iBakeSale.com
Do you need to do some holiday shopping? Why not help out a good cause while you're doing it? This website allows you to shop on-line from your favorite stores and merchants; then they can choose their favorite organization or fundraiser to donate a portion of their cash-back proceeds.
Foundations*
Local foundations in your community often are very willing to contribute to your fundraising efforts. Sometimes these contributions go directly to your school – other times, they come to GEx because of our nonprofit status. Foundations typically have very standard procedures for applying for funds. However, the best way to gain financial support is to develop a personal relationship with decision-makers at the foundation.
Recycling efforts
Ask a bar or a restaurant if you can have their cans/bottles that they would trash or recycle for one full weekend (during an event, a concert, perhaps). Or get your school involved; start a recycling program and then keep cashing in the cans and bottles every week! Pick them up and cash them in towards your goal. This creates a large-scale effort in your school and community.
FundingFactory.com
Offers a unique approach to fundraising. Collecting used cellular phones and ink cartridges for a profit! The website lists what brands are accepted, and the price you'll receive for each. A free membership allows you to receive boxes and signage to place in local businesses, schools, or office supply stores where your collection is made easy. Shipping is paid, and you can choose to receive cash back; it's that easy! This idea needs little effort on your part, while making it convenient for individuals and companies to responsibly dispose of old cell phones, used ink cartridges, and other electronics.
Hike-a-thon
Ask donors to sponsor miles to be hiked on your Global Explorers program. When asking for sponsors, make sure to show where you'll hike, what the elevation gain is and how many miles you will be hiking.
Lions International Peace Poster Contest
Grants are given to winners of peace poster projects highlighting a global issue…use your field workshop information! First place winner receives $2,500 or 23 runners-up win $500 each.
Challenge Grants
Ask local businesses to match the money you raised while completing such tasks as babysitting, walking dogs, raking leaves, shoveling snow, car washes, etc. If you earn $500 doing this, and they will match it, you just earned $1,000!
Big corporations may offer challenge grants. Some large corporations (like Verizon wireless) offer this type of challenge grant for children of employees.
Test Drives
Get a local car dealership to allow you to send people to test drive their new hybrid or bio-diesel car. For every mile driven, the car dealership donates $1 to your cause. You are helping to educate the public about hybrid vehicles while earning funds towards your field workshop. The car dealers are happy because they have people lining up to check out their cars. Who wouldn't want to test-drive a brand-new car for free, while also helping your cause?
Halftime Shootout
This can also be paired up with the Best Seat in the House idea. Sell tickets to people at a local basketball game and have them shoot baskets from various places on the court in a limited time; say fifteen chances in one minute. The winner can get donated gift certificates, free concessions you may be selling, or a hat or t-shirt of the home team.
Candy-grams
Use Mother's Day or Valentine's Day to your advantage and sell cards, balloons, candy and production as your gift. Take the card and candy to a home or school and sing a song or recite a poem for a price! (Maybe take donations to STOP singing, too!)
Car Smash
This could get dangerous and/or messy! Charge people at a rodeo, football game, or another community event with a big crowd, to destroy a car using only hand tools. You can charge by the swing or five-minute stress-busting increments. Check on the liability guidelines first and be sure to get adults to supervise!
Collect labels for school fundraising events
Many companies such as Office Max, Campbell's, Albertson's, Tyson foods, Safeway, and Target offer special promotions for school field trip fundraising. Or save box-tops or labels to mail in.
Gift Wrapping
See if you can set up a table (or work at one already established) at a mall or department store around the holidays to wrap gifts for donations. Try and get all wrappings, bows, ribbons and gift cards donated.
Baby-sitting Bonanza
Especially around the holidays, set up at someone's house (with at least one supervising adult) a daycare available to the community to drop off the kids and get the holiday shopping done, the house cleaned, or to just take a break! Advertise and make clear what hours this service is available (Saturday from 10-6 for example, try and assign shifts between you and other members of your group). Make sure there are enough sitters for the number of children; you don't want to get overloaded! Have toys and snacks available for the children.
Informational Table
This allows reasonable profits while not requiring a lot of your time and effort. Set up a table at an established event and set it up with flyers describing what you're doing (i.e. where you're going) and what the actual goals of your group include (education, increased cultural awareness, becoming a responsible global citizen). You should be prepared to talk about what you will learn from this experience and be able to answer questions regarding your field workshop.
New Ideas
Our students are always coming up with creative new ways to raise funds. We encourage you to think of things that would draw attention to what you are doing. As you raise awareness, you will increase your exposure to people who might like to support you.