Christmas Fundraisers - How To Use the Holidays to Raise Money

Some people think that the holiday season can be a difficult time for fundraising and that people may be worried about the extra expenses of the season.

The good news is that the Christmas season also brings out the desire to help others and also people have a budget to spend on both family and friends, often with little ideas about the gifts that they wish to buy, so with a little creativity you can raise the funds your organization needs and help solve their present-buying dilemma.

Here are a few ideas to keep the funds coming in during the Christmas season.

1.         Gifts for Mom and Dad

Hold an event where children can come and make crafts to give to their parents as Christmas gifts.  Charge a set fee of between $10-$15.  Have volunteers from your group come up with a few choices of crafts for the participants to make.  Keep costs down by asking local craft supply stores if they would be willing to donate materials or if they will offer a discount to your group.  Another option is to ask members of your organization to make small donations of materials for the event.  You will also need group members to volunteer to work with the children. This event isn’t going to fund your group for the year, but it is a quick way to bring in some extra cash during the holidays.

2.         Give to Get

Some groups, such as food banks, see a jump in donations during the holiday season.  Other groups, such as sports organizations, see a decline.   You can capitalize on the generosity people feel towards certain types of groups.  Do a bit of research and find out what charity in your area sees a spike in donations during Christmas.  Then, hold an event in which a portion of the proceeds will be donated to that charity.  Be sure to feature that charity prominently in all of your advertising for the event.  Not only will you raise some funds for your group, but you will be helping another worthy cause in your community.

3.         Gift Wrap Station

If your local mall doesn’t have a gift wrap booth, talk to the management and ask if your group would be able to set one up during the holiday season.  Harried Christmas shoppers are often delighted to be able to get the chore of gift wrapping completed while they are shopping.  It’s a big time commitment, but even after the expenses of wrapping paper, boxes and ribbons, your group can still realize a huge profit.  Ask for volunteers from your group to man the station, and you’ll be able to raise a good deal of money, get the name of your group before the public and help busy people cross one more item off of their “to-do” list!

4.         The Hot New Toy

If your group can find a way to get its hands on the hot new toy (in 2007 it was the Wii) then you can raise a huge amount of money raffling the item off for your group.  Keep in mind that people are sometimes willing to pay more than ten times what the item is worth. 

It’s easy to see that many, many people will be willing to shell out $5 or $10 (depending on the value of the item) for a chance to have the hot item of the season under their tree on Christmas morning.

As with most fundraising efforts, advertising is key.  Your group members are going to have to be on board selling tickets.  Consider placing an ad on Craig’s List to let people in the community know about your raffle.  Many who are looking for the hot item are going to scour Craig’s List, so your ad is sure to be seen by interested people. 

... corporate christmas wreaths ....

158,  christmas
102,  wreath
50,  wreaths
5,  centerpieces
5,  crochet
5,  fundraiser
5,  maine
4,  artificial
4,  craft
4,  make
4,  online
4,  outdoor
4,  patterns
4,  wholesale
3,  12
3,  buy
3,  candy
3,  flowers
3,  foot
3,  fresh
3,  homemade
3,  made
3,  pattern
3,  picture

Christmas doesn’t have to mean a drop in the amount of funds you raise.  Just be willing to change your normal fundraising routine, and you’ll be amazed at the amount of money you can raise during the holidays!