Section 4 | Fundraising
Most schools will offer their student groups a small annual stipend, as well as usually provide space and equipment for websites, meetings, debates and presentations. However, most group leaders find these funds to be inadequate in covering all their costs, especially if they have ambitious goals. Fundraising is necessary if you are going to avoid paying for extra expenses out of your own pocket. You may also find that fundraising for charity is an excellent service activity for your group!
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SFF members after a long day of |
We encourage spending a bit of your own money, but make sure it is manageable. Many student leaders have thrown down a few bucks for nametags, flyers, and a bag of chips. It can be one of the most rewarding $20 you'll ever spend. That said, those little costs can really add up, and if you're going to put on big events, you're going to need others to help.
Asking for money can be an emotionally charged issue. However, it is amazing how many people are willing to give you money if you give them the opportunity. Do not be afraid to ask for money. Believe in your cause and you can get others to believe in (and financially support) it too.
Paying for the Pink Gorilla
(Know what you are asking for!)
The biggest key to doing fundraising is knowing what you want to spend the money on. You should always have a rough budget for the project you're trying to fund, and it is not a bad idea to have a budget for your whole organization (for a million reasons other than fundraising). The more specific a picture you can paint in a potential donor's mind, the more likely they are to fund you.
Any student group should have a steady small pot of funds for everyday expenses. These costs might include munchies for meetings, advertising, publications, poster board, markers, and neat little ideas that pop up at the last minute. For example,
Students for Freethought at the Ohio State University helps to attract students to their Darwin Day awareness table by renting a pink gorilla costume!
For further information on fundraising ideas:
Notwithstanding its insulting title, one of the best books for non-profit fundraising is "Fundraising for Dummies" by John Mutz and Katherine Murray (ISBN: 0764552201).
You should also check out August Brunsman's Youtube video on fundraising at www.youtube.com/fundraising.
Small Scale Fundraisers
Not all fundraising has to be formal. There are myriad ways that your organization can make money, even if it is only a few bucks at a time. The first thing you should do is find out if there are any fundraising opportunities on your campus. Your university may have options to volunteer or clean to make money for your organization. This can be a good way to pick up some cash, and can double as a social activity for the group members who participate! You can also make money by selling things. In general, we would recommend that you steer away from selling food and focus on merchandise. If you do choose a fundraiser or activity that involves food, make sure that you carefully follow all health and food codes of your state, venue, and university. (You don't want anyone to get sick because of your group!)
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Selling Swag (Merchandise)
These types of sales can encompass many things, from buttons and bumper stickers to T-shirts and books. If you are going to sell T-shirts, think about marketability. Will your shirt design be attractive to a variety of people, or only to members of your group? If you create a design that many freethinking people would enjoy, you will be more successful selling those shirts both on your campus and at freethought events like conferences.
These types of sales can encompass many things, from buttons and bumper stickers to T-shirts and books. If you are going to sell T-shirts, think about marketability. Will your shirt design be attractive to a variety of people, or only to members of your group? If you create a design that many freethinking people would enjoy, you will be more successful selling those shirts both on your campus and at freethought events like conferences.
Check out sites like Evolve FISH and the OUT Campaign to find freethought shirts, buttons, stickers and more that may be good for your group to sell. These types of merchandise are great for selling while tabling or at a speaker event! Oftentimes SSA can vouch for its affiliates to help you get goods on consignment. This means that instead of paying upfront, you enter into an agreement with the distributor. In this agreement they ship you the goods, and your group tries to sell them for a certain period of time (often 30 days), then pays the distributor for the goods. Getting your own T-shirts printed can be expensive! Research the cheapest investment, make sure your idea is marketable and set a reasonable sale price. You don't want to lose money trying to fundraise!
Selling Food
Ah the American classic: the bake sale. While it is tempting to set up a lemonade stand or other type of booth to sell food on campus, it may not be as easy and profitable as you might imagine. Some states, cities, and campuses have stringent health and food codes - being in violation of these may create a bad image for your group! Also, people aren't willing to spend much money on cookies and cupcakes. Consider finding another way to turn a profit. That being said, if you do decide to do a food fundraiser, weigh your options carefully. What important differences / requirements are created depending on whether your event is on or off campus? If you are doing an event like a Flying Spaghetti Monster Dinner, consider collaborating with other groups. If your event is in a location that has a kitchen and food preparation guidelines already in place (such as a Hillel center or Unitarian Universalist Church) follow their model or ask if there is a kitchen staffer who can help you.
Selling Services
There are many things that you can do for other people to get money and donations. A classic example of for-service fundraising is the car wash. Another option is to hold a "Soul Auction" where members of your group let others bid on their souls. This ends up being a sale of services; people agree to perform some task to "get his/her soul back." Not all universities allow the sale of services, so check with your student organization office first. When doing for-charity fundraising, reading religious texts can an interesting way to generate funds. Set up a table with a variety of religious texts and then ask for donations to read from the texts. Consider how to advertise this - a provocative sign such as "Ethical Atheists Read from the Bible to Raise Money for Leukemia Research" - may generate interest and participation. Of course there are lots of other ways to fundraise for your group or for charities - be creative!
Institutional Donors
Your School
The most important institutional donor to you is very likely going to be your school. There are sometimes separate offices for student organizations and student activities that are both likely to give you money if you ask. They probably have forms, requirements for receipts, and deadlines - be aware of these schedules and plan ahead! You may be required to submit funding requests for big events weeks or months in advance! Take these requirements seriously and odds are your school will cut you checks more readily as they get to know and trust your organization.
The campus institution that helps student organizations may give you money for operating funds-things like food, pens, paper, nametags, printing, chalk, etc. At some schools you may not have to tell them exactly how you're going to spend the money, while at others they may require a budget with line items. Activity boards may be willing to kick in money for specific events and are a great resource for learning about other funding opportunities on your campus. In any case, remember that you may be required to spend a certain percentage of your funds on specific types of supplies - be aware of these requirements and follow them stringently. Also, if your school requires an audit or financial report at the end of the year, be sure that your treasurer submits it in a timely manner; failing to meet these requirements may affect your student organization status!
The student activities board is more likely to fund specific events than operating expenses. The office's mission is to entertain and enrich the student body. Ask them for money for events that have the whole student body as a target audience, such as debates or high-profile speakers.
Another set of institutions that is likely to help fund events are individual academic departments (think philosophy, biology, physics, anthropology, and psychology). These departments are often interested in bringing their colleagues to speak. It's not hard to find topics in these areas that professors want to speak about that fall along the lines of your group's mission.
Off-campus Institutional Fundraising
In addition to your school, there are a surprising number of other organizations that would like to give you money. The SSA is one of those organizations. We award grants to student groups with interesting project ideas every spring and fall. You can apply on our web site www.secularstudents.org/grants. Contact us for more information; there are several other national organizations that may accept funding requests from you.
There are also local, off-campus freethought groups that are likely to help with fundraising.
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Members of the Humanist Community of Central Ohio and Students for Freethought cavort. HCCO helps support SFF! |
Another approach is to ask these local groups to include a fundraising appeal for your group in their membership newsletter. You may also be able to convince them to put a line on their membership form for an extra donation to your group.
Individual Donors (under $100 a year)
These donors usually don't give their whole gift at once. They might throw a few bucks in a food jar at a meeting, or pay $5 for yearly membership in your group, or chip in a few bucks for gas on a road trip. In addition to the techniques listed above under —Small-Scale Fundraisers,— here are some ideas on how to get money from this kind of donor:
- Collect! A collection jar should be conspicuously presented during all regular meetings - mention it and seed it by putting some money in it first. It's best to do this while people are watching.
- Annual membership fee. It could be a suggested fee for students and only mandatory for non-student members. Decide what is best for your group.
- Keep track of your alumni and send them letters telling them what your group is doing and asking for money. It's important to actually ask - don't assume they will understand an implied request.
- Always say thank you!
Major Individual Donors (over $100 a year)
This is usually the most difficult category for student groups. Many of the techniques described above will work with major donors as well; remember that a polite, personal touch goes a long way! Often these donations come from individuals who have contributed smaller amounts in years past. —Cultivate— them by keeping them informed as to what you're doing and by saying thank you when they do donate. Don't be afraid to ask for donations - the worst that could happen is that they will say "no."
The other sources for these kinds of donors are local off-campus freethought groups. Sometimes these groups have wealthy members that really want to see the youth movement succeed. After you've developed some trust with the leadership of an off-campus group, you may want to ask which of their members would be the best people to court.
Submitted by Justin on Thu, 09/03/2009 - 04:09
