If you are the parent of a teenager or teenager, you know the importance of funding for extracurricular activities. Youth groups, sports teams, bands, and other high school activities should raise funds. Fundraisers can be fun if you know how to put a new spin on typical fundraisers.
Successful fundraising is just a few steps away if you follow these ideas.
1. Baked potato dinner. Many groups make pancake breakfasts or spaghetti dinners, but serving baked potatoes and all the side dishes is a great way to raise money. Potatoes are relatively inexpensive and can be baked in bulk. You can buy cheese, bacon bits, sour cream, broccoli, butter, and chili in bulk packages. Find a place to host dinner, such as the school cafeteria, where there is enough space for everyone. Students can sell tickets in advance and also at the door.
2. Auction of picnic baskets. This idea works well at another event, like a back-to-school night or a school carnival. It can also be done independently. Provide a picnic basket for each student and then have them decorate and fill it with food with a budget of $ 10. Each picnic basket is raffled in a silent auction.
3. Singing or musical telegrams. These are perfect for a high school band or choir and work well on Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day. Students can sell telegrams at the school and participants must fill in the recipient’s name, address (or room number if the telegrams are for students) and then have the students deliver the telegrams on a specific date. Look up the lyrics of a singing telegram online, or have the band members play an appropriate piece of music.
4. Grow kit. Buy seeds in bulk for fast-growing flowers, and then buy some clay pots from a surplus garden store. Have a teen group meeting where everyone fills the pots with potting soil, places the seeds outside, and then wraps the pot with cellophane and tape. Sell the pots for a flat fee at the school and in the community. This fundraiser works well in the spring and before Mother’s Day.
5. Sale of sweets with a different touch. Instead of selling the standard candy bars, why not make some candy from scratch and sell it for a higher price. People like homemade sweets more than commercial bars. You can distribute recipes to the group or, if your high school club is small, you can host a candy-making party. The pieces can be sold for higher amounts than normal sweets and you can keep most of the profits.
6. Group garage sale. This one requires a bit of organization, but it’s worth it. Have all members bring clothing, toys, and household items the week before the sale. One group of students can organize the items and price them, while the other can tour neighborhoods with posters. On the day of the yard sale you can sell muffins in the morning and chili in the afternoon as an additional form of fundraiser.
