Throw fundraisers for your financial supporters to give you (more) money.  Throw parties to thank your volunteers and patrons.  Two separate kinds of events.  Two separate goals.  Often two separate audiences.

A local organization to us called bikes4kids Utah buys 1000 huffy bikes and gives them all away to kids in a single day.  As a fundraiser they throw a black tie dinner with $100 seats and a silent auction with very high ticket items, cruises, etc.,...  The venue and food are donated too.  This year they sold over 24 tables with 10 seats each.  With some simple math they almost pulled in $25k not including the auction.  That is a profitable fundraiser.

Or so I hear, I couldn't afford to find out first hand.  So if the local Collective wants to do throw a profitable fundraiser like that.  It is absolutely essential that we also have an volunteer appreciation event that is accessible to those we serve and volunteers.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Morrison
Executive Director
Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective
2312 S. West Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84115
w: 801-328-2453
c: 801-688-0183
f: 801-466-3856
www.slcbikecollective.org

On Nov 16, 2010, at 12:26 PM, Christine Hill <christine@localmotion.org> wrote:

Hello all!

I just finished helping Bike Recycle Vermont host their fifth silent auction/bluegrass concert fundraiser. It's something our organization has been doing for five years, and all of the people who worked on it this year agreed that the event was really tired and that we'd prefer to do something that's more accesible to the people we serve and our volunteers and that's more in line with our mission. Anyone out there have some ideas or examples of successful fundraisers that incorporate your volunteers, that involve bikes, yada yada? Any and all suggestions welcome. Thanks!

Christine
Bike Recycle Vermont
Burlington, VT

--
Christine Hill, Americorps*State
Bike Recycle Vermont/Local Motion
w: 802.264.9687    c: 339.223.0722


Bike Recycle Vermont: www.localmotion.org/brv
Burlington Bicycle Coalition: www.facebook.com/BurlingtonBicycleCoalition

"When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race." - H.G. Wells




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