Various Ways That Non-Governmental Organisations Raise Money For Their Programs And Groups

Finding the Best One for Your Non government organisation

Clean-a-thons: This type of marathon is nice because it has several side advantages.

The city or town area will usually be much nicer-looking after the event, which means that media or town politicians will often support such an event, ensuring more participants. Schools, neighbourhood groups, churches, and other groups interested in the community are usually willing participants, ensuring that you have enough people taking part. To be successful at fundraising, you carefully need to consider which ideas work

This type of marathon certainly makes everyone happy. It is also a snap to organize. You will need to provide refreshment, prizes, and garbage bags as well as thick gloves to protect participants. You will also need someone to take collected recyclables to be recycled. Additional volunteers will have to follow up with participants in order to get sponsors contributions.

  • Kiss-a-thons: As the name suggests, in this type of marathon calls for participants to kiss for a specific period of time. In many of these marathons, participants have also tried to get participants into the world book of records for the longest kiss.

  • Fasts: Marathon fasts are becoming quite popular. Events such as the 24 hour famine raise awareness about world hunger as well as the money that can change poverty. Participants need to be told about the dangers of long-term fasting before beginning.

  • Cook-a-thons: In these events, which are often better for small towns where security issues are not as much of a concern, participants cook for a specific period of time. The food cooked can be sold to raise even more money or can be donated to a shelter or food bank. These marathons can be expensive to sponsor unless you can get a company to help you, as the cost of cooking supplies can be quite high.

  • Eating contests: Part race and part marathon, these contests are often part of a fair or bazaar. Participants try to eat as much of an item (usually a pie) within a set period of time.

  • Sit-ins: In the 1960s, sit-ins were used to protest certain conditions or institutions. Today, some non-profit groups are using the sit-in to raise money and awareness for specific issues. Participants spend a few days in a specific area, camping out creating a stir about an issue while also raising money through sponsors. This type of marathon requires lots of organizing and careful controls to keep everyone safe. Also, you will need to find someone willing to lend space for your event.

  • Read-a-thon: In this type of marathon, participants read as many books as they can over a period of a few weeks. In exchange, sponsors give participants a specific sum of money for every book read. Since this activity takes place on participants own time, there is no need to provide a space or refreshments.

Participants also provide their own books, making a read-a-thon one of the more inexpensive forms of marathon to organize. Schools and libraries are often willing to help advertise or support this type of event, as well, so you can be sure of getting help with this type of project. Find great ways that non-profits raise money for fundraising

In fact, any event or activity that can be organized to take place in a group for a few hours can generally be made into a successful marathon. For inspiration, try looking at the Guinness World Book of records and other similar reference works for activities that could be converted into a marathon.

  • Fairs or bazaars: These events take a long time and much effort to organize but they inevitably draw large crowds of all ages. Fairs and bazaars are basically mixed events that may contain rides, auctions, fair booths (such as palm-reading stations, pie eating contests, dunking booths and others), rides, refreshments, and other attractions.

Often, you will need to rent some of the apparatus (such as the booths or rides) which means that this sort of fundraising event can become quite expensive in some cases. You will also need to organize plenty of volunteers in order to keep things running smoothly. There are many types of fair themes and styles, ranging from country fairs to haunted house or Halloween bazaars to family fairs.

  • Dances and other entertainment events: These events usually charge for admission and the money raised through admission is used to support the non-profit group. Usually turn out at these events is quite good as the public gets entertained for an affordable rate. This type of fundraising event can also, in some cases, be inexpensive and fast to organize:

  • Dances: Dances (especially themed dances such as retro sock hops, country square dances, or 80s pop dances) are always a big draw and are very easy to put together. You need a space for the dance, some decorations, and a good DJ. Admission fees and the sale of refreshments usually ensures a profit. More ways that non-profits can raise money

  • Movie nights: Whether you decide to organize a drive-in or get your local movie theater to offer your group a night showing, movie nights are very popular, especially if you can offer inexpensive admission. In many cases, offering older movies for viewing will draw a bigger crowd and also prove less expensive to organize.

  • Plays, variety shows, and comedy shows: Live shows and entertainments can be a great way to entertain and draw in money (again, through ticket sales and refreshment sales). They can take some time to organize and require lots of practice and work from volunteers, but start-up costs can be quite low if you can get someone to arrange an inexpensive venue for the show to take place in.

  • Bingo or casino nights: These offer exciting fun and the possibility of winning prizes and money. Proceeds (which can be quite high) go to your group. Just be aware that some communities have laws about who can hold such events, which are sometimes considered gambling. Check local laws before trying this idea.

  • Dinners: Turkey dinners, Sunday dinners, and singles dinners draw plenty of people who want to meet others and who do not want to dine alone. For a dinner event, you will want food and refreshment, a place for the dinner, some decoration and possibly some quieter entertainment that will still allow for talking among diners. Dinners are fast to organize and can be help frequently, if enough people seem interested in the event. Money is raised by having people pay at the door for the event.

  • Holiday events: Whether its a family Easter egg hunt, a Halloween haunted house, or a Christmas caroler concert, hosting events with a holiday theme always draws those who want to celebrate a special day. Charging admission is a good way to raise money at these sort of events, and other fundraising ideas - such as sales or raffles, can be added to the event to ensure greater fundraising success. What does a fundraising plan do?

  • Tours: Offering walking or driving tours of a city can be a great and inexpensive way to raise money for your non-profit, especially if you live in a city or town with a large tourist population. Tours can take place a few times a week during the summer or can be conducted year round.

They require little more than a few hours of volunteer time, a staff that knows about a city or area (or can learn about it by reading books) and some advertising. In addition to raising money by charging money for the tours, a non-profit can also hand out pamphlets about the organization during the tours, raising awareness as well as money.

Additional fundraising ideas - such as pony rides and a hay bale maze - can easily be added to raise even more money. Setting up the event may take money and time, but once it is set up, it can easily operate for an entire season, bringing in money regularly. A farmer offering a pick-your-own business may be willing to allow a non-profit to use a small parcel of land in exchange for drawing tourists and customers to the area, so it does not hurt to ask around.

  • Drives: Drives are basically requests for things. Of course, all fundraising is basically a money drive, but sometimes asking for objects (especially for items that people may be getting rid of anyway) can help bring in a better response. Many people who will not donate money will be able to afford to donate something that they may want to be rid of anyway. If you are planning on having a sale, you may need to organize a drive first in order to ensure that you have the items you need to sell. Drives can also be used to gather items that can be used in a non-profits programs. A homeless shelter, for example, may wish to hold a bedding drive in order to get the beds and linens needed to house the homeless. Such a drive may get a better response than simply asking for money in order to buy the bedding. Some of the more common drives include:

  • Blood drives and other ideas continue