It's in the Stars: Astrology Fundraising Ideas

Your fundraising fortunes are in the stars

Looking into my crystal ball…I can see a fundraiser in your future! What better theme to add some fun and mystique to your next charity event than astrology?

A zodiac-themed evening filled with all of your favorite mystical activities—tarot card, palm, and tea leaf readings, a fortune teller with a crystal ball, numerology, past life regression sessions, and astrological readings—is a great way to bring fun and excitement to your fundraising efforts.

The key to a successful fundraiser with an astrology theme has everything to do with creating the perfect setting. Staging a great zodiac evening is easy to do with some simple items you can borrow from your more mystical-leaning friends. Or if it’s an interest for you, you probably already have these items on hand. To set a starry-eyed mood, we recommend the following:

Intriguing Invitations

There’s no need to wait until guests arrive at your zodiac fundraiser to get them in the mood. Try sending psychic vibes through the mail by making your invitations out of tarot cards accompanied by all the details of your evening. If there is a dress code (costume event), be sure to include this information on the invitations. You can extend the theme to the envelopes by drawing designs such as a moons, stars, and astrological signs.

Sensational Seating Cards

Inspired by the same idea, you can also use tarot cards for your seating cards if you plan a dinner event. Or you can have the various fortune tellers and numerologists use tarot cards to write individual appointment times.

Mystical Music

Did you know that you can buy cosmic grooves online according to your astrological sign? Maybe you’re a feisty Aries who enjoys a heavy drum beat and a slamming guitar. Perhaps the airy Aquarius in you would prefer some experimental tracks from Enya. Or as an “in control” Cancer, perhaps you’d like to hear “My Way.” Regardless of your musical tastes, you can find some fabulous music to make the party fun, and back up your astrological theme.

Dress the Part

Don’t limit the decorating to your venue alone. Have your fortune tellers and tarot card readers dress the part in their best gypsy garb, with lots of colorful scarves, bangles, bracelets, beads, and hoop earrings.

Other zodiac-themed decorations could include:

Beaded curtains at the entryways.
Astrological piñatas in the various signs.
Lava lamps or dripping candles as centerpieces.
Black lights and glow-in-the-dark products for ambiance.
Decorations featuring the various zodiac signs. Research the signs’ attributes so you can incorporate fast facts about them into the seating cards, table arrangements, and wall hangings.
Since February is the beginning of the Chinese New Year, you could also include ethnic traditions such as fortune cookies, Chinese calendars, and figurines of the various annual creatures, such as dragon, sheep, ram, snake, dog, cat, and bird.
Goody bags can be an inexpensive parting gift for your guests, including things like tidbits of zodiac info, fortune cookies, hand written fortunes, and good luck charms.
If you can’t find an authentic crystal ball, make one from a large snow globe and some glitter.
Make sure to have a Ouija board and a Magic Eight ball on hand as props.

How to make money from a zodiac fundraiser?

Now, don’t get too caught up in your astrology theme and forget about the fact that this evening is all about fundraising for your charity of choice. You can make money through this event by asking local psychics, tarot card readers, numerologists, palm readers, and astrologists to donate their time, and then charging small fees for readings. You also have the option of charging an admission fee to the entire event.

You can also ask the talent to donate gift certificates that can be auctioned off throughout the evening. This provides the people providing the entertainment with free advertising and potential future customers.

And don’t forget about the refreshments! Finger foods can be provided for free as a small incentive to participate, or if you’ve charged an entry fee. But if you go with a sit-down dinner, you can increase the entry fee, or charge by the plate.