The Fundraising Hotline
Published by the Fundraising Ideas & Products Center
17,710 Subscribers

Fundraising Ideas & Products Center
August 2003

Each issue of The Fundraising Hotline includes a combination of new or unusual do-it-yourself fundraisers, fundraising product or event ideas, fundraising tips, news, trivia, book and/or software reviews, and maybe even a little humor.  We hope that each issue will contain information that is beneficial to you.  Good luck on your fundraising efforts.  We know how much work it can be! 

Do-It-Yourself Fundraiser Of The Month

Road Rally Poker Hand:  Attracts car enthusiasts and others who want to add a little fun to their sightseeing.  Charge a registration fee. Registrants pick up clues to the route where they pick up one card from a deck of cards.  Box lunches are provided at the end while waiting for all cars to  return.  The best poker hand wins the grand prize which could be a set of tires, detailing, tune-up and oil change, etc (hopefully donated).  Other trophies and prizes are also awarded. It's lots of fun.  Be creative with the clues. 

   Fundraiser News Briefs

Cambridge, MA: Cambridge Community Television offers fundraising calendar of nearly-nude local celebrities; Calgary, Alberta, Canada: Almost 1,000 climbers climb 27 flights of stairs to raise $75,000 for the Alberta Wilderness Association; Capital News, NY: Pine Bush Elementary School's holds McDonald's Night to raise funds for the Army Emergency Relief at Fort Drum; Ft. Collins, CO: Phi Kappa Tau fraternity holds two-day volleyball tournament for kids summer camps; Champaign, IL: Alpha Phi Omega sponsors Miles of Pennies for the Champaign Muscular Dystrophy Association; Waukegan, IA: Waukon Kiwanis Club holds soup and sandwich supper for college scholarships; Harrison Township, MI: L'Anse Creuse High School students create coffee mugs to raise money for a Macomb County shelter; Port Clinton, OH: About 100 people attended an Iraqi war "care package" lounge fund-raiser; Canton, MA: The first ever "cow dropping" event took place to raise funds for the annual Senior All Night Party; SAN DIEGO, CA: San Diego Padres game doubles as fundraiser for motorcycle officer killed in traffic crash; Maitland, Australia: Gladiators motorcycle club holds amateur boxing exhibition to raise money for a Les Darcy statue on the New England Highway.

Featured Fundraising Ideas

Logo Floor Mats: Looking for something different and new?  Custom logo floor & welcome mats with 100% profit are the answer.  $0 up-front required and no "leftovers" because you order only the amount needed to fill your confirmed orders.  These unique and very profitable products are high-quality and 100% USA made. Free shipping on most orders.  Raise money, build team spirit, and have fun doing it.  Free quote, profit analysis, and computer generated picture with no obligation.  Let Logo Mats show you how to start raising funds within only days.


 

GO! Fundraising: It's always something you want to have in any fundraiser... the tangible support of your local area merchants. Problem solved... the GO!Card, built just like a credit card, is accepted for discounts at over 40,000 retail merchants across the nation. Your volunteers simply sell the GO!Card for $10 or $20, depending if it's the Local Merchants Only card or the Local & National Merchants program, to friends, family, co-workers etc. Your profit on each card sold is 50% to 60%, depending on volume. For info or to reserve your GO! Fundraiser call 1-800-564-9992 or visit GO! Fundraising.

  Games For Fundraising
 by William M. Czuckrey

Perfect for church groups, schools, social clubs, charities, neighborhood associations, and any other nonprofit organization planning an event, this book contains step-by-step instructions for building, setting up, and operating each game, including detailed construction plans for some of the more intricate games. Card games, wheel games, dart games, and games of chance are all described here, plus complete chapters on bingo, auctions, and raffles. Schedules and worksheets are included for smooth planning of events. You can find a copy at Amazon.com for about $25.00.
  Thon Tracker  
 
Here is the way to effortlessly manage your sponsor-based pledge events such as walks, runs, bowl-a-thons and more! Just a few of the features that will increase your productivity: manage your event with one or multiple event sites; all aspects of your participants; event sponsors and their level of contribution; participant sponsors and the donations they give; participant sponsors and the pledges they contribute on behalf of your participants; volunteers, team assignments, job functions, & incentive/prize solicitations; track event results by participant and their incentives earned versus incentives taken; and much more at Northwest Software Technologies, Inc.
MORE UNIQUE FUNDRAISERS 

CustomKeyChain.Com - Custom woven team key chains and lanyards
Candle Fundraisers USA - Natural soy candles. Free materials! 50% profit!

National Watermelon Day

In case you did not know it, NWD is celebrated on August 3rd.  Throughout the years, watermelon has found itself in many pickles, jams, and other interesting situations. Watermelon is grown in over 96 countries worldwide; watermelon is 92% water; early explorers used watermelons as canteens; in 1990, Bill Carson, of Arrington, Tennessee, grew the largest watermelon at 262 pounds that is still on the record books according to the 1998 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records; contrary to popular belief eating watermelon seeds does not cause a watermelon to grow in your stomach. Actually, in some cultures it is popular to bake the seeds and then eat them. Find history, trivia, fun facts and more at Watermelon.Org.

The All Fundraising Companies Directory has over 1200 fundraising companies. Choose from the traditional, unique and sometimes bizarre alternatives. Review options by product category or by state, province or country if you prefer a company in your locality.

The Fundraising Hotline is published monthly by the Fundraising Ideas & Products Center, where you will find a wide variety of  do-it-yourself and commercial fundraising ideas.  You can also download a free directory containing information on products and services from 100 of the top U.S. and Canadian fundraising companies and products. How to advertise in The Fundraising Hotline.