Ideas are sometimes hard to come by when looking for a way to raise money at a church fundraising event. Although second hand donated item sales, raffles or entertainment can be very lucrative for the church, do these things actually provide value for the people who attend your fundraising event? Selling fundraising discount cards at your event will provide great value for the attendees, will help out local businesses, and will also create margins for high profits at your fundraiser.

What are fundraising discount cards?

Fundraising discount cards are the size of a credit card, and can be easily slotted in to a wallet. They entitle the holder to discounts at a number of local stores in the area, due to prearranged agreements with the merchants. Typically, each card will come complete with around twelve offers.

In most cases the card will allow the bearer to unlimited discounts from the participating stores. However sometimes one merchant, who is sponsoring the event, may display a one time special offer on the card.

One massive benefit of the discount card is that it will be worth more than the purchase price to attendees of the fundraising event. Consequently, not only will you be making money, but also anyone who supports their local church and buys a card will actually save more money than they spend. This means that your event will provide some value for the people who attend, on top of helping raise money for a cause they believe in. In addition, it will also make for an easy sale.

The discounts that the card will allow the holder can be varied to suit all types of people who may attend your event. Money could be saved from a hair cut at the local hairdressers, a movie from a DVD rental store; it could entitle the holder to a free soft drink with a meal at a local takeaway, or money of gas.

With the current economic climate, the perceived value of the discount card is even higher. Who would not want to support their local church as well as save money for their family in the process? In addition, selling fundraising discount cards will help local businesses by encouraging people take advantage of the discounts and use their services.

Where is it possible to get fundraising discount cards?

There are many companies who will make the necessary arrangements with the merchants and manufacture the discount cards for your church fundraising event. It is important when selecting a service that adequate research is taken in order to get the best value for the money you spend, and to also maintain a good product for the people who the cards will be sold to.

Many discount card supply companies can print the Church’s name or logo on to the front of the card. This will remind buyers of the value that the Church provided to them at the fundraising event. Every time they use the card to gain a discount they will compare how much they spent on the card to how much it has saved them. This will reinforce the value provided, and will encourage them to return to the next fundraiser held by the church.

How is money made form the fundraising discount cards?

The production of the discount cards usually come in blocks of 1000, and the price that would be paid per card can range from four dollars, down to one dollar.

The cards are usually sold at ten dollars each, leaving a profit margin of six to nine dollars per card sold. When considering the quantity of discount cards to order remember it is not unusual for one customer to buy multiple cards for other extended family members or friends.

Using fundraising cards to raise more money for the church in the future

The fundraising cards you order will come with an expiration date. They are usually valid for discounts at the various merchants for a year. This is a great opportunity for repeated sales.

When selling the discount cards, collect the email addresses (or home addresses) and names of the buyers on forms. Get them to tick a box to give consent to be notified of other discounts available in the future. When the validity of the current discount card is coming to a close, send out emails to the buyers offering them a new discount card with other exciting discounts. It is also possible to send emails to the buyers inviting them to future fundraising events help by the church.

Fundraising discount cards are a great way to raise money at church fundraising events. As shown, they provide value for everyone involved; the buyer benefits from discounts, local stores benefit from the promotion, and they are a very effective method of raising funds for your church.

Many church fundraising ideas are a disappointment when the event is actually run. Usually the reasons for a fundraising event failing seem obvious – not enough people turn up, donors do not give as much as expected or too many people show up leading to an organizational nightmare – but the way to solve these problems at the next event can be hard to deduce. This article contains 7 ways in which you can improve the success of your fundraising events by building on previous events, and make the church fundraisers of 2009 the best yet!

Delegating to free up your time

It is important to understand that time spent looking over somebody’s shoulder is the equivalent of two people doing the same job. In order to be effective and efficient give your volunteers the knowledge and training they require to do the specific task that they are appointed to. Have faith that they will do the task correctly. This will free up your time, allowing you to make sure the event runs smoothly.

Promote the cause not the event

We are all familiar with the Oxfam adverts showing a single child with a swollen stomach due to starvation he or she is suffering. This is a form of marketing and you should be using it at your church fundraising events. Appeal to emotions of the possible donors, rather than the organization itself. Instead of looking to raise money for the church, tell the donors exactly what will be done with the money that they are generously giving to your cause. Include the problems that are faced without these benefits, and how the money raised from the event will help specific individuals. It is a lot easier to give money if the donor can see exactly how people will benefit from the donation.

Motivate the volunteers by instilling the cause

It is important to make the volunteers fully aware of the benefits that will come about from the fundraising event. Do not put pressure on the volunteers; stress will create a negative atmosphere at the event and put them off volunteering in future fundraisers. Just explain exactly what will be done with the money that will be collected, and how it will benefit the church.

As above, show the volunteers exactly how the money raised will help specific individuals. Once the volunteers have adopted the cause as their own, your job will be much easier. They will actively work in order to raise the money for the cause, and will have fun doing it! Consequently they will be back time after time, helping out with future church fundraising events.

Use local media to promote the event

If your church fundraising idea has benefits for the community, you will find that it can be presented as a story that the local media would consider to be newsworthy. Send out press releases, and let the media help you inform the local community about how they can help your cause. Do not stop at the newspapers either; inform local radio and ask the owners or managers of shops and takeaways if you can leave fliers or put up a poster in their store. Send out adverts to local papers for consideration as public service announcements.

Make the event fun!

By providing an entertaining day for everyone who turns up, not only will you loosen their wallets, but you will also make the event a fun and exciting memory that will provide an incentive people to come to the next one! Hire a professional storyteller or magician. Provide food and drink for sale. Set a time to announce the results of a raffle to keep people there longer.

Keep in touch with donors

At the event collect email or home addresses of the people who attend. Make sure to let them know how much they helped raise, and remind them of how the money will benefit their local church. Sincerely thank them for their part in helping to raise this money. Keep them updated when the money has been spent and the benefits have been actualized for the cause.

Having people’s email addresses also means they can be contacted when you run future fundraising events at the church. Consequently it will be much easier to get the word out about your next church fundraiser.

Show your gratitude to your sponsors and volunteers

Volunteers are the backbone of any fundraising event. Show your appreciation to them by sending thank you cards or possibly an inexpensive present. A small show of gratitude will go a long way, and now that you have run a successful event, the next one will be much easier if the same people are willing to donate their time again.

Send any sponsors thank you cards along with certificates showing that the organization supported the church fundraising event. Put the certificates in frames and make them look good enough for display, so that the proud sponsors can hang them on the walls of their stores or offices. This will make them more likely to sponsor you again in the future, and will also provide you with free promotion.

Mark South

Easy Fundraising Cards

Fundraising has always been a necessity for churches, youth groups, and non-profit organizations. Most people realize that funding is a tool to do God’s work and the amount of funding earned helps to determine the effectiveness of our giving.

Need a Great Idea for a church fundraiser? Try Christian Clothing and Gift Items! It can be challenging to put on successful church fundraisers. You know that they often take a lot of time and a lot of work, and sometimes you do not get the kind of monetary return for which you had hoped. Instead, why not try selling Christian t-shirts as a church fundraiser? For your Youth group leaders, Christian t-shirts can be one of your best youth group fundraising ideas yet.

Everyone, no matter their gender or age, typically wears t-shirts, so selling them is a great church fundraiser idea because it is a useful item that everyone wants and needs. If you have an event coming up, such as a retreat, or Vacation Bible School, or a sports event, you often need to raise money in order to have funding to pay for the event. Selling Christian t-shirts that are sold for the benefit of the event can be a great answer for your specific church fundraiser needs.

Church fundraisers also help support groups that do good work for the church and community. Perhaps you are trying to raise money for a missions team, or an outreach program sponsored by your church. These are ongoing programs with ongoing funding needs, so you will need a variety of church fund raisers to help see them through.

Christian schools and youth groups also need church fund raisers to help finance special activities, such as going to a special event like a concert or to hear a noted speaker. They also need money to help purchase items that the group will use, such as cameras or another piece of equipment that, while costly, will be used by the entire group. For all of these reasons and more, good church fund raisers are necessary to help raise the resources in order for your group to flourish.

The best church fundraisers offer a wide variety of product designs from which your buyers can select all of their favorites. This is the case with Christian t-shirt sales, because you will be offering a huge variety of styles, sayings and price ranges, making it desirable and affordable for everyone who wants to purchase something to do so.

You as the church fundraiser can make money by utilizing Christian tshirt companies that offer free shipping on bulk tshirt sales, a quantity which is entirely possible to achieve with a fundraiser such as this. Also, the greater number of tshirts that you ultimately purchase, the lower the price per shirt, and this is another way that church fundraisers bring in a great return.

This is just one of several great youth group fundraising ideas that will be popular with your youth because the product is easy to sell, and popular with you because it will offer a significant return. Church fund raisers such as this are easy to do, and help your church or group earn the money it needs in order to further the Lords work. of course you may decide that Fundraising discount cards are the easiest and most profitable fundraiser available.

It is for a good cause after all, right? This year, instead of selling the same old, same old at the church fundraiser, why not make things a bit more exciting for everyone involved? First, let’s take a look at the typical church fundraisers, or in other words, the tried and true. Chances are, you’ve probably participated in one of these fundraisers before as part of a church or school group:

• Selling candy bars
• Bartering frozen cookie dough
• Crafting candles
• Marketing magazine subscriptions
• Dealing fundraising discount cards

Now, there’s nothing wrong with these church fundraisers. They have worked time and time again to raise plentiful sums of money for the cause. But the thing is, these fundraisers are just getting a little tired and difficult to promote. The excitement has worn off and it’s time to try something new.

What Makes A Fundraiser Successful?

The key to mastering incredibly successful church fundraisers is getting everyone possible involved with the excitement. Some of the aspects that really help to generate buzz include:

• Working with a fresh new product or idea
• Promoting something fun, creative, and catchy
• Choosing a fundraising product that’s affordable to get started with
• Making sure the item selected has good potential for profit
• Fundraising with a product that’s priced to sell

Remember the colorful rubber bracelets that were all the rage just a couple of years ago? It’s no surprise they caught on – they can be described by each of these concepts. Following these rules of thumb is the key to fundraising success.

One Fun And Successful Church Fundraising Idea

One fun, new church fundraising idea is promoting and selling custom sandals. Embracing the footwear fashion phenomenon is a perfect blank slate for imprinting your church’s name, logo, or any other slogan of choice. Sandals and flip flops have found incredible popularity over the last few years, and it doesn’t look like the trend is going away any time soon.

Because the custom sandals meet all the standards of a successful fundraiser, they practically sell themselves. As soon as people see them for the first time, they immediately want a pair of their own. They’re fun to sell, fun to wear, affordable, catchy, and they boast a really great profit margin all at the same time. You can’t beat that.

As an added bonus, every time the sandals are worn, they’re sharing your church group’s message with each and every step their wearers take. What an incredibly fun and easy way to promote a message, all while successfully generating plenty of much needed funds!

This year, as the time to plan your next big church fundraiser rolls around, why not try something new and exciting… something like custom sandals and flip flops? Successful church fundraisers are practically guaranteed when promoting a successful product.

To learn more about having successful church fundraisers visit: www.baguscustom.com

I don’t know how successful this particular fundraiser would be but it is definately Unique and the company appears to be on the up and up

One of the most common promotional fundraisers, fundraising discount cards can raise the greatest profits for your fundraising cause.

Fundraising discount cards are a great option for a close community, especially if you have specific, local merchants in mind. Most fundraising groups know where everyone in their area goes for oil changes, flowers, and pizza.

How Fundraising Discount Cards Work:

Groups sell the fundraising discount cards to their supporters, just like they would sell candy bars or pop corn. They sell typically for $10 and cost as little as $1.50 each. Each supporter can usually sell 10 – 20 cards. The fundraising discount cards can have one to a few offers from local and major chain merchants. The discount cards are the size of a credit card with the details of the offers written on them. Some cards have scratch off dots or some sort of counter to control the amount of times the card can be used. Merchants usually prefer a counter since they can calculate the exact cost to them.

Customized Fundraising Discount Cards:

A few companies offer this popular option with their fundraising discount cards. It allows you to pick the merchants in which the cards can be used. The offer with each merchant can be negotiated as well, but most merchants are ready with a standard offer. A typical offer is ” buy one get one free ” or ” get a free drink when you buy a sandwich ” and many more. If this is not the way you want to proceed, only a few companies offer to get the deals for you for a fee.

Fundraising Discount Cards Tip:

Since a discount card fundraiser is also a great opportunity for the merchant, most of them will stay with a group fundraiser year after year. That means that most of the setup work is done. For the next one, the merchants on the card just need to be asked if they want to change their offer for the following fundraiser. Some groups actually form waiting lists of merchants to get on their fundraising discount cards.

Things to look out For:

Quality Of Printing – Make sure the company will guarantee the printing on the card
Return policy – Some companies will offer returns for unsold cards, consider these first.
Watch for quality – Choose cards that can last so your supporter can benefit from the card offer for the entire period.
Offer Counter – Most merchants prefer a counter, so this option may work better in your area.
Free Shipping – Make sure you can get free shipping included so you don’t get surprised at delivery time.
Name & logo – Some companies will print both your group name & logo on each card free of charge, some will only print your name and some not at all. Try to get both as it will show your participants and donors you are serious about your fundraiser.

Reprinted from an extremely helpful site http://www.fundraisingideas.com/fundraising_discount_cards.htm , These guys offer great information about fundraising check them out!

What is a cookie dough fundraiser?

The basic concept is the same as all order taker fundraisers. You equip your sellers with a brochure, an order form, and a basic sales script.

Your group does catalog sales of a three-pound tub of cookie dough. Average retail price is $10 per three-pound tub.  The dough comes in a wide variety of flavors, including some that are sugar free.

Some suppliers are now offering the dough in pre-sliced packages to further simplify the baking process. Others are offering it in a dry mix that doesn’t need refrigeration. All you do is add water, mix by hand, and you have your cookie dough ready for baking.

Click here for a free fundraising kit and free samples from our preferred cookie dough fundraiser supplier.

Profitability

Most fundraising companies offer the three-pound tubs of cookie dough at a 40%-50% discount. Some suppliers also offer a larger four-pound tub for slightly more money.

Cookie dough needs to be refrigerated, so this fundraiser requires a little more delivery preparation. Schedule a delivery pickup day where pre-bagged orders can be handed to drivers on their way home.

Kids like selling this because it’s something that they enjoy themselves. The average seller sells ten units or approximately $100 in revenue. That translates to roughly $50 in profit per seller, which is quite good.

Factors affecting your cookie dough fundraiser profitability include freight charges, quantity discounts, quality of the brochure, number of available cookie dough choices, and the need to keep the dough refrigerated.

This product works well for both elementary school and high school fundraising. Larger groups can easily earn a quantity discount above 50%. As always, do an RFQ fax quote to companies and get your best possible discount up front.

Sample Fundraiser Sales Script

Here’s what they need to do to sell:

1. Smile, use their name in greeting, and introduce yourself
2. Use the power of “because” (give a reason why)
3. Ask for their help (ask for the order)
4. Make eye contact and suggest a favorite

Example sales script: (Keep it short & sweet)

Hi, Mrs. Johnson! (Smile and make eye contact)

I’m Jimmy Roberts from down the street. (Hand over sales flyer with large bold print)

Our school is doing a cookie dough fundraiser because we need new computers.

Can you help us out with a $10 contribution? That gets you a three-pound tub of cookie dough. My favorite is the chocolate chip, but peanut butter is real popular too!

(Pause and wait for their response)

The important points are to smile, use a sales flyer, use the word because, ask for their help, and suggest an order size, then wait for a response.

Each prospect has a potential dollar value to your organization. Don’t waste prospects by not being prepared. Make sure all your sellers know what to say and how to say it.

Cookie Dough Fundraising Summary

The product is an easy sale because kids like it and their parents appreciate the convenience factor of a ready-to-bake mix. Profit margins are high and sales are generally multi-unit.

Most suppliers have an excellent selection of flavors and fairly competitive prices. It pays to shop around though and make sure you’re getting the best deal possible.

In addition to the brochure, use an easy to read flyer explaining your fundraiser. prep your sellers on exactly how to ask for help and explain what the funds raised will be used for.

Good luck with your cookie dough fundraising efforts!

Reprinted from an extremely helpful site http://www.fundraiserhelp.com/school-fundraising-ideas.htm , These guys offer great information about fundraising