Fundraising Ideas

Shared by MichLib-L Members
Posted by Kathy Wedyke
Deckerville Public Library
October 14, 2003

1. Antique and collectibles expert, who hosts "road shows" right in our library.

2. Quilt club made a quilt and are selling raffle tickets through the friends of library group.

3. Historical calendar.

4. The "church cookbook", with recipes from staff, patrons, etc., Is an old chestnut but always popular.

5. Engraved paver bricks to go into walkways around the building is always a big hit.

6. Collect-a-million pennies

7. Silent auction/entertainment and refreshments (cover charge collected and all items new and donated by area business and craftsmen)

8. Find an artist (musician or actor) who may have local 'roots' and have them do a benefit concert or....(Michigan touring arts grants to artists sometimes require they do benefits for other non-profits).

9. If your library is a city, township or village library you can contact to see if you can qualify and apply for a city, township, village grant with the Michigan council of arts and cultural affairs. Augres received $50,000 for building funds to make a combined community center (cultural center) and library.

10. Just a funny one I heard about........sell tickets with numbers and block off a football field with each square having one of the numbers sold. Release a well-fed cow on the field. Wherever the cow drops manure is the winner of the raffle. Make it an event by having concessions and entertainment before the cow is brought to the field. In the event the cow doesn't poop right away have other stuff ready for time fills (like telling those present what the library is "up to".

11. Professional fundraiser who was quick to tell us that for serious money, the little "fundraisers" help the community feel good, but direct asks are the way to go.

12. Our most successful fundraising was direct contact to donors-depending on how big your project is. Smaller fundraisers are sometimes a lot of work for a small amount of money raised.

13. Bucks for luck in March for a st. Patrick's day theme. People bought green dollars and put there name on it and then they were put on the wall. Various stores participated

14. Sold tote bags.

15. Spaghetti dinner with the lions club.

16. Valentine's day dinner.

17. The large amounts of money for our fundraiser came from pledges when we had key business people go around asking other key business people for donations. They specifically asked for $5000 or $10,000 from some organizations, such as the banks. Once you get a large donation, you can ask others to match it.

18. A quilting group in Northville donated a beautiful quilted wall-hanging featuring books on shelves. In 1996, you could put your name on the spine of a book for $75 and put names on the covers of an open book for $150. It was very popular.

19. Wayne State did a great fundraiser one time that solicited funds for chairs. If you paid for a "chair," you got your name on a plaque on the back of the chair.

20. Wine and cheese parties (with food donated by local merchants). The first time they also had a silent auction of donated items. I think they made about $5000 on the first (which was a preview party for our new building and tickets were $25 each) and $2000 on the second (75th anniversary party with $10 tickets). You do have to get a one day liquor license though but it's pretty easy to do.

21. St. Nicholas day (1st week of December). All friend and supporters are requested to bring in so many dozen holiday treats, and they are sold here at the library after an advertising campaign. We sell them by the dozen. People can mix and match.

22. A community-wide garage sale--where folks donate their offerings and proceeds to the library.

23. To "sell" pieces of the new library, i.e. A name on a door for someone who furnished a new office, names/plaques on furniture, rooms, equipment, etc. seemed to work great, and then everyone came to visit to see their name on their donation. We even named the circ desk!

24. We are working on a cookbook. I had the kindergarten- 6th grade kids draw pictures in a 4x4" square. I took the pictures and placed them on cover pages for each section of the cookbook. I am not finished with it yet, but you would be amazed at all the different recipes people in our area have sent in. We will probably sell them for anywhere from $5 to $7, keeping the cost down so that people can afford them.

25. Our library just raised nearly $2,000 on the sale of commemorative t-shirts that have sponsors' (mainly business advertisers but some individuals) names on the back and the event on the front. We had 75 sponsors at $20 each. A couple of sponsors gave $100. We sold the shirts for $10 each for sizes up to XL and bigger sizes cost $1 more for each additional x. I think we paid about $6.25 a shirt. We probably could have charged more but it's easy for people to put down $10.

One other thought: donors need to be thanked, publicly, privately and often. We have had special events to which we invited our donors, have run thank you's in the local papers listing them by name (except for those who wish to remain anonymous), send annual statements of giving and thank you notes.