Maximize the money you raise for charity by hosting events that require minimal spending money up front and are easy to organize. These activities depend on volunteers to help with planning and execution and building partnerships within your community. Some suggestions:
Yard Sales
Ask your organization's volunteers, friends or family members if you can use their yard or garage. Call on this same group to donate clothing, housewares, electronics and jewelry to sell at the event. Give your donors receipts for their items for tax purposes. To serve refreshments the day of the event, solicit food and coffee donations from local businesses. Host a sign- and flier-making event in advance and post these materials around the neighborhood several days before the yard sale. Add your event to church bulletins or local newspapers where they offer free calendar listings.
Recycling Drives
Start by selecting a recycling center that will redeem your aluminum cans, plastic goods or paper products. Ask the business about any requirements, such as whether you will need to crush the bottles and cans or bundle the papers in stacks. Check to see if they will pick up the recyclables or if a representative can attend the event. If the center does not provide transportation for the recyclables, ask a volunteer with a truck to help you. The best places to host recycling drives are school or church parking lots---anywhere there is ample space for traffic and storage.
Raffles
Write a request-for-donation letter that explains who you are and where the proceeds will go. Include your Tax ID number if you have one. Send the letter to local businesses that can offer prizes, such as a trip for two, dinner at a local restaurant, a set of golf clubs or tickets to a sporting event. List these sponsors in all of your marketing and publicity materials. Buy a roll of raffle tickets at your local office supply store or have them custom-made for $35 to $50 for 500 to 1,000 tickets.
Car Washes
The ideal location for your car wash is on a busy street with easy access to a faucet. If your event is in the parking lot of a business, such as a restaurant, it will invite customers to the eatery. This is an incentive for businesses to allow you to use their parking lot. The materials you will need: hoses, car-wash soap, buckets, step stools and chamois rags. For safety purposes, have drinking water and sunscreen available for your volunteers.
Silent Auctions
Use your request-for-donation letter to send to businesses in exchange for pre-publicity and a sponsor listing alongside an item. Host your silent auction in conjunction with a pre-arranged event, or make it a separate activity at a library, museum or community center. Ask the library staff or curator if space can be donated or rented for a small fee to showcase your items. You will need one to two volunteers to oversee the event.
Tags: will need, local businesses, request-for-donation letter, your event