Fundraiser ideas?
 

I have to host 2 fundraisers, and I need some help thinking of ideas. What sorts of things do you think are a good idea?

Thanks!!

Do you think a pasta dinner is a good idea? I was thinking that I could invite my friends, and some sisters, and charge something like $3 a plate or something like that. I love cooking, and pasta and sauce is really cheap!!

How much help will you have with this event?

If you don't have enough people assisting you things could end up like this. :p

I could probably get my housemates to help out (I live w/5 other girls)...but I'm not sure.

Fundraiser for.......?

How much money do you need to raise?

How many people do you expect to attend?

Is it easy for attendees to get to the event?

What about parking?

How much money will it cost for the ingredients/space/plates/etc.?

How much money do you need to make after figuring in the cost to put it on (a.k.a. profit)?

How many people do you need to help?

We cannot give you ideas without knowing some specifics.

Fundraisers for me as a sorority interest.

There is no amount I need since it's just for me to help cover the cost of orientation if/when I pledge/become a sister.

I'm talking about something extremely small (10-15 people max) since I basically have to do it on my own as I'm currently the only official interest of the chapter. I basically am planning on inviting my friends and sisters and that's it.

I was thinking about just holding it at my house on campus, so most people will walk, since most of my friends live on campus, and for any sisters who come, there is parking on campus available.

To give 10-15 people each a plate, the cost of food would be about $10 (4 packs of pasta and 4 things of sauce), and if I had each plate be $3, I could make $30-45 which means a profit of $25-35.

I could conceivably do it on my own, but of course, having help would make it easier.

Okay, I was asking the questions rhetorically. I didn't expect an answer. But since you did answer, I am kind of appalled.

I expected that it was for charity of some sort, but you are asking other people - namely, your friends - to fund your desired membership? :confused::confused::confused:

So, do you have to host 2 fundraisers to demonstrate some kind of skill in organizing such an event, or is this something you're doing because you need extra cash?

If it's the first, that's one thing.
If it's the second, I think it's a bit tacky to ask friends (and potential sisters) to fund your membership.

So, all you'll have is noodles with sauce? No salad? No bread? No drinks? No dessert?

no plates? no napkins? no plastic ware?

If you were asking rhetorically you shouldn't have said that you need more info in order to help.

I would gladly pay out of pocket, but I'm required to do fundraising.

I have to host them to demonstrate organizational skills.

I may have salad or bread, and I'll have drinks, but I have a ton of juice and water already on hand, so I'm not counting that in cost (I ave about 4 things of juice of various kinds stored under my bed which is more than plenty).

I was going to use the plates, cups and silverware that we have in the house. We probably have about 20 plates, 15 cups, and 20+ sets of flatware along with 4-5 rolls of paper towels.

You can also have a garage sale. Get people to donate items and sell them. Whatever is left over after the sale can be taken to Goodwill.

It may be tacky, but it is something the organization is requiring, so I think she should invite the whole chapter so they can see how hard she has worked. And I think she should charge $5 a plate (you'll raise more money and you won't have to have tons of singles on hand to make change.).

And if people can't come, ask them to donate anyway, and you can give a plate away in their name or something since the idea is to raise money. If you do that, you can promote it to friends and family who live far away and want to help out. You can even start a fundraising site online with youcaring.com. (friends of mine are using that site to help raise money for another friend who has cancer. Insurance covers their medical expenses, but not the time missed from work, etc., so it is a great way to be able to contribute online, and the site doesn't take money from those donating unless they volunteer a contribution to the site).

It sounds like you really aren't asking us for fundraising ideas or feedback. You have made up your mind that you are going to do a "spaghetti dinner" and charge your friends to eat.

Not seeing how this is demonstrating other than rudimentary organizational skills, let alone fundraising skills. Fundraising per se is an event to raise money to benefit a cause. What you're proposing seems to be to benefit YOU (to offset membership costs). I suppose you can make a case for how you are a worthy cause, and I'm sure you'll explain it to me (how this is really fundraising).

I haven't made up my mind in any way. It was an idea I posed, and I have stated how it would be executed if I did it. I don't see how you see me as not asking for ideas or feedback...

The definition of fundraising is: "Raising money for a cause or project", or "The organized activity of raising funds (as for an institution or political cause)."

So fundraising doesn't have to be something that benefits a cause, it can be benefiting a project (in this case, pledging the org) and hosting a pasta dinner would be considered fundraising because it would be raising money for a project, or if you want to stretch it a bit, an institution (the sorority).

First you post this:

Then, you post this:

And you spend the balance of the thread elaborating on your spaghetti plans and not responding to any other suggestions or ideas, which is why I wrote what I did (see the bolded).

Re: last paragraph. You're going to "donate" the money raised to yourself. Let's just be clear on that point.

I'm not gonna argue with you. I'm letting the subject be.

It is really deceptive to call it a "fundraiser" when the money collected is for YOURSELF.

If you want to have a real fundraiser (in the generally understood meaning of the word) then hold the fundraiser and donate the money to a LEGIT charitable cause.

If you are going to keep the money to pay for something for yourself, then be honest and do not call it a fundraiser.

If you are raising funds for something, anything really, then it's a fundraiser.

And I'm not going to argue, I'm just pointing out facts.

Well, shoot!! Who knew it was that easy? I could sure use some help with my car payment this month! Let's get the planning started for my Nissan fundraiser :rolleyes:

^^^ :D:D:D:D:D

There you go. It is that easy! Where have YOU been?

(As for the "not going to argue"... looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck :rolleyes:)

You know what? I'm not even going to respond if you guys are going to act so immature.

Did you say DUCKS? :D

What you are talking about doing is selling food to earn money for something you want. That is NOT fundraising. Will you be disclosing where the profits of your home cafe will be going? If not, that is not ethical.

I posted the definition of fundraising. What I'm talking about is, by definition, fundraising. If you don't agree, that's your right. You can hold whatever opinion you want.

Grabbing definitions out of a dictionary won't get you a pass in the real world. I guarantee you that 99 out of 100 people or more would disagree with your version of fundraising. And...you didn't answer my question. Do you plan to tell your donors where the funds will be going?

Taking it down to the basics: Since you're not donating the money to a 501c(3), you should report the profit as income for tax purposes. Don't forget that you're going to need to meet your area's (county/town) requirements for health certificates for serving food. If your guests should become ill you'll be liable since you sold them the food.

That's fundraising 101.

To the extent that I can. The org is extremely private about their recruitment.

Since I would pretty much just be cooking for friends (something I do all the time -- I would say at least twice a week), I don't need to worry about any of that (meeting requirements for serving food etc). And since I don't make enough money to have to pay taxes, I don't need to worry about that either.

Since there has been a lot of concern about whether this fits the definition of fundraising or not, I think it would be a good idea to check with the members and find out what THEY expect from the two fundraising events you are required to organize. The intention may be that you select a charity, or two, and organize an event to raise awareness and funds for this cause. Supporting charitable efforts is important to all GLOs that I know of, and this may well be the intent. I would check to be sure. You want to make a good impression and follow the intent of the requirement.

Then why are you posting here on GreekChat?

Excuse me, but you most certainly do, if you're selling the food. You are also missing the point about having to report income. ALL income. Regardless of whether you earn enough to pay taxes or not.

I think we're here now, people.

The fundraisers are for me as an official interest to raise money to help cover my orientation fee. They are not at all for charity. I was told this when I was told I had to do fundraising.

Because I'm looking for ideas. I'm not really sure how you don't get that.

And no, I don't. It's the same as cooking for my friends on any other occasion. I have never reported my income (unless it is automatically reported?), so why would I have to report this? Or, I could have it be on a basis of donation, so then the money would be a gift, and you absolutely do not have to report gifts.

ETA: I just got an email from the sister in charge of recruitment and she said that some ideas sisters have used are: Collecting cans and returning them at a grocery store, selling candy, and holding bake sales.

Hopeful Interest, just do everybody a favor and quit posting. You ask for advice on all sorts of different topics, get some solid suggestions, and then throw the advice back in the face of those who have given it. If you don't know how to dress yourself or what the difference is between fundraising and scamming folks, then you have more problems than greekchat can help you with. And the fact that you have to partake of this "fundraising" as a membership requirement for your sorority makes the org look hella shady.

I've gotten maybe a handful of suggestions on this thread. Most people were asking how I would do what I asked about doing, and I've answered.

I know how to dress myself, I was just asking for ideas. And on that thread, I took everyone's suggestions.

And once again, read the definition of fundraising. Got it? Okay, good. According to the definition, my idea (yes, idea not what I'm necessarily going to do is fundraising. No it is not going to a charity or anything like that, but it is raising funds for a purpose.

The org is perfectly legit (it's part of the NMGC), and the fundraising, as I've said, goes towards the orientation fee.

Please, don't be rude for no reason. I've done absolutely nothing to deserve to be treated like that.

Well, my dictionary says fund-raising is "the act or process of raising funds, as for nonprofit organizations or for a political cause." Regardless of what your dictionary says, I suspect others are correct that the vast majority of people would not think of making money to pay for your orientation fee as "fund-raising"; they'd just think of it as you earning money.

You say that you're required to do this by the sorority. If that's the case, then that's the case. Just know that the responses you've gotten are based on the complete foreignness of that idea to others here. Given that the idea is so foreign to just about everyone here, your best bet is to go with ideas the recruitment chair or others in the sorority might have.

^^makes me think the point of these activities is not to raise any sort of impressive amount of money, but to demonstrate organization/planning skills. It very well be that her group is fine with her keeping the money instead of donating it to charity, that's their prerogative. Can any NMGC GCers weigh in? I think us NPC ladies are a bit confused by this, it's kind of a foreign concept.

ETA: Ah, MC beat me to it (and put what I was thinking a bit more succinctly)

If your organization-to-be is honestly telling you to hold an event that is open to the public and call it a fundraiser and keep all the money for yourself to subsequently give to THEM, you are pledging one shady ass organization.

I gave not one, but two definitions. Neither says it has to be for nonprofit organizations or a political cause. While that may be the traditional meaning of the word, I personally believe that any activity that is done to raise money for anything is fundraising. You guys have never heard of holding a fundraiser so a Girl Scout troop can do X, Y or Z? (As in, you've never heard of selling Girl Scout cookies)?? Or what about cheerleaders who hold a car wash to support getting new uniforms? That's not a fundraiser?? I guess I live in a different world than you do.

Exactly. The point is to demonstrate organizational/planning skills and to be able to execute something you plan. There is no amount of money I need to raise (so if I only got $1 from collecting cans, that would be okay).

It's not shady. It's a NMGC org. Perfectly legit.

And they aren't telling me to hold an event that's open to the public, it's just an idea.

I'd really let this go. You're in college, so I assume you understand that words have denotations -- dictionary meanings -- and connotations -- what people associate with them. What you personally believe about what constitutes fund-raising is irrelevant to what the vast majority of people consider fund-raising.

Girl Scouts and cheerleaders are not apt comparisons; they are raising money for the group, not for themselves individually. People who support them are supporting the group as a whole. They don't think they're giving money to the individual members. You on the other hand and based on what you have said, are raising money to pay for your own personal obligations, not support the sorority or any other group. It's reasonable to expect that to raise some eyebrows.

Again, if it's what the practice in the sorority is, then that's what it is.

Just because you have a council over you doesn't mean that this activity is legit. The fact that you feel you have to justify this activity with so many definitions makes it look desperate. And there are many ways to prove your organizational/planning skills. This could be accomplished by planning a day of service to a local charity, partnering with a service org on your campus, or hosting a fundraiser and donating the profits to your sorority's philanthropy.

Probably because they assumed you would be bright enough not to do something so foolish as hold a public fundraiser with all of the money going into your wallet and then into their coffers. Just out of curiousity, say you raise more than you need. What are you going to do with it?

Anytime I go to a - to use one of your examples - car wash that the cheerleaders are holding to raise money for new uniforms, they are holding big honking signs that say "Benefits Peyton Place High School Cheerleaders." Are you going to have a big sign that says "Benefits HopefulInterest"?

Yes they are. The only reason the money is just for me is because I'm currently the chapter's only official interest. If there were more, it would be for us as a group with the money being split evenly among us.

I have to do community service as well. Fundraising is a completely different requirement.

enough not to do something so foolish as hold a public fundraiser with all of the money going into your wallet and then into their coffers. Just out of curiousity, say you raise more than you need. What are you going to do with it?

Anytime I go to a - to use one of your examples - car wash that the cheerleaders are holding to raise money for new uniforms, they are holding big honking signs that say "Benefits Peyton Place High School Cheerleaders." Are you going to have a big sign that says "Benefits HopefulInterest"?[/QUOTE]

I would say what I could, but I can't flat out say that it's for the sorority.