Fundraisers can be a life-line for struggling volunteer fire departments. With their operating costs rising and their budgets getting cut, a good fundraiser can bring in some much needed income.
Event Fundraisers
The event fundraiser is a good one because it is getting your community involved in your department. Selling food is a popular fundraiser. Pancake breakfasts, hog roasts, chili suppers and spaghetti dinners are all popular choices. Be sure to check with local businesses for cash or product donations to offset your costs. Warehouse clubs are a good place to purchase your supplies. Holding a raffle of donated items or a 50/50 drawing at the event will increase your income also.
There are several non food based fundraisers that can be held with a little planning.
A Sports Tournament
Encourage local media, businesses, churches and fire departments to put together a team. Choose a sport that’s popular for your area and one that you can find a good location to hold the tournament at. Some examples are Hockey, Softball, Basketball or Volleyball. You make money by charging each team a modest entrance fee and a small charge to the spectators for tickets. If possible you could sell concessions to increase profits.
Hold a dance
Lot’s of planning would be required with this one, but the payoff could be big. First off would be finding a location to hold a dance. The venue may discount or donate the space. No room to hold such an event? Try a street dance. Tying your dance in with a local festival or holiday (Valentines Day, New Years Eve, Halloween etc.) can help ensure a good turnout. Get a band or a Dj to provide music (hopefully for a discount). Serve up some simple appetizers and finger foods. These can be made ahead of time with a little help. Even if you are offering a cash bar, make several (non alcoholic) drinks available along with your appetizers.
Begin ticket sales early and at a discount to encourage early sales. This will help you get an idea of how many people will be attending so you can plan your food accordingly.
Directly selling something to people is a very common fundraiser. A quick search online can reveal thousand of fundraisers. Popular fundraisers include pizza kits, popcorn, Christmas wreaths, candy bars and coupon books. One company has a rose bouquet fundraiser for fire departments around Valentines day. Another good choice is selling reflective address signs. The company sends you everything you need to create the signs and you make them as you get orders. The added benefit of this fundraiser is that the address signs make houses easier to find in an emergency.
Some final thoughts
If your fire department does not have an auxiliary, consider forming one. I am sure some community members would be willing to join and help with your fundraisers. With all the demands being placed on today’s volunteer firefighter, having help with the fundraisers can really be a help. (This will not be more apparent then the moment when you get called to a house fire in the middle of your pancake breakfast.)
Be sure to be creative and organized with your fundraisers. Plan your events well in advance and be sure to advertise all you can. Be sure to check before you hold an event that your insurance will cover you or you may need to purchase a special liability insurance policy for your event.
My final advice is to be open. Be open to your community, let them see what you have and what you need. The more that you’re department and its members are “known” to the community, the more likely the community will be to donate to you.
