Fund raising ideas

[Chug]

I don't know if anyone has posted a similar thread, if so my apologies.

One of the biggest challenges we face is raising funds, especially coming up with new and novel ideas.

So why not post here any ideas that you have, also your experiences of fund raising events both good and bad.

[tomahawk]

a couple of bag packing sessions ever year, (makes about £700)
a couple of quiz nights (makes about £500)
.....with obligatory raffles
plus gift aid.

That should raise about 3.5-4k pa.

I think its important to balance the effort vs money earned and also liklihood of getting any of the parents helping out. We just scrapped a big idea because we knew it would be the same old faces helping and very little revenue for the amount of organising and effort.

[Chug]

We applied to our local Asda's and Tesco's store to do a bag pack, so far only Tesco's has replied, they're also sending us a £50 donation to our Unit funds.

Yesterday was our district cross country, I used the opportunity to collar many of our parents for our fund raising committee.

[Chug]

a couple of bag packing sessions ever year, (makes about £700)
a couple of quiz nights (makes about £500)
.....with obligatory raffles
plus gift aid.

That should raise about 3.5-4k pa.

I think its important to balance the effort vs money earned and also liklihood of getting any of the parents helping out. We just scrapped a big idea because we knew it would be the same old faces helping and very little revenue for the amount of organising and effort.

How do you run your quiz nights that allows you to raise £500?

[tomahawk]

£8 per ticket
Tables of 6 max
Crammed in to venue (we had about 80 people)
Run on a wet february when no one has money to go anywhere exciting
Dinner - ploughmans
Prizes: donated by sections (1 hamper each) and local businesses.
Bar.....the biggest profit from this of course.
raffle raised £130, Australian bingo raised £80.

Twas good night!

[Chug]

£8 per ticket
Tables of 6 max
Crammed in to venue (we had about 80 people)
Run on a wet february when no one has money to go anywhere exciting
Dinner - ploughmans
Prizes: donated by sections (1 hamper each) and local businesses.
Bar.....the biggest profit from this of course.
raffle raised £130, Australian bingo raised £80.

Twas good night!

What's Australian bingo?

[tomahawk]

100 corks, all numbered 1-100. £1 each. Bingo cller calls the numbers and the last number to be called gets £20. Takes about 5 mins and raises £80.

[wolfie]

Like the sound of Aussie bingo - sounds easy to do during another event.

Every year we cook breakfast for the village (have a whole Big Breakfast pack on how it works if anyone who wants to PMs for it). Great fun for all Sections to get involved in raising funds for their fun, great for finding new leaders and general profile. Profit (inc small tombola) anywhere from £400-£500.

We have washed cars (hosted by a local garage) and again great for profile, fun in fundraising and made about £350.

Last Christmas we had a small car outside a big Garden Centre on a Sunday a few weeks before Christmas. Filled with balloons and asked for £1 per guess. Easy to do (if cold) and made about £350.

Bag packing we do but have no supermarkets in our area so have to ask permission from other Groups to use ones on their patch.

Most years we apply to a local village fund, for help with something specific, and get around £300 just for applying (hepled start our discretionary fund, helped buy neckers when we changed colours..)

If we want serious funds then we usually write to various businesses, as 1 letter can bring in much more than most of our fund raisers. For example a printing firm donated £250 (towards general equipment) and a publishing firm donated £1200 (for a new mess tent and towards some other tents)

[big chris]

If we want serious funds then we usually write to various businesses, as 1 letter can bring in much more than most of our fund raisers. For example a printing firm donated £250 (towards general equipment) and a publishing firm donated £1200 (for a new mess tent and towards some other tents)

that's good going. did you have contacts there already?

[Shaun]

We've just held a racehorse night.

Good fun and seemed to be well supported, especially by the cub parents made around £350 ish.

Able to get match funding from a leaders friend who works at a Bank (Halifax) of upto £500.

Used the CGI version of the races which I presume is from a game. Sold the horses at £3 each and had a sponsor for each race and an auction for the last race.

Also had a whip round for loose change - cute cub and a bucket, never fails - which made £30.22.

[big chris]

Able to get match funding from a leaders friend who works at a Bank (Halifax) of upto £500.

matched funding rules!

recession could hit us hard... we get over 2 grand/year from banks.

[wolfie]

that's good going. did you have contacts there already?

Not really - just wrote on spec.

Have a standard blagging letter that seems to work well so we just modify to suit.

[Arkelar]

Hi
12 Years ago when we got down to £200 in the Group bank account and sat round the table with the axe about to fall one of the parents suggested running a Donkey Derby (his old Scout group had been doing it for years).

He put us in touch with them and they showed us the ropes for the first year.
We now put all our efforts into this one event and can comfortably make a £6000 profit. Even this year when we ran just 1 race before the heavens opened - we still made £3500.

The way it is set up ensures you cover your costs and make a profit without the event taking place. Anything you take on the day is a bonus. It's hard work but everyone agrees it's better to put all our effort into a major event which draws money in from Joe Public rather than keep asking the parents for little bits and pieces.

I also know of another Scout Group who have a Dino Derby (racing wooden Dinosaurs) but the principle is the same.

If anyone would like to know more - send me a PM.

Vanessa

PS If you know how we can raise £500K for our new HQ then I would be very interested to hear from you. We didn't get our Lottery application unfortunately - the Donkey Derby money just keeps the group running.

[Mang]

As mentioned on this forum before try www.easyfundraising.org.uk very little work for the money but it won't make mega bucks.

[Akela Ben]

This maybe a bit dark, but I knew a group that was left about £10,000 in someone's will. Maybe send some cute Beavers down to the old people's home then to sing some songs or something. At a previous group we used to do an annual auction, get prizes donated and promises and you can raise quite a bit. Top lots would be aircraft flights and short break holidays. We used to raise about £1500-£2000.