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Fundraising Ideas for Volunteer Groups

By Business & Finance Last updated Tuesday, May/21/2024

Set up a silent auction to attract shoppers.Image Source Pink/Valueline/Getty Images

Volunteer groups that don't qualify for nonprofit status may find their fundraising options more limited. Some state and local governments limit certain fundraising activities, such as raffles or bingo to organizations with nonprofit status. Other issues like difficult financial times or lack of disposable income on the part of prospective donors can also make fundraising challenging. However, there are options that don't require too much expense on either end that can, none-the-less, earn a nice some of money for the volunteer organization.

Bottled Water

Sell bottled drinking water during events, such as at parades, community fairs and other public functions. This may require paying a concessioner fee to the organization in charge of the event. When temperatures rise, so do your profits. Buy bottled water at a warehouse discount store and sell if for at least double your purchase price. Check with the city or local government entity to see if permits are required.

Organize a craft fair, where members of your organization donate items to sell. Hold it at a park, church recreation room or community center. Check ahead of time to find out about scheduling, what permits are required and what regulations you need to follow (some parks require you leave by sundown and clean up after yourselves.) Your organization can also join a larger craft fair or event. In this case you might have to pay an entrance fee, but, beyond that, there is little overhead cost.

Set up a gift-wrapping booth during the holidays, located in the mall in the front of a department or gift store. This requires permission of the mall or local retailer.

Sponsor a golf tournament, where golfers pay to play in the tournament. Arrange for a lunch and prizes and solicit prize donations from local merchants. Green fees typically come out of the entrance fees. This type of event is more costly to organize and run, but it also brings in larger amounts of money.

Hold a seasonal sale of a holiday item. This might be a Christmas tree lot, pumpkin patch or holiday wreaths. If the sale is a success, make it an annual event. As time goes on, the profits should increase as the community becomes familiar with the sale.

Pancake breakfasts, held at a community center or other public kitchen, are ideal for special occasions, such as Father's Day. You will need plenty of volunteers to set up the tables, prepare and serve the food and clean up. Look for a facility that has a fully equipped kitchen that you can use.

Put your artist skills to use by creating a humorous photo backdrop. This is a mural depicting a comical character, with cutouts for faces. Charge people for taking their own pictures with the mural, or take the photos and charge for prints. Set the booth up during street fairs or other events.

Set up a free online store at a site like Zazzle or Cafe Press, to sell personalized cards, posters, calendars, coffee mugs, t-shirts and other gift items. Design artwork to print on the gift items that promotes your organization. Once the store is set up, and your artwork uploaded, the website fulfills the orders and sends your organization a percentage of the profits.

Sponsor a home sales party with an independent sales representative, such as one from Avon or Tupperware. Earn a percentage of the profit from the party in products or cash for your group.

Hold a silent auction during an event, such as at a dinner or festival. This involves soliciting gift donations and displaying the items on a table with bidding sheets. When placing a bid, the person writes the bid on the item's bidding sheet. Another bidder can outbid the previous bidder by writing a higher bid on the sheet.

Hold a theme dinner party and charge admittance. This might be a Murder Mystery Dinner, where diners try to solve a mock-murder. Other theme parties include a western dance, Roaring 20's Night -- the possibilities are endless.

Gather items for a yard sale or flee market, held in a parking lot or community center. You can solicit item donations from your members and the community and sell them, or you can charge a participation fee for participants to sell their own items. Participants keep the proceeds from their sales and your organization keeps the participation fees.