- Paper calendars are still hanging on people’s walls. Determine what you think would sell in your market – only get a limited number of calendars printed – take orders now and deliver in December
- Offer a training on something and collect money from people for attending. Usually, there’s a professional out there willing to train in return for a small fee and the opportunity to sell something during the training
- Canvas shopping bags work well when you partner with a shopping district. Woodland Park Main Street has cornered the market on this idea in their small town. They include coupons in the bag from participating businesses and then they sell the bags at other events for $10 – $15, woodlandparkmainstreet.org
- Write a book about the history of your organization – or another popular subject. Self-publish and sell the book. This also works well with cookbooks
- Find a way to share your mission by including others. The Mountain Top Cycling Club in Teller County has a “Bike the Night” to bring families out for a bicycle ride. People pay for the opportunity to participate, they get a glow in the dark t-shirt, and have a pizza party after the ride – mountaintopcyclingclub.com
- Host a festive gathering for families. The Made for More project has a colorful pumpkin festival coming up. This is when the community comes together to celebrate the harvest of pumpkins – madeformoreproject.org
Think of your fundraisers as a way to market your organization. Sometimes, a fundraiser takes time to catch on. The first time you do it may not be as exciting because the results were not what you expected but if you keep a positive attitude, plan for the next time, and learn as you go – things always get better.