Fundraising Ideas 

Coin Drives
• Split a group of people into teams, each given a large coin jug, and see who can raise the most.
• When you are done, please take your coins to a local coinstar machine (generally located in a grocery store). Coinstar will let you select a charity to donate to, and Hopelink should be among them. If this is not possible we can take the money to a coinstar machine for you.

Events & Activities
• Car wash – Contact a local gas station and ask for permission to hold a car wash in their parking lot. Recruit volunteers to make signs and attend the event, and charge a set price to wash each car.
• Benefits– Ask a local band or orchestra to do a charity benefit or to donate part of the “gate" to your group. Your group takes care of promotion and collects entrance fees.
• Handyman Job Bank – Your group offers to do yard clean ups, painting, etc. for a small fee.
• Carnival –  Host a car push, tractor pull, or tug of war. Include games like a fishpond, dunk tank, throw hoops over bottles, etc.
• Meals –  Spaghetti Dinners, Pancake Breakfasts, Soup luncheon... the possibilities are endless!

Contests & Raffles
• Balloon pops and releases – Put tickets inside balloons. Give a prize away for a certain numbered ticket or write the names of prizes on slips of paper inserted into the balloons.
• Ticket Raffles – Raffle off member made craft items or large items from contributing businesses.
• Guess the number or weight – Jars of jellybeans, pennies, dried beans, etc. Give a prize for the closest guess. Charge a certain amount per guess.
• A-thons – bicycle, swim, hula-hoop, bowling, etc. Get pledges for total miles, laps, hours (minutes), number of frames bowled, etc.

Workplace Fundraisers
• Have an “empty your pockets” day (or week) and collect all the pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters from everyone.
• Set up competitions between departments or groups. Try bowling, softball, kickball, darts, basketball, footraces or anything else you can think of.
• Skip a meal. Ask colleagues to skip a meal and donate the money they would have spent on food. This will also give the participants a perspective on how hunger impacts their daily lives.
• Encourage employees to write a check in memory or honor of a special person.
• Host a “building competition”, split up into teams and see who can design and build the most elaborate structure.Limit construction materials to cans or non-perishable food only. After judging is complete bring in the cans and pictures!
• Sell T-shirts or sweatshirts for the employees to wear during the week of the drive.