Friday, 11. December 2009
A very personal type of fundraiser would be to sell homemade stationery and greeting cards. This raises both school and community spirit as well as money at the same time!
These type of fundraisers are most common throughout the holidays (Valentines Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannakuh, etc.) They are also rather simple to organize without the need of a lot of advance planning.
The greatest part of this fundraiser is how great both sides of the fundraiser feel from the sale of custom and homemade stationery. Buyers feel like they’re buying a quality product that took both time and effort to make, and sellers have a great time making them.
Posted in Fundraising - Product Ideas, Medium Group Fundraisers, Small Group Fundraisers by Christopher -
Tuesday, 8. December 2009
MARION – Members of her youth group at church are organizing a fundraiser for Stormy Cushing to help with medical and other bills.
The Ground Zero group, part of Abundant Life Assembly of God, will hold a pancake breakfast 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, at the church, 2303 Marion-Mount GIlead Road.
Youth Pastor Jim Sprague said the kids are doing all the work, cooking, serving and cleanup, with his assistance in the planning. They are looking for donations to help lessen the costs. The churches Youth Fund will be used to offset any preparation costs’ not covered through donations.
To help, call him at 740-262-6576 or the church 740-389-5936.
Sprague said this was just another great gesture from the community to help this family as they deal with the tragic accident that caused serious head trauma injuries for Cushing. She remains in Children’s Hospital in Columbus and is showing sign of progress in her recovery, he said.
Sprague said a spaghetti dinner held earlier this year drew hundreds of people, including nearly 1,000 who participated in a prayer vigil on the football field.
Cushing, 17, was injured July 27, when the car she was driving overturned after being struck by a motorcycle at Marion-Williamsport and Brocklesby roads.
According to the Ohio Highway Patrol, Cushing, 17 had stopped for a stop sign and then proceeded south on Brocklesby Road when she was struck by a motorcycle driven by Klay Purvis, 20. The impact threw Purvis into the driver’s side window of the Pontiac Sunfire that Cushing was driving and the car overturned.
Purvis and Stormy Cushing were flown to Grant Medical Center, where Purvis was treated and then released a few days later.
Source
Posted in Updated* Recent News by Christopher -
Friday, 4. December 2009
The truth be told, church fundraising is not exactly the easiest job in the world. There are a million possible complications. I can’t really blame those ministers who almost continuously put off church fundraising simply because it is usually very difficult. A problem that I often see Christian groups run into is a lack of commitment to a church fundraiser over an extended period of time. Usually when a christian fundraiser first begins groups are excited about it and very willing to get involved. As time passes team members tend to lose interest and enthusiasm. Especially because the later half of anychurch fundraiser is more difficult than the beginning. This is true even when you are utilizing the best Christian products.
There are many ways that you can avoid losing momentum when engaged in a church fundraiser. As a leader you can never stop encouraging your team. An important rule to remember is “don’t expect what you don’t inspect”. There always needs to be some measure of accountability on any given fundraiser. If, for example, students in your youth group are selling church fundraising products and you don’t inquire about how it’s going with each individual the students may lose interest, motivation, or simply might forget about it. As the leader of the Christian fundraiser you are the heart and soul of the project. Whether you like it or not people look to you for leadership.
Another way to avoid losing momentum is to pick a church fundraisingproduct that allows you to raise money quickly. The faster you reach your goal the less chance there is of lost commitment. The product I would recommend is the Samaritan Card, a shopping discount card that provides donors with up to 50% off at over 100,000 merchants nationwide. The Samaritan Card allows you to raise money fast which reduces the chances of your group losing momentum. No product, however, is a guaranteed success when it comes to keep your group committed but a product such as the Samaritan Card certainly can make it easier.
Written by: Aaron Jeschke
Posted in Updated* Recent News by Christopher -
Tuesday, 1. December 2009
The 30 Hour Famine is a fundraising program provided through World Vision. You sign up at 30hourfamine.org and they give you pamphlets to help raise money, but there is a catch you have to spend the night at church and not eat for 30 hours (they have national dates for everyone to do it at the same time if you want) during that time you worship to God, play games,devotions,watch movies, and do community service for your city. If you earn a certain amount of money you can recieve prizes if you choose.
http://www.30hourfamine.org/portal/pages/about/index.html – World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine is a worldwide movement of students who are serious about serving God and fighting hunger - all on an empty stomach. For 30 hours, participants get a taste of hunger by not eating – something more than a billion people around the world experience every day. And by doing fundraising activities, community service projects, and learning more about the facts of world hunger, students are changed in amazing ways as they help others and save lives.
Posted in Updated* Recent News by Christopher -
Monday, 31. August 2009
Low-cost Youth Group Fundraisers
Looking for tips on doing some low-cost youth group fundraising? When you’re planning a fundraiser for your youth group, some considerations come to mind. The size of your group is an important factor, as well as the season in which you plan to raise money.
Here are some ideas that can be used most any time of year, and provide a fun, safe environment for the kids.
Board Game Night
Kids love to gather with their friends, so why not turn a youth group gathering into a fundraiser? Plan a board game night on a Friday if it’s during the school year, or anytime during school breaks depending on best availability.
Have families lend board games from home that are appropriate to the age group. A game that does not take too long to play works best since you want each child to play as many games as possible.
Each game costs a dollar to play. For younger age groups, small donated toys can be used as prizes for each game. Don’t use anything very costly that cuts into your profits.
For older age groups, play rounds of games tournament style with a few surviving winners at the end of the evening. A playoff is exciting for the whole crowd.
A prize for the final winner could be something as simple as a gift certificate to a local ice cream parlor, or a larger prize donated by a local business.
This can be an ongoing fundraiser done once a month or once a quarter. Once the word gets out, this will be the happening thing for the entire group.
Fifty Fifty Raffle
Most people are familiar with the fifty-fifty raffle. It is commonly used at youth sports events for a good reason. It’s a great way to raise money and requires little planning.
Two part, tear-off style tickets can be purchased by the roll from most party or paper supply stores for a nominal price. Sell each raffle ticket for about a dollar each.
At the end of the event, draw a number and call it out to the crowd. The winner gets half of the proceeds, the youth group gets the other half.
Have one volunteer sell tickets at the raffle table in a centralized location, and another volunteer to work the crowd. Most of your church community will gladly participate and you’ll find your youth group funds grow over time.
This can also be used as an ongoing fundraiser. Have a 50 – 50 raffle at nearly every church gathering to benefit the youth group. Worship service should be excluded for this type of fundraising.
Many winners will donate all or a portion of their winnings back to the youth group. Be sure to mention the generous donation in the newsletter. The reason is obvious!
Video Game Tournament
You can easily put together a video game tournament as a fundraiser. Obviously, you’ll need plenty of game consoles and TV sets, but those are pretty easy to line up.
You can do a tournament bracket and have elimination matches leading up to a championship showdown. Or, you can have high score contests where players can keep trying to outdo the record right up until the final bell.
There are many ways to make money such as with silent auctions of donated goods and services. Look for sponsors among video game retailers ad youth-oriented businesses.
You can also sell food and drinks, conduct a raffle, charge admission to spectators, charge by the game or just collect an entry fee to cover all games played.
Summary
Fundraising for youth groups does not have to be tedious. Use these simple ideas instead of or in addition to your usual fundraising activities.
Posted in Updated* Recent News by joe -
Wednesday, 26. August 2009
| Kirkwood youth do summer missions around St. Louis |
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| By Jennifer Harris |
| Tuesday, August 25, 2009 |
KIRKWOOD — Youth at Kirkwood Baptist Church, St. Louis, held three fundraising events to boost their mission trip budget fund to over $14,000. Then they packed their bags and headed to the group’s destination: their own city.
The youth group of Kirkwood Baptist Church decided to stay in the St. Louis area to minister rather than take a traditional mission trip requiring transportation and lodging.
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This year, the mission trip dollars were able to go to people in need instead of funding travel, said associate pastor for students Daniel Johnson. The funds will go to organizations supporting the United Nations Millennium Development Goal to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger — particularly focused on those who make less than a dollar a day. Nearly $13,000 will go toward that cause, Johnson said.
He decided to stay local when he sensed a trend for thinking about where the next “big trip” would be. Kirkwood is becoming more community-focused, he said, so he started planning the trip in a way that would reflect that — and allow the student to be “change agents in the world,” he said.
First Presbyterian Church of St. Louis provided housing for the week. Students took showers in the afternoons at Fontbonne University.
Each day, five teams went to different locations across the city. Ministry partners included the Christian Activity Center, St. Louis Food Bank, Nurses for Newborns, St. Patrick Center — an urban farm — and Gateway Homeless Shelter, among others.
The older youth participated in “the walk.” A homeless man led them through what someone who is homeless in St. Louis does during the day. He spoke of particular struggles for females. “You will not meet a woman on the street who has not been beaten or raped,” Johnson reported him as saying.
“It was a great idea Daniel had to put together projects in our own town, because the youth — and I — had no idea of the opportunities to help others right here,” said adult sponsor Susan Eaton. “One of the kids in my group even said one day, ‘Well, I could come here and volunteer someday during the summer when I’m off school.’”
Johnson said the idea was to expose the youth to as many different organizations as possible and to demonstrate the great need within their own community. With work in the St. Patrick Center’s urban farm, time at the food bank and service in the homeless shelters, the youth had the opportunity to “see the whole chain of how hunger is taken care of in the city,” Johnson said.
“In general, the youth of Kirkwood did not shy away from any task that was requested of them,” Eaton said. “They shared their time and energy willingly and had fun doing it. They are a great bunch of kids, and I am very proud of them.”
They planned a worship service at one of the downtown shelters. Johnson said the youth are accustomed to planning worship due to experience leading on youth Sundays at the church.
Eaton especially enjoyed watching the youth interact with the children at the Christian Activity Center in East St. Louis. The youth played with the kids, worked on tumbling skills and led arts and crafts. “Several of our girls sat patiently for quite awhile, allowing young girls to fix their hair in all kinds of ‘unusual’ styles,” she said.
“I believe it was good for our kids to see that sometimes, all it takes to help someone is to give a smile and a hug — things that cost nothing, but might be priceless to a needy child.”
Jennifer Harris is News Writer for Word&Way. |
Posted in Updated* Recent News by joe -
Tuesday, 11. August 2009
| Redlands Church Of Christ Announces Back To School Soles4Souls Fundraiser |
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| Thursday, 06 August 2009 |
| Every 13 seconds, Soles4Souls Inc. gives away another pair of shoes to someone in need. The shoe charity has earned glowing endorsements from Hollywood stars and professional athletes, but the people who truly make the non-profit organization effective are those who partner with Soles4Souls in its mission of Changing the World One Pair at a Time ™.That’s where local students are getting involved—by becoming the hands and feet of Soles4Souls in Redlands. In addition to helping Soles4Souls reach needy people around the world, Redlands Church of Christ youth group is also raising critical funds for their own programs.
“At this time of year, when we are scrambling to buy back to school items for our kids, we thought this fundraiser would be a good way to raise awareness about those in need of the most basic living essentials. Not only does it help a great cause, but it is a unique way to fundraise for our youth group. We are looking forward to this service project. We’re hoping that while people shop for back to school clothes and supplies they can donate five to ten dollars to help a child somewhere who cannot afford shoes,” says Jeff Partain, Youth Minister, Redlands Church of Christ.
Like many other schools and organizations, Redlands Church of Christ often utilizes fundraising programs to generate critical revenue for its operations and goals.
The Soles4Souls program provides an innovative alternative to traditional fundraisers, so students are able to raise money while making a significant difference in the lives of others.
Here’s how the program works:
· Students collect monetary donations from family, friends, teachers and neighbors for the purchase of new Soles4Souls clogs or flip-flops.
· Soles4Souls ships the shoes directly to people in need, domestically and internationally.
· For every pair of $5 flipflops or $10 clogs sponsored, the school organization receives 40% of the proceeds in the form of a check from Soles4Souls, along with unique incentives for students and the programs they are representing.
“We are excited to host the BACK TO SCHOOL SOLES4SOULS FUNDRAISER at Redlands Church of Christ,” states Partain. “With this program, we are hoping to further plant the seed of philanthropy in our youth, congregation and community.”
To participate or find out how you can make a difference, visit the website at WWW.RedlandsCoC.org. |
Posted in Updated* Recent News by joe -
Wednesday, 5. August 2009
By: Sam Gett, publisher and editor
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Posted: Wednesday, August 5, 2009 12:03 am
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| It always amazes me how many young people in Northfield are aware of societal problems outside the city’s borders and how many subsequently get engaged in fixing them.
A recent letter writer lauded area students for their involvement in a fundraising rally for war-ravaged children in Iraq. Young volunteers frequently accompany local adults on mission trips far and wide. Dozens of kids participate in local efforts to feed the world’s hungry each year.
You can add rising Northfield High School seniors Elyssa Strand and Mandi Moore to that list. Elyssa and Mandi are working with the Northfield Evangelical Free Church youth group to help provide clean drinking water to poverty-ridden nations. According to data they provided, a billion people lack access to clean water, including 42 percent of the population in Africa. Nearly half a million children across the world will die from water-borne illness this summer alone.
Not content to just feel badly about this, the two girls took action. They launched a “Do: Living Water” ministry to raise money that will subsidize the building of much-needed wells. Mandi came up with the name, which references the Bible’s use of water to quench both physical and spiritual needs. The youth group will donate the ministry’s funds to TouchGlobal, an affiliate of the Evangelical Free Church of America, for the well-building project. It takes about $1,000 to build one well.
TouchGlobal staff members dig the wells and provide training to local residents, who use and maintain it. “There are huge needs,” Elyssa said. “We could dig 10 or 15 right now.” The wells serve villages and provide water to critical services, including hospitals and orphanages.
Like so many active Northfielders, Elyssa and Mandi pushed their efforts beyond the local community. They traveled to Duluth and presented the Living Water challenge to youth from across the state. That engagement resulted in nearly $9,000 in contributions the next day. Elyssa also spoke to youth ministers from across the country during a church national conference in Minneapolis.
The outreach is focused on a simple concept: Raise money for water by organizing youth car washes. The Northfield Evangelical Free Church youth group’s wash is this Friday and Saturday in the Econofoods parking lot on Division Street.
The group plans to wash cars from 2 to 6 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
There’s no charge for the car wash, just the free will offering with all proceeds dedicated to digging wells in the Ubangi region of the Congo. Take a few moments on one of those days and drive downtown for a good cause.
Elyssa and Mandi are hoping to raise enough money to dig at least one well. But, of course, they won’t stop there.
“We’re hoping to make it an annual event,” she said.
I wouldn’t bet against it.
GET INVOLVED
The Northfield Evangelical Free Church youth group is raising money to dig wells in the Ubangi region of the Congo by holding a car wash, from 2 to 6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday n the Econofoods parking lot. Each well costs approximately $1,000; the group hopes to raise enough money for at least one well.
—Reach Sam Gett at 645-1112 or sgett@northfieldnews.com |
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Posted in Updated* Recent News by joe -
Friday, 24. July 2009
Helpful Tips for Church Related Fundraising
If any organization can fundraise, it’s a church – most people have a hard time saying no to giving to God, and that’s great for upkeep and general expenses that a church has. Churches run almost solely on donations, and many require their members to give if they can, every Sunday, without fail. However, this sometimes isn’t enough to fix the leaky roof or to install a new stained-glass window. Here’s where church fundraisers come into play – they generate the extra funds to ensure that the church stays a house of God and not a broken-down shack.
However, one of the biggest problems a church has is that people do give every Sunday and don’t see why they should have to give more. What a priest or minister has to do is convince the parishioners of the need for more money beyond what they already give. This is not part of their weekly tithes, and it is a voluntary donation, which may make people feel less coerced. The tithes pay for things like the minister’s salary, the church mortgage, utilities and the general maintenance of the church. You need to make this distinction clear or you are going to have a lot of people wondering why they should have to give more than the Biblical “ten percent”.
Parishioners will normally give to charitable missions or to provide scholarships for the youth in the church – most are very generous people that want to make a difference in a less-fortunate person’s work. However, you may find that you have less appeal when it comes to more secular things like a new vestry carpet or choir stall repair. You must be able to convince them that these things are just as important to the running of the church as providing for the less fortunate is. Explain to them the purpose and timeline of your fundraiser, and what they can get in return, whether it’s the satisfaction of donating or the knowledge that they’ve helped someone, especially in a charitable sense.
Best Church Fundraising Ideas
Depending on your church’s religious sect, you can arrange fundraisers through your diocese or presbytery. Certain religious groups have missions and other charitable organizations set up that you can donate to. If you’re looking to host a fundraiser for something more materialistic, you can hold bake sales, put on by your congregation or women’s group; host a yard sale or flea market where parishioners can buy donated goods and all proceeds go to the church; soup kitchen days where bowls of soup cost $1 and the proceeds go to the church or the charity of your choice.
Some churches host carnivals and water park days (normally self-made) to attract people with children and rake in the donations. This will require a lot of work and volunteers, but here’s where you can actually make use of your congregation. If they can’t afford an extra donation, they might be able to afford a few hours on a Saturday. Stress to them that this is just as important as a donation, because they’re helping out the fundraiser by staffing a booth, or running a ride. Provide a lunch or some sort of small reward for people who sell a lot of tickets or put in a lot of time. You’ll find that when you show your appreciation, they’ll be willing to help the next time your church puts on a fundraiser.
Stay away from fundraisers that require you to work with a fundraising company unless your church has the budget for it and the time to put it on. If you do want to go this route, there are several Christian and Catholic fundraising companies that will sell products that are church-themed, and will give you a fair bit of the proceeds to help your cause.
Drumming Up Interest in Your Church Fundraiser
It can be hard to host a fundraiser in a setting where everyone donates all the time. The first thing to do is to clearly state your need, whatever it is. Don’t use guilt; just talk about the end result and how their donations will help. A hungry child fed is a hungry child fed, however they donate. If you can, use photos to communicate your need. If you can get someone who’s actually worked with the charities to come and speak one Sunday, do so. They can convey the experience firsthand, which can help drive the point home to your congregation. Most people in the Western world have not had the experience of a young child begging for their leftover lunch. It’s going to touch them deeply.
Holiday fundraisers will, on average, bring in more donations/money than fundraisers just staged through the year. People get thinking about the meaning of Christmas or Easter and are more likely to give then. Try to stage your biggest fundraisers around that time, but once again – don’t use guilt. People will likely give because it feels good to do so.
If your need is materialistic, explain the fundraisers you’re going to put on and tell your parishioners that you would really appreciate their support in helping the church. You should stress that weekly collections don’t cover this need, because some people will be under the impression that they do. You can also involve your community – some people will shy away from a religious group, but if it’s for a good charitable cause, others will donate. Plus, yard sales, flea markets, and sponsored dinners at the church will draw in people looking for something new to do on the evenings or weekends who don’t mind giving some of their money to your cause.
The main thing to do when hosting a fundraiser and trying to attract the community is to get your potential customers over any religious hang-ups that they may have. Some people won’t want to support you because of their personal beliefs, and really, it’s not about that when it comes to fundraising. It’s about helping someone else out, and that’s a moral idea, not a religious one.
Don’t forget – these ideas can also work for a synagogue, mosque or temple.
Posted in Updated* Recent News by joe -
Friday, 17. July 2009
| Backwards Dinner Devotional |
| Submitted By: Justin Hanneken |
All Youth
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| Source: N/A |
This is an idea of a devotional that we used for our group in addition to the backwards dinner post on egadideas.com.
For our backwards dinner, we developed a menu to use as a devotional. each course represents something in the Christian walk. The courses are listed as follows and for each course there are several Scripture verses. At each house we assigned different verses to different kids and they looked them up and read them aloud. As each one was read, the youth tried to guess what each course represented. (on the menu, it was left blank and they could fill it it. ex: 1st course: dessert = ___________ )
Here goes:
1st course: Dessert = Heaven
Genesis 1:1
Matt. 4:17
Luke 23:43
1 Thessalonians 4:17
John 14:1-4
Romans 8:17
2nd course: Side Dish = side blessings from God
Mark 3:1-6
Luke 21:33
Luke 12:22-23
John 10:10
1 John 2:15
3rd course: Main Dish = personal walk with God
Luke 9:26
1 Peter 4:16
2 Tim 4:1-2
Matt. 4:3-4
Matt. 28:19-20
4th course: Soup = missions; Salad = growth
Soup: Revelation 14:6-7, Philippians 2:5-11, Acts 14:21-23
Salad: Acts 17:11, Ephesians 6:10-20, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22
5th course: Appetizers = salvation
1 Tim 2:5
John 3:16
Romans 3:23
Romans 10:9-10
The point of this devotional was, 1) to offer them salvation at the end, once they had eaten and were filled, they could learn that they could “never hunger” by giving their lives to the “bread of life” (John 6:35). 2) to share with them that as much as you would probably like, you can’t go from salvation (appetizers) straight to heaven (dessert). You need to run the race as God has planned for you. Many times we fill up on side dishes (side blessings) and forget about our personal relationship with the KING.
We hope that this devotional will bless you and serve you.
| Backwards Dinner |
| Submitted By: Manda Truchinski |
Mid and Late Adolescents
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| Source: N/A |
This is a great way for a couple of your youth to get to know each other on a more personal basis, as well as their parents, youth leaders, and other willing members of the congregation. The idea is to get together a relatively small group of youth for one evening of the week. The idea works best with 8 or less youth because of carpooling and available space. This activity usually should not take more than 3 hours. What is needed: Willing chaperones that can drive the youth to the designated areas. Willing adult participants, parents or other, that can cook at their home and then invite the youth to join them.
Have the youth meet at the church around dinner time. Including family or friends would work but the idea is to get to know someone new, so keep that in mind when selecting the groups. Once the group is assembled proceed to your first house. Here the host should have dessert prepared for the group. Enjoy eating dessert first and getting to know the hosts and their family as well as each other. Repeat this at seperate houses for each course. The evening can include as many courses as desired, but keep in mind travel time when planning. At each home you can also play board games or use the handy book of questions, whatever works for getting the youth to learn about their new friends in the church.
A nice touch after the fact is to have the youth write thank-you cards to their hosts from the evening. In the past some youth have invited the hosts to their homes to return the favor and introduce their families. By switching the groups and hosts it is a good way to make connections in a large congregation.
Posted in Updated* Recent News by admin -
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