Halloween Fundraiser

At almost $7 billion in sales, Halloween is a frighteningly successful holiday — second only to Christmas in consumer spending.  Four reasons to have a Halloween fundraiser next year and eight ways to get started:

Halloween is social. Halloween isn’t the family holiday that Thanksgiving and Christmas are. Parents parade their kids out in neighborhoods and costume parties for all ages are everywhere. Halloween is the holiday of weak ties and you should capitalize on its casual, fun and social nature.

Halloween is packed all into one exciting night. The major holidays seem to drag on forever. But Halloween has a zombie-like following that kids and adults crave like the undead love brains! Feed the need with your Halloween fundraiser.

Halloween is non-denominational. You’re not stepping on any toes by having a Halloween fundraiser. It’s not a religious holiday that’s going to exclude anyone and ruffle some feathers. It’s kind of like Thanksgiving with candy instead of turkey. Most people love it!

Halloween is part of everyone’s business model these days. Look at this from a cause marketing perspective and the potential for you to work with businesses. Department stores, convenience stores, party stores and supermarkets, they all sell Halloween costumes, candy and decorations. They are all potential partners for your Halloween fundraiser.

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Eight easy ways to get started with Halloween fundraisers

  1. Seasonal Halloween stores pop up everywhere this time of year. Find out which stores setup in your area from your local chamber or town hall and plan a fundraiser
  2.  Collect candy for the poor, homeless or troops abroad.
  3. Collect food and coats. Just give people a heads up before you drop by. One college group collects canned and packaged good for the needy on Halloween. The day before Halloween they drop off a flier letting folks know when they’ll be buy for a pick up.
  4. Wear your cause on your sleeve. If you favor a particular cause, pick a costume that reflects it. How about a doctor or nurse from your local cancer hospital? Support the local zoo? You can also buy a gently used costume from Goodwill and support their mission.
  5. Try reverse trick or treating. Instead of asking for treats, two Boston kids deliver informational cards to homes to bring awareness to child labor in name-brand chocolate factories. A heavy topic for Halloween, but it will get people’s attention just because it’s so unexpected and definitely frightening.
  6. What’s stopping you from collecting money like UNICEF? If you show up at a neighbor’s door with a homemade coin canister for your favorite cause, will they really say no because you’re not toting an orange UNICEF box? Of course, you could just raise money for UNICEF.
  7. Zombie walks are dead and growing. These lurching, gory walks are becoming popular in many cities
  8. If you already have a Halloween event forget sponsorships and focus on cause marketing partners. You’ll raise more money. Source: Joe Waters,SelfishGiving.com, Cause Marketing and Social Media for Nonprofits

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.