As many of you know, quilts rarely make what they should when give to auctions. Here are a couple of ways we have found to make closer to their value for good causes.

1) Raffle, don't auction, the quilt. Around here, people will part with $1 or $5 for a chance to win a quilt, but won't pay $500 at an auction.

2) This is a new one. Our community had a fund raiser for a woman with cancer. Our guild donated a quilt. It had 60 white cornerstones between the blocks. Each of those was sold for $10, and people wrote messages and/or their names in the blocks. The quilt was give to the woman to have with her in the hospital while she's having treatments, and it raised some money to help with expenses.

Hope these ideas help with your fund raising activities.

OMG the second idea is brilliant. Thanks for sharing.

Shelly, I totally agree about the raffle. I was shocked to learn that some states have laws against raffles. Too bad as it is such a great way to do fund raising.

The selling of the cornerstone blocks is a great idea!

I also agree that donating quilts for an outright auction rarely fetch even the cost of materials, let alone the time and effort put into making one.

Good ideas!

Raffles are definitely better than auctions, I think. The cornerstone idea is a great one.

Great tips, love the second one :D:D:D

Both sound great

A quilt camp I go to has used both ways to raise money. One year they requested campers to donate a block (I want to say block & colors were specified - I know it was for cancer, but don't remember). Someone put them together and by the end of the camp we all had to opportunity to sign it in honor or in memory of someone special to use. Each name was a $1.00. Then, once the quilt was completed, they raffled off the quilt.

Most recently, they invited campers to send a fall colored 9-patch and then had groups associated with the camp facility sell raffle tickets. The raffle was held during the last camp. They raised (if I remember correctly) over $700 for the camp.

As am I! I knew you couldn't use PayPal to sell raffle tickets - I guess that is one reason why. I'd be willing to bet that some of the raffles I've participated in were not 'sanctioned'. :oops:

That's a novel idea.

Can you write on a quilt already quilted or do you just need the top or blocks then quilt?

Thanks for the tips :D I really love that second idea,

I donated a quilt for a raffle a number of years ago, it raised $1,ooo, definitely the way to go.


Annie

You can use permanent fabric marking pens to write on a completed quilt. It works great...we recently did a memory quilt for our guild president, and everyone wrote on the completed quilt. It came out great!!

Our church has a ladies dessert each year and the ticket cost a $15 grocery store gift card donated to church benevolence fund. I also donate 2 quilts they raffle off. Each brings about $150-175 cash for the church fund as well. The church then uses the money to help familes in the community.

Our church has a Lord's Acre sale once a year. Last year a quilt brought $900

Our church has a Lord's Acre sale once a year. Last year a quilt brought $900

Agree.

I made a quilt for a memorial scholarship donation..... raffled tickets, told evryone the drawing would be 6 months later or sooner if all tickets sold. We made $2,800

In Michigan you have to get a license from the state to sell raffle tickets. Recently they have changed some regulation and it takes 3 times as long to get the license. Our guild does a raffle quilt every year for monies to donate to charity in our community. We usually make over $2000. Very good money maker.

Thanks for sharing such great ideas

Great ideas....both of them. I might see if we can raffle off a quilt at school for funds for field trips this year. I know I will have all low income children in my class this year but parents in our school might like the idea of a chance to win a neat quilt for $1 or $2 chances.

I was told in TN that anyone wanting to have a raffle has to have it approved through the state lottery commission because a raffle competes with lottery sales. Is that true? Anyone from TN??? I just moved here a few years ago.

Some states won't allow raffles. In Ky. you can only sell $150.00 worth of raffle tickets.

How long did you sell tickets and how much were the tickets selling for? I am in charge of quilts for our church bazaar and was wondering if this would work for us to get more money . Sometimes the quilts don't bring very much for auctions

What good ideas... quilters are creative in many ways... thanks!

You can get around the "raffle laws" by asking for donations, then it isn't technically a raffle.

Me and my friend Debbie just made our first quilt. We were spoonfed/coached by my mom who has done it all. Bless her heart! Means Deb were a project ourselves. Anyway,our project was a dialysis fundraiser. We put so much into our quilt and now we're so attached we can barely stand to part with it. Any advice ? Its an Americana quilt, king size. If I did the update right it should be my avatar.

There is an annual church bazaar type event near Easter-time at church.
Our quilting group has a booth at the event - actually it's a room indoors (yea!)

In addition to a large "opportunity" quilt (for some reason they don't call it a raffle) we also offer quilts for sale as well as "sponsor" quilts.

We have on display several quilts.
While some are strictly for sale, there are others that we make solely for donation to two charities that we support.

People can make a $10 "sponsorship" donation toward a quilt that will be delivered to a charity.
Their name is added to the quilt label much like you see sponsor's names imprinted in brick pavers in walkways.

The sponsorships are very popular and have added a lot to the group's fundraising ability.

Love the cornerstone idea. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the ideas. I have always hesitated to put a quilt in an auction because people often do not want to pay what the quilt is worth.

You can sometimes "get around" the raffle restrictions by selling the contributor a pencil or some such tiny item so that money and item are exchanged in a true sale.

The selling of cornerstones is a wonderful idea. I think I read somewhere that women in the 1800's would do something similar to that to earn money. Thanks

We put for a $1 donation on our raffle tickets.
We raffle at least one a year for our Community Center.

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Those are really great ideas. I agree auctioning a quilt usually doesn't bring what is is worth.

What a great idea. that was a very good way to raise money.

When I was a young girl I lived in possom trot near Jacksonville , Al.

I love you second idea, It's amazing how many people want to put their name on a quilt or a brick nameplate to a new hospital wing for $10-25 but won't bit that amount on an auction. I'm two cwnts worth is: People like seeing their name on things, it doesn't matter what but a hundred years from now they want their name to go down in town history. If it works don't fix it and if it makes more money for the cause, use it! :thumbup: best of luck in all your fund raising endeavors. :-D :-D :-D

What a really neat idea. That is one that I have never thought of. That would be a great quilt to use for a benefit. This is the second great idea I have found today to help someone who is in need.