With the recent crises happening worldwide and the ever-fluctuating economy, the job market has been in shambles, leaving many unemployed and struggling to find work. Fortunately, you can help these individuals in your community with a bit of encouragement and financial support—and holding community fundraisers is a great way to rally close neighbors and friends to support a unified cause.
Although it can be challenging to fund community projects without the assistance of big grants, crowdfunding gives you a low-cost and efficient way to raise the money needed.
Here are the most profitable fundraising community project ideas to try.
Sell Used Books
One of the least expensive yet profitable fundraising ideas for communities to try out is holding a used book sales event. It’s a relatively easy fundraising event to handle, and it’s ideal for all groups of any size. You can structure your used book sales in different ways, including asking for donations of used books within your community to sell later on.
You can also maximize donations by having them shipped nationwide, giving you more chances to spread the message of your cause and help jobless individuals in your community. The best part is, you don’t need to worry about packaging these heavy items because long shipping boxes are affordable and enough to accommodate varying weights and are approved for all national carriers.
Start T-shirt Fundraisers
A classic fundraising idea that rarely fails is t-shirt fundraisers. Designing and selling t-shirts is a profitable community project that even the tiniest neighborhoods can do. It’s a win-win situation for those involved as the campaign creator can raise money through merchandise while supporters get a unique item in return—further spreading the message of the cause.
Make sure to come up with a unique design distinct to your cause. For instance, if you’re supporting out-of-work nurses, you can have a caduceus at the back of the shirt with your cause’s message upfront.
Hold Offline Fundraising Events
Holding offline fundraising events is a great way to increase donations to your community fundraiser. These include local car washes, bake sales, or dinners. Never forget to educate attendees and participants on the cause or person your fundraiser is supporting and let them directly donate to the fundraiser. To maximize donations, make mobile web and app donations accessible.
Sponsor Group Events
Organizing sponsored group events like runs, triathlons, walk-a-thons, and bike rides is a classic fundraising strategy, popular especially during the summer months. It’s best to organize a weekend event when most individuals are available, encouraging everyone within the community to join in the cause. To raise awareness and get more donations, share your event’s successes through digital updates, photos, and videos. If all goes well, consider making it an annual event.
Sell Holiday Candy Grams
Sending candy grams is one of the most inexpensive, fun, and profitable ways to raise funds. These provide a great way to let your friends and family know that you care about them, spreading joy while raising money. It’s best sold during the holiday season, keeping up with the event’s theme and the surge in demands.
Hold A Community Potluck
One of the most inexpensive and delicious ways to raise funds for your community is by hosting a community potluck. It’s a communal gathering of neighbors sharing a meal, helping strengthen the ties of your community, give supporters a fun experience, and raise support for your cause. Just make sure you take the time to plan the community potluck event and instruct visitors on what they can bring early on, find a suitable space, and promote it thoroughly.
Host a Craft Fair
A fun and popular way to raise funds for the community is by hosting a craft fair. With the ever-rising popularity of eCommerce platforms such as Etsy and the growing numbers of available tutorial content on YouTube and SkillsShare, more individuals are now spending their free time crafting things. Whether it’s creating visual art, pottery, or knitting, crafting has become more popular.
Organizing a small craft festival fundraiser for your community is a great way to take advantage of the practice’s rising popularity, having great potential to raise plenty of money, and it’s relatively inexpensive if you’ve planned it out thoroughly. Your main expenses will likely be the rental space and marketing materials, though you can always partner with local parks to save on rent costs.
The best way to promote this fundraiser is by charging vendors a fee to set up a booth or stand in the event.
Before you tackle the fundraising ideas mentioned, craft a compelling story beforehand, describing why you’re raising funds and how your project can help those in need in the community. Doing this enables you to capture the attention of more generous individuals—giving another chance to those who’re struggling with work and life in general in your neighborhood.
