{"id":2659,"date":"2015-07-28T19:06:33","date_gmt":"2015-07-28T09:06:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecanvasfactory.com.au\/blog\/?p=2659"},"modified":"2017-05-31T13:34:52","modified_gmt":"2017-05-31T03:34:52","slug":"easy-fundraising-ideas-that-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thecanvasfactory.com.au\/blog\/easy-fundraising-ideas-that-work\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Easy Fundraising Ideas That Work Every Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"5<\/p>\n

Love to fundraise, but feeling a bit worn out? It happens to the best of us. No matter how dedicated you are to your favourite cause, a little burnout can sometime occur.<\/p>\n

Inevitably, the idea of mounting another complicated and challenging fundraising campaign can fill you with dread. Raising money is hard work – and it never ends!<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no shame in taking a little bit of a breather, so if you need to take a break, go right ahead and do just that. That way, you\u2019re more likely to come back to it later rather than pulling out of your passion piece altogether.<\/p>\n

However, keep in mind that not every fundraiser has to be incredibly complex \u2013 and easy fundraising ideas that are fun and simple to organise can be just as effective as more complicated endeavours.<\/p>\n

Here are a few that take almost no planning, but can be huge successes. Before pulling the pin, why not have a go at these?<\/p>\n

1. A Danceathon<\/h2>\n

\"Easy<\/p>\n

This idea is easy because it\u2019s different! When things are new and exciting, it\u2019s easier to garner interest.<\/p>\n

The venerable dance contest is so easy to set up it\u2019s almost trivial, and yet can deliver a shot of cash almost immediately. It\u2019s a simple scenario: You need a space (any large room will do, from a gym to a school theatre), a band or even a DJ \u2013 or even just an iPod hooked up to the sound system \u2013 and some tickets.<\/p>\n

Couples buy a ticket, and then compete to see who can dance continuously the longest, with the last couple standing winning some percentage of the pot, or a donated prize.<\/p>\n

You need a few volunteers to act as judges to tap out couples who fall asleep or stop dancing for more than a second, but that\u2019s about as complicated as it gets.<\/p>\n

2. Bid War Karaoke<\/h2>\n

\"Easy<\/p>\n

This is a simple fundraising idea because everyone loves Karaoke!<\/p>\n

Karaoke gives people the chance to get up on stage and sing – whether they can actually sing or not. One of the most fun events to organise is a Karaoke Night with a twist \u2013 there\u2019s a limited list of songs to sing and people have to bid on the ones they want!<\/p>\n

All that\u2019s needed is a band or karaoke machine, printed lyric sheets (which can be generated from the Internet) and a sound system.<\/p>\n

As an extra incentive, make a rule that once someone has put their name in to sing, they have to sing something – even if the song they wanted has already been taken!<\/p>\n

3. Crazy Sponsors<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"Easy<\/p>\n

This idea takes us back to basics.<\/p>\n

Gather your volunteers and get a sponsorship going. It works like this: Your volunteers promise to give up something. It could be something healthy, like cigarettes, or something crazy, like talking. Then you solicit sponsors for them.<\/p>\n

So say you vow to give up talking for three days \u2013 people can sponsor you at various amounts, which they only pay if you keep your promise. Whether or not sponsors are free to try to trick you into failing is up to the organising committee.<\/p>\n

It may be tempting to do this online, but really \u2013 this idea is great for the workplace, community groups and even groups of friends. It\u2019s face to face and it\u2019s fun!<\/p>\n

4. Ice Bucket Challenge<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"Easy<\/p>\n

We all saw it: The ALS Ice bucket Challenge became a viral sensation, but more importantly, it was a phenomenon, ramping up ALS charity receipts from about $2 million in 2013 to over $80 million in 2014.<\/p>\n

As the most exciting and effective fundraiser in recent memory \u2013 and a really easy idea to implement \u2013 there\u2019s obviously a lot we can learn from this viral hit.<\/p>\n

Your chances of repeating this success are probably slim; even if you created your own knock-off \u2018X Challenge\u2019 you won\u2019t see the same virality that made this take off \u2013 that sort of lightning only strikes once. But you can analyse the challenge and pick out the replicable aspects so you can turn your next activity into something more effective.<\/p>\n

What are the take-aways of the Ice Bucket Challenge (IBC)?<\/p>\n