to get better results on
Those that only last a single day or weekendsome items or as an easier fundraiser to do for
shouldn't require a tremendous amount of prepvery small groups.
time.You'll need to spend some time creating the
So, which easy fundraisers only take a littlelistings. Having online pictures posted seems to
effort, few resources, and have the righthelp with higher-priced items. All in all, it's an easy
duration?fundraiser that produces results.
Three simple easy fundraisers:Specialty Item Sale
Printer cartridge recycling programThe third type of easy fundraiser is a weekend
Onsite or Online Yard Salespecialty sale of a seasonal item. Examples would
Seasonal Specialty Item Salebe a Pumpkin Patch sale, a Christmas Tree sale, a
Recycling ProgramSpring Flower Bulb fiesta, and so on.
A recycling program for collecting used printerThis involves an effort similar to having a large
cartridges costs nothing to put together. Allyard sale. You'll need a high-traffic location and
collection boxes and shipping needs are coveredsome advance publicity. Your goal is to capture
by the supplier. We recommend FundingFactory.seasonal sales from the general public as well as
Your effort involves finding businesses tothose from within your group.
participate in the program, leaving pre-labeledAvoid stretching these sales over more than one
boxes with a site representative, and providingweekend or you'll run into resource issues. Make it
directions on calling UPS to pick up a full box.quick and keep it fun. Setup on a Friday, sell hard
A used cartridge is worth between $1 and $20,on Saturday, and wrap it up by Sunday afternoon.
depending on the popularity of the printer and theMake arrangements ahead of time with your
cost of a new cartridge. Many businessessupplier about how to handle left over items.
encourage recycling efforts. For good prospects,Source pumpkins from the local Farmer's Market,
check with the leasing manager of large officeChristmas trees from grower's associations, and
buildings that house multiple companies.flower bulbs from national suppliers.
Another good location is an electronics store orBe sure to price everything competitively and
office supply retailer. Customers often bring inoffer great customer service. For Christmas
their old cartridge when shopping for atrees, have able bodies standing by to tie them
replacement. You are doing the retailer a servicedown on vehicles.
by providing them with an environmentally safeFor pumpkins, help place them in the trunk. The
way to dispose of these leftovers.easier you make it for customers, the more you'll
A good recycling program will cover a couple ofnet for your group.
dozen sites and not require much work after theEasy Fundraisers - Wrap-up
initial placement. Over time, working this manyPutting together an easy fundraiser isn't hard. It
sites can produce a considerable amount of fundsdoes take some effort and it does require
for your group.resources, but nothing too difficult.
One good source for a complete turnkeyGive your group a helping hand by taking it easy.