Examples of successful fundraising initiatives that you can use to reach your Brigade Donation Goal
Here are numerous fundraising ideas to turn your Brigade into a reality. Need some ideas? We've got you covered!
Sponsorships
Difficulty: Easy
Average Results: $$
Group Size: Individual, Small, or Large Groups
Contact local businesses or businesses that volunteers are affiliated with through friends and family to request their sponsorship of your Brigade. Use this template sponsorship letter template to customize your request. Matching donations can help you make twice as much from this fundraiser (see the next idea below for more details).
Matching Donations
Difficulty: Easy
Average Results: $$
Group Size: Individual, Small, or Large Groups
Global Brigades partners with Double the Donation to support donors in furthering their donations through employer-matching donations. This fundraiser is listed second for a reason -- it is typically the fundraising initiative with the highest yield for volunteers. The basics are below, but here is a full article with more information about matching donations.
- Utilize your network. Reach out to friends, family, and others and ask if their workplace offers matching donations.
- Search for applicable companies. When donating to Brigade Groups on the Global Brigades website, donors can use the "Employer Matching" search tool during checkout to see whether their employer is in the database of companies or not.
- Make a donation and complete the matching donation information. After the donor makes their donation, a web page will appear showing the donor the information they will need to complete their matching donation submission with their company.
- Follow-up. After a donor makes a donation and submits it for a matching donation, follow up with them to see if there are additional steps they may need to take, specifically when it comes to their employer.
- Ask for help. Have questions about a matching donation? Reach out to accounting@globalbrigades.org if you need any supporting documentation from Global Brigades.
Social Media
Difficulty: Easy
Average Results: $
Group Size: Individual, Small, or Large Groups
- Share your MyBrigades Page on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. so that friends and family can donate and help you reach your fundraising goal.
- Send emails with a link to your MyBrigades Page to immediate and extended family, friends, neighbors, high school teachers, advisors, your church, mosque, temple, etc.
- Inform your potential donors! Let everyone know what you are fundraising for and share your passion for the organization.
- Engage with Global Brigades social media accounts. Make sure to share interesting posts from your Chapter’s social media accounts and the official Global Brigades accounts!
- Share your #MyGBStory after your Brigade — this lets donors connect with the work that their funds contributed to.
Scholarships
Difficulty: Easy
Average Results: $$
Group Size: Individual, Small, or Large Group
- Do your research! Many university campuses or local organizations tend to offer scholarships for students participating in service activities abroad.
- Reach out to your Student Activities Office, Study Abroad Office, and/or Honors program office to see what opportunities are available.
- Reach out to local service and/or social clubs in your community, as scholarships may also be offered by these types of programs.
- Reach out to your local Chapter of organizations, like Rotary International, to determine if they can offer scholarships or grants in support of your Brigade's Donation Goals.
- Ask for help. Global Brigades staff are happy to provide supplemental documentation to volunteers, as needed.
- Work towards a Global Brigades Scholarship. Review Global Brigade’s USA Brigade Scholarships Guide to see how you can receive scholarships towards your donation goals by meeting recruitment and deadline requirements.
Penny Wars
Difficulty: Easy
Average Results: $
Group Size: Small or Large Groups
- Declare a competition amongst sections of a class or among volunteers.
- Determine the rules for your competition: e.g. coins = (+) points and dollars = (-) points, or pennies = (+) and silver coins = (-).
- Decorate and set up your containers in an accessible location. Your containers could be jars, water bottles, milk jugs, food cartons, etc.
- Promote your event by creating flyers or posters.
- Start the competition! The class or volunteer with the most points at the end of a set timeline -- which we typically recommend being one week -- is declared the winner!
- Create a small prize or have an ice cream/pizza party for the winners.
50/50 Raffle
Difficulty: Easy
Average Results: $$
Group Size: Small or Large Groups
- Set a price for your raffle tickets ($1, $2, or $5).
- Offer bundles for even more sales (3 tickets for $2, 10 for $5, etc.).
- Sell the tickets around campus, to volunteers’ family and friends, etc.
- Have a drawing and pick your winner!
- The winner gets 50% of the earnings and your Chapter can keep the other 50% -- it's a win-win.
- Additionally, some Chapters have even worked with Kaplan to offer a free test-prep course and utilize the profit specifically toward your Donation Goals. This may be something worth asking about.
- Just remember to check with your University to make sure raffle fundraisers are allowed on your campus.
Product Sales
Difficulty: Moderate
Average Results: $$
Group Size: Individual, Small or Large Groups
- Make it an individual or group effort. Individuals who participate in sales will benefit from direct profits, whereas group sales events can reach a larger audience by setting up a sale event on campus or in the community.
- Try out food sales. Classic bake sales, or other popular foods (pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches, etc.) can bring in a lot of cash for minimal effort. You can set up your stand in a high-traffic area and decide the best time for your sale. You can set up at night, on the weekends, or even during final exam weeks.
- Partner with Café Holistico. You can sell individual bags of coffee or choose to buy in bulk and sell individual cups of coffee. Check out Café Holistico's website and fill out the “Fundraise with Us” form to be connected to a representative.
- Sell merchandise. Make Global Brigade t-shirts, buttons, sweatshirts, and other apparel to sell around campus. Just be sure to follow the Global Brigades Branding Guidelines!
Restaurant Partnerships
Difficulty: Moderate
Average Results: $$$
Group Size: Small or Large Groups
- Work with a local restaurant, bar, or nightclub to get a percentage of sales or the cover charges on a slower night of the week (which is usually Wednesdays or Thursdays).
- Use GroupRaise to help organize fundraisers with restaurants.
- The more people in the door, the more money you raise, so it's important to get to word out to as many people as you can. Here are some ways you can do this:
- Spreading the news by word-of-mouth to potential volunteers, family, and friends.
- Making use of your social media accounts, post flyers around campus, etc.
- Organizing a dinner for future Brigaders to hang out and get to know each other better.
- Let donors know about the requirements, as some fundraisers require customers to present a flyer for your Chapter to get your percentage.
Collection Boxes
Difficulty: Moderate
Average Results: $
Group Size: Small or Large Groups
- Collect cash donations in high-traffic areas, whether that's outside of major sports events, concerts, or other public events on campus or in the area. Note that competition can be fierce for these types of collections.
- Plan in advance:
- You’ll need several people to help out with this fundraiser, so organize a group ahead of time.
- Do your research to make sure you’re following all campus/city regulations!
- Consider security arrangements (if you’re carrying a lot of money).
- Draw attention by decorating your collection containers or boxes -- just be sure to follow Global Brigade’s Branding Guidelines.
- Make sure you're able to provide information about Global Brigades and your upcoming Brigade. People are more likely to donate to fundraisers when they see your organization is legitimate and that you are passionate about it.
Car Wash
Difficulty: Moderate
Average Results: $$
Group Size: Small or Large Group
Nothing says “fundraiser” better than a classic car wash!
- Pick a location. Set up on a busy street or pick a good spot on campus or in your community.
- Note: If you are a large group doing this fundraiser, consider splitting up into smaller groups and hosting car washes at different spots across town.
- Make sure you have all of your supplies. This includes sponges, soap, towels, hoses, buckets, etc. Ask volunteers to bring or donate items to save on costs.
- Promote. Get creative, making sure to use Global Brigades logos and adhering to the Global Brigades Branding Guidelines. Here's some promotion ideas to get you started:
- Use flyers and social media.
- Make some signs and posters.
- Have some volunteers hold up your signs and act as sign holders/spinners.
- Pick a nice day and busy time when there will be lots of cars on the road.
- Organize into groups as washers, rinsers, driers, etc.
- Collect all of your donations using a jar or box.
Concessions
Difficulty: Moderate
Average Results: $$
Group Size: Small or Large Groups
- Work concessions during sporting events for a percentage of the earnings. Many universities and colleges look for non-profits groups and service groups for this.
- Ask your University about allowing your Chapter to run a concessions stand during your next football and/or basketball game. Most Universities will provide the necessary training and supplies for this.
- Keep track of volunteer participation by creating sign-up sheets to keep track of which volunteers attend and how many hours everyone works.
- Bonus: You can usually put out a tip jar and a sign at your stand to promote Global Brigades, too! Just make sure you ask to ensure this is okay, as every concession stand is typically a little bit different operation-wise.
Stadium/Event Clean Up
Difficulty: Moderate
Average Results: $
Group Size: Small or Large Groups
- Clean sections of a stadium or event center after a major sports event or concert and get paid for it.
- Many venues prefer to employ student groups to perform these duties.
- Note: There is often a minimum number of volunteers required for this -- if you do not have enough members, try pairing with another student organization.
- Get everyone involved! It’s messy work and takes a few hours to complete, but many hands can make light work and generate funds to support your Brigade's Donation Goals.
- Bonus: This is also a great opportunity for team building and getting to know fellow volunteers better!
Local Business Sponsorships
Difficulty: Moderate
Average Results: $$
Group Size: Small or Large Groups
Many businesses are looking to support local student groups!
- Find the right person and channel.
- When reaching out to local businesses for sponsorship, we recommend meeting with a business representative face-to-face.
- However, if you're unable to visit the business in person, you can send them an email by using this email template.
- Communicate the impact of the donations.
- Let them know how their donations will benefit themselves, the Brigade participants, and the communities; the impact is felt by more than just a single individual!
- Sponsors may also want to know exactly how their donation will be allocated for your Brigade -- share with them the Program Contribution Breakdown.
- Determine the best way to receive funds by working directly with the sponsoring business.
Trivia Night
Difficulty: Moderate
Average Results: $$
Group Size: Small or Large Groups
- Invite teams of 3-4 people to compete in a massive trivia contest.
- Sell tickets for attendance and participation.
- Secure a venue or platform. This could be on campus, at someone’s house, or at a restaurant/bar. You could even consider using a group video app or platform like Zoom.
- Advertise with posters, flyers, and social media.
- Prepare the quiz. Design a set of trivia questions and an answer sheet. Mix in a few that relate to Global Brigades and/or international health and development.
- Make some extra money by hosting other mini raffles or fundraisers during the trivia night event. You could also think about getting refreshments to sell during breaks.
- Reach out to sponsors and receive prizes for the trivia winners from local and supporting businesses.
Benefit Concert
Difficulty: Hard
Average Results: $$$
Group Size: Ideal for Large Groups
- Come up with a proposal for the kind of concert you want -- think about the size, genre of music, potential venues, sponsors, a date, and time (start planning 1-2 months in advance).
- Secure a local venue. Reach out to your University’s Cultural Center, a restaurant, a park, etc.
- Have a variety show using local talent. Promote this as an opportunity for artists to market themselves and encourage them to invite their fans.
- Be prepared!
- You will need quite a few people to make this happen, so think about organizing event preparation tasks into committees.
- Make sure to secure audio/visual equipment and assistance in advance.
- Promote the event. Make use of flyers, posters, and social media -- you could even asked the artists you booked to promote the event on their socials.
- Sell tickets. Ask around to find out what friends and family would want to pay and set a reasonable price. Sell the tickets in advance to get an idea of what your turnout might be.
- Take care of your performers. Give them time for rehearsal, make sure they have water, and give them a place to hang out during the show.
- Share the Global Brigades story during the event and how the ticket sales will benefit your project.
- Show up early on the day of the event to make sure your guests, performers, and venue are all ready.
- And most of all, have fun!
Athletic Tournament
Difficulty: Hard
Average Results: $$$
Group Size: Ideal for Large Groups
Hold a bracket-style sports tournament on campus. Choose from soccer, basketball, capture-the-flag, volleyball, and more.
- Advertise to other clubs/organizations on campus and charge a set donation registration fee per team. This can help raise more money to go towards your goal.
- Reach out to sponsors for prizes for the winners.
- Promote your event with flyers, posters, and social media.
- Make sure you have all the necessary equipment.
- Have volunteers to help out with check-ins, refereeing, timekeeping, scorekeeping, etc.
- Fundraise during your fundraiser. What we mean by this is you should think about selling refreshments, food, having 50/50 or prize raffles, and so on, as a great way to reach even more of your Donation Goal.
Benefit Dinner/Gala
Difficulty: Hard
Average Results: $$$
Group Size: Ideal for Large Groups
- Come up with a proposal for your dinner/gala. Decide on a budget, start thinking about possible venues, sponsors, catering, utilities, etc.
- Set date for your event that gives you enough time for planning.
- Form a committee of students, university officials, alumni, and sponsors located near the venue.
- Decide on a meal for your event — Catered food or pitch-in? Buffet style or table service? Think of options for all dietary needs and preferences (vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, food allergies).
- Promote the event using social media, flyers, and word-of-mouth.
- Set a price and sell tickets in advance.
- Note: selling online can make ticket sales a lot easier! Try using free services such as Eventbrite.
- Make it fun! Consider including some entertainment or hosting other fundraiser opportunities during your dinner/gala (e.g. a silent auction). Arrange a special speaker, develop visuals, and/or produce a video to share Brigade stories with your guests.
- On the day of the event arrive early, set up the décor (consider keeping to a theme), and make sure the food, entertainment, and welcoming committee for the guests are all ready to go.
- Enjoy your dinner/gala!
- Send thank you letters/emails to all of your sponsors, supporters, and guests after your dinner/gala.