Fundraising Ideas
Raising funds, having fun
There are lots of ways to raise money to pay for International Camporee. Here are just a few that might work for your Cadet club. Let us know if you have tried any of these ideas or have ideas to add.
For a good cause
When fundraising for Camporee, be sure to promote your fundraiser ahead of time, provide a good product or service, tell the story of Camporee so your contributors know how gifts are being used, and thank your donors.
Fundraising Ideas
Here are a few general ideas for fundraisers, along with some examples of ways to expand fundraising potential. Clubs and communities vary in size and capabilities, so not every idea will work for everyone. Feel free to adapt any of the ideas listed to work effectively for your club.
Service and/or Silent Auction
Cadets offer services – services are auctioned off. Vary services as much as possible, and consider including:
- Yardwork (mowing lawn, shoveling snow, raking leaves, etc.)
- Babysitting/Childcare
- Housekeeping/Cleaning
- Cooking/Meal Cleanup
Car Wash
Cadets can hold a car wash during a weekend afternoon. The church parking lot is a great spot, especially if there’s a lot of drive-by traffic.
- Large signs on either side of the road
- Set up clear process for car owners (car drop-off? drive to different stations?)
- Set up clear process for car cleaners (exterior and interior cleaning stations, step-by-step process/checklists to complete)
Bicycle Tune-Up
Reserve a parking lot for an afternoon, and offer to get folks’ bikes ready for the road.
- Set up stations for different tasks
- Chain cleaning/lubricating
Tire check/inflation
Brake check/align
Spoke check/fix
Misc. bolt tightening
- Chain cleaning/lubricating
- Counselor oversight, tool usage
Pancake Breakfast (or similar)
This is the same as a soup supper, except with pancakes instead of soup and breakfast instead of supper. Or, like a hog roast or a fish fry. The point is, you serve a meal, and you try to make some money in the process.
- Consider pledges to raise money (per pancake/bowl of soup served?)
- Don’t forget sides/options at food-related events, as they can run from vegan to vegetarian, to “don’t skimp on the bacon”
- Explore local/congregational connections for foodstuffs or ingredients (note sponsorship at event)
Cadets Friends/Family Party
Put together a nice dinner and entertainment. Invite and/or sell tickets to the parents, friends, and families of cadets going to International Camporee.
- Seek ingredient donors/sponsors
- Find “in-house” talents for cooking and entertainment options
- Could be combined with auction event
Cookie/Sub/Etc. Sales
While many of these are “tried-and-true,” be wary of generic products. Ideally, you can find a club or church connection to obtain specialty foods or goods cheaply for resale.
- Coordination is key (tracking orders can get tricky)
- Think about your potential buyers and what they will prefer buying
- Allow for additional donation options for those who don’t want food/products
Car Smashing
If you can get a car (ideally as intact as possible) donated by a local junkyard, you can charge folks to take a whack at it with a sledgehammer or metal baseball bat.
- Pay per whack vs. pay per minute?
- Have a plan for disposal (including fluids/battery/etc. BEFORE smashing)
- Safety (goggles) first
Bowl-A-Rama
Cadets sign up sponsors. Sponsors pledge a per-pin dollar amount. Cadets post scores and collect pledges.
- Allow fixed-amount donations for those who don’t want to leave things too much to chance
- Work with your local bowling alley and see about group rates, official scorecards, etc.
Use Existing Giving Tools
While it’s better for cadets to be involved in the fundraising process directly – especially if there’s a way to get the cadets going to camporee involved – there will always be reasons to allow other ways for people to contribute. Not everyone can win at the auction, or has a car to be washed, or enjoys eating in public – but anyone can drop a contribution into a donation box.
- Special collection
- Donation box
- Text-to-tithe/Giving kiosk
- Crowdfunding