Valentines Day is a great time for fundraising, particularly for school groups and small nonprofits. Here are four quick ways to raise funds with easy Valentines Day fundraisers.
Sell Roses
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One of the easiest ways to raise funds on Valentines Day is to sell roses. You can offer single roses, a full dozen, various flower bouquets, or delicious chocolate roses.
Each one can usually be sold at 100% markup for a 50% profit margin. You can source roses from supermarkets with flower departments, wholesale florists, or websites that specialize in bulk shipments from the major rose-growing areas on the West Coast.
Obviously, men will make up the bulk of your target market for flower buyers, so you should gear your marketing to them. You'll need to pre-sell your roses or stake out some high-traffic areas to reach a lot of last-minute guys.
Chocolate roses are a great seller in schools and workplaces. They are a great gift that fits a good niche on Valentines Day. They are unique and generate a lot of interest. They are also a safe gift to give for non-romantic purposes, and they never go to waste.
Take advance orders whenever possible and have a central pickup point. You can also increase your results by providing extra services on Valentines Day such as gift delivery, singing telegrams, offering last-minute roses in high-traffic locations, etc.
Create Gift Baskets
It's easy to create gift baskets for your group to pre-sell for Valentines Day. Simply go to a craft store such as Michaels and purchase the quantity of baskets you'll need. Then do several shopping runs to major wholesale clubs like BJ's, Sam's Club, and Costco for your gift basket contents.
Create some baskets with a selection of wine, cheese, chocolates, coffee, candy, gourmet biscuits, etc. Give them each a theme and establish a variety of price ranges.
Once you have your samples ready, you can start pre-selling. Use a simple order taker form and collect payment upfront. Then, create the rest of the baskets needed to fulfill your advance orders.
Use a central pickup point or offer local delivery or UPS shipping for an extra charge.
Auction Valentines Day Gifts
Another great Valentines Day fundraiser is to conduct auctions of gifts appropriate for the holiday. Your choices include running an event-based auction, conducting a silent auction, hosting an online auction on your website, or listing your gifts on eBay. You can even do combinations of these four auction styles.
Some simple items to auction are the gift baskets mentioned above. You can also offer restaurant gift certificates, specialty items, business services, or donated items.
High-ticket items that you can offer might include spa visits, limo rides, romantic weekend getaways, and a night on the town at a gourmet restaurant.
Don't forget to offer gifts for men such as sports memorabilia, event tickets, bottles of wine, etc.
Raffle Themed Prizes
Another way to raise funds is to sell raffle tickets. You can offer a selection of prizes such as those Valentines Day gifts previously mentioned. Or, you can even include some with a different theme or timing such as ski vacations or a condo stay with a week at the beach.
Raffles offer an easier way to reach a larger potential audience than you might draw for an event or for various types of auctions.
A raffle allows you to put a larger sales force to work than you can with other methods, but be sure to check your local regulations regarding selling raffle tickets.
Good luck with your Valentines Day fundraisers!
Valentines Day Fundraisers
Kimberly Reynolds writes for national publications about school fundraisers, ideas for Valentines Day fundraisers and nonprofit fundraiser events. Find more elementary school fundraiser ideas on her website, FundraiserHelp.com
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