<p>Sonic used to offer school groups the opportunity work as carhops during a designated time which was publicized at the school. The group earned a percentage of the sales during that time.</p>
<p>Ditto selling tickets to a dinner theatre type thing. Perhaps the school drama dept could put on some kind of show and the orchestra could play during dinner or could accompany the performance. Make it nice and charge $20 a head.</p>
<p>During December, offer childcare at the school so parents can go Christmas shopping. If there are liability issues with the school (as there almost always are), perhaps an orchestra member is a member of a nearby church who would allow you to use their nursery facilities. First Saturday and Sunday in December are ideal for this. Charge $20 per child for a 4 hour time block. You might want to say that it’s for potty trained children only. Have the kids bring a sack lunch.</p>
<p>Around here, during the summertime, parents pay big bucks for activities for their kids. Maybe the orchestra kids could hold a one week day camp of some kind. It could be related to music, but it doesn’t have to be. The main thing is choosing something that will sell.</p>
<p>Would the school allow a raffle? Perhaps some brave parent would front the cost of a new car (which a local dealership would give a very good discount on in exchange for lots of nice publicity). Tickets can be $10 each. If you paid $10,000 for a car (it’s a cheap car, okay?), you have to sell 1,000 tickets to break even. That’s very doable. First the brave parent gets paid back, then the rest goes to the orchestra.</p>
<p>Son belonged to a group that had to raise a lot of money like that. We actually ended up partnering with an older, wealthy person in our community. </p>
<p>We had a parents group that organized car washes, bake sales, etc. and we had the other group which was our “benefactors”. I was the liason between the two groups. </p>
<p>The benefactors arranged for several performances and personally invited their friends, most of who would never have been involved with high school kids or parents. Prior to these performances, we had wine/cheese at my or another home. We had a few of the more articulate kids dress up and attend. They also spoke a bit about what this opportunity meant to them.
We also had a large event that many of those people attended. </p>
<p>My basic point is involve other people in your community who may have more discretionary income than high school kids and parents.</p>
<p>This idea isn’t a “big money” idea like the dinner show, fireworks deal, etc, but I thought it was very creative! A group in a local HS does the “flamingo yardsigns” as a fundraiser. If you want to put signs in someones yard for their birthday or something, you just contact this group and they do it, at about $75 or so a pop, I think. With good advertising (maybe you can get someone to run public service announcements on the radio) or lots of signs in store windows, as well as announcing to the school PTA,you can make a lot of $$ with relatively little effort.</p>
<p>We did the flamingos with a different twist…We put the flamingos on someones lawn at night then left a note saying something about “if you want the flamingos to migrate elsewhere tells us where and make a donation to our organization” We found the letter online and bought the flamingos on ebay.
Then the kids would go to house #1, pick up the flamingos and deliver to house #2. (Usually a friend or MIL of house #1 :)).
The letter also said, “if you don’t want to participate, let us know and we’ll come get them.”
Unfortunately the thing fell apart because we let the kids run it and when someone didn’t respond they didn’t just go get them.
You have to hope people have a sense of humor too… your idea might be better.</p>
<p>the Orchestra at D’s school does a lot of trips as well- however they do pretty well with car washes etc. ( but they also have formal support with FOGO)
[The</a> Garfield Orchestra - FOGO](<a href=“http://www.garfieldorchestra.org/FOGO/index.php]The”>http://www.garfieldorchestra.org/FOGO/index.php)
Some students have also formed quartets that perform for local events- can’t they put on a few fundraising concerts? I missed if that has been suggested.
The jazz band & orchestra also sell CDs, perhaps a local recording studio would donate time?</p>
<p>ebee-
I was reading several school “flamingo flocking” sites-- and the idea of passing it along is really cute. Their way was similar to yours-- person 1 pays to have them put on the lawn of person 2. Person 2 can pay a small amount to have them removed, another to get “insurance” that they wont get flocked again, and a 3rd small amount to have them put on someone elses lawn. Its a cute idea that keep sgoing. However, be careful when you put “pink flamingos” in a search engine to researchfor this on line. Some rude websites popped up!</p>
<p>Also in our area the musical kids can often pick up some money by forming a quartet and playing in the hotel lobbies at Christmas time. Not sure if you have that option in your area but posting this for others too.</p>
<p>D’s soccer team raises money by bagging groceries for tips. They do it year round and make between $1000 and $1500 per time. They usually schedule right before Holidays, Super Bowl, etc. that are big shopping days. They usually have about 10 workers at a time and work from 9 to 7/8. </p>
<p>One of the school sports teams sell water softener salt. They take orders and then deliver twice a year. It continues from year to year and people love having it delivered.</p>
<p>My S’s soccer team has done a couple of bus trips to a casino in Detroit (about an hour away) to raise $$$. Mostlly a parent run activity, but we made $500 per bus we filled with people. Bus company charged $20 per person - we charged $30 per person or $50 per couple, plus each person received casino cash (I think $20 worth) so in essence they only paid $5 for the trip. </p>
<p>Our big $ maker on the trip though was stuff we did on the bus on the way up and back - selling jello shots we made, wine, beer, soda, raffle tickets on the bus for donated prizes. Our first trip we filled 4 busses and cleared around $2000 I think.</p>
<p>The most successful fundraiser we’ve been involved in is flower sales - pansies in the winter, spring flowers in the spring. We’d just put a note on the neighborhood association bulletin board and would get tons of orders. The down side is that you have to have a way to pick up and deliver all those flats of flowers.</p>
<p>For drill team we do poinsettia sales. Each girl has to sell 20 plants. I think that’s pretty onerous, but if you ask at your dentist office, local bank, etc., lots will buy multiple plants.</p>
<p>We work Sonic for just about every group. You can make between $900-$1500 per day…would take a lot of tips to get to your goal.</p>
<p>This is key! It seems that when our local hs band runs fundraisers, it’s just the same band parents who contribute. The band did run a golf tournament that make LOTS of $$. It got a different group of people out…businessmen who liked to golf and would write off the tournament as a biz expense.</p>
<p>ellemenope reminded me…another key is to set it up so that businesses can write it off as an expense…sponsor a hole at a golf tourney, get a sign with your business name on it-advertising expense. </p>
<p>It will be tough in today’s economy but it can be done. </p>
<p>We also did a brainstorming where we got the group together and everyone came up with their personal contact list. </p>
<p>For instance, in my business we have bought quite a few company cars so I hit up the car dealers…</p>
<p>I agree with emeraldkity–bookmark the thread. So many good ideas. A new Sonic just opened up here. We could be the first to do that one! Personally I love the bus to a casino even though I don’t gamble. There is one about an hour or so away. </p>
<p>I’m trying to think of some way to incorporate the many school of music students and profs in this town…maybe a festival of some sort… All of you have definitely spurred my imagination. </p>
<p>DD and I are off in a few minutes to visit a couple of colleges so I probably won’t be checking the thread for a couple of days, but keep it going Thanks for all the awesome ideas thus far!</p>
<p>DS#1’s scout troop made a fortune delivering pinestraw bales. They distribute fliers in advance, take orders and go around with a big truck delivering them on the assigned day to each persons driveway.</p>
<p>My son’s Scout troop made tons of money selling high quality Christmas (Yule, winter solstice, or pick your appropriate pc holiday nomenclature) wreaths and garland/roping. They took orders Sept through Oct, and the wreaths were delivered to customers by the scouts around Thanksgiving. We used a high quality bulk purveyor out of Maine or Vermont, and had to committ to full case lots. Any extras always sold.</p>
<p>You will pay about $8 + shipping ($1-2) per wreath. You should be able to sell them for $20 plain - a bit more if you add a bow. They sell garland, too, and people are always wanting garland from us, but I just haven’t started carrying it.</p>
Thanks for all the awesome ideas thus far!</p>