Much to the delight of the cash-strapped parents of college students, many campus groups are motivated to be self-funded.
Each year, fraternities, sororities, sports teams and other groups start campus fundraising programs to raise money to help pay for member dues, equipment, house debt, charity and other necessities of college life.
Campus fundraisers tend to center around events such as car washes, theme parties, and “slave” auctions or product sales, especially products geared towards college life. Pizza discount cards, t-shirts and pre-paid calling cards are all excellent
choices for college fundraising activities.
An easy idea to implement is a guessing jar fundraiser. Fill up a clear container with various objects and have people guess how many items are in it to win a prize. Combine that with an inkjet recycling fundraiser and you really have a winner. You can make money on the guesses and on the cartridges!
Both events and product sales have their appeal, but prior to embarking on any campus fundraiser program, be sure to check with campus authorities to find out their rules and regulations.
The event driven fundraising is the most difficult to coordinate but the fun factor tends to be pretty high. On the other hand, product sales are profitable and require a less concerted effort. Both the event or product fundraiser can be dictated by tradition – perhaps your group hosts a bonfire or sells frozen cookie dough every year.
Regardless of what kind of fundraiser you choose though, the first step in this kind of fundraising is to form a committee.
The committee will decide the “what”, “when” and “where” of it all and will assign different people to do different things. Different types of fundraisers require different priorities, but in any case, it is critical that a responsible person is assigned to handle the finances.
With campus fundraisers, shorter is better, and most successful fundraisers last no more than four days. This creates a sense of urgency and increases demand. Plus, the sooner it’s over, the sooner you can start your NEXT campus fundraising effort.
Find more campus fundraising ideas
