Figuring Out Fun Ways to Raise Money

By Steven Roberts

It's possible to find fun ways to raise money regardless of the cause you're raising it for. All it takes is a little creativity and a group of enthusiastic people.

Have a Brainstorming Session
Before you can start your fun fundraiser, you need to come up with some ideas that are fun and will raise money for your organization. Set aside about 30 minutes with your group members and ask them to throw out any fundraising idea that comes to them. If you're having a hard time brainstorming, go back to fundamentals.

What's your groups' mission? Why do you need to raise money? Why should people care about your group? Let's say you're a basketball team that wants to raise money to go to a tournament out West. Why should people care about you? Well, because you're a hardworking team and you have a good chance at winning the tournament.
Now, the question is, how do you convey that message to other people? Well, you could set up a neighborhood three-on-three basketball tournament. Ask surrounding teams to play. Put a flier up in your school or at your local youth clubs. Present it as a challenge as in "who can beat this amazing team?" Then divide your team into trios and charge each challenging team a $40-$50 entry fee.

Ask local businesses to support the tournament by offering to donate prizes for first, second and third places. The most fun way to raise money is by getting other people involved in what you do. Brainstorming with everyone involved can help you develop an idea that represents you and your organization.

Get Active
People don't mind buying candy, bracelets, raffle tickets, discount cards and other fundraising tools to help support a cause, but they really enjoy being engaged in events. So, when you're thinking of fun ways to raise money, don't forget to involve the donors.

Walk-a-thons and bike-a-thons are a great way to get the entire neighborhood involved in your cause. Have each participant make a pledge for the number of miles he or she can walk or run. They can ask family members or friends to "sponsor" their run. For example, as a sponsor you might offer to pay the person $10 for every mile they complete. When the race is over, they collect their prize.

Volleyball tournaments are also really fun fundraisers. Ask some local celebrities to join and use their namesake to publicize the event. People love to compete against known figures in the community. For this event, you can charge the teams a fee as well as the audience. This fun way to raise money can draw a big crowd that will also buy souvenirs and food.

Visit http://www.redhotfundraising.com/ to find fun ways to raise money for your school or church fundraisers.