Fundraising idea....Thoughts????
03-19-2023, 01:15 PM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 215
Fundraising idea....Thoughts????
I am on our guilds fundraising committee....our monthly dues mostly cover the cost of renting our meeting space, insurance and other guild expenses but we feel we need to fundraise to help cover the cost of our "community quilts". Members make and donate most of the fabric for the tops, the guild purchases the batting and backing. Our community quilts are donated to the cancer clinic at our hospital and people get to choose a quilt at their first treatment.
My fundraising idea is to make quilt kits , like we do for our members to make....but to sell these kits to other sewers and quilters. I am thinking a one day quilt kit sale...perhaps packaging the scraps from the kits and selling those as scrap bundles.
I know that our guild members could easily donate fabric from stash to make the kits. 100 kits at $25-30 would bring in $2,500-3,000. Kits would include free pattern and fabric to make quilt top.
My questions are ....would you go to a kit sale?. Do you think this would work?. Have you seen this done. Any comments are welcome
My fundraising idea is to make quilt kits , like we do for our members to make....but to sell these kits to other sewers and quilters. I am thinking a one day quilt kit sale...perhaps packaging the scraps from the kits and selling those as scrap bundles.
I know that our guild members could easily donate fabric from stash to make the kits. 100 kits at $25-30 would bring in $2,500-3,000. Kits would include free pattern and fabric to make quilt top.
My questions are ....would you go to a kit sale?. Do you think this would work?. Have you seen this done. Any comments are welcome
03-19-2023, 01:24 PM
#2
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: northern minnesota
Posts: 2,353
To raise money for our guild we have done two things. However, some of the money raised goes also to charities in the area in addition to helping pay for batting ect. One of them is an auction But how the auction is run that at the beginning of the year, members bring in "orphan blocks" ect. Then members pick an orphan block and make something out of it. Then in the fall of the year, members bring back the made projects, then an auction is held. and yep the buyers are usually the guild members. Anyway, it is fun and really amazing to see what guild members have made out of our left over blocks and bits. The other thing is to make a group quilt and then sell raffle tickets. We have some very talented quilters in the group and some of the raffle quilts have placed in quilt shows. Again, each member sells the raffle tickets and we set a minimum each member must sell. Well, some of us just buy all the required tickets ourselves. We do make quilts for charity too, usually donated fabric and made by guild members. Some folks who just like to piece will bring their completed tops and other members will do the quilting. We have made a label with the guild 's name on it for the back of the quilt. Would I buy a "kit". well, I think I would be more tempted to buy the completed project as I have so many UFO's but I probably would to support the guild.
Last edited by sewingpup; 03-19-2023 at 01:29 PM.
03-19-2023, 02:18 PM
#3
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 3,512
We have done 'in house' raffles. I was quite honoured when my top was chosen for the last one. It was a queen sized scrappy that I pieced and then was quilted by one of our talented members. Tickets were $2 each or 3 for $5 and were on sale through 3 months of meetings. And since it was in house only, we did not need a raffle license.
Every other year, we would hold a quilt show and we would get the raffle license, and as sewingpup said, each member would have a certain minimum amount of tickets that they had to sell (or buy themselves which is what I tended to do)
Our guild has also done a 'brown bag' raffle (members donated items and/or fabric . Each lot had a brown bag in front of it and members purchased tickets to put into the bags. I think the price was 10 tickets for $10. At the end of the evening, a ticket was drawn from each bag and that person won the prize.) One year they held an auction of the more expensive donated items on the same night.
Would you be offering these kits to the general public perhaps in conjunction with a quilt show? You might do very well with that endeavour.
Every other year, we would hold a quilt show and we would get the raffle license, and as sewingpup said, each member would have a certain minimum amount of tickets that they had to sell (or buy themselves which is what I tended to do)
Our guild has also done a 'brown bag' raffle (members donated items and/or fabric . Each lot had a brown bag in front of it and members purchased tickets to put into the bags. I think the price was 10 tickets for $10. At the end of the evening, a ticket was drawn from each bag and that person won the prize.) One year they held an auction of the more expensive donated items on the same night.
Would you be offering these kits to the general public perhaps in conjunction with a quilt show? You might do very well with that endeavour.
03-19-2023, 08:30 PM
#5
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Lake Elsinore, CA
Posts: 15,144
It would be easier, and possibly more profitable, just to have a garage sale with the donated fabric. I know I am more likely to buy yardage than to buy a kit, especially one that is put together with odds and ends.
Fund raising is the bane of all guilds IMHO. It's necessary, and I admire the members who do it willingly and try to come up with new ideas. My guild has so many different fund raisers - opportunity quilt (raffle), brown bag as described by GingerK, silent auctions for the more desirable items during the brown bag event, annual quilt show where quilts are auctioned and handmade items are sold, various raffles for prizes during meetings. Most of the money goes to philanthropic projects, but we also have speakers and workshops a few times a year.
Another thing that might work is to ask businesses in your area to donate items. Restaurants are often happy to give out gift certificates for worthy causes, theaters will donate tickets, etc. You can put together some nice baskets with a variety of items and either do a raffle or a silent auction.
Fund raising is the bane of all guilds IMHO. It's necessary, and I admire the members who do it willingly and try to come up with new ideas. My guild has so many different fund raisers - opportunity quilt (raffle), brown bag as described by GingerK, silent auctions for the more desirable items during the brown bag event, annual quilt show where quilts are auctioned and handmade items are sold, various raffles for prizes during meetings. Most of the money goes to philanthropic projects, but we also have speakers and workshops a few times a year.
Another thing that might work is to ask businesses in your area to donate items. Restaurants are often happy to give out gift certificates for worthy causes, theaters will donate tickets, etc. You can put together some nice baskets with a variety of items and either do a raffle or a silent auction.
03-20-2023, 05:47 AM
#7
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Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Central Ohio
Posts: 15,176
I don't belong to a guild so I'm no help there but I don't think I'd buy a kit. My first thought on that is how well it was cut and the fabrics used. Now if my neighbor made up the kit I'd buy it because she is meticulous in all things quilting. Just an opinion.
03-20-2023, 02:38 PM
#8
Super Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 9,396
Originally Posted by dunster
It would be easier, and possibly more profitable, just to have a garage sale with the donated fabric. I know I am more likely to buy yardage than to buy a kit, especially one that is put together with odds and ends.
Originally Posted by SusieQOH
I don't think I'd buy a kit. My first thought on that is how well it was cut and the fabrics used.
Last edited by Peckish; 03-20-2023 at 02:43 PM.
03-21-2023, 04:06 AM
#9
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Dakotas
Posts: 2,978
Originally Posted by judy5cents
I am on our guilds fundraising committee....our monthly dues mostly cover the cost of renting our meeting space, insurance and other guild expenses but we feel we need to fundraise to help cover the cost of our "community quilts". Members make and donate most of the fabric for the tops, the guild purchases the batting and backing. Our community quilts are donated to the cancer clinic at our hospital and people get to choose a quilt at their first treatment.
My fundraising idea is to make quilt kits , like we do for our members to make....but to sell these kits to other sewers and quilters. I am thinking a one day quilt kit sale...perhaps packaging the scraps from the kits and selling those as scrap bundles.
I know that our guild members could easily donate fabric from stash to make the kits. 100 kits at $25-30 would bring in $2,500-3,000. Kits would include free pattern and fabric to make quilt top.
My questions are ....would you go to a kit sale?. Do you think this would work?. Have you seen this done. Any comments are welcome
My fundraising idea is to make quilt kits , like we do for our members to make....but to sell these kits to other sewers and quilters. I am thinking a one day quilt kit sale...perhaps packaging the scraps from the kits and selling those as scrap bundles.
I know that our guild members could easily donate fabric from stash to make the kits. 100 kits at $25-30 would bring in $2,500-3,000. Kits would include free pattern and fabric to make quilt top.
My questions are ....would you go to a kit sale?. Do you think this would work?. Have you seen this done. Any comments are welcome
I have no idea where they order the jewelry but it’s definitely nice and cheap so it sells well.
I’ve heard the sale brings in a great deal of money for the group.
All sewing supplies are purchased by the foundation. There is a well equipped sewing
room (5 machines) at the hospital & tops are made there or some sew at home. All are
40 x 56-57 so backing is never pieced.
Volunteers have their favorite days of the week. Some people only add backing & batting (pillowcase style)
Some people only add ties. Cancer patients choose their quilt. They also make “heart pillows” and bed jackets
for mastectomy patients.
Volunteers show their badge and get $8 off their food at the cafeteria, if they choose to eat. There are
Appreciation luncheons 2x a year for all hospital Volunteers.
Time to talk to your cancer unit about their contribution to this worthwhile project. They need to step up
and help since they benefit greatly from it.
03-21-2023, 10:44 AM
#10
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Florida
Posts: 3,827
I’ll second talking with the cancer unit. They may have funds available to help out.
Some fund raising events are extremely time users and hard to get people to volunteer: quilt show.
As someone said, members tend to buy the raffle tickets for opportunity quilt. Fun to make but find the committee to raise money befor making the quilt. As a member I hated selling the tickets and just donated the cost of tickets. As a prolific quilter I didn’t want to win another quilt.
The easiest, most fun and definitely profitable fund raiser I saw was a member raffle of UFO’s and orphan blocks. What happened was the planned program was cancelled 1 wk prior to the event. An e-announcement went out there would be a raffle. We thought maybe 2 tables would hold all the stuff. 10 tables later, all of the stuff could be squished onto the tables. Paper bags were put at each item. 5 tickets/$1.00. We had 3 persons drawing tickets with 6 runners to hand out stuff. It took 1 hour to distribute all the stuff. LAUGHTER!!!! A quick, painless $300.
Orphan blocks were $.25 each.
Some fund raising events are extremely time users and hard to get people to volunteer: quilt show.
As someone said, members tend to buy the raffle tickets for opportunity quilt. Fun to make but find the committee to raise money befor making the quilt. As a member I hated selling the tickets and just donated the cost of tickets. As a prolific quilter I didn’t want to win another quilt.
The easiest, most fun and definitely profitable fund raiser I saw was a member raffle of UFO’s and orphan blocks. What happened was the planned program was cancelled 1 wk prior to the event. An e-announcement went out there would be a raffle. We thought maybe 2 tables would hold all the stuff. 10 tables later, all of the stuff could be squished onto the tables. Paper bags were put at each item. 5 tickets/$1.00. We had 3 persons drawing tickets with 6 runners to hand out stuff. It took 1 hour to distribute all the stuff. LAUGHTER!!!! A quick, painless $300.
Orphan blocks were $.25 each.
