Mortar Board fundraising ideas
Fundraising is a key activity for many Mortar Board chapters. Want
some ideas for successful and proven fundraising projects?
Graduation flower sales
With the help of Blossom Express, Mortar Board chapters can sell flowers at their graduation ceremonies and raise up to $2,000 in profits for just a few hours of work. If would like to participate or learn more, please call Lori Taylor at Blossom Express (1-800-332-7421).
Grants and university funding
Many universities offer grants and assistance for student organizations such as Mortar Board. To find out about potential funding, contact a representative at your student activities department.
Restaurant take-over
Some restaurants allow groups to come in a “take over” for
an evening in exchange of a certain percentage of the profits
and all of the tips. Have members work as servers, bussers,
dishwashers, etc. for the cause. This works best in small
restaurants. Similarly, some restaurants may share profits simply for directing business to their restaurant on a specific date. Members and friends will buy their meal and say they are there with "Mortar Board." Soon after, the business will provide a donation to the group.
Book Drive with Better World Books
Host a campus book drive with drop boxes near book stores, in coffee shops, in residence halls, etc. and Better World Books will pay you for qualifying books. Additionally, Better World Books provides everything you need for an effective book drive: collection bins, marketing materials, shipping supplies and full support from their regional directors.
Fundraiser involving university administration
Many chapters hold an event involving university administration. For example, the chapter at Tulane University annually holds an "Administrative Swap" in which students may provide a donation to enter for a chance to swap roles for a day with a top university administrator or professor. The student becomes the administrator and the administrator attends classes. Another great idea comes from the chapter at Carnegie Mellon University and their annual "Turkey for a Day" fundraiser. The premise of this fundraiser is that students make donations on behalf of the professor they would most like to see wear a turkey costume for a day. Votes for a project like this can be cast with raffle tickets, donation entries or "penny wars" (in which jugs or buckets with the names of certain professors are left at a central location and donations of change are made; the highest amount of donations wins).
Car wash
During the warmer parts of the year, find a store that will allow
you to hold a car wash in their parking lot. You will
need to provide buckets, towels, sponges, soap, etc. Be
sure to advertise this event well, and choose a back-up date
in case of bad weather.
Fundraise online
Set up an online group account to sell products, such as food items or magazine subscriptions. At www.efundraising.com, you can earn up to a 90 percent profit of your sales for certain items.
50-50 raffles
Holding a 50-50 raffle is a great way to raise money and reward
some lucky individual. Choose a popular, well-attended
event at which to hold your raffle. You will need a roll
of tickets, chapter members to sell tickets, and a container
in which to hold the ticket stubs. When the time comes,
choose one winning ticket out of your container, and notify
the owner of that ticket.
Market research
Call a local marketing research facility (a place that holds focus groups, taste tests, etc.), and see if they have any opportunities for members to participate in. These studies typically pay between $20 and $60 or 1-2 hours
Karaoke night
Hold a karaoke night on your campus. Borrow or rent sound
equipment or find a DJ to play music for you. Set an admission
price (we suggest $5). Also, find grocery stores or individuals
to donate snacks and soft drinks to be served.
Care packages
We all know how overwhelming finals can be. Why not create
care packages for parents to send to their students? Find
donations of candy, fruit, other snack foods, or goofy toys to
be placed in the care package, or buy these things in bulk. These
items should be appropriate for both men and women. Send
information to parents describing different packages, outlining
contents and price. You may also wish to include a small
and simple greeting card for the parents to sign to be included
with the package. You may consider partnering with a commercial
company that creates care packages for fundraisers.
Gift-wrapping
This is especially good during the holiday season. Collect
gift-wrapping supplies such as wrapping paper, boxes, tape and
ribbons or bows, or have them donated. Find a store that
will allow you to spend an afternoon/day wrapping gifts for customers. Have
each person give you a donation, or charge a set price for each
package, depending on it size. BONUS! You can also make this a Reading is Leading project. Bring
as many members as possible to the event, have half of them wrap
the gifts, and the other half read to the children who are out
shopping with their parents. Be sure to find books that
you can read to the children.
Guessing games
We have all tried to guess how many objects are in a jar. Why
not set up a similar activity on your own campus? Find
a large jar or other clear, large container; choose something
to fill it with (be sure to count the objects before placing
them in the jar). Have each person who wants to guess pay
a set amount of money. The person whose guess was closest
to the actual number of items in the jar wins the jar or some
other announced prize.
Yard sales
Collect unwanted items from the community and hold your own public
yard sale. Like they say, “one man’s junk is another
man’s
treasure.” Be sure to advertise this event well,
and consider holding it indoors in case of bad weather.
More ideas
For more ideas, visit a site like www.fundraiser-ideas.net, which lists a variety of ideas that can be adapted for use on your campus.
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