For many groups, Christmas fundraisers can be the biggest fundraising event of the year.  The key is planning and volunteer coordination.

Selling Christmas Trees is a great holiday fund raiser! 

 Things to remember when planning your Christmas fundraising event:

• Recruit plenty of volunteers
• Price it right
• Advertising is the key
• Make your Christmas tree lot stand out

Recruiting Volunteers - Have volunteers sign up in shifts. You’ll need volunteers to sell the trees, cut stumps and load the trees on cars, and others to make wreaths to sell from the trimmings.

Pricing - Know what your competition has and how it is priced. Price your trees and wreaths accordingly. Make sure potential customers know that all profits are for a good cause.

Don’t skimp on advertising - Your Christmas fundraising efforts will only be effective if people know you are there! Take advantage of newsletters, email lists and even TV and radio. 

Stand out from the crowd - Make your tree lot visually appealing. Use twinkle lights, yard ornaments and pretty signs. If your budget allows, get a snow making machine or one that blows bubbles that look like snow.

Additional information
We have hundreds of articles with fundraising advice on the best ways to raise funds.  Read this article for more details on fundraising with Christmas trees and this one to add Christmas carols to your holiday fund raiser event.

Fundraiser Help advice on having Christmas Fundraisers.

Over the years, I’ve come across quite a few good ideas for unique fundraisers. You can find a lot of them being discussed in our forum and learn how to raise maximum funds with any of our fundraising event ideas.

Here’s a short list of unique fundraiser ideas:

Hopefully, these ideas will get your creative juices flowing so you can come up with your own unique fundraising idea!

For more tips on raising funds for your group, visit Fundraiser Help today!

The queen of talk has used her magic to turn unknown authors into bestsellers and now it’s Obama’s turn to reap the publicity buzz. The September event was practically an instant sellout despite a hefty ticket price of $2,300 per person.

Gotta love that “O” fundraising power!

Apparently, the Post’s fashion writer, Robin Givhan, noted that Clinton wore a black top with a low neckline during an appearance on the Senate floor. And of course, that turned into a brouhaha about the objectification of women and America’s cultural fascination with breasts.

Frankly, I don’t give a fig about Hillary’s cleavage, but you have to admire the fund raising savvy of her campaign adviser, Ann Lewis, who is urging potential donors to “take a stand against this kind of coarseness and pettiness in American culture.”

Why? Because controversy stirs emotions and gets people to take action to support their beliefs. And that’s what campaign fundraisers are paid to do - stir things up and get people donating to their candidate.

I don’t know if Hillary’s cleavage will become a hot button issue in this campaign, but we all know it’s an issue that appeals to women and women are a big part of the turnout in primary elections.

Look for Hillary to ride the cleavage coattails as far as she can.

Read more fundraising ideas.

Hillary Clinton will be dragging hubby Bill on a blowout fund-raising tour of the Hamptons next weekend that could add $1 million to her presidential war chest.

Revlon mogul Ron Perelman will be hosting a Saturday-evening cocktail party where, for $1,000, guests can meet the dynamic duo and gawk at the tycoon’s luxury home and celebrity pals. For $4,600, the maximum contribution allowed under federal rules, guests can attend a dinner with the pair.

Democratic consultant Morris Reid will host a Friday-night barbecue, hoping to attract a younger, hipper crowd. A cool $250 secures admission, and $1,000 buys entrance to a special VIP function and a souvenir photo with the Clintons.

For $5,000, you can join the “host committee,” says Reid, “and get as much face and photo time with them as you want.”

Rudy Giuliani is also raising money in the Hamptons, co-chairing a Southampton hospital gala Saturday.

“You can be sure he will be inviting guests back for a hot dog and barbecue,” said Hamptons magazine editor R. Couri Hay.

Manchester Republicans said they wanted something different from the usual chicken dinner for its fundraiser next month. Then, committee chairman Jerry Thibodeau, a hunter and skeet shooter, came up with the idea: “The thought just struck me one day: a machine gun shoot. What the heck?”

The event is planned for next month at the Pelham Fish and Game Club. Those who attend will get the chance to shoot Uzis, M-16 rifles and other automatic weapons. The club will have 20 safety officers on hand to load the guns and monitor shooters, said club chairman Bob Shaunessy.

Thibodeau said he thinks the fundraiser will be a fun social event that also will emphasize the party’s support for Second Amendment rights. Thibodeau said he fired a machine gun for the first time at 18 with his father, a World War II veteran.

“It’s a way of expressing yourself, I guess,” he said. “We all have a little testosterone in us, right?”

Many of those signing up are women.

“It’s very different,” said Kelly Hurst, the Manchester GOP’s executive director. Hurst said she carries a pistol for personal protection, but the chance to shoot a machine gun is very different.

“I don’t know when anyone else, man or woman, may get an opportunity to do this,” she said.

Manchester Democrats said they are upset by the Republicans’ shooting event.

Chris Pappas, chairman of the Manchester Democratic Committee, said it’s inappropriate to hold a fundraiser involving guns when violent crime is on the rise in the city.

He said the event is “not just in poor taste; it is downright offensive.”

Click here for more fundraiser ideas.

A now-famous pair of pants was the star attraction at a fundraiser Tuesday meant to help pay the bills of a dry-cleaner couple caught in a legal stitch.

The $54 million pants, as they’ve come to be known, were the subject of a widely mocked lawsuit that garnered international attention. Now, they have their own security guard.

Groups advocating stricter guidelines for filing lawsuits and supporters of Jin Nam Chung and Soo Chung, the owners of Custom Cleaners, came from across the country to attend the cocktail fundraiser.

On display were what the Chungs say are the pants that Roy Pearson brought in, were misplaced, and were later found. The guests had appetizers and cocktails, and under the stern gaze of the security guard, some posed for photos with the pants.

The Chungs successfully defended themselves from the $54 million suit, which originally demanded $67 million, but they now owe about $100,000 in legal costs.

The American Tort Reform Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform put on the fundraiser in hopes of defraying the Chungs’ costs. The fundraiser netted more than $64,000, with more pledges still coming in, organizers said.

“Without your support, the Chungs could very well have gone bankrupt,” defense attorney Chris Manning told the crowd of about 150.

The Chungs also made a rare appearance to thank their guests.

The organizers said they also wanted to raise visibility for their mission to change tort law in the face of lawsuits that unfairly target small businesses.

“Our motto is the spirit of free enterprise,” said Lisa Rickard, president of the Institute for Legal Reform. “The Chungs epitomize that in our perspective. They’ve really been living the American dream, and that all came to a halt with the filing of this lawsuit.”

“It’s our hope to help them do a course correction and get back on track,” Rickard said.

Manning said that if the court grants the Chungs’ motion for Pearson to pay their legal fees, proceeds from the fundraiser that exceed the family’s costs would be donated to charity.

A Yale University student was in critical condition in a Kansas hospital Tuesday after he was hit by a car during a cross-country Habitat for Humanity Bicycle Challenge fund-raiser.

Dan Lewis of Denver, Colo., was hit by a car Saturday in Lincoln County, Kan., while riding his bicycle for the 4,000-mile fundraiser.

The accident occurred on eastbound Kansas Highway 18 at 1: 40 p.m. Saturday. Lewis, 20, was taken by a helicopter to St. Frances Hospital in Wichita, where he currently remains in critical condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.

“He seems to be stabilizing, but he’s still in critical condition,” said his father, Hal Lewis, speaking by telephone from the hospital Tuesday. He said the family plans to transfer Dan Lewis to a rehab hospital in Denver in three to four weeks.

Lewis, who was hearing a helmet and safety gear, was riding with his Habitat group when his bicycle crossed in front of the car, which hit him on the left side, authorities in Kansas said on a Highway Patrol Web site. The group rides in small groups according to the safety procedures to try to prevent accidents from happening.

The driver, Jessica White, 16, also was taken to the hospital but was later released, authorities said. A passenger in the vehicle was not hurt.

The Habitat Bicycle Challenge, which left in early June, has three teams with four leaders each. Each group rides to a different location: Seattle, Portland, Ore., and San Francisco. Lewis’ group was headed toward San Francisco.

The event is held every summer to raise money to help people obtain affordable housing.

“He was very close with the other riders and he was an important member of their team,” Hal Lewis said of his son. “I think he really enjoyed the biking from coast to coast.”

The riders have resumed their trip, but four riders stayed at the hospital for a day-and-a-half to show Dan moral support.

“We are grateful about their support and friendship,” Hal Lewis said. “We’re glad to stay in touch with them as Dan recovers.”

Bike Ride Deaths

Other accidents have occurred since the start of Habitat Bicycle Challenge in the early 90s.

Yale senior Rachel Speight, 21, of Houston, died two years ago when a car in Western Kentucky struck her after she collided with another biker and spun off into the road, according to Habitat of Humanity Development Officer Moira Cotlier.

Also, Yale sophomore Alexander Capelluto, 20, of New York City, died last year as he practiced for a then-upcoming Habitat for Humanity annual cross-country cycling trek, when his bike collided with a 10-wheel truck at Route 34 and Forest Road in West Haven.

Fundraising Products

Fundraising Cards - Fundraising cards are easy fundraisers - Extra profit tips for discount card fundraisers to double your profits.

Cookie Dough Fundraisers - Cookie dough program overview plus companies and suppliers.

Candle Fundraiser - Five ways to maximize your candle fundraiser profits - Candle fundraising tips that really work to double or triple your results.

Top Five Fundraisers - Fundraising products that are easy to sell and always successful - Five top fundraisers for schools and youth sports teams.

Fundraising Events

Casino Night - How to raise funds with a Casino Night fundraiser - A fun fundraising event for adults where games of chance help charity.

Click here to read the rest of the article on the best fundraisers.

The best way to boost your fundraising results is to get your product offer, raffle, or event information in front of as many people as possible. It’s all about approaching your fundraiser as a business and using proper sales strategies to meet or exceed your group’s financial goals.

What strategies would a business use to increase sales?

1 - Increase sales staff
2 - Create attractive offers
3 - Offer discounts
4 - Do special promotions
5 - Get favorable publicity
6 - Seek out new customers

And how would you employ those strategies in fundraising?

Click here to read the rest of the article.

You can easily raise ten thousand with a simple raffle, tens of thousands with a desirable prize such as a new car, and hundreds of thousands of dollars with a truly deluxe prize such as a new home.

Cash prizes
From the late-1700s to the early 1900s, many public buildings and university expansions were funded by raffles. The raffle prize was always cash and the raffles always sold out all their chances.

Cash prizes allow people to dream of what they’d do with the cash if they won. Cash awards work best when ticket prices are fairly low and the grand prize is a significant multiple of ticket cost.

For instance, when you have a $10 ticket price, a $10,000 cash prize is a huge draw. Having lots of additional chances to win smaller cash prizes is another great ticket sales incentive.

The most popular cash raffles combine low-priced tickets with a significant cash prize and several tiers of smaller cash prizes. Total cash awards should always be less than 50% of total ticket revenue.

Luxury prizes
Physical prizes that match the ticket buyers “wants” also do well. Vacation getaways, restaurant gift certificates, spa treatments, and other items with a luxury feel also work well as prizes.

And don’t forget prizes aimed at men such as sporting event tickets, sports memorabilia, golf-related gifts, and anything that goes fast or makes lots of noise are also good draws for ticket buyers.

Click here to read the rest of the article on raffle prize ideas.

Cow Chip Fundraiser - A cow chip fundraiser is a great family-style fundraising event - How to get a big turnout and raise substantial amounts of money.

Golf Ball Drop Raffle - Raise funds fast with a golf ball drop raffle - Fun fundraising event features cash prizes for closest to the pin winners.

Rubber Duck Fundraiser - How to organize a rubber duck race as your fundraising event - Profit boosters for your rubber duck fundraiser that can double or triple your results.

Cash Calendar Fundraiser - Combining a cash raffle with a calendar fundraiser - Understanding the appeal of a cash calendar fundraiser.

Art Raffle Fundraiser - Putting together an art raffle fundraiser is easy and fun - How to raise large amounts for charity with an art raffle.

Fundraiser Raffle Ideas - Tips on putting together fundraising raffles - Fundraiser raffle ideas for any size group - Prize selection and ticket price tips.

Selling Raffle Tickets - Advice on selling raffle tickets - How to sell twice as many raffle tickets in half the time.

Click here for more fundraiser raffle ideas.

One ideal way to drop the golf balls that provides great fun for spectators is to use a tethered hot air balloon suspended above a huge bullseye target painted on a field. Another method is to drop the golf balls from a helicopter as it hovers above the target.

Either way, the cascade of several thousand golf balls plummeting toward the target has great spectator appeal.

Event specifics
While selling raffle chances is the bulk of the fundraising activity, you can also generate plenty of additional profits by making the drop event into a big party. You can add live music, serve food and drinks, offer donated items in silent auction bids, and even do a live auction of the best items such as a vacation getaway, spa package, or other attractive prizes.

Or, you can add a golf ball drop raffle whenever you’re planning a charity golf tournament or organizing a charity event. It’s an easy way to add tens of thousands of dollars to just about any fundraiser. All you need is a place to drop the balls and an eager sales force to sell the raffle chances.

At the center of the target area, plant a golf course flag in a hole cut in the grass. The winning ball is the one that’s closest to the hole. In case of a tie, combine two prizes and split the money between the two winners.

Click here to read the rest of the golf ball drop raffle article.

Preparing a press release is fairly simple, but if you don’t present a newsworthy angle in your summary paragraph, your cause will suffer. Read these great tips for how to work the media with a win/win approach and draw a huge crowd to your fundraiser.

Fundraising Publicity - Simple methods to get your fundraisers well publicized - Publicity is the key to successful events.

Getting Media Coverage - How to get media coverage for your non-profit group, charity auction, or fundraising event.

Fundraising Fundamentals - How to increase community awareness of both your need and your offering.

What’s In It For Me - To succeed, everyone needs to know “What’s in it for me?”

Click here to read these and other fundraising event publicity tips.

Charity Golf Tournament - How to raise more funds with a charity golf event - Tips for planning a charity golf tournament - Publicity, prizes, pledges and planning ahead are crucial.

Charity Poker Tournament - Raise funds with a charity poker tournament offering Texas Hold’em - How to put together a fun fundraising event.

Wine Tasting Fundraiser - Additional profit tips when hosting a wine-tasting fundraiser - How to advice on organizing your fundraising event and maximizing revenue.

Art Raffle Fundraiser - Putting together an art raffle fundraiser is easy and fun - How to raise large amounts for charity with an art raffle.

Cow Chip Fundraiser - A cow chip fundraiser is a great family-style fundraising event - How to get a big turnout and raise substantial amounts of money.

Click here to read the rest of the list of fundraising event ideas.

Every year, school PTA or PTO groups need to decide on their major fundraisers. Do you repeat last year’s PTA fundraiser or look for new fundraisers for the PTO to put together?

Well, it all depends on how you did last year and how much you need to improve on those numbers. Here are some ideas on successful school fundraising events, product fundraisers, and tips on how to maximize your results.

Chair-ity Fundraiser - An easy fundraiser idea is doing a “chair-ity” event - Raising funds through auctioning off creative chairs bundled with all sorts of related goodies at your school event.

School Fundraising Event - How to host a profitable school fundraising event - Add inflatable rentals, fun games and great food to your events.

Affiliate Marketing Fundraiser - New online fundraiser program promoting consumer offers from great companies - Raise funds fast with an affiliate marketing fundraiser featuring Blockbuster, Columbia House, Sirius radio, and other in-demand goods and services.

Click here to read dozens more ideas for PTA/PTO fundraisers.

There are many ways to raise funds for your team’s American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life event. You can sell merchandise, fundraising products, put together events of your own, or send letters seeking donations or corporate sponsors.

The choice is yours, so here are proven Relay for Life fundraisers grouped by category with links to expanded explanations of each. The articles have extra profit tips for getting the most out each fundraiser product, event, or letter.

Event Idea Articles
Relay For Life Fundraising Ideas - Eight event ideas for raising funds for your Relay For Life team - Relay For Life fundraising ideas for teams and sponsors.

Relay For Life Fundraising - Four products and four events for Relay For Life fundraising - Proven fundraisers for your Relay For Life fundraising efforts.

Relay For Life Fundraiser - Twenty-four event ideas for a Relay For Life fundraiser - Fundraising ideas For The Cure that are easy to do and raise substantial amounts for Relay For Life teams.

Wine Tasting - Additional profit tips when hosting a wine-tasting fundraiser - How to advice on organizing your fundraising event and maximizing revenue.

Casino Night - How to raise funds with a Casino Night fundraiser - A fun fundraising event for adults where games of chance help charity.

Mardi Gras Night - Have a great time with a Mardi Gras fundraiser - This popular fundraising event is lots of fun and a big moneymaker.

Cow Chip Fundraiser - A cow chip fundraiser is a great family-style fundraising event - How to get a big turnout and raise substantial amounts of money.

Click here to see two dozen more Relay For Life fundraising idaes.

There are also church fundraising ideas for youth groups and ways to increase revenue from traditional events such as pancake breakfasts and spaghetti dinners.

Church Fundraisers - Church fund-raising through donor recognition - Christian fundraiser charity activities.

Church Fundraiser Ideas - Here are a dozen church fundraiser ideas for raising funds quickly - These are all easy church fund raisers with low costs and excellent results.

Donor Recognition - How to use donor recognition to increase your capital campaign results.

Christian Fundraising Events - Six ideas for Christian fundraising events - Church fundraisers that are fun, family-oriented, and raise funds fast.

Capital Campaigns - Capital campaign strategies for non-profit groups to increase their donor base.

Church Fundraiser Feastival - Raising funds for your church with a fun Feastival - Church fundraiser event packed with fundraising activities, carnival rides, entertainment and great food.

Brick Fundraising - How to raise funds with a design project incorporating laser engraved bricks - Brick fundraising tips for capital campaigns and church fund raising.

Christian Fundraiser - Ten unique ideas for a Christian fundraiser - Fundraising products or events with a Christian theme or approach.

Click here for more ideas for church fund raising.

If your school is looking for a new and exciting way to raise funds, try hosting a school carnival with inflatable rentals. With inflatable obstacle courses, inflatable sumo wrestling, inflatable bungee basketball and many other fun inflatable games, setting up and taking down a school carnival doesn’t need to be a big production.

It’s well within your PTA’s reach to net several thousand dollars over a night or a weekend with inflatable rentals and a carnival theme. For an amazing event, start planning early and keep these few tips and ideas in mind:

Delegate tasks
Instead of spending valuable time discussing every decision as a group, assign people tasks to research and manage, then enforce a 5-10 minute time limit to share plans in a group meeting before executing ideas.

Choose and book your inflatable rentals
You can either choose an admission price at the door or sell tickets to spend on various inflatable games and activities. Look for an inflatable rentals vendor with a large selection of equipment and choose a variety of games and activities that appeal to different kinds of guests.

Some people prefer low impact, solitary activities like the inflatable human sphere while others prefer to duke it out with games like inflatable gladiator jousting. Below is a list of a few inflatable game choices categorized by activity preference:

Friendly physical competition
Inflatable Obstacle Courses: Participants can climb walls, squeeze through tunnels and tubes, and rush down slides along side of a friend in an obstacle course race. Try setting up some an amp and playing fun, upbeat music to add another dimension to the race.

Velcro Wall: Carnival goers wear an entire suit made of Velcro then climb up one side and down the other of a huge inflatable Velcro wall.

Head to head games
Boxing: Using wildly oversized inflatable gloves, participants attempt to knock over their competitor in a super squishy inflatable boxing ring. Find a volunteer with a great sense of humor narrate the details of the match into a microphone to attract attention.

Inflatable sumo wrestling: Wearing a huge inflatable sumo suit, 2 competitors try to topple each other over. Have a referee on hand and someone to help players in and out of their suits.

Low impact carnival games
Barrel Racers: Riders zip around a surfaced course on a motorized barrel. Have a volunteer on hand to start and stop the clock and show users how to operate the cruising barrels.

Inflatable Slot Machine: Players step inside an enormous slot machine, press the lever and cash and, depending on luck, prizes come raining down. Try stoking tickets to a special raffle as part of the prize loot.

Click here to read more about doing a school carnival.

Event ideas:

Car wash
Every dance team has done a car wash fundraiser before, but here’s how to double your results. Boost sales volume by washing cars in two lanes so there’s minimal waiting. Sell pizza discount cards for $10 to your customers. They provide two-for-one deals from Pizza Hut or Papa Johns and your dance team earns $8 on each one sold.

Bowling challenge
A bowling event is easy to put together because it offers a fun way for people to support your group. Work a deal with a bowling alley for a percentage of the revenue attributed to your group. Sell raffle tickets for a prize drawing or do silent auctions on donated goods and services.

Mini-golf tournament
Miniature golf is another fun event that will draw a big crowd. It works the same way as the bowling challenge, but you can also sell hole sponsorships to businesses and attract lots of families. Promote heavily and this event can easily raise $2,500 in a single day.

Mega yard sale
Another quick fundraiser that you can put together in a few days is a huge yard sale. Get donations from family, friends, and neighbors by explaining its for a dance team fundraiser. Place a classified ad and use roadside signs to capture the Saturday morning bargain shoppers. Setup in a school or church parking lot and group items by price ranges to simplify the wheeling and dealing. For extra profits, sell the really nice items on eBay.

Click here to read the rest of the article about doing a dance team fundraiser.