Theta Phi Alpha f r a t e r n i t y Fundraising Guide

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1 Theta Phi Alpha f r a t e r n i t y Fundraising Guide

2 Dear Fundraising Chairman: We are pleased to share with you this Fundraising guide. It has been designed to illustrate for you the steps that you will need to cover in order to determine your chapter fundraising goals, identify the fundraising opportunity that is right for you, and assist in getting the plan from the chapter meeting to actuality. Chapters who are successful fundraisers aren t devoting all of their time and energy to this process; they are determining their monetary needs and utilizing their collective energies, abilities, and talents to achieve their goals. Be sure to contact the Fundraising Chairman to assist you!. Her information may be obtained from the National Roster, or by calling the National Office. Good luck! Yours in the Bonds of Sisterhood, Mari Ann, Jennifer, Cathy, Allison, Karen, Diane, and Kathy The Grand Council

3 Getting Started If you are having trouble deciding what type of fundraiser your chapter wants to do, think about the following to help you get started Why do you need the money? The purpose of the money can sometimes determine the type of project. Usually, if you need money for chapter funds/projects, selling a product is the way to go. If you are fundraising for philanthropy, an event that will allow for participation from other groups is something to consider. The chapter needs to determine what benefits will be derived from the action of fundraising. Having a clear need and plan for the money will enhance the motivation of the chapter. How much money do you need to raise? If you re trying to raise only a few hundred dollars, you might want to consider selling a product. Items such as candy bars or lollipops are always a favorite and can usually be ordered and shipped to you rather quickly. Gift cards or coupons to popular local restaurants, or a bake sale are also good choices. If you re trying to raise several thousand dollars, holding an event such as a talent show or a dinner might be something to consider. How soon do you need the money? Do you need the money in eight months or one month? Knowing how quickly you need the money will help determine what type of project you should do. What would your chapter enjoy participating in? Think about the sisters in your chapter. What are their interests? What do they like to do? What would they feel comfortable selling? How motivated are they? The best fundraising product for you is the one that sisters are excited to sell. Surf the internet for ideas. There are many fundraising websites you can visit.

4 Set a goal! An effective goal should contain the following three elements: 1) an action word with an end result, 2) a target date and length of the event, 3) the overall objectives and financial expectations. The goal can be simple: Over the next three weeks, we will sell 500 raffle tickets for $5.00 each, give away $500, and profit $2000 to send sisters to National Convention. Evaluate your goal. You will need to make sure your goal is realistic and attainable before you get going. It will be difficult to succeed if you have set goals that are too high. If you are trying to raise $10,000 in one semester, but have 20 members in your chapter, this may not be attainable. Divide the total amount of money needed (profit goal + anticipated costs) by the numbers of sisters that will be participating in the fundraiser to determine if is realistic. Is $100 per sister realistic? Is $500 per sister? It all depends on your chapter s motivation and the type of fundraiser you are doing. Profit Anticipated Participating Goal Costs Sisters $ + $ # Evaluate past fundraising efforts. Think about the results of your last few fundraising projects. Which were the most successful? Which were the easiest to put together? Which have your sisters and customers talked about the most? A fundraiser that consumers look forward to is a successful fundraiser! Also think about those projects that were not as successful. Was the timing wrong? Was the cost of the product too high? Was there not enough planning put into it? Could anything have been done differently that may have made the project more successful? One chapter sold cookie dough. Numerous orders were taken, and the chapter stood to make almost one thousand dollars. Unfortunately, the cookie dough was delivered at the beginning of spring break. The few members still on campus did not have room for the cookie dough, which had to be kept frozen. Most of the dough

5 had to be thrown away. Instead of being ahead of the money game, they ended up losing money. Details matter. Network. Contact other chapters to find out what types of fundraisers have worked well for them. Regional Conferences, Leadership Conference, and National Convention are great opportunities to network face-to-face with other sisters. If you need help with ideas more quickly, try ing other chapters or alumnae associations. Help and ideas are always available you just need to ask! Location, Location, Location Take advantage of large crowds! Does your campus or community have a large annual festival or other event that you can participate in? Can you sell items or work at your school s sporting events? Can you get space in your Student Union or other high-traffic area? Check with the organizing committee of the event, or school officials, to see if you can get space for your fundraiser, then plan your project accordingly. Work for the benefit of the Theta Phi Alpha Foundation. Consider donating a portion of the proceeds to a worthy cause like Glenmary Home Missioners or a local entity that is captured by The House that Theta Phi Alpha Built. Use this cause in your advertising and maybe get extra publicity. A project of this type will count towards the Rock Star Program! Make sure the project is legal and is in compliance with national policies. Do you need a permit or license for your project or event? Many states require a license for conducting raffles, especially if they are based on a lottery number. Check your state s website for any requirements. If you are participating in a community festival or other event, check with the planning committee to see if you need any permits. If your fundraising event involves working at a sporting event or a restaurant, keep in mind that Theta Phi Alpha policies specify that you may not sell or serve alcoholic beverages while acting on behalf of Theta Phi Alpha. If your agreement with the restaurant or stadium requires you to sell or serve alcoholic beverages or does not specifically state that you will be allowed to sell non-alcohol related products only, then you should consider other options. When planning other types of events, always ensure that the safety of all sisters and participants is considered.

6 Putting Your Plans into Action Form a committee The Fundraising Chair or Treasurer should not attempt to do everything herself. The size of the committee will depend on the size of your chapter and the size of the project or event. Having a committee will help in the brainstorming, planning and execution processes, but make sure the committee size is manageable. Vote! It is crucial that the entire chapter votes and agrees on the project. While the fundraising committee is responsible for coming up with ideas, the entire chapter needs to vote on the project. The committee should propose 2-4 different ideas for the chapter s consideration. Be prepared to share the rationale for your favored fundraisers. Having the chapter vote on the project will ensure that the majority of sisters stand behind the project, and are willing to participate. It is important to get everyone s buy-in before the project starts. This may help avoid problems later in the project. Communicate The Fundraising Committee should communicate with the chapter throughout all stages of the process from idea brainstorming to the final money count. The Committee should give updates at the regular chapter meetings, or more often, if necessary. Effective communication will help keep the project running smoothly. Advertise The easiest way to advertise is to develop a flyer that fully explains the project and why the money is being raised, and post it all over campus. But also consider other available channels including the campus and community newspapers, radio and local cable television. Many of these have free advertising available, especially if you are fundraising for philanthropy. If you are fundraising for philanthropy, is there a local office of the charity that you can team-up with? Many national charities have established means of advertising and may include Theta Phi Alpha s name in return for the benefit you will be giving them.

7 On-going Efforts Recordkeeping The Fundraising Chairperson and/or the Treasurer should keep accurate financial records of the project in order to determine actual costs, expenses and profits. These records will then need to be included in the Chapter Fundraiser Report, President s Report and Financial Report. The Fundraising Committee should also keep accurate records of the following (this list is certainly not all inclusive): the ideas considered any websites or catalogs used the names, addresses, and phone numbers of campus or community people that aided in your efforts the names and addresses of facilities used the means of advertising used any decorations, other props used, and other needed supplies a time-line of things to do and when Recordkeeping is especially crucial for the larger projects that require extensive efforts. Thorough recordkeeping will make the project easier in the future. Motivation and Incentives Good participation and motivated sisters are critical to your fundraising success. There are many ways to increase your chapter s enthusiasm and participation in a fundraiser. Have a competition amongst the sisters. Prizes can be awarded for the top 3 money raisers. Award them with a lettered sweatshirt, a gift certificate to a local store or restaurant, or subtract money from the amount of dues owed. If a sister raises more money then a minimum that was established, consider letting her put all or a portion of the excess towards any amount of dues owed. If the fundraising project was a group effort where the amount raised by individual sisters can not be ascertained, have a pizza party or a movie night to celebrate your success. One inexpensive idea is to give sisters a free pass to a mandatory event.

8 After the Project is Done Evaluate the project Revisit the goal that was set in the beginning. Was the goal achieved? If not, what were some of the factors that contributed to this? Try to determine what can be done in the future to make the project more successful, or if the project should even be attempted again. Even if the project was successful, what could have been done differently to make the process easier and more efficient? If the fundraiser was a resounding success, consider making the effort a standard addition to the chapter calendar. Thank people who helped in your project While this is the last item listed, it may be the most important of all. Be sure that the chapter s appreciation is expressed to all people and groups that helped with your project. This includes: Your chapter members; (Don t forget to thank them for all of their hard work!) Your chapter alumnae; Other campus organizations that participated in the event; Campus or community people or groups that offered services, or donated supplies; Anyone that made a large monetary donation; The owners of any facilities used; Any other person or group that helped in any way, no matter how small you consider their contribution to have been. These expressions of thanks should be hand-written or typed in a professional manner. The easiest way to get someone to help you in the future is to thank them for helping you now. Generally, people are more willing to help if they know that their efforts are appreciated. The most important thing to keep in mind for any fundraising project is Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring. For further assistance, please contact the National Fundraising Chairman. Fundraising Guide Contributors: Amy Bailes, National Fundraising Chairman Karen Rubican, National Vice President-Programming The Grand Council Mari Ann Callais, National President Jennifer Kreiman, National Vice President-Collegians Cathy Billoni, National Vice President-Alumnae Allison Bolin, National Vice President-Extension Karen Rubican, National Vice President-Programming Diane Stallmann, National Secretary Kathy Gaver, National Treasurer

9 19 Fundraising Ideas 19Sports Tournaments 1. Golf 2. Softball 3. Volleyball 4. Basketball 5. Powder-puff or flag football 6. Field Goal Kicking Contest 7. Soccer 8. Track & Field Events 9. Hockey 10. Tennis 11. Bowling 12. Dodgeball 13. Horseshoes 14. Croquet 15. Bocce Ball 16. Frisbee 17. Darts 18. Pool 19. 5K race 19Social Events 1. Dinner with live auction and/or silent auction. 2. Spaghetti Supper 3. Pancake/Waffle Breakfast (or late night during finals week or on weekends) 4. Fiesta Dinner 5. BBQ Dinner 6. Food from Around the World 7. Ice Cream Social 8. Desert with Theta Phis 9. Sno-Cone Party (have a penguin theme!) 10. Movie Night with Popcorn 11. Crawfish Boil

10 12. Tea Party 13. Bingo 14. Card Party (Gin, Poker, Bridge, Uno, etc) 15. Scrapbooking Party 16. Board Game Night (Pictionary, Taboo, Monopoly, Scrabble) 17. Easter Egg Hunt 18. Gift Wrapping 19. Care packages for soldiers 19Competitions 1. Battle of the Bands 2. Fashion Show 3. Talent Show 4. Big Man on Campus Competition 5. Lip Sync Contest 6. Game Show spoof (i.e. Theta Phi Feud) 7. Wing Eating Contest (Too Hot to Handle) 8. Ice Cream Eating Contest 9. Battle of the Sexes, (a pie eating contest, Twister, Jeopardy, talent show, etc.) 10. Iron Chef Cooking Contest (with a secret ingredient) 11. Karaoke Contest 12. Non-alcoholic drink competition 13. Dance-a-thon 48 hours over a weekend 14. Rock-a-thon sit in rocking chairs and rock for 2-3 days and nights 15. Bike-a-thon ride stationary bikes for 2-3 days and nights 16. Roller or Ice Skate-a-thon 17. Penny Wars 18. Pie a Theta Phi or a Professor 19. Pumpkin Carving Contest at Halloween 19 19Items to Sell/Do 1. Holiday grams 2. Valentine Flowers 3. Candy Packaged for Special Events 4. Mother s Day Gifts - wrapped, delivered and/or mailed

11 5. Snack Packs for Exam Time 6. Used Book Corner (fifty cents/paperback two dollars/hardback) 7. Lollipops (special themed ones for holidays) 8. Bake Sale 9. Chocolate covered strawberries, pretzels, etc. 10. Balloon Pop 11. Gift Certificates or Coupons to a local (or national) restaurant 12. Raffles (50/50, Baskets, ipods, DVDs, flat screen TV, weekend getaway) 13. Car Wash 14. Imprinted items for holidays 15. Candles 16. Quarter Mile (a quarter mile length of quarters = $3,000) 17. Painted Pumpkins for Halloween 18. Polar Plunge 19. Formal Dress Consignment Sale (Yankee Candles) (Items that can be imprinted) Web Resources: 19

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