by Charles Simmins

Created on: June 23, 2009

Are there any fresh ideas for fund raising? There are, and there are some oldies but goodies that can be brought back to life.

The Al Sigl Community of Agencies in Rochester, New York, has a great fund raising idea. It is called the "Just One" campaign and has been raising money for years. Their direct mail campaign asks each recipient to give "Just One", just one dollar. If that were all that was given, the campaign would raise into six figures. Of course, donors give more, and the campaign exceeds its goals on a regular basis.

Causes on behalf of our animal friends might find success in selling painting done by the animals. The Houston Zoo not only sells the paintings, it lets you watch them being done.The Louisville Zoo is also fund raising by sell art created by their animals. Animal shelters and parks can also get in on this novel idea.

The ladies of the Rylstone Women's Institute in the Yorkshire region of England made headlines worldwide in 1997 with a nude calendar. The women of this rural aid society, most of whom were middle aged, thought they might raise about $8,000 selling their $8 calendar. They brought in, with their first calendar, over a half million dollars. Calendars of all sorts are a popular and successful fundraiser, though most groups will not want to go nude.

Firefighters in the United States often are seen raising money for their work or for a charity with a "fill the boot" campaign. With the consent and cooperation of the local authorities, groups of firefighters will approach stopped cars at intersections with firefighting boots and ask for a contribution. Any group with a container that serves as a symbol could hold the same fundraiser. Ambulance corps could use bedpans. Cheerleaders might use a megaphone with the narrow end stopped up.

The Internet provides many ways to fund raise. With so many free ways to create and operate a website, every group ought to have its own. One of the pages on that site should be a donations page. On the Internet there are people who support every cause. With a little effort those bloggers can be recruited to promote the cause and to link to the donations page. Project Valour IT has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars this way.

The freshest idea for fundraising is often the one that has not been used yet by the group. Other times, giving fresh life to a well used technique will do the trick. Fundraising will never be easy but fresh ideas can keep it easier.

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