Fund Raisers

[gina 2]

Craft Faire

 

I've had a Craft Faire every year in November,and it is always a big success.

Starting in Sept./Oct. I start handing out fliers throughout the community announcing the craft faire and its need for booth rentals,we provide a space for the person to sell their craft items,but they have to bring their own tables & (tarps if they want).We usually charge$25.00 per space,they can share a space with their family/friends for the same $25.00.We have usually around 20 spaces that are rented.($25.00x20=$500).

We specify that the renters only sale items that are hand crafted- candles,jellies,fruit stand,gift baskets,sewing items,painted projects,quilting,christmas items,etc.

Then in October the residents and I start working on our booth items,we usually make book markers(very easy to make)and plan a bake sale.The residents sit at their own booths.

We also have a snack stand at the Faire,with a hot dog,chips,and soda combo for $2.00.

This project is a great way for your facility to bond with the community and make some good money while having a great time....Gina

[Susan 0]

We did "An Evening of Appraisals" (basically an Antiques Roadshow). We paid a local appraiser $150 for the evening. We sold tickets to staff and family members for $15.00 per item they wanted appraised. It was a great success - we not only covered the cost of the appraiser but made a couple hundred bucks profit! :hammer:

[Miguel 4]

Hey an idea that I have recieved is to contact local funeral homes, It kinda sounds bad but, Alot of family's do not take flowers home after a funeral. Ask if you can have them. of course you should take off the added stuff that comes with the flowers. But these flowers would be great for flower arrangements. Residents love them :-x

[Pennie 26]

:-D Hi Miguel,

we have family members donate floral/flower arrangements to the facility. They bring them to the facility & call the Act. Office for us to come get them. The Administrator hates the arrangements, she thinks they are not appopriate for the residents to see. So we take the flowers apart & use them in vases, table center pieces, pass out in a bud vase to a resident(s) who is maybe ill, depressed or as a Thank You for all you do

This is a nice way to brighten up the place & a few faces.

[nisice 0]

hi all!! the nursing home i use to workat wanted to raise money to buy a big screen tv so they decied to put together and sell cookbooks at the hoildays to raise the money. u can get all the info from walters cookbooks they will send u out samples, and lists of prices. what we did is have family staff vistors, volunters, and residents give us they fav. recipies and saved money by typing up the recipies ourselfs. i m not sure of the cost , but we sould the cookbooks for $8.00 from nov. till x-mas and made more tehn enough for teh big screen tv , and had the tv in time to give to all the residents at there x-mas party! :-) denise

[heavenstar 0]

We have an Organic Garden at our Facility that the residents help with. I buy the veggies and plant them, the residents water them and then sell the produce for a fund- raiser. It works out great because there are so many benefits to having a garden. We also sell the veggies just a little over the grocery store prices because we are "organic". We have made about $40 so far this season and have several months left. It only cost about $50 to get it started this year too, so we will come out ahead. The first year we had our garden, Chase Bank donated $1000 for all materials and plants and they even came out to help us plant everything. So now all we need is soil, fertilizer, and plants to keep up our garden.

[heavenstar 0]

We have a showcase set up in our lobby that sells Jewelry and small odds and ends for a cheap price as our fund-raiser. Most items are donated or come from dollar stores, garage sales, ebay, and thrift stores. We buy them very cheap, clean them up if needed, and sell them for a higher price. It is staffed by resident volunteers who take this job very seriously. It is the best fund-raiser I know of. We make around $500-600 dollars a month! We are only open about 7 hours a week too! Last year, we bought a brand new piano, and we have plans for buying new computers for our computer room this month. It also enables us to have better entertainment, pay for our movies, breakfasts, and trips. Everything we do is funded by our Residents' Council and this fund-raiser has helped us in so many ways and benefits all of our residents! It is a good thing!

[mwhite0428 0]

We have had several fundraisers. We sold dessert by the piece. We did well with this. Also, we had a soup and sandwich luncheon in our Activity Room, also, another time we made pies and sold them in a silent auction. Had another Silent Auction and made good with all kinds of newly donated items that were very nice. Made us enough money to be able to order our Cookbooks we just made.

Hope these ideas help. We had staff help with the food items that we sold.

Marilyn

[gina2 0]

Hi, I am curently doing a fundraiser, and am so proud of it I'd like to share! I went to my administrator about doing a cookbook and he said I could try, but probably wouldn't work. As of today I have 352 recipes. My stop date is June 30. I am publishing through Cookbook Publishers. Very nice designs (and prices)!!

Any other information or idea are VERY helpful!! I am only an Activity Assistant, my Director will never help me with fundraisers, which is frustrating!!

Thanks Gina2 ;-)

[Stacy 0]

Hi all,

 

I really need some creative minds to help me on this. I have been given a project to sell wristbands (like lance armstongs yellow bands) to raise money for "Transforming Elderhood". These wristbands were made to acknowledge this past year's successful efforts in getting the Illinois legislature to restore some of the Medicaid cuts it had made back in 2002. These wristbands are and effort that our hope and prayers are again answered so that we can continue to improve the lives of our seniors.

 

I have been given the task to get people to buy them - staff, visitors, and residents. Well, I am at a lost. I want it to be a success, the activity department will get the procedes. Does anybody have any suggestions on how to go about this?

 

I have some ideas like letters to the families, posters but I know there are more ideas out there, please share. All help is appreciated.

 

Thanks

Stacy :-D

[StacieO 0]

Stacy:

Here are a few thoughts: local newspapers, church bulletins, local tv/radio, facility newsletters, volunteers selling door to door, call local service groups. My facility has a website, & I can have things posted there.... Good luck, sounds like a good cause.

Stacie O.

[gina 2]

Hi ohiochrissy,

 

Fundraising ideas:

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jellybean count: Fill a jar with jellybeans and have people pay to guess how many there are in the jar.

 

 

Walkathon: Choose a date and a route, make up some pledge forms, and advertise with posters. Have everyone who wants to participate gather donations or pledges using their pledge forms.

 

 

Raffles: Sell tickets and keep ticket stubs. On the date of the draw, have someone close his or her eyes and pick a ticket stub from all the ones that were sold. Do this publicly. The winner receives a prize.

 

Auction: Have individuals, groups and businesses donate goods and services. Be creative in what you can auction off and make certain that the goods and services are sold at reasonable prices.

 

Sell candy or cards: Work with reputable businesses that provide merchandise you can sell. Be sure at least half of the money raised goes to your cause.

 

Winter carnival: Hold a winter carnival in your local park or schoolyard. Invite students, staff, and the community. Charge admission and/or a small fee to play games.

 

Carnival day: Host a mini-carnival, with games, prizes and popcorn, in a local park or your own backyard. Charge admission and/or a small fee to play games.

 

Spelling bee: Look through some books or in the dictionary and come up with a list of words of increasing difficulty. Have participants and spectators pay to participate.

 

Battle of the bands: Gather some bands from your loc

al community. Book a venue and advertise with posters, flyers, and radio announcements. Hold a mini-concert in which the audience chooses the winning band.

 

Pitch-a-thon: Rent a radar gun and measure how fast people can throw a baseball or kick a soccer ball. Charge $1 per try and give a prize to the fastest individual.

 

Sell buttons or t-shirts displaying your logo: Create a logo, and then make up a whole bunch of t-shirts, buttons, pens, or other gifts with your logo on them. Sell the items at a reasonable price.

 

 

Spaghetti dinner: Prepare a great dinner for students, teachers, or community members and charge a fee.

 

Hold a theme party: Decide on a fun theme. Charge an entrance fee, but be sure to explain to people what their cover charge is going towards.

 

 

Plant a tree: ask a nursery for seedling donations and then get people to sponsor a tree.

 

Pledges: Gather pledges to have dance-a-thons, rock-a-thons, or any other type of endurance contest you can think of.

 

Day of community service: Gather together a group of friends, and contact a number of organizations for which you would be interested in volunteering. Then have people sponsor you to do community service for 24 hours.

 

Piñata contest: Charge a fee to have each blindfolded person have one turn at trying to break a candy-filled piñata.

 

Craft sale: Make all the crafts yourself and sell them.

 

 

Family barbecue: Host a family barbecue in your backyard, with games and activities.

 

 

Bingo: Host a bingo night at a local hall, place of worship, or school.

 

Plant sale: Organize a plant sale with plants donated by local nurseries.

 

Games night: Organize an evening of board games.

 

Boat race: Organize a model boat race on a body of water. Charge a participant/spectator entrance fee. The winner of the race gets a prize.

 

Book sale: Ask all your friends, relatives, and teachers to donate their old books. Advertise your book sale by means of posters and flyers. Set up a table and sell books. If there are leftovers, you can always give them to a needy library, shelter, or school.

 

Bowling: Organize a bowling night or a competition. Charge everyone a small fee to enter or have participants get bowl-a-thon pledges.

 

International dinner: Have people from various ethnic origins cook traditional foods, and then charge admission to an international dinner.

 

Balloon pop: Before filling a balloon with air or helium, put a note inside. Have a certain number of the notes worth a prize. Have people buy balloons and pop them in the hope of getting the prize. Be sure to pick up the broken balloons afterwards.

 

Scavenger hunt: Set a route and make a list of items that the participants need to find in order to win. Advertise your scavenger hunt well and charge everyone a small fee to participate. The winning person/group gets a prize.

 

Car wash: With a group of friends, set up a car wash in the parking lot of your school, church, or public area. (Be sure to ask for permission and make sure that people are careful of moving cars).

 

Carol-singing: During the Christmas season, go door-to-door singing carols for donations. It is a good idea to have a card or a flyer with some brief information about your organization to give to sponsors.

 

Candle making: Make candles and sell them to family members. This can be educational and fun, but be sure to exercise all safety precautions.

 

Hug-a-gram: Advertise a hug for a dollar. Have people buy a hug for a friend. After a member of your group gives the hug to the designated person, give them a small card with a message from the person who sent the hug.

 

Sporting events tickets: Ask sports teams to donate a number of seats for their games and raffle off the tickets.

 

Charity ball: Hire a DJ or a band, rent a hall, advertise, and sell tickets for a dance.

 

Christmas ornament sale: Sell Christmas ornaments during the Christmas season.

 

Classic car show: Organize a classic automobile show. Invite people to attend and to bring their cars by placing ads in local newspapers, leaving flyers at local businesses, and charging people to come and see the show.

 

Miniature golf: Build a nine-hole miniature golf course at your school, featuring ramps, water and sand traps, and other obstacles. Charge people to play a round during lunch.

 

 

Hoopla: The competitor throws hoops over prizes. The person whose hoop completely lands over the prize gets to keep the award. Make sure you do not spend too much money on prizes.

 

Pumpkin-decorating contest: Around Halloween, hold a pumpkin-decorating contest among different grades of homerooms.

 

Dog show: Invite people to show off their dogs in a show. Make it a competition that people pay to enter, and offer a prize for the best groomed dog, most- and least-obedient dog, and so on.

 

Talent auction: Auction off the talents of people. For instance, great singers offer to sing at a wedding, party, or special event.

 

Duck race: Sell numbered plastic ducks. Set all the ducks afloat in a race on a river. The person who bought the duck that wins the race gets a prize.

 

Guess the number of coins in a jar: The winner receives all the coins and your group makes money by charging people for guessing.

 

Comedy hour: Host a comedy skit during lunch at your school and charge people to attend.

 

Nacho party: Plan a morning to make nachos and popcorn, which can be sold during lunch.

 

Eating marathon: Have a pie eating, hot-dog eating, or ice cream-eating contest. You can charge people to participate or to watch, or you can make all participants obtain pledges.

 

Face painting: Have a face-painting day. Advertise in advance and then charge a small fee for painting young kids’ faces during a school day or on a weekend.

 

Ugly tie contest: Have the students come to school wearing the ugliest tie they can find. Have them vote on the worst tie with the winner receiving a prize.

 

Flower show: Invite gardeners from your community to enter their flowers in a competition for a prize. Ask volunteer experts to be judges and charge all participants and spectators a fee.

 

Calendar sale: Create a calendar highlighting the projects and members of your organization, and sell it to students and their family members.

 

 

Art sale: Have local artists donate some of their works, which will be displayed and then sold to the public.

 

Game show: Recreate one or more of your favorite game shows and charge contestants a small entrance fee. Sell tickets to the audience.

 

 

Guest speaker: Invite a guest speaker to your home or local hall and sell admission tickets to raise funds for your cause.

 

Karaoke: Rent a karaoke machine, sell tickets or charge an admission fee, and sing all night.

 

Videos: Make and sell a video for youth tourists of places to go and cool things to do. Or create a How-To video; for example, how to improve your golf swing, or how to make crafts.

 

 

Recipe book: Gather together favourite recipes and put them together in a book. Sell the book through your school, sports organization, or community centre. Try to get the photocopying donated by local businesses.

 

 

Talent show competition: Invite people to show off their talent in a competition in which they can win a prize. Sell tickets in advance.

 

Toy sale: Hold a toy sale. The best season for this is just prior to Christmas.

 

 

Lemonade stand: Make lemonade, post signs, and sell it on a hot day.

 

January: Snow art contest.

 

February: Valentine’s Day dance; red carnations for Valentine’s Day.

 

March: St. Patrick’s Day party; spring car wash.

 

April: Spring flower sale.

 

May: Mother’s Day flowers sale.

 

June: Father’s Day sale; end-of-school pool party (with lifeguards).

 

July: Canada Day festivities with refreshment/food booths.

 

August: End-of-summer party.

 

September: Back-to-school dance; back-to-school supplies sale.

 

October: Halloween party; pumpkin sales; Thanksgiving turkey raffle.

 

November: Remembrance Day donations.

 

December: Christmas tree sale; gift-wrapping service; New Year’s Eve

 

Maybe one of these will help!

Have fun! Gina :-D

[Miguel 4]

Paul Graham, Activities Director in Sacramento California gave me the idea o f STARBUCKS! I am sure that everyone has at lease 5 starbucks (lol) in their City, What you do is.

1. Contact your Local Starbucks and inform them you want their day old pastries/Coffee

2. Be sure to pick up the pastry's/Coffee

3. Sell to your staff at 1-2 dollars a cup and 1- dollars a pastry.

 

WALLA!

 

-MIguel

[Guest Guest_Carol]

I once heard of an Activity Director who did Glamour Shots. With the help of borrowed backgrounds from a local photographer, and a few props such as a armchair, side table, bible, etc. She set up an entire day to take pictures of the ladies and gentlemen in her facility.

 

Once the pictures were taken, she took orders from the proofs, for 5 x 7, or 8 x 10, etc. and sold them to families. She made over $500 - although it was a full day for her and her staff got excited, and helped her out.

 

Just an idea. Might work well for the upcoming holidays!!

[Mance 0]

I am an Acitivity Director in a small farming town and have found that bake sales are fun and effective to raise money for activities. I'm lucky in that the RNs, LPNs, and CNAs join in and we all cook different cakes, cookies, and candies. It's a real good treat for the staff and the staff at the hospital buy alot of them. We also put an ad in the paper on what we're doing and what it's for and the community is a great supporter for this. Also with staff and families that come in we sometimes do a fried green tomatoes and biscuts for like .50 cents and the residents love it because we always make enough to give to them also.

 

Mance, A.D.

Georgia :hammer:

[Miguel 4]

Hey Gang,

Got a new fundraiser idea. I am sure thoe of you who work in LTC or ALU have a person that comes in and sell Scrubs to the Nursing Staff right? If not find one and... What we are going to do this year is the Activity Staff and our Scrub/Uniform seller have teamed up. She brings the Scrubs, I make sure that I have flyers posted and a space where she can sell her scrubs,I talk it up to the nursing staff, I do all the marketing and she makes a profit. The agreement is that I get 30% of her profit for my Activities Department.

Even if you make a few extra bucks for your department its something! Make changes to meet your wants.

-Miguel

[AggieTiff 0]

We have a "no scrubs" policy where I work, however this idea can go for anything that is sold in the building. When any vendors come to make a profit they should give something back. Gift and Jewlery shows, clothing vendors, Mary Kay....whatever. Money or a gift to the building. The scrubs idea is a great one, that is something that is needed and sometimes required. I am going to pass this on to my mom who is a Director of a childrens day care center where they are required to wear scrubs in the baby and todler classes.

 

Thank you for sharing.

 

Tiff

[mbkemp 0]

At my facility - I have asked Staff, Residents and Family members to turn in their "family recipes".....We are putting together a cookbook and will have it printed and sell them to raise funds for activities. So far we have about 50 recipes.

[Miguel 4]

I already posted this but I thought I would post in this section.

Last week we started a new fundraiser, A woman who sells nursing uniforms scrubs would constantly come to my facility and struggled to get nursing to purchase scrubs from her, I approached her and told her that if I made flyers and talked her up to nursing staff, gave her a table on pay day she would have to give me a percentage, Well to make a long story short the Activities Department rasied $140.00 and we really did not have to work that hard. WALLA!

[gfjones 0]

:pint: Hi, I am teardrop, from north carolina. i am an activity director in a ltc facility and that idea sounds great. one thing that i have done is to have some residents assist me with making cookies 2 x a month the tuesday after payday. it has been very productive. we raised 300.00 for the relay for life this year.

[Hope 0]

Great cookie idea! That might be a good way to raise money for Katrina from now until Christmas!

[Guest Tricia]

Fund Raising Idea!

Books Are Fun. This is a compny that comes into you building to sell books and other stuff. They sell everything from how to books to novels. They also sell other items as well. All you do is give them space in your building, and they give you a % of what they make.

 

I do not have a national phone#, but you can try books are fun.com.

Its a Reader's Digest company.

[MeMe_AA 0]

This is a fundraiser staff members love especailly at christmas time.

We collect various doanted items like, dolls, jewerly, flower arrangement coupons, crafts, hair supplies and place a bidding sheet for these. The staff goes wild trying to outbid each other and raises our residents money to do crafts they love. :pint:

[Guest Guest_loveshoes]

what we did to raise money is bi-weekly have a half and half drawiiing ....seems like the employees always have a $ or 2 for a chance Tickets our $1.00 a piece or 6 for $5.00 The pots growing!

[bigchris 1]

I had an article posted about raising bingo prizes instead of money. LEt me know if you need it. Also, we have a Fair each October, that raised $15,000. I am also doing smaller events that raise a few thousand each time. Cookouts, Barbecues, etc.