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Church Youth Group Fundraising Ideas
by Ginna Baker
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Overview
If you're bored with your youth fundraisers, chances are you need to be bold and find new ideas. Most importantly, consider the talents of your volunteer pool and tailor your event to fit them. That way, your event will give the youth a chance to use their skills, and the money you make will come from a bonding experience.
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Getting Started
A good youth group fundraiser starts with basic brainstorming. How big is your pool of volunteers? Keep in mind that even a small youth group with willing parents from the congregation could more than double the number of hands on deck. How much money do you nee to raise? And who is your target audience---do you plan to raise most of the money from fellow church members or from the public?
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Bag Groceries
Try to come up with an innovative idea. Fundraiserinsight.org suggests speaking with grocery store managers to see if your group could volunteer as baggers. Now that many grocery stores have dispensed with baggers, customers especially appreciate help with their groceries. If the store agrees, print fliers about your group and its project to hand to customers as they come in.
Have youths stand at the end of checkout lines, bagging groceries. They can even offer to bring groceries to the customers' vehicle and load them inside, provided an adult from the church supervises the parking lot. Be sure to station tip jars next to baggers to allow customers to deposit money toward your cause. This fundraiser can be done with as few as eight people, depending on the size of the store.
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Play to Your Strengths
When you plan your activity, be sure to do projects that use the talents of your volunteer pool. If your youths are musical, organize a benefit concert or delivery of singing valentines. For an athletic group, hold a game of youth vs. adults and have each member get sponsors for him in the game. In the summer, consider holding a sports or activities camp for young children in your community.
If you have some talented artists, offer a personalized stationery service to church members. Buy some gel pens and calligraphy markers and create examples of personalized letterhead, envelopes and cards. Make the designs simple to minimize the cost of mistakes. Something as simple as "Kim L. Nubeck" inscribed along the top of a letterhead can be very elegant. Market your idea with a booth in the lobby displaying sample stationery and a signup sheet. Settle on a price per set---say, $10 for five personalized envelopes and note cards---and watch your list fill with names.
