<p>I'm sure many of you are or have been involved in fundraising for your local theatre groups/high schools, etc. Do you have any good fundraising ideas?
For some reason, I can't say no to kids and theatre, and now I'm trying to raise funds for three groups!!! Why is theatre so underfunded??!!
Thanks!</p>
<p>st8gemom,</p>
<p>I agree as I am sure everyone out here does that theatre is not only underfunded, but underrated by the general public. We here at CC think differently because we have wrapped our lives in it, but to Joe Smoe it's trivialized....at least that is the case in our city of 65,000 people.</p>
<p>We have a wonderful children's theatre group in our city, called SpotLight On Kids <a href="http://www.spotlightonkids.org/%5B/url%5D">http://www.spotlightonkids.org/</a> , which has struggled for the last 13 years....the artisitic director has taken drastic measures to raise money and is actually raffling her own home to keep the group going.</p>
<p>This particular group has allowed children and their families to work together diversely & creatively. They have learned things such as commitment, focus, research (each child is required to do a biography on their character...casts are typicaly 70+ kids), love of literature, and that there is no such thing as a small part.</p>
<p>It's sad that such groups suffer to make end meet...sorry for the soap box. It's an issue close to my heart.</p>
<p>Good luck with fundraising!!</p>
<p>5pants aka SUE</p>
<p>P.S. Thank God for people like you who can't say no to kids and theatre!!</p>
<p>I have some fund-raising ideas that have helped me purchase new uniforms for 2 teams $8,000 and equipment $6,000. I also raised over $20,000 to help pay for a summer camp. (All this in the past 3 years.)
These ideas generally take a few people to help you, but since it is hard to get good help, they are things that require little help.
The first and most consistently successful is a hoagie sale with lunch-time delivery. A local deli makes the sandwiches the morning of the sale. They put them together around 6 in the morning, and deliver them to us by 9am. We have a few parents ready to deliver to the businesses. I compile all the orders ahead of time and make delivery routes depending on the number of drivers. We have been able to get school faculty to order, and they now know which days are "hoagie days" and all look forward to ordering. The company we use wraps all wet ingredients (lettuce, tomato, package of either salad dressing or mayonaise depending on the sandwich) separately and it comes in a small baggie inside the bag containing the sandwich. Because of this, many people order sandwiches for supper, because they don't get soggy. We have delivered over 100 sandwiches to one business in the past, and those profits really add up. The subs are large, we charge $5 each and they cost different amounts but we make around $2.50 each.
I have friends in other states who do this and set up tables at school, but our school doesn't allow this because of our lunch program. They split the sandwiches in half and sell halves or wholes and do very well.
A new experience for me since moving to WV has been the steak-fry. I have attended ones that have made over $5,000 but ours made only $3,500.00. For those who don't know, you order steaks, potatoes, and salad from your local steak house or grocery store, provide huge grills and hold it at a fire house or large, inexpensive hall. (Elks, etc.) The steak house prepares the potatoes and they arrive wrapped individually in foil. Each family in the group tring to raise the money supply one dessert which is cut and put on individual plates .As you arrive, you put your place settings on the table and go up and get your steak and grill it on the hot grills outside. (Usually the men grill while the ladies get everything else and sit and talk till the steaks are done.) Everyone brings their own place-settings (people around here actually have baskets that they have just for steak-frys). The tables are decorated and kegs of beer and some kind of entertainment is provided. (It's an over 21 night out.) Tickets are presold for $15 or $20 which includes the meal and entertainment. There are raffles and auctions (additional cost) usually of donated items, all night. It's such a fun time.
We have also done Longaberger Basket Bingo parties which have raised over $3000, carwashes at the local Auto Parts store (not terribly profitable-usually $500-$700 on a really hot day, but it's something the kids can participate in and if you do it for several Saturdays it really starts to add up), garage sales where people donate things and frozen pizza sales.
Feel free to send me a personal message if you think any of these things might work for you and you want details. Good Luck!</p>
<p>Pancake breakfast (get local businesses to donate everything) rent HS lunch room $15K average after expenses
Male Sale get area business to donate lunches, dinners experiences, gift baskets we had 12 of HS popular guys auctioned off with date. Sold tickets to the auction all guys were hams. $ 7K after expenses
School did Cinderella - order little glass slippers filled them with candy and sold them at the two intermissions. Totally sold out with three nights to go $1K profit
Glass carriage picture frame have pix made w/ Prince/ Cinderella or any character $1500
Dinner theatre Italian food for before show $5K
Garage Sale - $15K
Broadway Review directed produced by kids no admission just donations runs 3 nights $8K
Cookie Store runs all year long $9K
E- mail me for more specifics
Jenifer</p>
<p>I'm a development director by profession and have also been chair of our high school Fine Arts Booster Club for the past seven years so fundraising is a huge part of what I do. There are really two types of ways to raise funds for theatre programs: through development techniques and through sales fundraisers/events such as the great ideas described above. The former involves direct asks of those who love theater for donations, either unrestricted to the program or for specific projects. For example, we have approached donors to underwrite parts of shows such as costumes or for general support of a particular production. Sometimes, donors will pay for items such as new wireless mics. Another donor just paid to have the stage floor replaced. The best donors are parents, alumni parents, alumni of the theater program and grandparents. The best asks, of course, are one on one but we've also done direct mail and phonathons. A new thing we're trying is asking alumni who performed or worked on shows to send in donations and be listed in the playbill as "The Cast from the Past." Fund development is the best way to raise money as it takes minimal investment of volunteer help and the return is almost 100%. Of course, if you are in a private school, your administration is probably already engaged in development and will need to be approached about any effort you may want to undertake.</p>
<p>The fundraisers are great too and build community. We did a dance marathon to raise $20,000 for a new grand piano - very fun and the perfect fundraiser for MT kids (even though it's an all-night 20 hour affair). We do a fall dinner theater. We sell all different lobby items during shows - show t-shirts, flowers, balloon, bouquets, dramagrams, concessions, refrigerator magnets, etc. It's a virtual retail store. After Christmas we do "Many Happy Returns" on Ebay where we have people who got Christmas gifts that they don't want and can't or don't want to return, donate them and then we sell them on Ebay. And I run the box office and do ticket printing at an additional charge for all of our theater rentals. This generates a couple thousand dollars a year for our program.</p>
<p>Thank you to everyone that responded! Your ideas have me spinning...you've given me motivation. Raffling the house, though......that's devotion!</p>