Mon 2 Aug 2010
How Churches Can Raise Money Through Their Neighborhood
Posted by Chris Channing under Community SitesNo Comments
Churches do a lot of good in communities around the United States. Sometimes, it can be difficult finding a venue of fund raising. There are plenty to choose from, but not every option is going to be profitable or even could possibly be a mere scam.
There needs to be a market for the item you plan on reselling. If you try selling an item to the wrong community, you could be stuck with inventory that you will never sell, and actually lose money in the operation. Some items, such as edibles, will almost always have a market. So long as the community has middle income families that like helping out, a church shouldn’t have problems raising capital.
Fashion is one venue that isn’t often tapped. Church fundraisers that center around handbags, backpacks, and gym bags are popular in areas that are near cities. Suburbs are great places to start getting leads on those willing to help a good cause and also get a great, fashionable, hand bag. Current trends show that clear backpacks and purses are very popular.
Sausage, crackers, cheese, candy, and recipe mixes are a market of their own. Organizations all around the nation have reported success with these products for years. Every family likes food and gourmet candy, so this is naturally a great market to get into. When selling, stress the reason the selling is being done and talk about the cause- families are more willing to help out when they know who benefits from the aid.
Hold a fundraiser with the kids the church hopes to support. Have a group of helpful youth to put on a BBQ, and make the meal free. You will find that when asking for donations, those that come to the meal are perfectly happy to donate enough to cover the costs. You are also helping out those in need at the same time by feeding them. Some food fundraisers might even charge a minimal charge so that costs can get smoother over faster.
Sometimes, fundraisers can be as simple as giving away community support. Some churches have found success with donating the time of their members to chores around the town. The church can make quite a bit of money if enough people are pooled together, and if the neighborhood is in enough need of work. This could include painting, yard work, planting gardens, and so forth. It’s a bit harder to put together, however.
Final Thoughts
The organization looking to make the money needs to research their market and current volunteer list to decide where to go from here. Take a special look at handbags, backpacks, and other items when they are season. Community dinners and volunteering are great in most seasons too.