Fundraising Ideas for Congregations
Raising Money to Send Delegates to General Assembly
On average, sending a delegate to General Assembly (GA) costs around $1,500, including registration fees, transportation, housing, meals and expenses. Your congregation has the opportunity to have its voice included in the mission of the Association IF you send all the delegates your congregation is entitled to. If your congregation doesn’t usually pay delegate expenses, here are some ways to raise the money to do so.
Donations
- Divide $1,500 by the number of adults in your congregation, and ask every adult to donate that amount to the fund.
- Ask people to make contributions in honor of people they love, and create a book of photos and short writings about the people being honored. Display the book in a prominent place, with an explanation inviting people to make additional contributions.
- Ask people to donate Frequent Flyers miles to get delegates to GA.
- Ask a group of major donors to match contributions made to the fund.
- Ask major donors from your congregation to contribute $500 each to the fund.
- Put a “GA delegates fund” box next to the refreshments you serve after worship, and ask people to drop paper currency into the box every time they take a cup of coffee or a snack.
- Ask people to bring loose change to drop into a “GA delegates fund” jar. Children and youth in the religious education program can count the money and report progress toward the goal of supporting all the delegates your congregation could send to General Assembly.
- Create a “GA Curtain of Currency” by asking people to pin currency to a curtain hung in the social area of the congregation.
- Put “GA delegates” trees in the room where you have refreshments after worship, and ask people to pin currency on the trees until they are full. Keep adding trees until you’ve raised enough money to pay the expenses of all the delegates your congregation is entitled to.
- Put double-sided tape around the perimeter of your sanctuary, and ask people to put quarters on the tape. Children and youth could calculate how many quarters your sanctuary would hold, and how many times you’ll need to fill the tape to fund your GA delegates fully.
Auction (or Raffle)
- Auction “Lunch with the minister,” “Lunch with the Director of Religious Education, “Lunch with the Music Director,” “Lunch with the Administrator,” and “Lunch with the Board President.”
- Auction off a sermon topic.
- Auction off a worship service focus.
- Auction off musical performances to be used as offertories.
- Ask a composer to create a special piece of music, and auction it off.
- Ask a masseuse to donate massages, and auction them off.
- Ask someone who loves to garden to donate a class in organic gardening, and auction off the class.
- Ask someone who’s bilingual to offer six conversational sessions in a language other than English, and auction off the sessions.
- Auction off the services of a handyperson who will make small repairs in people’s homes.
- Auction off mending and clothing repair services.
- Auction off a portrait photograph.
- Ask cooks to contribute Dinner for Four, with everything frozen in disposable containers. Auction off the dinners.
- Ask someone who loves to bake to donate a “Bread of the Month,” and auction it off.
- Ask someone who knits or crochets to make a “GA afghan,” and auction it off.
- Ask quilters to create a wall hanging to celebrate the life of your congregation, and auction off the quilt.
- Ask children and youth in the religious education program to create artworks on “What it means to be a Unitarian Universalist,” and auction off the art.
- Ask people to donate used books, and hold a silent auction of the books.
“Bake Sale” and Sponsored Events / Fund Drives
- Ask people to donate CDs and DVDs, and hold a silent auction.
- Ask knitters to knit watch caps, hats and mittens, and auction or sell them.
- Ask someone who loves to entertain to put on a gourmet feast. Each adult attending should be asked to donate $50 to the fund.
- Organize a bake sale, with proceeds going to the fund.
- Ask children and youth to organize a car wash, with a suggested donation of $20/car. All proceeds go to the fund.
- Ask youth in the religious education program to offer babysitting services and donate what they earn to the fund.
- Organize a sleepover, and ask parents and caregivers of those attending to make donations to the fund.
- Organize a “Pooch and Pet Parade,” and ask people to sponsor the animals.
- Ask someone to act out scenes from the life of a famous Unitarian Universalist, with proceeds going to the fund.
- Ask someone to write a play about someone from Unitarian Universalist history, and ask children and youth in the religious education program to put the play on, for donations to the fund.
- Organize a special musical event such as a choir performance, instrumental concert, or SingAlong. Ask audience members to make donations to the fund.
- Organize a monthly “Everyone can dance with everyone” dance. Cost of admission is the amount each adult in your congregation needs to donate to the fund.
- Organize a Dance Marathon, and ask dancers to get sponsors who will make donations to the fund.
- Organize a fashion show, with a suggested donation of $10/adult. Ask people to model what they think GA delegates should wear.
- Organize an evening of Circle Suppers with each adult asked to donate to the fund.
- Organize a Health Fair where people can get their blood pressure checked and get information on nutrition and exercise. Ask people attending to make donations to the fund.
- Organize a weight loss contest, and ask congregational members to sponsor people losing weight.
- Organize a “Stop Smoking” effort, and ask congregational members to sponsor people who want to quit smoking.
Obviously, every idea won't be a good match for every congregation. If your congregation has an idea that works, please share it with us so we can add it to the above list of ideas.
For more information contact generalassembly @ uua.org.
Last updated on Sunday, November 15, 2009.
