Some tested, some unique

Fundraising for school is often a task that falls on the shoulders of volunteer parents. Whether you are new to the concept or not, fundraising need not be a reason to worry. There are several simple ideas that can earn your school a decent amount of money. A few simple rules would be to stick to time tested strategies if you can’t think of any new sure shot ways to raise money. Try not shouldering the responsibility on your own, delegate work and supervise things to ensure it all comes together perfectly. For first timers in fundraising events, you could try a basket raffle. Take a vote with all the parents’ and children involved on what the theme of the basket should be. It could be related to food, sports, a seasonal care package or anything. Collect donations from each of the people involved. Create tickets of around a dollar each and sell them. This could raise a substantial figure for your school. An option to explore could also be with direct selling companies such as Avon, Tupperware, Amway and others. Walk around with catalogues selling the products for the company. Collect the cash up-front. There is often a 25 per cent or more profit in such activities. Some of these companies even have fundraiser catalogues with better percentages in terms of payouts. Selling flowers are also a good idea. Tie up with a local nursery at a decent price and put together a selection of plants. Create an order form that children can walk around with and have these orders delivered to homes. A time tested school fundraiser has been the raffle. Its fun, it’s easy and works out much cheaper since all prizes are based on donations. If you aim to have slightly larger profits, you could think of discount books. These are available easily enough and contain discount coupons to suit needs of every member of the family. Though these books can be as expensive as $25, you could still make a tidy profit out of it. If not, you could approach local companies for exclusive offers and put together a book of your own as a raffle prize. Conquering the sweet tooth is also a good idea. Be it bake sales, chocolate or candy sales, you can always convince people to buy something sweet. This is also an age old method of fundraising. If you are close to a festive season, then handmade cards and decorations related to the theme will sell well. Neighborhoods are always encouraging with such art. The thoughts are plenty. All that is needed is initiative and good heart.