I've made three quilts for fundraisers and I have a questions for you ladies that do this.

I've quilted three quilts for raffles to raise money for mission trips that my dh and daughters have gone on.

Now our church is trying to build our own building and one of the fundraising ideas is for me to make quilt/S/ for more raffle fundraisers. Here is the quesiton...

Can I ask for people to contribute to the expense of the materials? Should I? Would you? Or should I assume that the people asking me, expect me to donate the time and materials as part of 'my share' of the fundraising effort?

If this is a fundraiser for the church and you have been asked to help out making quilts to raise funds, I think it would be fine to ask for donations of fabric or money to buy fabrics to make these quilts. It can be quite expensive to make quilts, many people do not realize this. I'm sure that there are folks that would love to contribute to the fund raising in this manner. Go ahead and ask!

Not that I am an expert but people don't realize how much it costs to make a quilt. I think you should expect them to make some sort of contribution as in the cost of materials. You are still donating your time which is plenty valuable!

If funds are tight for you, you might ask the lady memebers of the church for a donation of fabrics-say each to pitch in a FQ-pick a pattern that requires all FQ's and let them know what color scheme you want (or make it easy and go scrappy)-some will be glad to go buy one (you have to specify all cotton), but some that can't be bothered will be willing to throw in the $2.oo or so for you to pick up one. There are a gazillion patterns for FQ's so you won't have any trouble picking one. Your contribution is all your time and willingness to do it!!

By all means, ask for donations of money, fabric, batting and/or thread. There may be people who want to help, but think they have nothing to contribute.

I don't think it is unrealistic to ask for help with the fabric and other supplies. :D:D:D

I make a quilt every year for a fundraiser for an organization I am in. Everyone digs in their pockets to pay for the fabric. Then what we make selling chances is all profit for us. I think that is only right especially as you have been asked to do this.

Your donation is your time. If this is going to be an ongoing thing, your time is what makes the monetary donation (to buy fabric) grow into more funds to grow the church.

I have done many fundraisers for charities over the years and always get everything from raffle ticket printing, posters, raffle prizes, advertising, decorations, venue, and even wine (for dinner fundraisers) donated. I just tell people who provide those services or sell those items that is a way they can contrubute to the charity fundraiser and just expect them to do it. The more you can get donated, the more money the fundraiser nets. In this case, fabric, thread, and batting should be donated by the members of the church-and if any memeber has family/friends who have a quilt shop (or fabric shop), maybe they can get some of it donated as well. Even in these tough times, most people will be willing to donate a small bit, and those small bits add up quickly! Like I said before, give them a choice of pitching in a few dollars (the cost of a cup of coffee!!) or having the fun of buying a bit of fabric. Good luck!

Anybody else among your church group friends who can also help you with cutting, etc? You could even ask for donations of cotton fabric yardage. Let's face it, most of us waste a few dollars every month when shopping. And don't stick your nose up at WalMart if there is one near you with a fabric dept. Get some friends together to go shopping for the fabric.

This.

I think that a donation is when YOU decide, what, when and how much to give. When you get a request for a donation, I certainly don't think you should feel required to give anything at all. You should look at your time and finances and if you can provide any assistance, it should be on your terms. I also think that most people have no clue how much time and expense goes into a quilt. I would tell the person who volunteered you for this fundraising activity that if they can get the materials donated, you'll donate your time (and anything else that you think you can afford), or maybe agree to one quilt, certainly not multiples. You sound like a very generous person, but I wouldn't feel required to give.

Wouldnt it be wonderful if a group of quilters got together and made a quilt? Everyone in the group could bring their own fabric and choose the same block. A group effort for a like cause. And yes, when I make a quilt for a raffle I ask for donations of fabric.

If you are too shy to ask for help==and remember, you are not the ONLY member of this church, so all should share just a little bit. Get someone to help you gather bits and pieces, and look for the "Madam Chairman" type of female. She will get things done. I'm not saying SHE will do it, but she will get it DONE!!!

Yes, aske people to contribute materials or funds for materials. This makes them involved too :)

When I was asked to make a quilt for a minister who was moving to a new charge I agreed but requested a "twoonie" ($2 Canadian coin) to help with fabric and batting cost from each member. No one seemed to mind and it really helped when one of our oldest gentlemen stood up and said his sister quilted and materials were expensive and a large quilt would take at least 12 metres of fabric. I certainly appreciated Harold's imput that day.

When asked to make a quilt for a fundraiser, I consider it my 'donation'. I have, in the past, involved others, accepted contributions and ideas for design and fabric choices. It has been my experience that many hands do not always make lighter work. The more people involved means a wider variety of opinions, people who contribute more money sometimes think they have more influence, feathers are ruffled when their design idea wasn't chosen, (people who don't quilt have a great knack for choosing the most difficult, intricate patterns) etc.... it just became more stressful for me, since I was trying to appease everyone's ideas. Now, when asked, which is pretty frequently, I nod, smile, and say, "Sure, no problem!" The fundraising people are happy with the contribution and I can just do my own thing! Just my own experience, others mileage may vary.