 |  | THE GOOD NEIGHBOR TOOL KIT: FUNDRAISING cont. | | ||
|  Why Volunteer? Getting Started Improving Your Community Improving Yourself as a Volunteer Fundraising Working with Volunteers More Resources Directory: Links to Charitable Organizations | More Than 20 Clever Event Ideas 1. Treasure hunt—Place treasure chests with prizes at different businesses and issue maps and keys to hunters, such as block party or festival participants. Hunters pay for each of the treasure chests they try to open. 2. Karaoke contest—Charge participants; offer prizes for different talent categories. 3. Men cooking for women—Have teams of men prepare food and decorate tables for a ticketed cocktail reception. Let attendees vote on the best food and presentations and offer prizes to the winners. 4. Bake sale 5. Distance sporting event (running, bicycling, motorcycles)—Solicit sponsors for each participant and hold a picnic at the end. 6. Block party—Ask for a donation for entry. 7. Bowling tournament—Get sponsors to pay for each pin knocked down by a participant. 8. Flea market or garage sale—Sell donated items. 9. House or garden walk—Charge for admission; especially good if you have a few distinguished houses in the neighborhood. 10. Dinner party with local celebrities as waiters--Participants pay for dinner and “tip” the waiters. 11. Sundae social—Get local grocer or shop to donate ingredients. Sell the sundaes to raise money. 12. Silent auction—In addition to prizes, get volunteers to donate services they can provide, such as cooking dinner, painting a fence, playing piano at a party. Get prizes in a range of prices, so everyone can afford to bid on something. 13. Car wash—Get bank staff or your own volunteersto wash windshields at the drive-thru for $1. Bank gets publicity, and you raise money. 14. Golf tournament, bowl-a-thon, swim-a-thon—Teams gather sponsor donations. 15. Local celebrity pajama race—Invite popular teachers, shop owners, politicians to race, and charge admission. 16. Halloween haunted house—A church or school can often offer the location and volunteers. 17. Potluck supper—Hold a block party or other party at which neighbors donate home-cooked meals and serve and attendees pay to eat. 18. Holiday wreath or Easter basket decorating contest—Auction off the creations. 19. Open house for clients—Hold a party for your sphere of influence and ask each participant to bring a toy or other donation for a charity. 20. Chili cook-off—Charge an entry fee, sell sample tastes, and give prizes to the winners. 21. Dance—Charge $1 a dance. 22. Gift-wrapping—Set up a table at a local shop before the holidays and charge to wrap packages. 23. Parking auction—Ask a business or school to auction off its desirable or closest parking spots for a month. Add-on Money Makers · Sell photocopied cookbooks of bake sale or chili recipes. · Create a program booklet for your event and sell ads. · Add a raffle to any event to raise extra money. Fundraiser Event Checklist > | |||