Non-profit organizations like churches have often resorted to fundraising to get some money into their account. But the whole thing is not always without some challenges. This claim is particularly valid in the face of how these organizations have little or no positive results to show for their efforts. This is why it’s important to always factor in efficiency before embarking on a fundraising campaign. So, without further ado, let us see some efficient fundraising avenues for churches.
1. Text-To-Give
The text-to-give mechanism is now vastly employed by fundraisers, with churches and other non-profits not being left out. You can set one up for your church by contacting one of the service providers. A unique text-to-give number will be generated for you to share with donors. You will also have to create a keyword tailored to your fundraising needs.
Apart from fundraising, you can use this mechanism to collect regular offerings and tithe. Text-to-give will enable your church members – and even other donors – to give their donations from anywhere using their mobile phones. On the other hand, you will be able to recoup the funds as quickly as possible.Â
2. Envelope Fundraiser
Raising funds through the use of envelopes is not a new thing among non-profit organizations. You can have these envelopes specially designed for specific fundraising projects and distributed to church members. You should encourage them to pick up some envelopes for their friends and families. This is why you must ensure that the envelopes are provided in a central location.
You should not forget to include the donation collection address on the envelopes. Again, for more profound benefits and convenience, you can consider having your text-to-give details on the envelope.
3. T-Shirt Fundraiser
A T-shirt fundraiser could be a viable option for your church’s fundraising campaign. A couple of t-shirts can be designed with some appealing graphics. You will, however, need to do this thoughtfully as it wouldn’t be good to overproduce. Production may be done in batches to curtail waste.
An excellent strategy to take towards this is to let people have a feel of what the t-shirt looks like before producing it. You can show them the t-shirt design and its price to see how they weigh in on their interest. The objective of creating these t-shirts may also be conveyed to prospective buyers.
People may even contribute more to the cause besides just purchasing the t-shirts. Again, you can humbly request that these people wear the t-shirt and post it on social media to create awareness about your church’s fundraising campaign. In other words, you will have to use the t-shirt fundraiser in combination with other options.
4. Shoe-Drive FundraiserÂ
Shoe-drive fundraiser is also a very popular means of raking in funds. It entails asking church members to send in the pairs of shoes they are not using again. Unlike the t-shirt fundraiser, this option won’t cost you anything – it’s free and easy to run.
The shoes can, after that, be passed down to a shoe-drive collector/provider who will give funds in return. The sum of money you will get will depend on the shoes’ weight. So, if you wish to increase the amount of funds, you may have to take this beyond the walls of your church. This is simply by asking non-members to drop fairly worn or rarely used shoes for fundraising.
5. Host A Series Of Trivia And Games
You can yet attempt to raise funds by creating some forms of trivia. You can use your church’s premises or some other places you won’t have to pay for. Tickets can, however, be made available at a reasonable cost for anyone who wishes to participate. The weeks or days leading to the event should see an appreciable awareness campaign about the trivia.
Talking about the event proper, you can have a quiz with questions drawn from the Bible or in some other ways. Additionally, participants can engage in different games to keep the fun alive. You should also have healthy snacks and beverages provided around the corner. This event can be done regularly until your church meets the fundraising goal at hand.
6. Peer-To-Peer Fundraising
P2P fundraising, sometimes called social fundraising, is a model of raising funds through different layers of networks. You can effectively adopt this method in a church setting and expect great returns. With this, you can be sure that your fundraising project will increase awareness. In other words, the recruitment of new donors is highly possible.
So, the idea behind peer-to-peer fundraising in the church is to have members tell those within their social circle about the project. They will bring in their families, friends, and sundries who are non-members. The prospect of generating more funds increases as more people hear about the fundraising.
7. Silent Auction
Silent auction is also worth considering when raising funds for your church. The primary distinguishing factor in this auction is the absence of an auctioneer. You can request that your church members donate the items [to be auctioned] and have them displayed along with the bid cards.
The auctioning can be done through your social media channel or at some physical locations. You will have to keep track of the bids, providing regular updates on the highest offer/bidder. Interestingly, you can encourage volunteers to auction specific services apart from tangible items. For example, lessons on how to play certain musical instruments can be auctioned to interested persons.
8. Pledge FundraiserÂ
The pledge fundraiser option can be considered for a long-term church fundraising campaign. Primarily, it involves asking people to make promises to be redeemed later – in cash. You can make such requests during seminars, conferences, etc. you must have organized ahead of time. You will have to send out invitations to participants – members and non-members of your church.
Final Words
An efficient fundraising strategy will certainly guarantee nothing but a commendable outcome. You should, however, spare time to select the one that best suits your project needs. You can even consider using more than one of the avenues discussed in this article. But you should be mindful of the cost; the idea is to keep costs relatively low while maximizing opportunities.
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