Fundraising can easily get pushed to the bottom of a youth worker’s never-ending to-do list. (Up there with buying a new couch for the youth room, right?) Jumpstart your brainstorming and find the right method for your church with these four sure-fire ways to raise money for camps and mission trips!
1. Support Letters – Invite others to invest In student’s spiritually
Support letters allow friends, family, and church members to invest in a student’s spiritual life. A good support letter answers the five most important questions: who, what, when, where and why. It also gives clear instructions as to whom to make the donation out to and where to send it. Writing support letters can be a great lesson in humility and teaching gratefulness.
2. Sales – Tap into student’s inner-entrepreneur
Selling is the most common fundraising method. Thanks to school fundraising, your students will most likely be very familiar with this method.
Doughnuts Sale: Sell doughnuts before Sunday services to your hungry congregation. Talk to local doughnut stores to negotiate a lower cost in exchange for purchasing in high quantities/consistently (ex. every Sunday for a month).
Bake Sale: Take up donations for ingredients and then hold a baking party with your youth group. Sell the delicious results to family & friends!
Church Garage Sale: One student’s junk is another’s treasure! Ask your students and church members to donate gently used or new items, and advertise the sale as open to the public!
Other Ideas: Valentine Balloons, Mother’s Day Flower Sale, Gift Wrapping Sale, or T-shirt Sale
3. Services – Help your students get their hands dirty
In addition to selling products and delicious treats, students can sell their time & energy as services to the congregation, family, and friends. Offering helping hands can be a great option if you are looking for fundraising methods with little to no overhead. And while service-based fundraisers can require a higher level of participation from students (and sometimes parents), they are a great way for students to make relationships with older members whom they might not have otherwise met.
Car Wash: Ah, the good ol’ car wash! Car washes can be great, but make sure to tell your students to bring an extra set of dry clothes.
Youth For Hire: Invite your congregation to ‘rent a youth’ for yard work or any reasonable odd jobs for a decided-upon hourly wage paid directly to your youth leader. Ask parents to drive and supervise their student or match a young student with a trusted high school Senior.
Parent’s Night Out: Give parents a much-need date night by having your students babysit the littles at your church (under the supervision of several adult volunteers of course).
Other Ideas: Singing Valentine, Dog-Wash-A-Thon, Lawn-A-Thon, or Christmas Tree Pick-up Service
4. Events – Make it a community affair
Throwing a church-wide event often requires the dreaded L-word – logistics. However, events don’t have to be complicated. When kept simple they can be a fun fellowship experience for the entire church.
Host a Post-Service Lunch: Ask your congregation to bring a favorite dish and host a post-service Potluck lunch for $5/ plate.
Chili Cook-Off: Put your congregation’s chili skills to the test by hosting a chili cook-off! Charge $10 per entry for the opportunity to compete for the ‘Top Chef’ award. Judges should pay $2 to receive a spoonful of each & cast a vote.
Organize a Dodgeball Tournament: Who doesn’t love dodgeball? Organize a church-wide dodgeball tournament and charge participants an entry fee. Don’t forget to choose referees!
Other Ideas: Benefit Performances, Church Telethon, Softball Tournament, Basketball Tournament, Volleyball Tournament, Talent Show, and Movie Night.
Does your group use creative fundraising? Share your ideas in the comments!