If you want to use a fundraising thermometer, but think that the traditional one is boring, you're not alone. Read about 10 new ideas that can make your fundraising creative and effective.

With our overweight society, it can be easy to buy into fundraisers that support unwholesome eating or living. We’ve compiled a list of 14 healthy fundraisers that are fun to do, involve everyone and support healthy living, while still earning your organization the funds that it needs.

Are you looking to save time and run a more efficient fundraiser for your group? Does your group need a better record keeping program than writing everything in a notebook? A fundraising software program may be the answer to help your group run a successful fundraiser. Here are some tips on what to look for in a program, what are absolute musts for any group, and some extra features that may be helpful to your group as well.

Hosting a golf tournament fundraiser can be a large project, but with the right plans and a great team of volunteers it can be a very successful fundraiser for your organization. Enlisting the help of a local golf course or country club, local celebrities, businesses, and restaurants will be a huge help in getting attention brought to your fundraiser. There are several ways to raise money with this type of fundraiser and great exposure opportunities for your sponsors.

Running a fundraiser for the first time is a big job and may leave you feeling unsure and confused about what direction to head in. You probably have many questions that need to be answered. What kind of fundraiser should your group have? What should you expect from your volunteers? Is it okay to purchase products upfront for sale? Here are some answers to your questions and other great tips that you can follow so that you can run an easy and successful fundraiser.

Cheerleaders provide spirit and lifeblood to any sports game, but they often get overlooked when it comes to fundraising. These hard-working girls deserve funding, too! We’ve compiled some fun fundraisers to give them what they deserve and keep them performing at the games.

Daycare centers often operate over budget and need help with paying for things such as new supplies and equipment. Hosting a fundraiser may be exactly what your daycare needs to purchase needed items, but you will face unique challenges in doing so. Learning how to reach outside of your center’s parents and staff is one of the biggest challenges. Here are some ideas on what will work for your center and what will not, so that you can have a successful fundraiser.

Disasters leave little notice for fundraising efforts and often need help and support right away. Choosing the best way to raise funds and deciding what help is necessary right away and for the long term are all issues that your group will face. Learn about creating an emergency fund to have money on hand for immediate disaster relief and how to reach out to replenish the fund for ongoing recovery efforts. This article also discusses finding out what items are needed in the disaster zone so that your group’s efforts go towards helping people get what they really need.

One of the biggest obstacles a non-profit group faces is getting word out about their group and reaching out to the greatest number of people. If your group has taken steps onto the Internet and created a website, then your next step is advertising. You can get free advertising by applying for a grant with Google. Google’s Adwords program can bring much needed traffic to your website if your group qualifies. Learn more information here about the program and how to apply.

eBay.com is the largest auction website and receives millions of visitors a day. Your group can use that to their advantage and use eBay to raise money. eBay makes it easy by running a charity section called “Giving Works” and will help you set your charity up in their system. Your group will be able to earn money in two different ways. Visitors to eBay will be able to use their search feature to find your auctions, giving your charity free advertising. Find out more here.

The secret to any great fundraiser is your volunteer staff. Finding good ones and then retaining them throughout the fundraiser and for subsequent ones can be a challenge though. Discover some of the best ways and places to find volunteers, how to keep them from getting burned out and the best way for them to get their work done. You will also learn some ways of rewarding your volunteers to keep them motivated and to show your appreciation for all of their hard work.

Everyone gives at church, and it’s sometimes hard to ask for a little more, especially when it comes to materialistic things like a new church roof. Priests and ministers don’t have to worry – there are ways of reaching out to the congregation and earning the money you need.

Hosting a walkathon fundraiser for your charity or group can be a great way to raise money. At the basic level all you need is to find people willing to walk and people willing to sponsor them with a cash donation. There is a good amount of planning and other details that need to be attended to though. Find out what they are and everything else that you need to know to host a successful Walkathon.

A fundraising event is usually a one day event in which you only have one opportunity to raise a large amount of money. Careful planning can help you get the most exposure and attendance to your event. It is helpful to not put all of your efforts into one avenue of fundraising, but to spread it out into multiple ways of earning money throughout the day. Also learn how to keep your event from being a wash out due to the weather or other disaster.

People love pictures and they can be a treasured item for a family, passed down through the generations. Take advantage of this by running a photography fundraiser for your group. People can help out your group and get a nice photograph in return. There are many different options for hosting one, from how to find a photographer and what kind of portrait sessions to offer. Learn more about how much your group can earn and how to go about hosting one here.

Many people have cars taking up space in their garage, driveways and backyards that they just don’t need or use anymore. Your group can raise money by asking these people to donate those cars to you. Both junk cars and running ones have the potential to earn money. Non-running cars can be sold to a junkyard for scrap metal and running cars can be sold at auction. Learn how to maximize your profit and how your donors can use the tax laws to benefit as well.

There are many reasons why people volunteer their time for fundraising efforts. They may love the sense of giving back to the community and the opportunity to get out of the house and meet with new people. Finding people to volunteer for your fundraiser and encouraging them to do so can be a challenge though. Learn the best ways to find people, how to get great work out of them, and above all, how to make it fun.

Setting up a booth at the front of a store during the height of your fundraising drive can be a great way to reach out to large number of people, pick up sales and earn extra money. There is a right way to approach stores and conduct yourselves while there that will likely allow you to go back to the same store year after year. Local regulations within your community must also be followed. Working with the store to find the right location and following their rules will help to ensure that you have a great sale.

If your charity or group is new to fundraising or if you are trying to reinvigorate your fundraising efforts, you may want to look into hiring a fundraising consultant. It is a big decision thought that may cost your group a lot of money without a big return on your investment if you rush into things without assessing your situation. Here are some tips on how decide if it is a good idea for your group, how to decide on what you would like the consultant to focus on, what they will do for your group, and how to choose a good one.

With any fundraiser where you sell items, it is absolutely essential that you have salespeople. Keeping those salespeople motivated and selling the most that they can is the key to running a successful fundraiser. You want to keep them from getting burned out, so learn how to keep things fun and social for your volunteers. You will also learn how to keep your volunteers informed as to how close you are to meeting your goals and why that is important.

Everyone loves a good sports game, but the kids on the team need more than just moral support. They need to be able to get to and from games, pay for uniforms, and get coaches. With a great support team helping them out, a sports fundraiser can reach out to the community, too.

In this day and age, safety while fundraising is the most important thing. Door to door sales are now a no-no unless the proper precautions are taken. There are also very profitable alternatives that will have your group out selling in public to large groups of people, which are very safe. Learn about ways to make your public fundraising safe, how to protect your participants and the money you earn, as well places that are great for fundraising at.

Disorganization can be the biggest hurdle to a successful fundraising campaign. It is important to have a clearly outlined strategy with goals to be met in order to maximize your group’s earnings potential. Learn the importance of having strategy meetings and the right people to invite to them. You will also learn about creating small goals for working up to your large monetary goal and how to create a timeline to get there.

Using the Internet to help your charity or group raise money can be a profitable avenue to follow. Cyberspace is a big place though and it can be easy for your group and your mission to get lost. Learn the best way to utilize email marketing and about using a website to ask for donations and to sell items. You will also learn how to increase traffic to your website using both offline methods and online methods.

The term Christian doesn’t just stop at the church – there are Christian schools, mission groups, and more. How do you earn money outside of the religious community? We’ve compiled a list of fundraisers and tips in this article to help you with that very problem.

Elementary and high schools have a lot of kids that utilize their facilities, which means that a lot of money goes to upkeep. What about teams and clubs who need money, too? How can a school fundraiser earn enough to please everyone? We’ve addressed this in our Fundraising for Schools article.

Just as the right marketing program can make or break a new product, the right marketing program for your fundraiser can mean the difference between meeting your goals and coming up short. There are many free and easy ways to get the word out about your fundraiser. There are basic word of mouth methods and more elaborate ways, such as using the local media with press releases and phone calls. Learn the different ways and how to be creative to get the most exposure.

We’ve compiled a list of twelve well-known environmental organizations that do the best job in handling their fundraising and supporting their causes. After all, when you put your money into something, you want it to pay off, and when it comes to the environment, you want to make sure that your personal beliefs and causes are being adequately supported.

Like daycares, preschools sometimes have a hard time keeping costs down, and unlike daycares, they provide education as well as care for the kids that they have. When people don’t have children, preschools have a hard time raising funds. Luckily, there are fundraisers that will work.

Candles are a pretty popular item with a majority of households burning them on a regular basis. Hosting a candle fundraiser is a great choice, but there are many considerations to make when deciding on one. Should you make your own candles if you have crafty people in your group or go with a candle manufacturer? What kind of candles should you sell? Does it matter from what material they are made of what type of theme they use? Find out what you need to know before jumping in.

There are literally thousands of companies out there that want to help your group raise money with a fundraiser. You should be able to find all kinds of products to choose from in order to make your fundraiser unique and standout. Choosing the right company for your group or charity can be a difficult decision to make though. Learn about deciding to order products in advance or pre-selling, what to look for in sales materials, and researching a company and their reputation.

A fundraising letter soliciting donations for your charity or group can be a great way to earn money. It has to be a carefully crafted letter though that knows its audience in order to be a success. Choosing the perfect person to write the letter is a critical first step. Learn why you should never use a committee to write a letter. Also learn about choosing the right length, design, and format for your letter.