Creative Fundraising Ideas

From Travelling School of Life

• Auction

- Get some friends to agree to auction off services - then invite everyone you know to a

happy hour at a quiet bar. Once people have arrived and you have explained more about the program and why it is an important act to be involved in, begin the auctioning of services. Auction off: car washing, massages, artwork, bathroom clean-ups, potential dates, etc. Make sure and tell folks that the bidding will start high!

Tips – Do you have any friends in the service industry? Sometimes these noble souls can be convinced to split their night earnings/ donate all tips to a cause. Even coffee shop workers who do not earn very much have been known to donate a day’s tips to a good cause or for a good customer!

Movie night

– Have people come over to watch a documentary about movement building history in the

US or elsewhere in the world. Find a film that will spur a discussion around why anti-racism is a crucial lens for movement building! Some folks in the past have been able to get their local alternative movie theatre to donate a free screening of social justice related films and all the proceeds went towards the cause they were raising money for – worth a shot!

Fundraiser brunch/house-party

At your house or at a friend's, organize a brunch for everyone you know. Send invitations (post-card invitations are cheaper) 2-3 weeks before the event, and follow-up with a phone call. Let everyone know it's a fundraiser for this program you’re participating in, and ask $5 - $20 per plate. Then, at the high point of the party, give a motivational pitch (a request for money), describing your personal reasons for being part of the organization. They'll probably give even more!

Salsa Dance Party

Send out invitations, charge at the door, and do a pitch! Do you know someone who could give lessons? Do you know a local club that would let you use their space? Put up flyers all over town! Don't forget to do a pitch!

Radical Mix CD’s

Make a CD compilation of your favorite radical songs, design a cool CD cover, and sell it as a fundraiser! You can compile songs from the US labor movement, anti-war ballads, hip-hop critiques of imperialism, Nueva Canción music (popular Latin American music with revolutionary lyrics), local music, or anything else you want to share with your friends. For the cover, make a collage or include a poem. You can either send it to a bunch of friends and ask them to send back a donation if they can, or you can sell it at one of your parties for $5-$10 each.

Original Artwork

Make some original artwork and offer to send an original piece of artwork to anyone who donates $50 or more (or whatever amount you choose to ask for). Prints work great because you can make a number of copies, but you can also make hand-made collage greeting cards, knit wristbands, earrings or other jewelry, or any other artsy thing you can make many of.

• Raffle or Lottery -Ask a restaurant to donate a dinner for two, or a massage therapist to donate a

massage, or a certificate for a hammock or a purse from El Salvador, or anything else you think people would want. Sell tickets for a couple of bucks, and the winners get the prizes. Or you can do it as a cash lottery (the winner wins half of the total pot/ up to $250): sell 100 tickets at $5 each, draw one name, and that person gets $250 and you get $250 (and the winner can always choose to donate the money back to you!).