Fundraising Is Easy With The Proper Fundraising Project

Fundraising ideas. Fundraising projects. "Let's get everyone together and we'll sell some stuff and make a lot of money for our charitable cause." It sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? Ah, but there is more to it than that! The difficulty quotient lies somewhere between a gong solo and building a space shuttle. To be perfectly candid, it's much closer to a gong solo, but it still requires some thought.

Getting Started

Any fundraiser requires a group of people to hammer out the logistics. Without a committee of some sort, your efforts will be about as organized as a team of six year olds playing soccer. They will assign duties and tasks, create deadlines, and coordinate other aspects of your endeavor, which will, of course, vary according to the fundraising idea you have chosen.

Herein Lies The Greatest Challenge

What kind of fundraiser will you choose? I'm an old retired guy, so when I am asked that question I always try to come up with one that requires the least amount of labor possible. I'm not lazy…I prefer to say that I like to economize my physical efforts. "Work smart, not hard" is what my father often said.

Possibilities

How about a car wash in the parking lot of the local grocery store? I reject that one for several reasons. It is labor-intensive, it is weather dependent, and last - no one wants to see me in a swimsuit. Trust me on that one.

Door-to-door sales of candy, or popcorn, or magazine subscriptions are choices, too. You hear advocates of that idea saying "get your kids to do all the work!" Those advocates obviously have never had children. "Getting them to do all the work," means that you are saddled with the responsibility of shadowing them as they knock on doors all afternoon. You might as well be doing it yourself. When my children were in school, they would come home with packets for selling that stuff. I simply called the school and asked if I could write a check and skip the sales. Having my kids "do all the work" wore me out.

You could elect to hold an auction. Find local businesses and individuals who will donate items. They will provide all sorts of valuable products and services, like last year's sports t-shirts, a free tan at a tanning salon, or a set of highly sought after drinking glasses that are emblazoned with the logo from the local car dealership. Yippee.

One Possibility That Really Works

I shouldn't disparage other methods of fundraising, but it does help get my point across. There are easy, efficient ways to raise funds for a charity or cause, and there are those that are not so easy or efficient. The fundraising idea that I have personally used is the family style cookbook. They have been a fundraising staple for generations. Literally. One company has been helping people create personalized cookbooks since 1947. The fraternal organization to which I belong created a cookbook a number of years ago. It was a great success. In fact, we have sold reprints of it each year. It just keeps on generating funds for the various charities to which we are associated.

Why They Are Popular

They are absolutely unique. Imagine owning a cookbook that is full of the best recipes from the finest cooks in your organization or community. In addition to being one-of-a-kind cookbooks, they become keepsakes. The names of the contributors are printed with each recipe, putting into book form the names of so many people from your area. Years from now, as folks are paging through it to find a recipe, they will come across the name of someone who has long passed and remember them. "Oh, remember old Mrs. Arteburn? She used to make these cookies for us when we were little kids."

Human Nature

Humans are a generous and giving species. That is a trait we share with no other creature on the planet. Charitable giving is in our nature, but we don't just blindly throw our money away. It has been shown that when a person is offered the opportunity to receive something of value when they are making a donation, they open their wallets much wider than without it. A professional looking family cookbook is truly something that everyone can use.

The Key

The most important part of creating a personalized cookbook is to find the right on-line cookbook publisher. There are many out there, but they are not all created equal. I suggest that you find one that has been around for a while. If they have been in business for decades you can be assured that they are a sound and stable business. Next, be sure that the publisher gives to you the creative license needed to design a cookbook that will reflect your organization. Don't let them force you into using one of a handful of templates.

And last, choose one that offers a guarantee. Yes, I said a guarantee. There are a rare few publishers that do that, and it doesn't cost anything extra, so why would you work with anyone else?

Find a reputable on-line cookbook publisher and get started today. It won't wear you out, either.

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

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.