When you think about fundraising ideas, the first things that usually come to mind are selling snacks, holding a car wash, or gala dinner. Those are all excellent ideas and worth considering. However, there are so many more fundraising activities you can do which will help your organization earn money quickly and in an impactful way. Sell something unusual – not everything needs to be food or drink! There are lots of things we take for granted – whether as part of our homes or our wardrobes – that other people might be willing to pay good money for. Think about what you have around your house that other people would find interesting or useful. Consider these 7 things you can sell for fundraising:
Food
Sell baked goods or homemade jams and preserves. This sounds like a fairly typical fundraising idea, and it is. However, baked goods are always in high demand, particularly at Christmas or other gift-giving times of the year. If you hold an event, such as a bake sale, and advertise it well, you can usually attract a ton of customers who will buy a lot of baked goods. Food is also easy to store and transport. It’s not something you need a special venue to sell. Finally, food is relatively cheap to make. Even a large order of cookies or other baked goods won’t cost you much. If you sell them for $1 each, that’s a very reasonable amount to make for your organization.
Household Items
Sell household items such as kitchen appliances or furniture. People are always moving or redecorating their homes, so there are lots of people looking for used household items. You can advertise on yard sale websites, such as Craigslist or Kijiji, or in newspapers if you have items you want to sell. You could also hold a garage sale if you have a lot of stuff to sell. If your organization has a lot of furniture, you could hire a storage facility or rent a warehouse and hold a furniture or household goods sale. If you’re planning to sell household items, make sure they’re in good condition. You don’t want to sell broken appliances or furniture that’s stained or torn. Clean and repair your items, and make sure they’re well-labeled so customers know what they are.
Clothing and Accessories
Sell second-hand clothing. Clothing and accessories are a great fundraising idea if your organization has a lot of fashion-conscious members. If you have a high school or college student in your organization, they’re likely to have lots of fashionable items they don’t need anymore. You can hold a clothing swap, where members bring clothing they want to get rid of and swap it for other items they might like. You can also hold a clothing sale, like a yard sale or flea market, where members can sell their items. You can also hold a yard sale where members bring any clothing or accessories they don’t want anymore but that are still in good condition. You might want to hire a clothing repair person to make sure all the items are worth selling. This isn’t a bad idea, especially if you’re holding a yard sale. People are less likely to buy an item they think they might need to repair before they wear it.
Games and Toys
Sell old toys and games that your organization members no longer use. Lots of people are looking for good-quality classic toys, such as Barbies or board games. You can hold an online auction to sell these items, or hold a garage sale or yard sale where interested buyers can come and inspect and buy the items. If your members have children, you might want to consider donating toys and games that are still in good condition to children’s hospitals or children’s charities. While this isn’t a fundraising activity, it’s a way to benefit your community as well as earn money for your organization.
Sports Equipment
Sell sports equipment that your members no longer use. If your members are sporty types or you have sports teams associated with your organization, you’re likely to have lots of sports equipment that you no longer need. There are lots of sporting goods stores that will buy equipment from organizations like yours, or you can hold a garage sale or yard sale where interested buyers can come and inspect and buy the items.
Books and CDs
Sell used books and CDs that your organization members no longer use. Bookstores and libraries are always looking for used books to add to their collections. You can also sell them online on sites like Amazon. You can hold a yard sale or flea market where interested buyers can inspect and buy the books. You could also hold a book exchange event, where members bring books they no longer need and swap them for other books. Book and CD exchanges are popular events for school and university organizations.
Cards, Games, and Puzzles
Sell old or used puzzles, games, and other puzzles that your organization members no longer use. You can hold a yard sale or flea market where interested buyers can come and inspect and buy the items. You could also hold a puzzle exchange, where members bring puzzles they no longer need and swap them for other puzzles.
Conclusion
Fundraising ideas don’t have to be complicated. You don’t need lots of time or money to come up with a good fundraising idea. You can make good money for your organization with relatively little effort, and you don’t need to be particularly creative or imaginative to do it. All you need to do is think about what you have that other people would like to buy. Sell something unusual – not everything needs to be food or drink! If you follow these seven tips, you’ll have no trouble coming up with fundraising ideas that will make your organization a lot of money. Remember, you don’t have to come up with a new fundraising idea every year. Once you’ve found a good way to make money, keep doing it.
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