Favorite ideas for fundraisers and causes for youth groups: The story of MeganWhen it comes to ideas for fundraisers and causes for youth groups, 17-year-old Megan has an outstanding story that can inspire others to adapt.Megan lives near Seattle, Washington and decided she wanted to help the homeless on the streets. She founded “Megan’s Mission” to hand-deliver fleece blankets, scarves, hats, socks and gloves directly to the homeless. With each delivery, she tells them she’s praying for them. _______________ Other sources of interest may include our affiliates: Increase Your Church Fundraising Today! or The Instant Event Fundraising System _______________ Megan's story draws tears and cheers: The various news stories about her mission state how touched the recipients are, sometimes even breaking down in tears and seeing Megan as an angel. She and a group of others including her parents purchase fleece in bulk, then sew the items as a group activity. Once completed, they fill a wagon with the items and head to downtown Seattle to directly deliver the items. Adults are involved in the delivery, so safety is addressed. Megan’s ideas for fundraisers Megan's main fundraiser started out as selling hot chocolate, apple cider and cookies during the Christmas holidays in a neighborhood where the neighbors are all known to lavishly decorate the outside of their homes with lights. The neighborhood always draws a crowd that drives through rather slowly. So Megan sets up her stand and offers holiday goodies, with the drivers aware it’s a fundraiser for the homeless. She earns hundreds of dollars this way, sometimes getting large tips. This allows Megan’s group to buy fleece in bulk to make the blankets, scarves and hats, and to purchase quantities of gloves and socks. Her fundraising idea makes enough money to also donate $100 a month to Firstplace, a school for homeless and at-risk kids; Childhaven, which helps drug babies and small children; Union Gospel Mission, a homeless shelter; and she gives $600 a year to Fusion, an organization that helps women with children affected by domestic violence.
Eventually, yet another idea for fundraisers came about. Megan spent much time in hospitals growing up. So she has written two children’s books about being a child in a hospital, and growing up different, the profits of both which will go to further good causes including Shriner Hospital where children are treated at no cost to their parents. She now has a website,
which helps with her various fundraising projects.
- It involves innovative ideas for fundraisers that build on each other over time. Starting with tried and true hands-on homemade selling when her mission wasn’t well known. Then expanding the fundraising and learning how to buy customized items in bulk to sell for a profit to further support her cause. - Only after the mission was well-known enough for a web site and more media coverage, and she had more experience in the world of charity, she used that wisdom to learn about publishing and how to publish for a profit that further funded her causes. This re-enforces delayed gratification, perseverance, and earning one’s place in the world step by step. - So, just like in the real world of commerce: Start with something everyone already actually wants before the brand or mission is well-known. Once well-known, cash in on the brand or mission and earn with products (like the bracelets) that reflect it. - Megan and her group actually see the expressions and faces of the people who receive her goods. The sense of being a valued community citizen sinks in deep. They go out into the community and feel themselves making a difference in others’ lives. The youth today who always feel there’s something missing – and surely that feeling will subside if they talk the parents into buying those $300 jeans all the other kids wear – are in such need of seeing themselves as valued contributors to their society. It’s not as tempting to rebel against or retreat from a society that loves you, embraces you, and needs you in a real way vs. a sugar-coated way that only brings on cockiness and a false sense of entitlement. Adapting Megan’s ideas for fundraisers Selling the homemade: Location and timing are so important, as in the warm holiday goodies she sold in a safe location where many people were passing through. Other ideas for fundraisers I’ve seen that meet these criteria include a group of girls who sold lemonade and slices of seedless watermelon during the summer in a popular city jogging park, and kids selling houseplants at a home product store. Selling customized items and self-published books: Places like Café Press allow you to design custom items like caps, mugs, and T-shirts, and self-publish books with no money upfront, selling them from an online store where each one is made only when someone places and pays for an order. These are best for when customers will order your products online. However, “make-on-demand” has to cover its own overhead. Prices for each object are not low bulk prices, and you have to mark up their prices enough to make a profit yourself, making the final price somewhat higher. The other alternative is outright buying your customized product at low bulk prices, and having to store them and hope they sell enough to profit. For this, there are many “customized fundraisers” to shop through. There are also well-established publishers of fundraising books and calendars. Most concentrate on cookbooks as fundraisers. If your youth group’s mission or project gets better known, you might find artists and printers donating services towards your cause.  Custom Search Return from Ideas for Fundraisers: Megan's Story to Great Group Activities Home |
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