In our last article we discussed the costs of a typical Speech and Debate Tournament. I know quite a few families that budget their season and each year they do fundraising to pay or help pay for their costs. Below is an article written by one of our competitor interns that fund raises for their tournament expenses- travel, registration, clothing, etc.
I think we all can agree doing speech and debate takes a lot money. You have clothing to buy, tournament registrations, league affiliation, traveling to and from events, and of course food and lodging at tournaments. There’s a lot of ways to spend money in speech and debate, however there are also a lot of ways to raise money for it too. If you’re looking for easy ways to fundraise for your upcoming speech and debate season here a few suggestions.
I know it can be difficult, but getting out there and earning a few extra bucks can help in the long run.
Fundraising Ideas:
1. Special Business Events. Local businesses usually have special events you can do as a club. There are Scoopie Night’s at Culver’s where a percentage of the proceeds that night go toward your organization. Papa John’s and Applebee’s do the same kind of event for their restaurants. A local theater group just got 10% of the dine in meals ordered at Buffalo Wild Wings. I mean, who doesn’t like B-Dubs? I bet you if you approach any local restaurant in your area and ask them about fundraising opportunities they provide they could probably offer you an event to do. It may include wiping down tables, greeting customers, or simply getting the word out. Some bigger businesses do ask to see a tax id number, so for some of the ideas you may want to do this with your club.
2. Berres’ Brothers Coffee. This coffee brand allows you to make bulk orders for friends and family and you get coffee a percentage of the proceeds. Here is a link to learn more : http://cdn.berresbrothers.com/downloads/BUSE%20THIS%20-%20Fundraising%204%20page%20brochure%20PDF%20for%20e-mailing.pdf
3. Candy Bars. A classic is buying a box of 20 or 30 candy bars and selling them to friends, family, co-workers, and teachers. It does take a lot of candy bars to make big bucks but you can usually get a profit of $10 off a box of 20 candy bars. And you can do this with any kind of food not just candy bars. Think about food you can either buy or make in bulk.
4. “Money Jar”. Another classic is having a “spare change jar”, this does not require asking people for money but every time you have spare change just put it in the jar and that will go toward speech and debate related things.
5. Bake Sale. Bake some to-die-for cookies and sell them for 75 cents. You will be rolling in dough (figuratively) in no time. I know a family who bakes bread and sells it to off set their tournament costs.
6. Yard Sale/Garage Sale. This can be a lot of work, but they can also be a lot of fun! Have a club garage sale or invite other families to join in! Everyone has stuff they don’t use or don’t want. One persons trash, is another persons treasure. The key is to be organized and make sure it’s well-advertised. You can even hold a bake sale at the same time. People are also pretty generous when they know you are trying to raise money for a particular cause, don’t be afraid to have some items be for donations only.
Honestly, all it takes to successfully fundraise is being able to put yourself out there and being creative. Think about the time of year, what do people like to do this time of year, what holidays are coming up? Maybe you could make homemade hot chocolate mason jar kits. It’s timely and affordable. Think outside of the box and make the fundraiser fun and relatable.
I know asking for money from people is weird and sometimes embarrassing. But if you tell them about the organization and how you got involved they usually will help you without hesitation. But remember people are not investing in Culver’s or Berres’ Brothers coffee, they are investing in you. Do not get caught up in selling the product or service, sell yourself. That is what really matters.
Perhaps you have members in your club that could really benefit from fund raising. Maybe you could create a “Fundraiser Coordinator” position within your club. It’s always more fun and addional bonding time to fundraise as a club. For some clubs fundraising is optional, and those that participate get equal shares.
If you have other fund raising ideas, feel free to add them to the comments below!!
Happy Fundraising, Lasting Impact!