A dance-a-thon is a fun fundraiser idea for an out-of-school actiivty.
Many out-of-school activities, such as youth sports, bands, cheerleading, church groups, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and college sororities, rely on fundraisers for money to buy uniforms, purchase equipment or go to camp. Workplaces and clubs also have fundraisers to raise money for things like office parties or club functions. With some imagination, it's easy to come up with fun fundraising ideas.
Babies and Preschoolers
Preschoolers normally do well selling traditional fundraiser items, such as greeting cards, wrapping paper, magazines, candles and candy. Children outgrow clothing and toys so quickly, so an organization may want to have a clothes and toys resale. Arrange clothing on long tables according to size, and toys should be arranged by appropriate ages. Include items like strollers, high chairs, cribs and car seats. For additional profits, charge an entry fee of $1.
Children
Children can help the community by collecting recyclables from friends, family and neighbors. In addition to collecting cans, bottles and paper, children can collect printer ink cartridges. Find a company that recycles ink cartridges that will pay the organization per cartridge. For more information on recycling ink cartridges, call the International Cartridge Recycling Association at (202) 857-1154. Kids can collect money from local businesses and plant a tree with a plaque stating the name of the donor. Children love video games, so have a video game competition and have children receive donations from sponsors.
Teens
As teens are a little older and able to handle more responsibilities, a "Hire a Kid for a Day" auction is a fun option. Adults bid on teens and can have them do chores such as yard work, household chores or babysitting. Older teens may have success by selling photos. They can dress up in costumes according to the season, such as Santa, Cupid, a leprechaun, Easter Bunny, Uncle Sam, pilgrims or even the Statue of Liberty, and have their pictures taken with patrons of the store. Teens would need to find a local photographer that is willing to donate their time, reserve a spot in a local mall or department store and check with costume shops for costume donations. Teens usually have an easy time selling candy and gum to their peers. Another option is to purchase Smencils, which are scented pencils made from recycled newspapers, and sell them to their fellow classmates.
Adults
Adults can create recipe books or how-to books to sell to their peers. Crafty people can donate their crafts for a craft boutique. Work fundraiser events can include a day where employees can dress down for a fee, this could be anything from wearing jeans for a day to a pajama day at work. Raffles can include lunch with the CEO, a premium parking space, a paid day off or a day where the boss does the employee's work for them.
All Ages
People of all ages love food, and food fundraisers can often bring in some big bucks. Instead of going for the traditional spaghetti dinner, meals could be an all-you-can-eat potato bar with baked potatoes and all the fixings, taco bar or a soup and salad bar. During the summer months, ice cream sundaes or root beer floats are fun options. Marathons are fun fundraisers for all ages. Besides the common dance marathons, think outside the box and try a miniature golf marathon, a bowl-a-thon or a swim-a-thon. The participants have fun at the marathons and earn money by getting sponsors.
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