Strong Fundraising Ideas

• Many nonprofit organizations stay afloat only through donations. Without fundraising efforts, they may cease to exist. Strong fundraising for organizations and causes is necessary to continue the good work they are doing to benefit the community. Fundraising is not easy; you have to ask people for donations, get the word to the public and plan events.

Hold a Festival

• Choose an easily accessible festival location that is inexpensive to rent or free to use and has lots of free parking. Solicit vendors and charge them for booth rentals. The larger the booth, the more you can charge. Ask commercial vendors selling products and food to donate a portion of the day's sales to your cause. Charge an admission fee for festival attendees and sell merchandise at your own booth for profit.

Silent Auction

• Solicit donated products and services from businesses and ask for an estimated value of each item to set a starting bid price. Include as many items as possible; those that don't sell can be used as prizes for another event. Set up attractive display tables for the items and include a description of each. Place a bid sheet next to each item so people can easily place their bid. If the silent auction is at an event, have the host announce the auction frequently. Lastly, list auction items on your organization's website so those not attending the auction have the opportunity to bid.

Walk-a-Thon

• Organize the walk-a-thon in a public park so you don't have to pay rent. Raise funds through registration fees and money raised by walkers. Solicit registrations in advance through mailed-in forms and online registration. Use a website such as Firstgiving that allows free event registration and set up of donation collection for walk-a-thon participants. Encourage walkers to collect pledges, gather sponsors in advance of the event and offer prizes to those who collect the highest amounts. If your organization is an animal shelter, invite participants to walk with their dogs.