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20 Fundraising Ideas for College Clubs

Participating in a college club is one of the most exciting parts of attending college.  It is a great way to make new friends, develop your interests, and make business connections that are advantageous for years to come.

Part of your participation in a college club involves securing funding for events, rental of facilities, and general meetings.  To help you secure some money for your organization, here are some of the best fundraising ideas for college clubs.  They are a mixture of classic fundraising ideas with some innovative new fundraising approaches thrown in. And if you or your kid isn’t quite off to college yet, check out these great fundraising ideas for teens.

Throw a Bake Sale

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This is one of the most commonly used fundraising ideas for college clubs — because it works!  The key to throwing a successful bake sale is timing it right and advertising it well.  If you can have your bake sale coincide with another event on campus that has hundreds of hungry people attending, your college club will do very well. Look out for major events such as college football or basketball matches. Those are sure to attract a large crowd. And who wouldn’t love some delicious freshly-baked cookies after their favorite game? We’re pretty sure that even the athletes will come on down to see what you’ve got on display.

Raffles

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There is a reason why so many clubs regularly run raffles — they are very effective at raising money.  Ask friends and family if they have a unique item that they are willing to part with for the raffle. You should also consider raffling off a service like 4 weeks of house cleaning or car washes. Depending on the type of club you are in, you could raffle something related to it like piano lessons, a concert performance, maths lessons or Spanish lessons. Or, if you’re really good at something, you can offer custom-made tutorial videos about a certain topic, such as Javascript, for example. There are limitless ideas for raffles that you could think about.

Auctions

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Similar to a raffle, a charity auction requires some valuable or unique prizes.  Some clubs have a great deal of success raffling off dates with their members! Be creative and think of a range of products or services that people may be interested in. If you’re an art student, for example, you could try painting a few things and auction those off. It’s one of the best ways that a striving artist can make some money before launching into a full-fledged career. Ok, so you’re looking for fundraising ideas for college clubs. Still, we’ll allow you to keep that idea in the future for your own fund. You can thank us later.

Throw a Party

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Your college club can raise a significant amount of money by organizing an exciting party and charging admission. The party should have a great theme and if it is successful, it can become an annual event. Winter Balls, Halloween Parties, and Valentine’s Day parties all work well. Take the opportunity to run competitions, raffles, and auctions. You can also create your own unique cocktails for the party and charge people some money for those as well. Be creative and think about which drinks work well together. Pro tip: when people are having great fun in a certain place, they’re far more pre-disposed to spend cash.

Hold a Competition

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Competitions can be one of the most successful fundraising ideas for college clubs.  The competition could be something academic, sporty, or fun. Consider trivial pursuit, scrabble, chess, dictionary, or a team quiz for fun activities.  For something more academic, consider a debate competition, spelling competition, or maths competition.  For sporting competitions, you could use any number of team-based events.

Try to organize a “students vs academics” competition, because that will attract much more interest.  Focus the debate on a hot topic so it gains the interest of many people.  Charge a small entry fee and combine the event with other fundraising techniques.

Throw a Talent Show

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You’d be surprised at how talented your fellow students are! Organize a talent show with various prizes and charge an entry fee for attendees. You never know when the next big Dave Chappelle or Madonna will rise up from anonymity. And it will all be because of your college fundraiser idea.

Car Wash

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Another classic fundraising method that works well. Just be sure to advertise the car wash well and combine it with other fundraising activities like a bake sale, BBQ, and live music. And, please, bring quality equipment so that your customers will be happy with the service they’ll receive.

Nacho Party

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Who doesn’t like nachos? Set up a nacho stall in the middle of campus at lunchtime and you will get a lot of takers! You could also combine it with some other siesta-themed activities. Or you could even try to make a combo movie night with nachos. Star Wars and nachos sound like a lot of fun.

Run a Game Show

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Consider running a version of Family Feud with some academics facing off against a few bright students.  Create some entertaining questions and charge a small admission fee.

Themed Sales

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Take advantage of Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Valentine’s Day by selling items that make great presents.  Many students don’t have time to go shopping or forget to find a present for their mother, father, or partner.  Make it easy for them with a stall selling the appropriate gifts.

Garage Sale

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Another one of the best fundraising ideas for college clubs.  Have the members of your club find a few boxes of items that they no longer want and create a huge garage sale.  You can make a ton of cash and get rid of some items that you no longer use.

Create a Stress Relief Event

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Prior to final exams, hold a stress relief event.  It should involve foot rubs, massages, scented oils, positive affirmations, and soothing music. Stressed-out students will be happy to pay a small fee to unwind and relax before the big test.

A Sports Competition between Clubs

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Hold a “College’s fittest man and woman” competition.  The goal of the event is to find out which sporting team has the fittest athletes.  The event should contain a series of challenges that test each athlete’s agility, strength, and endurance.

Give a prize to the winning athlete.  Something simple like a t-shirt proclaiming they are the fittest person on campus is fine.  However, a cash prize would really give students a strong incentive to enter.  The sporting team that the athlete plays for will also win a trophy that they hold for a year.  You will see a healthy rivalry between sporting teams develop!  Combine the event with a nacho party, bake sale, or sausage sizzle to feed to spectators.

Instructional Videos

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The Internet has become a great source of revenue for many writers, podcasters, and video makers.  You could create a number of educational or tutorial videos and upload them online.  If they do well, they will provide a long-term source of revenue for your club.

Karaoke Party

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Rent a karaoke machine and throw a party.  Offer prizes for the best performance of the night (voted on by the audience).  Charge a small admission fee and offer snacks.

Scavenger Hunt

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You can place a number of clues around the campus for scavengers to find.  The first team to complete the scavenger hunt wins a prize.  Have a small entry fee which also gives participants access to a party thrown afterward.

Used Book Sale

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Ask for book donations from friends and family, then have a book sale on campus. Try to get academic texts from ex-students, because they will sell really well.

Sell Merchandise

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You can sell coffee cups, t-shirts, and other merchandise that promotes your club.  You can connect with ex-members to see if they are interested in buying merchandise.

Ask Ex-Members for Donations

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Reconnect with old members of the club to see if they would consider making a small donation. For that donation, they will receive some form of additional recognition with the club, which can help them create social connections with current club members.

Throw a Dinner

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Do you have any talented cooks in your club? Consider throwing a luxurious themed dinner. Pull out all of the stops and have club members dress as waiters, looking after the guest’s every need.  Charge a small admission fee and consider combining it with other fundraising activities like an auction.

Final Thoughts

No matter what you’re raising funds for in your college club, these 20 inspiring ideas are sure to come in handy one way or another.

As long as you know how to organize events, you shouldn’t have much trouble organizing one of the fundraising ideas mentioned above.