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T-shirts are a popular fundraising product for nonprofits of all sizes and causes. Relatively inexpensive to order and easy to ship, they’re an easy way to raise money for any cause.
Shirts are customizable, especially with the wide variety of online T-shirt manufacturers available to choose from nowadays, like Bonfire!
You get a chance to promote your organization and the cause you support in the most graphically interesting way you want.
It doesn’t get any more classic than a T-shirt fundraiser! Because shirts are so popular (and everyone needs some!), you’re guaranteed to find people out there who would love to contribute and get a shirt in return.
Plus, every time your donors wear their T-shirt, they spread the word about your organization and the cause you support.
Don’t worry if you’re not a graphic designer! Many websites, like Bonfire, offer drag-and-drop options to design professional shirts on the web.
To find the perfect customized T-shirt manufacturer for your campaign, look for companies that offer fundraising- or nonprofit-specific options, like Bonfire.
The best T-shirt websites for crowdfunding don’t require any payment from you upfront.
Instead, look for manufacturers who allow you to design your shirts and sell them without any payment, then collect profits for your cause after the shirts are sold. Give Bonfire a try!
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You could organize your own shoe or clothing drive, but it will be much easier if you use a company like Funds2Orgs!
Funds2Orgs is a fundraising company that helps nonprofits and schools raise money while encouraging micro-enterprises in developing countries.
All your nonprofit has to do is collect unwanted or gently used shoes from your donors and volunteers and then send them off to Funds2Orgs! You’ll receive your money (based on the number of pounds of shoes you sent in) within 48 hours of the shoes being processed.
The coolest part about Funds2Orgs isn’t the fundraising aspect; it’s what they do with the shoes afterwards!
Funds2Orgs will sell the shoes to up and coming businesses in countries like Togo, Tanzania, Jordan, Pakistan, India, El Salvador, and more!
By selling the shoes to business owners, Funds2Orgs helps to lift families out of poverty and start creating better lives for themselves and their surrounding communities. And Funds2Orgs does all this while they’re helping charities and schools in the US raise more money!
To get started with your organization’s shoe drive, you’ll first need to get in touch with Funds2Orgs.
Then, start promoting your shoe drive and collecting shoes! Once you’ve collected enough shoes, package them up and send them to Funds2Orgs.
They’ll process your donation and send you a check within 2 days. The money they donate is based on how many pounds of shoes you collect; the more shoes you donate, the more money you receive!
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A scratch card is a piece of cardstock that has a thin covering on it that is scratched off to reveal a donation size. Each dollar amount corresponds to the donation size that the lucky “winner” should give. It’s like playing the lotto for a good cause!
All your participants need to do is:
We recommend partnering with a dedicated product fundraising company to create and distribute your scratch cards. For an ABC Fundraising scratch card fundraiser, cards contain a number of bubbles to scratch with corresponding dollar amounts between $0.50 and $3.00.
Scratch cards are a fun game for donors of all ages to participate in. Plus, participants also receive a wealth of amazing coupons after making their donation. Everyone wins!
Since this is such an easy product fundraiser to host, you can have this campaign running year-round or choose multiple short-term pushes each year.
It’s a simple way for your nonprofit or school to meet its goals quickly, and pairs well with other fundraising event ideas as well.
In order to host a successful scratch card fundraiser, you’ll need to reach out to a product fundraising company that offers scratch cards as a fundraising idea, like ABC Fundraising.
Then, you can order a number of scratch cards (we recommend 1 card per person fundraising) that can raise up to $100 each when the fundraiser sells out of all 25 coupon sheets.
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Lollipop fundraisers are inexpensive, easy, and they yield a high return on investment.
Not only does everyone love them, but they also work with every season. You can sell lollipops any time of year, regardless of the weather or the upcoming holiday!
They’re also one of the most popular fundraising products around, and several major companies sell them wholesale to nonprofits and schools.
If you want a good example of a company that has a variety of different types of lollipops for reasonable prices, check out Fundraising.com’s selection of gourmet lollipops.
Lollipops are incredibly affordable, so of course, they yield a great return on investment. If you purchase lollipops at $0.50 a pop, and you sell them for $1, you’ve made a 50% profit easily.
They’re also versatile and customizable. You can find companies that manufacture lollipops that feature your nonprofit’s color, logo, and more.
Not to mention the fact that they come in dozens upon dozens of different flavors, shapes, and sizes, so everyone walks away happy!
Getting started with a lollipop fundraiser isn’t tough. All it really takes is finding a great lollipop company and marketing your pops!
Depending on the occasion, you’ll want to market your lollipop fundraiser differently. If it’s right around the holidays, market your lollipops as perfect stocking-stuffers.
If, however, it’s the middle of summer, you’ll want to play up the simple joy of a refreshing lollipop on a hot summer day.
In any case, your organization likely won’t have a problem getting people interested in $1 treats!
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Cookie dough fundraisers are some of the most popular fundraisers around.
If you’re interested in pulling one off yourself, there are about a hundred cookie dough fundraising websites.
Some sell tubs of cookie dough, while others sell pre-formed nuggets of dough so that your donors don’t have to guess how much dough to scoop out for the perfect cookie.
Otis Spunkmeyer is one of the most popular cookie dough fundraising companies around. Of course, you’ll want to shop around for the cookie dough provider that works best for your nonprofit.
It goes without saying, but who doesn’t love a good batch of cookie dough?
Especially right around the holiday season, it’s is the perfect fundraiser to capture the hearts (and stomachs!) of donors of all ages.
While nothing tastes quite as good as homemade dough, Otis Spunkmeyer’s fundraising cookie dough is perfect for baking (or eating straight out of the tub–we won’t tell anyone!).
The first step you need to take is to choose a cookie dough provider. They can provide you with all of the tools to sell the dough.
When you’re planning when to start your fundraiser, take into account the amount of time that shipping and delivery will take.
Plan accordingly by launching your cookie dough fundraiser a few weeks in advance of when you predict people will actually want the dough.
Depending on the company you choose, you may have to deliver the dough yourself. There are, however, companies that will ship to customers, saving your nonprofit time and hassle.
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You can easily throw a pizza fundraiser and raise money for your cause while you’re feeding the masses.
There are probably pizza places in your area that would be happy to sponsor a pizza fundraiser for your school or organization.
In case there aren’t, though, there are also plenty of pizza chains across the country that make it easy for schools and nonprofits to raise money.
Little Caesars, for instance, has created a special pizza fundraising kit just for that purpose.
Pizza fundraisers have always been great for raising a lot of money (and pleasing a lot of crowds), but what makes fundraisers like Little Caesars pizza kit so wonderful is the fact that they help fundraisers along the way.
They work with your organization or school to figure out the best time for delivery.
Little Caesars also allows schools and nonprofits to receive their profits immediately.
There’s no more waiting around for reimbursements!
The way to get started with a pizza fundraiser is by selecting a great program. Once you’ve done that, it’s time to start marketing and promoting!
Promote your pizza fundraiser by:
The fundraiser is only really successful if you get everyone involved and invested. But that’s not too hard to achieve when fresh, tasty pizza is on the table!
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A coffee bean fundraiser can be the perfect fit for your organization or church. Sell fresh, delicious coffee for a steal and make some extra money for your nonprofit’s next project.
If you’re looking to get started with your own coffee bean fundraiser, there are dozens of coffee bean fundraising companies online.
School Spirit Coffee is a reliable source for beans, and your organization can make up to 50% profit from coffee sales.
As we’ve said before (and we’ll likely say again), there are few small pleasures in life quite like a steaming cup of coffee first thing in the morning.
We love coffee bean fundraisers for that simple reason: people love coffee.
While it’s slightly more expensive than some of the other items on this list, most donors are willing to splurge a little when it comes to their caffeine fix.
Chances are you’ve got some coffee lovers attending your events, volunteer days, and community meetings.
Let those supporters know that you’ve got some premium beans by:
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If your organization is planning a renovation or a new addition, then a brick fundraiser is just right for you!
Your nonprofit can purchase the actual bricks from a home and hardware store, like Home Depot or Lowe’s.
Or you could go through a site like Bricks R Us and have them engrave and ship custom bricks right to your organization.
Regardless of whether you use the engraved bricks as part of the construction, it’s nice to have them as symbols of your loyal donors’ contributions. You can also incorporate them in a walkway if you don’t use them as a part of the building.
Brick fundraisers work well on two levels:
For as long as your brick fundraiser project stands, your donors will have a visual representation of their contribution to your organization.
Brick fundraisers, much like T-shirt fundraisers, work really well with crowdfunding pages.
You can easily spread the word about your brick fundraiser by:
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Do your supporters have pups that they love to pieces? If so, then they’ll probably be champing at the bit to support your doggie treat fundraiser.
All it takes is finding the right doggie treat provider (or baking up your own!), and you’re well on your way to raising money for a great cause and feeding hungry puppy dogs.
If you’re not a master dog food chef, you can fairly easily find dog bakeries online that sell dog treats to nonprofits at a discounted rate.
The Doggy Bag sells thoughtfully made treats that are all-natural and pet-healthy specifically to help nonprofits and animal shelters raise money.
Everyone deserves a good treat every now and again, and pups are no exception!
That’s precisely why we love this fundraiser. It not only helps your organization raise money for your cause, it also provides man’s best friend with his favorite thing: tasty goodies!
And even if your donors aren’t dog owners themselves, everyone knows at least one person with a furry companion.
Doggie treats are an ideal gift for anyone with a darling puppy in their life.
When you’re planning a doggie treat fundraiser, you’ll want to be sure that you’re segmenting your donor base into pet owners and non-pet-owners.
Target pet owners by appealing to their sense of wanting to spoil their special pups.
Appeal to non-pet-owners by framing the treats as the perfect gift for their friends with dogs.
That way, you reach both segments of the population, and everyone can do their part to support your cause and feed some dogs!
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Everyone has had a treasured stuffed animal at some point in their lives.
Stuffed animals make wonderful gifts for:
If you look on the web, you’re sure to find tons of stuffed animal companies, like Noah’s Ark, that help nonprofits and schools raise money with high-quality stuffed animals!
They’re adorable, fluffy, and heart-warming all around.
Who can resist a stuffed animal that benefits their favorite nonprofit?
Maybe Ebenezer Scrooge!
But beyond that, most people are big fans of the cuddly little companions. And that makes it an amazingly easy fundraiser to pull off.
The key to marketing a stuffed animal fundraiser is in discovering the right customers.
You’ll want to target the donors who would be the most likely to purchase stuffed animals (either for themselves or for someone they know).
Once you’ve found the right audience, it shouldn’t be tough to get your stuffed animal fundraiser off the ground.
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Coupon book fundraisers are great for larger nonprofits. They’re a little on the expensive side, but the return on investment can be huge.
Because they save donors potentially hundreds of dollars, coupon books that cost $20 seem fairly reasonable.
The only barrier for some nonprofits is that you have to buy most coupon books upfront; whatever you don’t sell is a loss.
That said, if your organization manages to sell all of the coupon books you buy, you can make a lot of money while saving your donors money on things they buy.
Companies like Entertainment.com sell local coupon books around the country.
Coupon books are a tried and true classic.
Everyone knows them and loves them.
And with the coupon books that you find on the web, you can get as general or as specific as you’d like.
You can pick coupon books that only provide savings for restaurants, or you can get coupon books that run the gamut of supplies and services–from tires to massages to groceries and beyond!
Coupon books are most popular during the school year.
Any time between August and April, you can easily market coupon books to:
Regardless of what your donors do, they probably love a good discount.
Emphasize the savings they’ll receive when they purchase your nonprofit’s coupon book.
Don’t start fundraising without a little help.
Read through our fundraising best practices to make sure that you’re starting your efforts off on the right foot.
Every nonprofit, school, or church needs a little help fundraising every now and then.
If you’re looking for tips and tricks for getting started with asking for donations, check out our guide to fundraising.
There are tons of other ways to raise money besides product fundraising ideas.
If you’re looking for even more amazing fundraising ideas, check out Double the Donation’s comprehensive list!