Elaine

As I mentioned in the previous article about fundraising events, this follow-up article will delve into special event-style fundraiser packages offered by suppliers.

All of these are covered in my book, Fundraising Success!, so my comments will be short and to the point about these pre-packaged event offerings.

The first article in this series talked about the search for fundraising events that:
Are easy to do
Don't cost a lot
Make a lot of money
Of course, there's no one answer, no "one size fits all" perfect solution, so we'll discuss several supplier offerings for each of these various categories of fundraising events.

Funny Beauty Pageant
Everybody loves fundraising events that are easy to do. One of my favorites, that we touched on in the previous article, is "Queen Almost for a Day".

Dubbed by the supplier as an event-in-a-box, this fun fundraising event comes with everything you need except contestants and an emcee.

Of course, you'll need some type of stage and seating for your paying audience, preferably a school auditorium. But, you can also make do with a large meeting room so long as your contestants have some place to parade.

The contestants dress up in ditzy costumes that they throw together to outdo each other in committing serious fashion faux paux.

The script stays in the hands of the emcee, who introduces each participant with a hilarious background story. The contestants only have to answer one question -- which allows them to focus on milking their portrayal for additional laughs.

Adding to the fun, male contestants strut their stuff to cheers and catcalls. The winner is chosen by audience response and receives several goofy prizes that produce even more hilarity.

All in all, "Queen Almost for a Day" is a winner in the easy to do fundraising events category.

The cost for the script and instructions is $125.

Mondo Yard Sale
A fundraising event that doesn't cost a lot is having a "Mondo Yard Sale," usually coordinated as a group effort and conducted in a high traffic location such as a school or church parking lot.

As with any yard sale, advance publicity is as easy as putting up signs advertising the event.

Have your supporters scavenge their closets, attics, and garages for unwanted items. Don't bother with individually pricing anything. Just place it out for display with other similar items and get what you can for each piece.

A multi-family yard sale like this will draw Saturday morning shoppers in droves, so be ready to start early. Expect your first customers at the proverbial crack of dawn.

Having a good mix of items is helpful as not all your buyers will be searching for the same things. Popular items include furniture, tools, clothing, and toys.

You can increase your donations, volunteers, and net proceeds by offering a percentage split to donors of large ticket items. They get rid of the old lawn mower and when it sellsfor $40, they keep $20.

Don't forget to engage in a little give and take with your customers. Part of the fun of a yard sale is bargain hunting, so make sure all your sellers understand the art of making the deal.

Charity Golf Tournament
In our category of fundraising events that make a lot of money, consider the charity golf tournament.

These fundraising events combine a fun activity with your needy cause in a way that allows you multiple opportunities to raise money.

The first profit area is adding a markup to the standard greens fees. An extra $25 per head can add up quickly in a large tournament.

As a nonprofit organization, you can also obtain a discount on those fees that can be as much as 50% off on the right course if you pick a normally slow day.

Another way that you can make money in golf fundraising events is to have your participants seek sponsorships from family and friends. This can be as simple as asking for a donation of $1 a hole from each of their sponsors.

Or your golf fundraising events can include something a little more complicated like an amount per stroke or a donation when their foursome wins a hole in a best ball format.

You can also seek sponsorships from local businesses in a way that allows them to promote their business. Use approaches such as signage at the tee and green identifying the company who is sponsoring that particular hole.

For larger events, you can work with suppliers who can include hole-in-one prizes, vacation packages for the winners, etc.

These firms specialize in coordinating and conducting these types of fundraising events, so working with one allows your group to focus on increasing participation and pledge activity.

My recommendation for a good firm is Champion Golf Events.

We're out of space in this article. The next installment in our series on fundraising events will provide another batch of fun events. Choose from fundraising events that are low in cost, fun to do, and make a lot of money.

Isn't that what you want your fundraising events to be?

These types of special events require a lot of effort to promote, coordinate, and conduct. Many layers of volunteers are needed to staff all the positions for these two types of fundraisers.

A key aspect to the revenue generating power of special events like auctions and Athlet-a-thons is a strong personal tie-in.

With an auction, people will spend more money than they ordinarily would because there are both bargains and tax deductions involved.

With a school-based Athlet-a-thon, the personal tie-in is a direct sponsorship of a child's achievements.

The personal connection is the strongest motivator for opening the pocketbook to its fullest extent. Always make sure to include that aspect when putting your plan in place.

In the next article in this series, I'll offer some specific advice on suppliers that have pre-packaged offerings for event-style fundraisers.

Kimberly Reynolds writes for national publications about school fundraisers, fundraising-event-ideas and charity fundraising. Find more fundraising event planning tips on her website, FundraiserHelp.com