Fundraising

Your group or club will have lots of cool ideas for great projects. But what happens when those projects require lots of extra costs? Like getting money to plant trees? This outline is intended to provide you and your group some tips on raising funds for success.

Seeking Donations

This is the most obvious path to take. If you know of individuals in your community who are interested in environmental issues and willing to support you with monetary contributions, you are in luck. A formal letter soliciting funds or asking for a meeting is the best way to start. Impressive presentations to potential donors in your community can literally "pay off" quite well.

Money isn't the only resource, either. Even if donors can't provide cash, they may be able to provide you with testing equipment, planting supplies, professional expertise, etc. Focus on what people can provide, not on what they cannot.

School Support

Regardless of whether your club is affiliated with the school or not, your school may have student activities funding available for a group like yours. Talk to administrators to determine if you can apply for start-up money.

Raffles

Recently, there was a good example of a successful raffle in Washington, D.C. To fund a worthwhile environmental education project, a woman ran a "75%-25% Raffle." 75% of the profits became startup funds for the project, while 25% were pooled and given away as the prize. Your fundraising committee should be able to brainstorm similar ideas. Note: Make sure your school or community allows money-raising efforts like raffles.

Benefit Events

These are a lot of work, but often provide a great pay-off. They also help form closer ties with your community and can expand your membership base. Encourage people who attend the events to sign up to work with the group. Some examples of benefit events include concerts, fun runs, and Arts and Crafts shows.

[Your Idea Here]-a-Thon

The National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness (NSCAHH) organizes a yearly "Hunger Clean Up." Campus hunger groups garner pledges for every hour of community projects they engage in. The groups then work with other community groups to set up the projects. People repaint housing projects, or clean up a particularly polluted site, or even help rebuild housing. They then collect on the pledges that community members have made, and the group makes a profit. The community's environment benefits, and the group benefits financially and attracts new members. Other popular ideas include: bike-a-thons, walk-a-thons, hike-a-thons, dance-a-thons, tree plantings, beach clean-ups, adopt-a-streams, etc.

Matching Funds

Often businesses will agree to match the amount of money a group raises at an event. It is often called a "challenge." You hear this especially with public radio or TV fundraising drives.

In-Kind Contributions

Ask local community groups, churches, and civic clubs for donations or use of resources. For example, there are advocacy groups whose computer equipment was all donated. Art supplies for postering, paper and copies for mailing, food and drinks for events, the use of building space for events - all these are often donated to groups like yours.

Merchandise

A student at Madison University in Virginia has developed a fundraising model now used on campuses around the nation. They marketed reusable, environmentally sensible coffee mugs with the group's logo on them. This raised substantial funds for the group and helped create a wider awareness of the group and the work it was (and still is) doing.

Sources for Mini-Grants

Captain Planet Foundation: Grants up to $2,500 to support projects that organize youth to solve environmental problems in their communities.

YouthActionNet Social Change Mini-Grants: Sponsored by the International Youth Foundation. Provides small grants of $500 to youth leaders to support projects that promote social change and connect youth to communities.

Mix it Up Grants: These grants support youth-directed projects on identifying, crossing and challenging social boundaries in schools and communities. Up to $250.

Toolkit for Funding: Want to build a playground or maybe start an after-school program? Connect for Kids has a toolkit to help you get started.

Constitutional Rights Foundation's Robinson Mini-Grant Program: CRF awards mini-grants for K-12 service-learning projects designed to address serious community issues like poverty, hunger, environment, mentoring children and youth, crime and safety issues, and aging. Awards are up to $600.