Fundraising Ideas - Calendar Fundraising

Snap A Calendar Fundraiser

by Jesse Carter

Here is a unique fundraiser that is ideal as a "thank you" or as an ordered item to generate funds for your group.

Get Your Calendars Out

Get your calendar out and start setting some plans. You shouldn't attempt to start this project a few weeks before the end of the year and hope to do well.

The following is a general timetable to create this unique fundraiser:

May -- Recruit your Calendar Fundraising Committee.

June -- Settle on a Theme. Poll your members and your community. Get bids from various printers in your area and region. Start identifying retail outlets you'll sell through. Maybe your group could even offer a Picture Contest that the general public can participate in, complete with prizes and a group of community judges chooses the photos.

July -- Recruit your photographer. Start taking pictures. Decide on the price of your calendars $5 to $19.99. If your printer will give you the print job as a donation I would lean toward the $10 mark.

August -- Finalize any needed pictures. Finish the Proof copy and send to your printer. Create a sales form where members and the public will order from (have small thumbnail pictures shown for each month). Print off the number of sales forms you will need for all sales outlets and Fundraising Team Members (sales team).

September -- Print your calendars. Later in the month, finalize the recruitment of your Fundraising Team Members (sales team).

October -- December -- Your Fundraising Team Members sell to as many people as possible.

Choosing Your Theme

The theme using really great pictures is the "make or break" point of your Calendar Fundraiser. If you just have some cruddy old pictures or snapshots taken by various members and turned in and expect others in your community to buy them, then you have some more thinking to do. They must be dynamic.

What will your theme highlight on your calendars each month? Remember there are twelve months and you can reflect the seasons each month.

For Example: You are a Volunteer Fire Auxiliary and you want to highlight Fire Dog Helpers. You could have them shown at different scenes like summer, winter and fall scenes. Some dogs could be small some large and some unusual.

Public Appeal

You can portray your nonprofit organization in a bright and colorful calendar and provide the calendars to other organization's at a low cost for resale.

What is your organization all about? Show your donors and supporters how their support is accomplishing great things through your group.

At the end of the sale, take the excess calendars not sold and hand them out throughout the year as you speak at civic clubs, fraternities, and public events. You might be surprised at the "press" it will bring you, not to mention the extra funds you will generate through this small good-willed gesture. Remember, you've placed ways for people to support you further on each page.

Generate More Donors

Attach a "Donor Card" at the bottom of each month. Print, then hand out to donors and watch the funds come in.

Do include on every page a Donation Website Address and QR Code where supporters can find out to help with additional donations or ways to volunteer.

Another great way to generate calendar sales is to actually sell preprinted Two Year Planners and wall calendars. These are ready for immediate selling and require no design or printing on the part of the organization.