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| 6 Oct 2026 | |
| Written by BILLIE WILLIAMS | |
| Fundraising |
We all “think” we “KNOW” what constitutes a “successful” fundraising event so let’s have a little Q & A.
Do you KNOW how much work is involved?
Do you KNOW how many people will be willing and able to help?
Do you KNOW what size and type of event your community can/or will support?
Do you KNOW if you have civic partners, ones you could recruit support from if needed?
Do you KNOW what size and type of event your community can/or will support?
Do you KNOW if you have civic partners, ones you could recruit support from if needed?
Do you KNOW how the funds being raised will be used?
Do you KNOW how long the fundraiser will last?
This is step number one to a successful fundraising experience;
Knowing what your club is capable of is the first thing you need to consider when choosing a project for your fundraising. Proper and thoughtful planning at the beginning can reap huge rewards later and help to make sure you are not “biting off more than you can chew”. It is much better to start small and work your way up, learning your strengths and limitations along the way. The easiest way to discourage future fundraising attempts is to have one that is a failure and ends up costing the club more than it generates in funds.
Knowing that you have a smaller club and your members are limited as to their ability to participate will largely determine what type of fundraiser your club will be able to do.
Examples of fundraising for small clubs:
KNOWING what types of fundraisers tend to appeal to your local community is a must.
Being able to gauge the amount and type of support your community will provide is crucial to developing a winning fundraising strategy. This will involve timing and coordination in knowing when to hold your fundraiser and what type of project would be the most lucrative.
KNOWING for example, selling concessions at a school sports event is great… during the sports season…; hosting a Holiday Home Tour is great…at Christmastime; having a Spaghetti Supper or Baked Potato Dinner is terrific…unless the local Fire Dept or VFW is holding their annual Bar-B-Que Fundraiser at the same time. So again, we see that planning is necessary to not overlap with other events and overwhelm the community with too many choices or strain the available resources.
Examples of community centric fundraising:
KNOWING that if you utilize local resources, stores and venues, and support the city/town as well as other service organizations, they will be more likely to reciprocate and support your club with your fundraising endeavors. It is never to\o early to start reaching out to these civic partners; letting them know who you are and how you a willing to help support them.
KNOWING the reason why your club is trying to fundraise is essential; to all aspects of the fundraising process, knowing why is question #1. You need to have a stated purpose for the funds and being able to express those goals to your donors and supporters will always generate a more positive return on your efforts.
Examples of Fundraising Goals:
Scholarships
Community
KNOWING that every fundraising project should have a beginning and end date to be successful is key. The reason for establishing an end date is purposeful in that you need to be able to judge the worthiness for each different project on its on merit, to determine if it is viable as a fundraising project for future consideration. Plus, with no clearly stated goal in sight, the non-ending fundraiser quickly becomes a burden to the fundraising committee, the club and the community.
So now you KNOW some of the questions that need to be addressed before you embark on your fundraising journey, and do you KNOW where to locate the answers to these and many more questions regarding fundraising?
This is an easy one…..The GFWC Club Manual is packed with great information, tips, examples, guidelines, advice and procedures to help your club achieve its fundraising goals and to help establish your club as a positive partner in making an impact on your community.