Great Fundraising Ideas - SELLING

Can't count the number of fundraisers I've been in charge of since becoming a mom. I've raised funds for schools, scouts, sports, communities, and folks in need. Over time I've compiled a pretty comprehensive list of fundraising ideas, some culled from other sources, some original.

I've organized my ideas into categories (Events; Services; Things You Can Sell; Merchant Teaming; Seasonal/Holiday), each of which I'll address in a separate blog entry. 

Today's blog entry is devoted to THINGS YOU CAN SELL. In most cases, you will use companies to provide the merchandise, catalogs, etc. for these sales. There are 100s of sites on the internet that will refer you to companies that handle these products: just go googling for them.

FOOD

1. Baked goods (pies, cakes, cookies, doughnuts)
2. Candy/lollipops
3. Cheese
4. Cheesecake
5. Chocolate
6. Coffee
7. Cookie dough
8. Fruit/citrus
9. Gourmet food
10. Pasta
11. Pizza kit
12. pretzels
13. Popcorn
14. Snacks

Books/subscriptions

1.  Personalized books
2. Cookbooks (from catalog or create your own)
3. Magazine subscriptions
4. Newsletter subscriptions

Plants

1. Flowers
2. Pre-planted flower pots
3. bulbs
4. indigenous plants
5. Mulch
6. Christmas wreaths/trees/poinsettia

Customized/Personalized

1.  Bumperstickers/bumper magnets
2. License plate holders
3. Teeshirts
4. Lanyards
5. Book bags/sports bags
6. Stuffed animals
7. Mousepads 
8. Calendars
9. Yearbooks
10. Music or image CDs. Think yearbook in digital format
11. Programs
12. Stationary/greeting cards.

Misc. Merchandise

1.  Candles
2. First aid kits
3. Gift baskets (romance baskets for Valentines Day; Thanks, Teacher! baskets before the winter holidays; Superbowl Survival baskets; "finals" survival baskets ...)
4. Gift wrap
5. phone cards
6. jewelry
7. Software
8. Stationary/greeting cards
9. Pet food

Vending machine sales

1. Beverages
2. Snacks
3. pencils

Donor recognition

1. Bricks. Sell bricks engraved with the donor’s name or message, then embed them in a brick walkway or patio in front of the structure
2. Painted tiles for wall. Sell ceramic tiles that folks can paint themselves, then embed them in the walls of the new structure/wing
3. Handprints in concrete. Sell squares of concrete to create a sort of Groman’s Chinese Theater effect.

Collectible items. Items that comprise a set. Emphasis on sets that people will value & hand down in their families.

1. All 50 state quarters
2. Patches from all NASA launches
3. Items that change every year (White House holiday ornament, create your own ornament)
4. Commemorative items

Novelty items

1. Letters from Santa, Easter Bunny, etc.
2. Funny photos (Your picture with life-sized celebrity; photoshopped photo)
3. Pony rides

Check out my other fundraiser blog entries for yet more ideas ...!