Cuffing Contest Fundraiser

This fundraiser is a great activity to make the members of your organization really work for the money. The setting is best if your group is within a school or an office. The Cuffing Contest is a fun activity which requires the members of your organization to be handcuffed to a willing outside participant until the duo raises a set amount of money. A great aspect of this fundraiser is that there is no right way to do it, and there are many different ways to go about getting participants.

First you will need to explain the concept to your school or community. Once the masses are aware of how The Cuffing Contest works, tell them that everyone is invited to nominate people who they would like to be “arrested.” It is also optional to charge a small fee for nominating someone. Or if your organization is doing a fundraiser which requires people to purchase something, you may only decide to let the people who make a purchase to nominate somebody. Or you can surpass this step and just go up to random people and ask, however this may not work in every setting.

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Once you decide how you are going to get the participants, you must now make decide on what to set the “bail” at. You can make a game out of it and make them all random with a wheel to spin, or decide on a constant value. You might also think about setting a time limit in case the goal is not reached. Your organization also might decide to not set a bail and only imply a time limit, with you and the participant trying to raise the most amount of money possible.

The next step is to decide where and when the event will take place. Recommended venues are during a lunch period, during halftime at sporting events, or in a local town that has sidewalks. The only supplies that are needed to pull this off are a pair of handcuffs and a collection can for each organization member participating.

Lastly, have fun with it! make posters to carry around with each couple. People are more likely to give money if you look like you are having fun. And remember, check with your town to see you are required to get any permits for solicitation…you wouldn’t want to actually get arrested! Source: GetReadyGoGreen


We have included a number of do-it-yourself fundraising ideas in this section that offer a break from traditional product sales.  They were developed by groups just like yours in an attempt have a little fun with their fundraiser. Some of them are tried and true while others show a lot of creativity … and even wackiness in some cases.  All of them are obviously not appropriate for every group, but sometimes, with only a little modification, your might find some fund raising ideas that are perfect for your group. If you have an idea for a do-it-yourself fund raiser you are willing to share with others, please send it to us via email. Include anything and everything you would want to know if you were hearing the idea for the first time.