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.

For 2008, fundraising calendars are easier to create than ever.  Simply choose digital pictures of your team or group and submit them to your calendar supplier.

Calendar fundraisers are fun!

Things to consider when doing a calendar fund raiser:

• How many could you sell?
• Price ranges
• Profit margins
• Do you want custom or general?

Sales tips
Some suppliers don’t have minumum purchase requirements so if you have a smaller group, look to those companies.

Pricing
Pricing can vary wildly depending on how colorful or creative you want to be.  Typical cost for a calendar for fundraising is about $4-$5. 

Profits
Calendars sell well at around $10 to $12 for a high quality product.  Anytime you can get 50% to 60% profit on a fundraising product, you’ve done very well.

Selection
Think about what your potential customers will want in a calendar.  If you are selling to only your group, a custom calendar is the way to go because everyone likes to see pictures of themselves!  If you are selling to the general public, a calendar with popular scenes is the right choice.

Additional information
We have hundreds of fundraising advice articles on the best ways to raise funds.  Read this article for specific sales tips and this one for including a raffle with your calendar fundraiser.

One supplier we recommend is Falling Leaf Publishing because they have high quality calendars, there are no up front costs, and no minumum purchase is required.

Fundraiser Help advice on doing 2008 fundraising calendars.

Here’s what you’ll need for your halloween fundraiser:

• A good roadside spot for sales
• Hay bales for backdrop
• A truckload of pumpkins

Line up your location, organize your volunteers into sales teams, and head to the local Farmer’s Market to buy a truckload of pumpkins and a dozen hay bales.

Spread out a few bales of hay on the ground and use the rest as backdrops. Scatter your pumpkins around on the hay with the best side facing the street.

Place roadside signs starting a few hundred yards away so drivers don’t have to decide at the last split-second to turn off into your parking area.

Price your Halloween pumpkins to make a profit, but don’t go overboard on the markup. Use the Saturday before Halloween for an all out push on pumpkin sales. Offer face painting and other fun activities to draw a crowd.

 And that’s how you put together your own Halloween fundraiser.

A cookie dough fundraiser is an order taker with delivery a few weeks later. Most times, the product is sold in frozen form in tubs or pre-sliced frozen cookies, so you’ll need to coordinate deliveries with a set delivery day.

The best way to maximize your cookie dough sales is to expand beyond the usual circle of potentail buyers - family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. That means selling to the general public from sales tables at high-traffic locations such as grocery stores, drug stores, etc.

Use large banners and flyers for your cookie dough fundraiser featuring your group name, contact information, and clearly state why you are raising funds. Having social proof of how the funds raised will be used helps get prospective buyers over the decision hump, as do pre-baked sample cookies.

A second profit tip is to offer an alternate product to offer those who say no and those who say yes. The most attractive, high-profit offering is a two-for-one pizza card that costs $2 and retails for $10.

That way, you can make a sale to those who don’t want cookie dough or are concerned about delayed delivery. You can also make a possible second sale to those already buying.

Maximize your profits by maximizing your revenue at each sales opportunity. Increase the number of sales opportunities and your fundraising will wildly exceed expectations.

And that’s it for these quick tips. For more detailed advice, read my full article on how to maximize your cookie dough fundraiser profits.

The scandal erupted when the University of Florida’s new “Gateway of Champions” fundraising campaign offered Gator boosters unprecedented opportunities to both support and enjoy the school’s powerhouse football program. For a mere $5 million dollars, you can join the team for breakfast and ride the bus with them to a game.

Even worse, the Florida Gator’s fundraising scandal has caught up returning star quarterback Tim Teboe in it’s nefarious web. Boosters were asked to cough up $25,000 for the so-called “Very Nice Gator Experience” which included a chance at a Gator souvenir that all true Gator fans covet, a choice sampling of Tim Teboe’s toenail clippings.

Other’s caught up in the scandal investigation at the University of Florida include Coach Urban Meyer’s next door neighbor, who not only charges $10,000 to allow visitors to sit on his deck and gawk at the coach’s family, but also offers brown bags stuffed with choice morsels from Urban Meyer’s dog’s droppings.

With millions of dollars flowing in, the cash transactions triggered a federal investigation that cleared the money as not being counterfeit, but no one knows how to stop the cash flow itself. Currently, students are being paid to launder the cash in residential dorm laundry facilities before returning the scandal funds to Florida Gator fundraisers.

Click here for latest breaking news and further details on the latest in the Florida Gators fundraising scandal.

Here are some small-scale fund raising events worth trying:

Here are some new product-based fund raising ideas:

Rather than make this a really long post by explaining all these topics, just use this link to read more about each of these fund raising ideas.

In a move to erase illegal fundraising, fraudulent accounts and the misappropriation of booster club funds, the new laws are aimed at creating a system of checks and balances that will require each individual school and county school system to be held accountable for each dollar spent.

Each school and school system has until July 1, 2008 to be in complete compliance with the School Support Organization Financial Accountability Act.

For years, high school booster clubs have operated to provide financial assistance to high school athletic programs, as well as school clubs and organizations.

But as money continued to flow from outside sources into the school and through booster club presidents, treasurers, school principals and even athletic coaches, how that money is spent and exactly how much is furnished has sometimes been difficult to track.

Booster clubs are not the only organizations affected by the act. Educational foundations, PTA/PTO and any other non-government organization supporting students are under the umbrella of this act.

In an effort to keep money raised by parents who represent a booster club separate from students who raise money for their own clubs, organizations or athletic programs, the law stipulates that two accounts be set up — the Outside Account and Student Centered Fundraising account.

I think this is a good move by the State of Tennessee to bring accountability back to high school fundraising and would hope to see similar legislation adopted in other states.

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!

In this one, students get pledges from sponsors to donate a certain amount for each A grade they get on their report card. The middle school students are using the concept of good grades to raise money to help students in Africa.

A’s For Africa sounds like a great fundraising idea because it motivates the children to do well in school in order to help others. And of course, that approach encourages even more supporters to pledge significant financial incentives.

School fundraising doesn’t get much better than that!

It got me wondering just how big a negative effect these scams have on regular fundraisers by giving all fundraising appeals a black eye.

Next time you mail a donation request letter, better include proof of your nonprofit credentials on the envelope. Otherwise, you’ll make it no further than the wastebasket!

Well, there isn’t any one answer that applies to all situations, but there are some generalities that do apply.

• Parents need to be motivated
• You can’t fundraise all the time
• You have to make the most out of each opportunity

So, what does that mean you should do?

As I mentioned in a previous post, I always recommend no more than three fundraisers a year with two of them being event oriented.

You motivate your school’s parents by clearly explaining the need for funds, what the money raised will be used for, and why each parent should pitch in and help to improve the school.

In return for pitching in on your one big fundraising product sale, you won’t need to fundraise all the time.

You make the most of your opportunities by adding in additional fundraising activities to your events such as silent auctions, raffles, live auctions, etc.

You also get the most out of fundraising product sale by also offering an alternate product with a high perceived value and a large profit margin such as a two-for-one pizza card. That way, if a customer doesn’t want to buy something from your catalog (or even if they do), you’ve got a great offering to snag some extra profit.

Click here for more tips on school fundraising.

You have to decide which approach you want to take:

1 - Sell products
2 - Organize an event
3 - Sell raffle tickets

For elementary schools, I always recommend that you do at least two events a year and one product fundraiser.

Do some sort of athletic-based event in the fall, a product fundraiser in Oct-Nov timeframe, and a school carnival in the spring.

Click here to read my tips for elementary school fundraising success.

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!

Besides the penguin pirates, there’s a growing list of blogs worth reading that a group of bloggers are sharing. I’ll be updating my list daily as the promo gets rolling.

Meanwhile, here’s the penguin pirates and the list:

101 Blogs Worth Reading (a work in progress…)

Web Site Traffic Marketing Tips - It’s all about the traffic baby!

Stay tuned for more blogs worth reading!

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.

So, it was kind of a nice surprise to run across Dean Hunt’s blog post, Just Say No To Page Rank. It’s a tongue-in-cheek poke at our PR obsessed brethren.

Here’s a list of participating bloggers:

***SAY NO TO PAGERANK, YES TO LIFE WEBMASTERS LIST***

***List Ends Here** - UPDATED DAILY *** Please update your lists

Gotta love it!

Andrea Newell, community resource co-ordinator for the Canadian Cancer Society, said the fundraiser in aid of the society’s western Newfoundland chapter came to them.

She said Transcontinental made the suggestion and the partnership grew from there. She said it was an offer the society could not refuse.

“We worked with the team at Transcontinental and the cook to develop the cookbook. Once they were published and put together, Transcontinental gave us 5,000 copies to sell with 100 per cent of the profit for the Canadian Cancer Society,” said Newell.

“That’s quite a gift. It’s a wonderful gift to have and we’re hoping to make the most of it that’s for sure.”

Newell said the cookbook is more than a fundraising project. The book contains the inspirational stories of cancer survivors, along with some of their tastiest dishes. She said the stories are her favourite part of the project.

“The stories are important because they led to the book and they give it some character,” she said. “It’s nice that there are stories from all areas of our region on the west coast. We have people from St. Anthony to Port aux Basques featured in the cook book and I think that’s something we need to push a little bit.

“I think people see cookbooks and fundraising things and they don’t realize there is a local twist to this, so I think that’s something we need to promote a little more heavily. There’s someone in this cook book that you know, you should pick up a copy.”

Shawn Woodford, publisher of The Western Star and Transcontinental’s western Newfoundland and Labrador weekly papers, said it was a pleasure to be involved with a project like this that has a chance to make $50,000 for the society.

He said the idea for the book originated in Port aux Basques with Natalie Musseau, reporter at the Gulf News. She was chair of the local Relay for Life and wanted to do a project to help out. The company had already done cookbook projects with Come Home Years in Stephenville and Codroy Valley, so it seemed a natural idea.

Woodford said Melissa Cormier, a noted local chef, came aboard and the project started to grow.

“We started talking about it and met with Melissa late last year about maybe doing a cookbook for the Port aux Basques area,” said Woodford. “Then we talked to the Canadian Cancer Society and it expanded larger and larger to encompass the five sites on the west coast - St. Anthony, Deer Lake, Corner Brook, Stephenville and Port aux Basques.”

He said the cookbook, if it’s successful, could become an annual item.

“We wanted it to be more than just a cookbook, we wanted it to be something that would be a keepsake as well,” he said. “That’s why we decided to do profiles of people that had lived through the illness.

“We profiled two from each of those five regions that had Relays for Life and it went over very well.”

Click here for more Relay For Life fundraiser ideas.