Fundraising Ideas
Below is a list of fundraising ideas for SCCS GlobaLocals. Generally speaking, you can advertise with email list-serves, posters, and ads. If you have an event with flyers, ask a local copier shop to donate printing costs. And before you start, set a goal (measure in amount of money or aid that you provide) and make a visual representation of how far you have come.
Collect cans and bring them to a supermarket to get a deposit back (especially good in states where deposit is 5 or 10 cents). This can be facilitated by dropping off flyers a week ahead of time with the time you will be collecting so that people will save cans and bottles and have them ready for you (or outside if they will not be home).
Hold a benefit dinner or concert. Ask local businesses to donate food or ask local bands to play for free. Use space from a fraternity, co-op, or the university or even someone’s house. You can charge at the door. Have information packets or educational posters around (people will read between bands.) This is also an excellent way to recruit – have an email sign up at the door!
Call doctors and dentists in the area, as well as drugstores, etc. to collect extra toothbrushes, gauze, fluoride, latex gloves, aspirin, etc.). See if your school has an international medical relief program (many schools with medical programs do) or contact Emma at SCCS to have the equipment shipped to another country.
If there is a wishing fountain near you, find out if it is owned by anyone. Some malls will collect the money each day and donate it to a cause. Otherwise, plan a fountain-dive day and get your group to go fishing for change – it may add up!
Get local schoolchildren to draw something based on a theme (kids around the world, world free of violence, what family means to me) possibly after doing an awareness lesson. Photocopy the kids’ pictures (ask a local copy place to donate the printing) and put them into a calendar or greeting cards. (Get the kids’ permission first!) Then sell the calendars or cards for a profit.
Sell candy or baked goods. Attach slips of paper with child survival facts or have information at the booth.
Make notebooks out of scrap paper which can be gathered from a computer lab or printing site. Make a nice cover and hard backing and put the papers with the writing on the back. Then bind and sell! (You can even include child survival info in the notebook somewhere!)
Ask a local book or gift store to let your group do gift wrapping for the holidays. Collect tips from customers and use the opportunity to educate consumers.
Organize a 3-on-3 basketball tournament (or scrabble, or a three-legged race, or anything!). Have a registration fee for individuals or teams. Use the tournament as a place to educate. Have the prize be a donation to Heifer etc. in the name of the winner.
Set up bottles at dorms or different colleges (engineering vs. English) or different classes (sophomores vs. seniors) and see which group can raise more. An interesting twist: make it a penny drive, but let people put nickels, dimes and quarters in other people’s buckets and count those as negative!
Solicit donations of art, photography, or written work concerning child survival and host a silent auction to sell the creative pieces and donate the proceeds to charity.
Raise awareness of hunger issues by organizing a 30 Hour Famine or an OxFam Hunger Banquet. You can have students write advocacy letters to legislators as part of the banquet in addition to collecting monetary donations.
