Fundraising Ideas

Want to Raise Money that will benefit Miriam School & Learning Center? Here are a few ideas for you.

General Fundraising Ideas

Art Classes

Have an artist come to your home, provide a fun, educational class, and charge an entry fee donation. Proceeds or a percentage of the sales from the event will benefit Miriam School and Learning Center. Many companies out there specialize in this sort of event. Like drawing outside the lines? Grab some blank canvases, art supplies and have your friends get creative!

Art Sale

Do you have budding and professional artists in your community? Ask them to donate their art to the cause and have a home gallery sale. You could think of this event as an exclusive, swanky craft fair. Rent space from a local gallery (or set up a gallery in your home/office), institute a semi-formal dress code, and serve champagne! Ask local liquor stores, wineries, and friends to donate wine & cheese.

Bake Sale

Post a bake sale menu that interested parties can browse. As they make donations, they can also put in their order information and your bakers will create and deliver requested goods. The menu itself could have the bake sale classics. What is better than eating pie at a dessert shop? Pie delivered to your door. The same rule applies to all the goodies and sweets that you will whip up. People buy most things online now, so why should bake sale treats be any different?

BINGO

Everyone loves a rousing game of BINGO. Plus, it is a fun and easy to plan event suitable for the entire family. Charge an entry fee. Contact companies in your community (or the local BINGO hall) to see if anyone has a set of BINGO balls, cards, and markers/tabs you can borrow or rent. Or, simply run your bingo night virtually with virtual bingo cards + Zoom.

Board Game Tournament

Teams of people compete together during a board game tournament to raise money. Ask local businesses or supporters to donate prizes for tournament winners. And, you can give “bonus points” to board game participants/teams that fundraise on their own for Miriam School and Learning Center.

Book Swap

Hold a book swap and charge a small amount for entry and/or per book exchanged. Host in your home or meet at a fun restaurant. Talk to your local library about resources they have to assist you with your swap for inspiration. Alternatively, you can start a book club with an entry fee.

Comedy Night

Recruit comedians to put on a show either at your home or at a venue and charge an entry fee. Popular comedians may run up the costs, so you may want to collaborate with a local comedy venue to put together a fantastic list of local comedians. Virtual shows tend to be more cost effective than their in-person counter parts.

Cooking/ Baking Contest

Participants pay an entry fee to be considered for a grand prize. At the end of the day, their creation can be sold for a donation. Incentivize people to enter the contest by offering the best prize of all-bragging rights! Some examples are:

• Chili Cook-Off
• Rib-Off
• Mediterranean Cooking
• Steak-Out
• Hawaiian Luau
• Around the World
• Homemade Burgers
• Breakfast Cook-off
• Wings & Things
• Best Tacos in Town
• Clean Eats
• Life of Pie
• Bread Fest

Cooking Class

Add a culinary twist to your home fundraiser by hosting a cooking class. If this is around the holidays, try making your class a themed one! Team up with a local chef or ask a talented volunteer to help lead the class. This can easily be held virtually using a tool like Zoom and sending out an ingredient list ahead of time.

Dollars for Dares

Dollars for dares fundraising events are the perfect complement to peer-to-peer fundraising. Set up a fundraising page or Facebook event/post, announce the dare that you will complete if you raise a set amount of funds, promote the page, and watch the donations come in.

Common dare challenges include:

• Diving into a lake or pool in the middle of winter.
• Dyeing your hair a crazy color.
• Shaving your head/ beard.
• Performing a song in public.
• Wearing a crazy outfit to work and around town.

The dares are honestly limitless. As long as they are safe, legal, and well meaning - go for it! What is a little embarrassment or brief moment of fear compared to bringing in much needed funds for a worthwhile cause?

Food Truck Event

You could host a neighborhood event … ask food trucks to come a specific day/evening and a percentage of total sales will go to Miriam. Ramp up your marketing efforts on social media – maybe on the neighborhood group page – or go door to door with flyers to maximize your efforts.

Happy Hour

Host in your home … or find a venue for a low price (your own space, a donor’s home, local VFW, etc.) and serve cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. You can either sell tickets to raise money or ask attendees for donations.

It’s likely that the bar itself will offer you discounted food and/or drinks for those in attendance. They might even be willing to do a profit share during the hours of the event. In that case, your fundraiser makes a preset portion of what is spent by your guests at the bar. Hire a DJ, run a raffle, and award prizes to those who can answer questions specifically about Miriam.

Hosted Dinner Parties

Host a dinner party and invite friends. Provide meal and drinks, and charge attendees a donation fee. You can be fancy and have cocktail attire, put on some music and bust out that pretty china!

Karaoke

While it’s not for the faint at heart, karaoke definitely has the potential to lift the spirits and wallets of your attendees. Along the way, everyone will be making a fool of themselves all for Miriam School and Learning Center. Host people in your home or go to a venue. Set up a Facebook event! Before you rent high-quality karaoke equipment, ask around to see if you can borrow a set.

Movie Night

Invite your family, friends, co-workers, etc. to a family movie night – consider hosting it outside in your backyard or in a park. This fundraiser guarantees a crowd! There are companies out there that provide movie night equipment rentals. To minimize your expenses, ask a local business to sponsor the event and cover the cost of rentals.

Paint & Sip

Host a Paint & Sip night in your home. Sell drinks and food for additional revenue. This event can be adapted to a variety of causes. If weather permits, try hosting this as an outdoor event. To make it easier to see who has registered/paid, set up an online registration page.

Ping-Pong Tournament

Who doesn’t love ping-pong? Get your friends & family in a competitive mood with a ping-pong tournament. If you do not own a ping-pong table … before renting, ask anyone you know if they have any tables that can be borrowed for the event. Encourage teams to compete to see who can fundraise the most + add incentives.

Plant & Sip

For horticultural and gardening enthusiasts, this is a fun variation to a traditional paint and sip. Instead of painting a picture, have participants put together a beautiful arrangement and get gardening tips from a knowledgeable instructor.

Pub Crawl

Those over the age of 21 will love the philanthropic pub-crawl. Members get to enjoy a great night out on the town together while raising money. The crawl is all upside.

First, your crawl needs a theme: 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, That Dress You’ve Never Worn/Bridesmaids/Brides, Disco, Old People, Black & White, Favorite Movie/TV Character, Favorite Book Character, Circus, Great Gatsby, Gangster, Mardi Gras, Pirates, Fairy Tale, Safari, etc.

Map out your route ahead of time and call the bars to let them know about your plan. They will probably offer discounts for the group. Appoint a few members to handle the donation buckets. Place the buckets on the bar at every pub and see if the servers will allow patrons know about the fundraiser. You can even promote and spread the word ahead of time and on social media.

Scavenger Hunt

A scavenger hunt can be done online (through pictures) or offline (in person). Create a list of items (or mix it up with riddles) needed to win the hunt. To spice it up, encourage participants to donate extra money to “unlock” special clues.

Spin / Yoga / Pilates / Workout Class Fundraiser

Team up with a local spin, gym or yoga studio, or instructor for a fundraiser. Charge an entry fee for participation and encourage donations day-of from participants. Consider turning this into a regular fundraiser- done monthly or perhaps even weekly, if it’s the right fit for your audience.

Trivia Night

Invite your neighbors, friends, family, co-workers to a fun trivia night in your home! You can sell tickets as well- run some games throughout the night that require an additional donation. Have participants set up a personal fundraising page to raise funds ahead of the trivia night, and offer teams that raise the most advantages the night of the event. As a bonus, try to secure some great prizes from corporate and/or local partners for the winning team.

Vegas Baby Vegas!

Take Vegas to your home with a casino night. Gambling for good - it has a nice ring to it. The night could consist of appetizers, blackjack and/or poker tables, an auction (live or silent) and a raffle.

Make sure that every ticket holder gets a set amount of chips and then sell extra chips in exchange for donations throughout the night. Secure a small group of prizes for the attendees with the biggest winnings for the night.

The night can be formal or casual depending on the attendees that you want to attract. If this fundraiser needs to draw money from some of your wealthier contacts, go black tie. However, if you want this to largely be a social fundraiser for your family/friends, keep it casual and go with a quirky theme instead.

Have friends volunteer as servers or look into hiring professional dealers for your card tables. If money is tight, you can always just hire professionals for the more complicated games. Find the financial balance that works best for you.

Wine Pull Party

Wine pulls work well as fixed-price revenue enhancers. Offer friends/employees/participants a chance to draw from an assortment of selected wines. Ensure that each bottle is worth at least $10 and should range in quality. Sell tickets for $5 each or 2 for $10. Each ticket = 1 random pick.

Remember to wrap the bottles to hide labels. Participants have the opportunity to choose at random a bottle that is worth at least $10 or more. Ask local liquor stores and wineries to donate wine.

Wine Bus Tour

Rent a bus to tour different wineries and charge them an extra donation fee! Play games along the way. Do scavenger hunts, provide prizes! Again, themes are FUN!

You can ask attendees to dress as: 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, That Dress You’ve Never Worn/Bridesmaids/Brides, Disco, Old People, Black & White, Favorite Movie/TV Character, Favorite Book Character, Circus, Great Gatsby, Gangster, Mardi Gras, Pirates, Fairy Tale, Safari, etc.

Winery  Tour

Collaborate with a local winery to host a wine tour. Participants will have the opportunity to sample different wines and purchase bottles that they like.

Yard Sale

Host a yard sale! Ask friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, etc. to donate their gently used items for the sale. Promote it like there is no tomorrow. Post a Facebook event! Whatever doesn’t sell from the day can be given to a local charity that accepts gently used items – like Miriam Switching Post!

Seasonal Fundraising Ideas

Climb/ Hike / Run / Walk / Bike Fundraiser

Most people have a trail somewhere near where they live, so encourage your participants to do their hike/climb/run/walk/bike locally and share their amazing pictures on social media. Or, host a specific date/time and encourage participants to fundraise ahead of the event or create an entry fee. This is a great opportunity to share your personal fundraising page with friends and family, and keep people connected.

Skydiving

Are you and your friends willing to jump out of a plane for Miriam School and Learning Center? If so, then do just that! Coordinate an event with a local skydiving company or encourage participants to fundraise and skydive on their own. Either way, people will be jumping out of a plane to benefit unique learners - that is something to celebrate. Have participants set up a personal fundraising page.

Corn Hole Tournament

Make friends and raise money while spending a spring afternoon in the sun playing corn hole. There’s a chance that people close to you have corn hole sets lying around. So before you invest in customized boards, check with your social circle.

Ice Cream Social

In the heat of the summer, there is nothing better than a bit of ice cream to cool everyone off. Host an ice cream social to bring people together and raise money. Do not worry about going crazy with ice cream flavors; most people will be happy with vanilla and chocolate. However, do not skimp on those sprinkles, cherries, and other toppings. The kids will love you for it!

Pool Party

Its summertime and it’s sweltering. What can you do to cool people off and raise money at the same time? Host a pool party! If you don’t have a pool of your own, connect with your local pool (community/town, rec center, YMCA, neighborhood association) and get information on prices and availability. Discuss particulars, including the option to bring your own food, lifeguards, insurance, etc. before committing.

Fourth of July Fundraiser

The excitement of the 4th of July holiday can be exciting. There are endless possibilities for outdoor fundraising events that celebrate this summer holiday. Some examples are:

• Patriotic Crafts & Bake Sale
• All American Car Wash
• Red, White, & Water Balloon Competition
• 4th of July BBQ Charge an entry fee for food and drink and accept donations at the door for anyone who joins in.

Volleyball Tournament

Host a volleyball tournament and have groups sign up to play. Sponsorships and entry fees can be collected online. Encourage teams to compete to see who can fundraise the most + add incentives.

Football Tailgate

Consider hosting a tailgate party fundraiser in the fall and charge an entry fee for attendees. Have football type snacks and lots of drinks!

Haunted House

Get into the Halloween spirit by hosting a haunted house fundraiser! Decorate your house or venue with creepy paraphernalia like cobwebs, Jack-O-Lanterns, and spooky spiders. Pump the hallways with dry ice for an extra creepy effect.

To make this event cost-effective, see if you can get a local party store to donate decorations. You may also want volunteers to dress up as ghouls and goblins. Fundraise by charging a small admittance fee. You can either host the event once or make it a weekly attraction during the month of October to raise even more.

Holiday Cookie Swap

Host a holiday cookie swap. You will need eager bakers willing to create dozens of their best cookies that will be traded with other participants. Charge and entry fee. You can even turn your cookie swap into a holiday party. Purchase a few bottles of champagne, play some holiday music, and indulge in the tasty treats.

Caroling for a Cause

 This seasonal fundraiser is a must in December. Caroling is more about having fun and spreading the holiday spirit than it is about pitch-perfect singing. So don’t worry if your caroling group is lacking in the vocal department. Charisma can certainly carry you.

Promote the fundraiser beforehand to the neighborhoods that you will be visiting so residents can be prepared. Stepping outside of the traditional door-to-door caroling model, offer up your singers for carolgrams. Interested parties can send your carolers to various friends and family with specific song requests. Charge according to how many songs they want to be sung. Visit your or spouses’ office, restaurants, schools, and all around town, spreading holiday cheer wherever you go.