Do-It-Yourself Fundraiser Of The Month

Mr. Potato Head: Have a potato bar dinner for your group and supporters. Fix lots of potatoes and have all the fixins' to go with them, along with salads and desserts donated by members. No set price. Donations only. Have a volunteer dressed in a Mr. Potato Head costume walking around making sure every one has everything they need. His "parts" should be made of Velcro so the little kids can take him apart and put him back together. Fun and food together! Trivia: Mr. Potato Head was born in Rhode Island in 1952 and was the first toy to be advertised on TV! 

Albertsons donates a percentage of purchases made by the supporters of non-profit organizations (schools pre-12, churches and those directly benefiting youth). As supporters of qualifying organizations purchase products, they also help their organizations. At the end of each fiscal quarter, they total the supporters' purchases and donate a percentage of the dollar amount of their purchases to the participating organization. When supporters of participating organizations pick up dinner, rent a movie or fill a prescription at one of their stores, they also help strengthen youth programs in their communities. Contact your local store for details.

 Featured Fundraising Ideas

Pride Distributors, Inc:  Is this you? You’re the new fund raising chairperson.  You need to raise big money for your group.  You have lots of people that say they will help, but only a handful that you can count on.  We need something “different” and safe, a project where we don’t risk our own money.  It needs to offer our customers value and be profitable for us.  (100% profit would be nice since we are doing all the work)  And, it would be great to raise the money and have fun doing it. Check out the “Your Town”-Opoly program.

Uncle Jerry’s T’s: Whether you're raising money for class trips, club activities, new uniforms, school equipment or any other projects, Uncle Jerry's T's has a proven track record for success. We offer the greatest selection of designs and products in the industry while keeping our prices very reasonable. We have many very popular licensed character designs, a wide variety of sports designs as well as all different types of environmental items. Our catalog makes it almost impossible for your customers to not find many items of interest. Please call us at 800-556-2887 or visit our website for details.

Fundraiser News Briefs 

Birmingham, AL: Big Brothers and Big Sisters fundraiser features former football players; Asheboro, NC: Bicycling Santa's raise funds for needy children; Edinburuh, UK: Around the City in 80 Ways fundraiser held for disabled children in Sarajevo; Big Springs, TX: Coffee house holds "I Love Lucy" Marathon to support U.S. troops in Iraq; Baltimore, MD: SPCA sponsors Pets & Dating fundraiser; Terre Haute, IN: Volunteer to spend nearly eight days in a coffin submerged in water to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; Toronto, ON: Winery releases line of specialty wines to support the Canadian Olympic Team; Reno, NV: Bikers raise funds for officers injured or killed in the line of duty and children’s charities; Grand Island, NE: Baseball teams hold 100-inning game fundraiser; Baytown, TX: Fake mayoral race raises funds to revitalize historic commercial districts; Eufaula, AL: March of Dimes holds Blue Jeans for Babies Day fundraiser; Lafayette, LA: Bark in the Park raises funds for animal shelter; Wickenburg, AZ: Optimists sponsor 'Bowl-A-Thon" to fight childhood cancer; Wichita Falls, TX: Firefighters sponsor poker tournament to benefit Operation Santa Claus; London, UK: Volunteer to climb 625-foot tower in a deep-sea diving suit in support of Sport Relief; San Francisco, CA: “Sharkfest Swim" held to benefit the American Diabetes Association; Valparaiso, IN: Cancer survivors kick off all-night walk to raise funds for the American Cancer Society.

Interesting or Fun Facts

The Barbie doll was invented in 1959 by Ruth Handler (co-founder of Mattel), whose own daughter was named Barbara. The doll was intended to be a teenage fashion doll. Handler took her idea to the ad executives at Mattel Corp., the company that she and her husband had founded in their garage. The (all-male) committee rejected the idea as too expensive, and with little potential for wide market appeal. Mattel finally agreed to back Handler's efforts and the Barbie doll debuted at the American Toy Fair in New York City in 1959. Buyers at the Toy Fair were not impressed, but little girls certainly were and the Barbie doll took retailers by storm. The Barbie product line is the most successful in the history of the toy industry. The Ken doll was named after Ruth's son. There has been some controversy over Barbie's figure when it was realized that if Barbie was a real person her measurements would be an impossible 36-18-38. [Source: About.Com]

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.