Finding The Perfect Fundraising Idea For Schools, Churches, and Organizations

Fundraisers for schools and churches are commonplace. You will see them being conducted for charities and similar good causes. Clubs and organizations will do various projects to help raise money for their favorite cause, or to simply help fill their coffers so they can continue to exist. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Little League team…the list goes on.

One variety of organization that isn't always first on one's mind when thinking about fundraising is the civic group. Rotary Clubs, Lions Club, The Elks are a few well-known groups. Then you have business/civic outfits, too. One in particular was the Women's Council of Realtors from Glendale Arizona. Their reason for existence is to promote a business environment that will be beneficial for women starting out in the real estate industry. They decided to create a personalized cookbook that would not only provide a host of wonderful recipes, but also would highlight their objectives and display the abilities of their organization.

With today's economy in the doldrums, it only makes sense to do what we can to encourage business growth. If it takes a fundraiser to start the ball rolling, then let's do it!

What Is The Right Way To Go About Creating A Fundraising Cookbook?

First you need to find a reputable on-line cookbook publisher. There are many of them, so when you search for one, be sure to choose one that offers creative license to you. Don't let them corral you into picking from a handful of templates. You want your cookbook to reflect your group, rather than being just like the previous one, but with a different picture on front.

Ideally, the publisher will let you choose the cover design, the style of pictures and graphics, the organization of the book, and the type of dividers, paper stock, ink and font. They should offer dedication and advertising pages options, too.

Get Going!

If you are doing this for a civic or business organization, then the first thing you'll want to do is create a committee. (Every business must have a committee or two, right!) That committee will make decisions that includes timetables, marketing, the design, and how to delegate the various tasks.

They will confer with the publisher on-line and/or via telephone for assistance and guidance. The publisher can steer them away from common mistakes, or make helpful suggestions. Once that is done, the process of collecting recipes is next.

Recipes.

What can I say? It is pretty simple. Everyone in your organization will surely have one or two recipes to contribute. Have your members contact their friends, relatives and neighbors. Talk to local businesses, city hall, and the fire department. They just might be willing to have their employees submit some choice recipes. E-mail makes the process a snap. Send a note to everyone in your address book and explain what you are doing. They will be glad to help out, too.

Recently, a few cookbook publishers have implemented an on-line method of submitting all the recipes. It makes things go much smoother, so be sure your publisher has that feature.

The Design.

As I mentioned above, all aspects of the design should be able to be customized. You may not feel qualified to decide on every minute detail, and if so, the publisher can help make a good choice for you. Pick a graphic or picture for the cover that reflects your organization's ideals, or maybe you could design it like an old fashioned cookbook your grandmother used to have. Make sure that the name of each contributor is printed next to his or her recipe. (Everybody likes their 15 minutes of fame.)

Marketing And Selling The Cookbook.

In the example of the Womens' Council of Realtors above, they are no doubt intimately familiar with marketing. If your group has no marketing and selling expertise, do not despair. Everyone who submitted a recipe is a likely customer. It is also a great possibility that they will buy one or two extras as gifts.

Other local businesses are usually willing to help out another business by provided some counter space where you can put a stack of cookbooks for sale. Then you can sell them at street fairs, school activities, church events, and you can even do some internet sales if you wish. A quality publisher will have even more sales ideas for you.

The Bottom Line…

It is an easy fundraising idea. It doesn't take hours and hours of labor like so many other fundraising activities require. The fundraising cookbook industry has been around for decades, so you know it is a viable option. Find a reputable on-line cookbook publisher and check out their web site. Send an e-mail message to them, or call then on the phone and ask questions. Get started today.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Andy Barber is a retired police/fire/EMS dispatcher. After a quarter of a century of "stomping the pedal," as he likes to call it, he took an early retirement and became a freelance writer. Currently he is working for Cookbook Publishers, a company that has been helping people and organizations raise money since 1947. When Andy isn't writing, he spends time on his eastern Kansas farm with his wife and the 2 younger of their 3 sons. Andy also has a love for Harley Davidson motorcycles. He regularly criss-crosses the USA on his bike to meet with friends and see this beautiful country. Cookbook Publishers has been helping people with fundraisers for years, so check them out and see what they can do for you.