fundraising-msg – 2/3/12 Fundraising ideas for SCA groups. NOTE: See also the files: households-msg, new-groups-msg, recruitment-msg, largess-ideas-msg, travel-funds-msg, crown-cost-msg. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ Newsgroups: rec.org.sca From: UCCXDEM Subject: Re: Feast Formats Organization: Oklahoma State University Computer Center, Stillwater OK Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1993 15:36:00 GMT >Greetings, all, from Angharad ver' Rhuawn. >and I'm drooling at the thought.... >And here, I read regularly about feasts whose budgets are "only" $8, $10, >and more. HOW MUCH DO YOU GUYS GET, TO COOK A FEAST WITH, ANYHOW? >-- Sorry for shouting. I'm better now. Really. >But I am curious what feast budgets run in other parts of the world. >Cheers, >-- Angharad/Terry Greetings to the Rialto and Lady Angharad from Marke. Here in Mooneschadowe, there is two sets of people who trade off in doing feasts at our events, the Green Man Tavern and the Purple Pheasant The average per head budget runs from 3 to 4.5 dollars. The last Mooneshadowe Guardian event, the budget was allowed $5 per person. The dishes were set up in 3 courses. There was (if memory serves) 3 Veg. dishes, and I remember 4 meats (venison, beef, pork, and chicken) and a Welsh meatless sausage. Interspersed with breads, fruits, and cheeses. Also, they did serve a simple dessert. This feast was done by the Green Man people, and the Ansteorran Crown loved it. This feast did make a profit, which was unexpected. The Green Man Tavern was able to keep the costs below $5 a head. Our shire is doing a Valentine's fundraiser on the 12th of February '94 for the 'moderns' of the area. The theme is Valentine's so the tickets will be sold two at a time. The budget for this is 6-7 dollars per person. The autocrats for this are researching the menu and the serving style and the gossip. The feasters will be seeded with 10 SCA couples to play completely in Persona, with approp- riate gossip. Of course this is planned to be an all evening feast. If anyone wants more info, just email a message to me. Marke *********************************************************************** David Mann, OSU CIS, Stillwater, Ok. H.L. Marke von Mainz, Reeve, Mooneschadowe, Ansteorra uccxdem at okway.okstate.edu or uccxdem at mvs.ucc.okstate.edu From: gshetler at envirolink.ORG (Greg Shetler) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Operating expenses Date: 1 Jul 1994 13:36:06 -0400 Organization: the internet You know, in Dun Or operating expenses are partially defrayed by passing the hat at the end of the council meeting. Whatever sum is raised (i.e. 32.17) determines the year to be looked up in a history reference.. 3217 would become 1617 (the year is modulo 1600), which would then be 17. If the year is not interesting enough, the hat goes around again. Say another $1049 is raised, btringing the total to $$42.66. The year to look up is thus 1066. Interesting "bidding" wars sometimes arise, as people try to get the amount to their favorite year(s). This method can raise (and has) as much as $40 to $50 in a single night, from nothing more than simple generosity and fun. This is often enough to pay for a post-office box, postage, long-distance phone calls, and miscellaneous expenses for the officers. ---------------------------------------->> Mordock von Rugen, Hlaford, Outlands Fray MKA: Greg Shetler From: charles at krusty.eecs.umich.edu (Charles J. Cohen) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Fundraiser Ideas Requested for Small Shires Date: 25 Sep 1995 22:34:41 GMT Organization: University of Michigan AI Lab In article <95268.164959CS23001 at maine.maine.edu>, Lisa A. Tyson wrote: >I believe that my group may be typical of a small shire > (or incipient shires ) in that we would like to increase >our shire funds but need good fund raising ideas to choose from. I can think of a few ways. When our shire did not have enough money for specific projects, we would hold an auction at one of our local revels. People would donate something, like some small jewelry or some garb or a service (like offering to teach someone how to make a shield, etc). Another method is to put on a performance, such as a dinner theater. This takes a lot of preparation and time, but it is possible. For example, at Cynnabar we would put on a Court of Love dinner theater show at a restaurant on Valentine's day, where we recieved a nice amount. I can give lots more details on this, if you wish. Best of luck! - Midair MacCormaic Newsgroups: rec.org.sca From: ojid.wbst845 at xerox.com (Orilee Ireland-Delfs) Subject: Re: Fundraiser Ideas Requested for Small Shir Organization: Xerox Corporation, Webster NY Date: Tue, 26 Sep 1995 15:05:26 GMT Some ideas that I have seen used preety effectively: A "bake sale" lunch at your events. food is donated by members of the group (muffins, quick breads, miniature quiches, pastries, scones, etc.) and sold for lunch to attendees. A "garage sale" at an event where members can sell items they no longer need (SCA related of course) or all of the unclaimed lost and found from past events. Items can be sold at a fixed cost or auctioned off either loudly or silently with the proceeds going to the group's coffers. Items made by members of the group or services or personalized items (a banner made with the individual's arms for example) could also be auctioned off. One fund raiser that is successful for my Barony involves catering a Yule dinner for a local Garden Club. The Garden Club has dinner/ lectures every few months through the year and we cater the dinner in December, complete with period dishes (usually trying to emphasize herbs in keeping with the Garden Center's charter), and entertainment. For the past 3 years, the dinner has been sold out within hours of the tickets going on sale, and was so successful the first year that we had to add a second night. Due to the size of the all, we have been limited to about 60 per seating, but there have been rumblings about moving the dinner to a school where we'd have a real kitchen and a larger audience. We are paid for the food costs and the profits of the dinner are split between the Garden Club and our group. Maybe a local church or social group would be interested in something similar. Raffling off a well-made item (a war chest or something large and pretty) also works well - just be sure to check your state's raffle laws first! A "weeping and wailing" crew set up for a tournament - the more the fighter pays, the better mourners he gets. A small pitance would get him dragged off the field by his heels, a large sum would get him a full set of mourners in veils, flowers, and a grand procession off the field on his shield. Or perhaps your group could set up paid "services" for the day at an event - a herald for a fighter, someone who will fetch and carry for a person all day, something like that. Hope this gives you some ideas! Good luck! Orianna From: VYXA86B at prodigy.com (Susan Miller) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Fundraiser Ideas Requested for Small Shir Date: 27 Sep 1995 13:07:27 GMT Organization: Prodigy Services Company 1-800-PRODIGY You might also auction off the judgeships for assorted contests...up here in Oertha several groups have raised funds that way, especially for ethnic/time-period cooking, desserts, and brewing contests cause the judges get to sample the various goodies. The dessert judgeships have done best over time, I think. Flanna From: ghita at MCS.COM (Susan Earley) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Fundraiser Ideas Requested for Small Shires Date: 26 Sep 1995 14:55:14 -0500 Organization: MCSNet Services The New Chancellor of the Exchequer Officer's Handbook (due to be approved by the Board of Directors in October) has an entier appendix dedicated to fund-raising ideas. After approval, it should be delivered to you by the end of the year. -Ghita ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Maestra Margherita Alessia, called Ghita Member # 32315 Susan Earley Shire of Rokkehealdan [SW Chicago Suburbs] Brookfield, IL Middle Kingdom Chancellor of the Exchequer ghita at mcs.com Purpure, a sword palewise or between two winged cats rampant combatant, that to dexter Argent, that to sinister Or. From: Garick Chamberlin Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Fundraiser Ideas Requested for Small Shires Date: Tue, 26 Sep 95 23:43:45 GMT Organization: Drachenwald I have run *many* fund-raisers for local groups and for Kingdom wide accounts. By far the most lucrative I have seen or been involved in is a simple auction. At one local event I went out and spent $30 at second hand stores. For that $30 I got the Tourney Prize (an empty fox) and a bunch of vaguely medeival brick- a-brac. By combining this stuff with a few leftovers from the contents of my garage and talking one of the funniest guys in the Kingdom into being my co-auctioneer we raised over $300 at an after dinner auction the next evening. At last Coronation I hosted an auction that raised over $600. The best sellers are Services (personalized scroll from a scribe, poem of derision written about your enemy by a local bard, etc), followed by booze. Feast gear and armor also always sell briskly. A peice of rattan that I had payed $18 dollars for and had used 1/3 of, for example, sold for $25. Pretty much anything you can scrape up will sell. The most important part is to have a good auctioneer who keeps it moving, to keep it amusing, to accept only dollar increments, and to keep it amusing. For example, when a truly hideous yellow ceramic goblet was getting no bids, I threatened not to let the servers serve the next remove untill it sold. It immediately sold for a couple of bucks. The fiendish purchaser immediately donated it back to the auction. When it came back up, rather than try to sell it outright, I auctioned off the right to smash it. getting into the spirit, His Majesty offered to duct tape it to his helm and let the succesfull bidder take three swings at it. It went for over $20. Thus can a poor mover be turned into a great bit of schtickt and a hefty ammount of cash. Another fun fund raising idea, though rarely so lucrative, is the Fighter Auction. This is much quicker and easier than a standard auction. On the day of the tourney, you simple auction off all the fighters. The succesful bidder then receives any prize that fighter wins, rather than the fighter himself. This works best if you have more than one prize (like a Best Novice, or Best Death), as then every fighter has a good chance of winning something, so they all go for good rates. At one event of this ilk with about 50 fighters in the tourney, Novices were going for about $10, squire level fighters for $10-15, Knights for 15-25, Viscounts for up to 35, the 2 counts went for about 40 each, the Dukes went for about 50, and the king himself raised a bid of over $75. I doubt the main prize was worth more than $50, but the prestige seems to be worth something too. Good luck with your fund-raising. P.S. I wouldn't bother with a raffle. I have found (to my chagrine) that you can usually auction off an item for more money than would come in on ticket sales. Raffles are too uncertain for people to sink much money into and they don't get a good feeding frenzy going like an auction does. -- Viscount Sir Garick von Kopke Honor Virtus Est From: parkerd at mcmail.cis.McMaster.CA (Diana Parker) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Fundraiser Ideas Requested for Small Shires Date: 28 Sep 1995 02:37:22 -0400 Organization: McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. In article <95268.164959CS23001 at maine.maine.edu>, Lisa A. Tyson wrote: > I believe that my group may be typical of a small shire > (or incipient shires ) in that we would like to increase > our shire funds but need good fund raising ideas to choose from. At an event: - auctions of donated articles & services (possibly including their server-of-choice for feast) (the first auction I saw the highest amount went for a box of Baroness Angharad's cookies - the price jumped $5 every time the auctioneer ate another one during the bidding :) - merchants table of donated articles & services - lunch tables - raffles or lotteries (3 prizes genders more interest than just 1) Away from events - pass the hat (I've seen groups pass it weekly until they'd reached their goal - or lowered their goal) - paid demos - garage sales (group members donate "stuff" - all proceeds to the shire) cheers Tabitha ---------------------------------------------- Diana Parker parkerd at mcmaster.ca Security Services CUC - 201 McMaster University (905) 525-9140 (x24282) From: mchance at crl.com (Michael A. Chance) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Fundraiser Ideas Requested for Small Shires Date: 29 Sep 1995 18:32:13 -0700 Organization: CRL Dialup Internet Access Lady Brynn writes: >I believe that my group may be typical of a small shire > (or incipient shires ) in that we would like to increase >our shire funds but need good fund raising ideas to choose from. One of the most consistent sources of income that the Barony of Three Rivers has had over the years has been the Boy Scouts. The barony routinely does demos for Cub, Webelos, and Scout packs, often at things like Blue and Gold dinners. While we've never asked for any renumeration for these demos, we almost inevitably get asked how much we want afterward. Our standard response is "We do these demos for free; however, if you'd like to make a donation to our local chapter, our suggested donation is $50. You are free, though, to donate as much or as little as you like." Quite often, we end up receiving more than that amount. To be honest, Three Rivers is in a major metropolitan area (St. Louis, Missouri), and there are a *lot* of Scout troops. The number of such potential sources in your area may be significantly less. Another option is to run either a food booth, a crafts booth, or a games booth (or some combination of these) at local church fairs, town or county fairs, etc., in conjunction with a "typical" SCA demo. Mikjal Annarbjorn -- Michael A. Chance St. Louis, Missouri, USA "At play in the fields Work: mc307a at sw1stc.sbc.com of St. Vidicon" Play: mchance at crl.com From: MCKAY_MICHAEL at tandem.COM Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Fundraiser Ideas Requested for Small Shires Date: 28 Sep 1995 21:17:48 -0400 Organization: The Internet One of the biggest problems with traditional fund raisers is that they only draw upon members for the money. More effective fund raisers get money from outside the group. These types of fund raisers are more difficult to do, and have to steer a tight moral ground. For instance, I would never consider having a SCA fund raiser that just asked for money (like the Salvation Army Bell ringers). Futher, you have to be very careful if you are going to "compete" with local businesses (from a non-profit stand-point). A group of us had considered "catering" dinners with medieval entertainment as a form of fund raising, but this ran into all sorts of problems (in addition to the competing aspects, health and license issues also being important). Even within these restrictions, it is possible to do some very good fund raisers. Some good things to look for: furthers the educational mission of the SCA, gives people good value for their money, and stays within the moral confines explained above. The first idea worked quite well for our Canton, and I highly recommend it. Our local community decided to do a Renn Faire (but any community gathering will work). We looked for a medieval activity, that would be involving, but not require too much time commitment. This turned into an archery booth. We gave 13 arrow shots for a $1 (about the cheapest thing in the Faire), and gave personalized archery instructions and medieval history to anybody who wanted it. This raised about $1300 in a very hetic 2 days (we had completly bought out the cheap arrow supply within a 20 mile radius too), even after subtracting booth and arrow costs (bows were loaned for the event, luckily no breakage there). Although we used archery, there are probably a number of different crafts that could also be used (should be able to complete the project in about 15 minutes). The second idea is much simpler, but still needs a bit of planning to make it go smoothly. Try renting out costumes for Halloween. There is some risk, but you handle this with contingency charges. Done well, this is also an excellent place for helping educate the public. Garick made a comment about raffles not raising enough money. I'll agree that traditional raffles often have this problem. Two things do make them better. Have multiple items in the raffle (too many times I have seen a bunch of really nifty items all raffled off as a single lot). But to make it work even better, let me suggest the following: Have a lot of items to raffle, and treat it almost like a silent auction. Make the tickets cheap, and give big discounts for buying lots of them (25 cents apiece, 5 for $1, 30 for $5, etc.). Put a jar in front of each item, and have people deposit raffle tickets for the items they want. Done with good encouragement [selling], this type of raffle will raise far more money than an ordinary sort. One minor disadvantage is that you can't easily sell raffle tickets in advance (although one way to do this is to sell special tickets for a "very nifty" item, basically a seperate raffle). Those are the ideas off the top of my head. I'd be interested in any other ideas as well. Seaan McAy Caer Darth; Darkwood; Mists; West (Santa Cruz, CA) Per fess indented argent and vert, three pheons counterchanged From: 0003900943 at mcimail.COM (Marla Lecin) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Fund raiser ideas for small shires Date: 26 Sep 1995 14:47:23 -0400 Organization: The Internet Greetings from Jessa d'Avondale, One fund-raiser that our canton found very successful was to sell lunch at an event. We had run our own event a month earlier, and froze the leftovers (honey butter, deboned chicken, sauteed onions, oranges, sliced apples and pears). This kept the expenses very low. For lunch, we sold lemonade and orange-cinnamon drink for 25 cents a glass (The orange-cinnamon drink concentrate recipe was posted on the Rialto sometime last year), along with cheese-onion pasties, chicken pasties, apple-pear tarts, soup, and bread & butter. We set the prices low, no more than $1 per item. If you should consider this, I would recommend the following: pick an event that several of your members would be attending anyway; ask the autocrat for permission ahead of time (they may have planned to serve lunch!), find out how many attendees they expect, and if there might be tables you can set up at; don't expect to use the site's kitchen - bring your own coolers, hot plates, etc. For a couple of evenings' work cooking and baking, we were able to raise over $150. I have found that no matter how long people have been in the SCA, many of them (myself included!) will not always remember to bring lunch to an event that starts before noon. They will be happy to spend a few dollars at your table in return for a plateful of food. Jessa Newsgroups: rec.org.sca From: arnora at coulomb.uwaterloo.ca (Arnora Dunestan) Subject: shire fundrasing ideas (longish) Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 13:03:25 GMT Organization: University of Waterloo Keywords: host a collegium! Arnora here. Again. Like tub mold that just keeps coming back when you're not watching ... :-) Five years ago, a small group within my canton (the local members of my household) needed to raise some money for required items. we needed something a small handful of us could organize, with minimum expense, and maximum gain. The outcome of that need was the "Forward Into The Past" Medieval Collegium Demo (yes, it's a public demo!) Our profits typically run to about $600 (and that's Ealdormerian funds, friends :-), with expenses having crept up to about $200 + over the five years we have been doing this. The problem with the Collegium idea is that, while it only takes a handful of people to organize, it takes a LOT to pull off, becuase the Collegium is a RUM-style demo format, meaning you require the services of a large number of available people willing to teach an hour's course on a given topic. We have discovered, over five years, that after the first year, people are coming to us to ask if they can teach a course for us ... :-) Ostensibly, three people can put this together - one to handle advertising (both SCA and mundane), one to handle aspects of registration, and one to organize the teachers and the schedule. Then you might want to look at having someone to handle setting up atmospheric displays for the mundanes to look at between classes, and another person to co-ordinate set-up/take-down. Major expense is, naturally, advertising; heading into our sixth year, we have evolved into a pretty extensive (and expensive :-) advertising campaign, but depending on the interest in your area, you can get away with simple posters on coloured paper (i recommend nothing smaller than 11x17" for impact) and maybe some flyers. If you are worried about garnering enough public interest, you can open it up to general SCA attendance as well (I also recommend having non-teaching SCAdians come in mundanes, to make the real mundanes feel less out-of-place in the classroom). Another expense which can be as great or as small as you like are the much-appreciated "thank you" gifts for the teachers. Our first year, we offered bottles of homemade mead or non-alcoholic ginger beer to the teachers; in the past two years, we have offered pewter castings made by our own house members. The point is, this sort of "demo" can be done on a shoestring budget, if you can get the teachers to help donate some time and effort. This sort of demo can also spiral out of control and become a major annual event that you schedule your life around ... :-) like any event, it can be a LOT of work, or it can be as little work as you think you can get away with ... depending on the manpower you have available (you did say the shire was small, oui?), this may be something you can make work. Good luck in your endeavours, In Service, Arnora (Lady Arnora Dunestan, Houses Venshavn and Hrogin, Ealdormere) From: salley at niktow.canisius.edu (David Salley) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Fundraiser Ideas Requested for Small Shires Date: 7 Oct 95 20:28:40 GMT Organization: Canisius College, Buffalo NY. 14208 1.) Get permission from a mall manager or a chain store manager to "set up shop". We're using the Barnes and Noble bookstore on Niagara Falls Blvd. here in Rhydderich Hael (Buffalo). 2.) Pick a Saturday in December. We've got the 19th. 3.) Stock up on wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, scissors, tape, etc. We actually found four "medievalish" wrapping paper designs and stocked up. 4.) Advertise in advance. 5.) On the big day, wear garb and wrap presents for a fee. If you've got bards, put them to work singing old Christmas Carols. If you've got someone who can do a passable "Father Christmas", give him a bag of candy and turn him loose. We're expecting to make enough money this year to make a large donation to Deaconess Pediatrics Hospital (where Buffalo cops bring the born-Crack-addicted babies they find in garbage cans. :-() - Dagonell SCA Persona : Lord Dagonell Collingwood of Emerald Lake, CSC, CK, CTr Habitat : East Kingdom, AEthelmearc Principality, Rhydderich Hael Barony Internet : salley at cs.canisius.edu (Please use this, reply may not work.) USnail-net : David P. Salley, 136 Shepard Street, Buffalo, New York 14212-2029 From: Mario Nigrovic Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Ideas for fund raising??? Date: Wed, 12 Jun 1996 10:01:27 +0000 Organization: NetZone Services L.L.C. (602) 991-4NET Greetings unto all from Melisend! Our Barony has had great success with Pie-A-Peer auctions. Peers up for auction get hit with a pie tin full of whipping cream by the highest bidder. Round up volunteer peers ahead of time (so they know to wear washable garb - or bring a change of clothes) and really talk it up before the event. We have had about equal success with the baby peers (everyone wants to give them a hard time) and the old-timers (Master Mark the Immoral's price was $65 from a consortium of his *friends*). We only do this at out-door tournament type events - for obvious reasons, but it's alot of fun! -- Melisend Cindy Nigrovic From: greeder at concentric.net Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Ideas for fund raising??? Date: 13 Jun 1996 01:34:00 GMT Organization: Concentric Internet Services In <4pl57n$3dr at newsbf02.news.aol.com>, celtic2074 at aol.com (Celtic2074) writes: >The group I am in is trying to develop some ideas for fund raising. The >site costs in our area have sky rocket over the past few years. It is >becoming impossible for events to make any profit to cover the groups >operating expenses. I am sure there are other groups out there that have >faced this problem. What solutions have been found ? Any ideas for fund >raisers ? Two things that have been great fund raisers for Bryn-gwlad have been the "fight-the-knight" and "crossbow shoot" We get together with the organizers of fairs and medwvial style events around here. Two booths are set up and we collect a fee. Usualy we have to split the fee with the organizer but we have always made money. For fight the knight we let the kids whack at a knight (real person) who will make a token resistance then do a great prat fall. A harald then announces the kid as the brave and fearless winner and gives them a certificate. There is usualy a line. Crossbow shoot is what it sounds like. Padded Quarells are shot at targets on a short range. The down side of this is the labor. If the populous is not willing to help out. it all is worthless. From: afn03234 at freenet2.afn.org (Ronald L. Charlotte) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Ideas for fund raising??? Date: 13 Jun 1996 11:08:24 GMT In <4pl57n$3dr at newsbf02.news.aol.com>, celtic2074 at aol.com (Celtic2074) wrote: > The group I am in is trying to develop some ideas for fund raising. The > site costs in our area have sky rocket over the past few years. It is > becoming impossible for events to make any profit to cover the groups > operating expenses. I am sure there are other groups out there that have > faced this problem. What solutions have been found ? Any ideas for fund > raisers ? Our Barony has its largest fundraiser from selling softdrinks at the medieval faire run by the city every year (its also where we have a huge demo area, its more work than an _event_!). I've known groups to sponsor snack stands at events, or even to have periodic "trunk sales" with all or part of the profit going to the group. There's the possibility of having a auction at an event (this works really well if the group has at least a few skilled crafters or cooks (box lunches)). I well understand the site fee problem. We live in an area chock full of campgrounds and parks, and only a handful have the facilities we need at a reasonable price. -- al Thaalibi ---- An Crosaire, Trimaris Ron Charlotte -- Gainesville, FL afn03234 at afn.org From: gfrose at cotton (Terry Nutter) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Ideas for fund raising??? Date: 12 Jun 1996 22:36:41 GMT Organization: Not Much Greetings, all, from Katerine Rountre. There are generally three approaches to fund-raising: * within the local group * within the larger group * outside the group These are listed in order from easiest to hardest, and from least to most effective (in the sense of raising least to most bucks, assuming that the activities at each level are roughly equally successful). Some of the sorts of things you can do: * Rummages, auctions, etc. This is usually done within the local or larger group. You procede by asking everyone locally to toss in anything they have and might want to part with, and then arranging to hawk the stuff, with teh group picking up the tab. This can also be targed outside the group asking for things of more general interest, and then holding a lawn/garage/tag/ whatever-they-call-it-in-your-neck-of-the-woods sale. There is the ubiquitous bake sale. (We can at least offer some slightly different products.) * Selling services This is usually done within the larger group. Think broad. A "service" can be taking care of someone's kids at an event; but it can also be letting someone dunk you in water or throw pies at you; it can be writing a special verse for them; it can be _anything_ that anyone in your local group can do. (Well, _almost_ anything. Keep it legal....) * Selling services outside Summer is the season of the carwash. Some places will actually pay for demos; great work if you can get it. You could try picking a weekend, and advertizing in the local paper a "Household Help and Handyman" benefit service for that weekend only, labor to come from your group, procedes to go to the group. * Begging You can always pass the hat. If you pass it around each other, it's likely to come back thin, but at an event, you may have better luck. None of these is guaranteed to work. If raising money were easy, we'd all be rich. But they're a few ideas. If any of them look like they'll work for you locally, there's not much to lose by giving them a shot. Cheers, -- Katerine/Terry From: ghita at ix.netcom.com(Susan C Earley) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Ideas for fund raising??? Date: 13 Jun 1996 16:50:54 GMT Organization: Netcom The new exchequer handbook has an entire appendix of fund-raising ideas (pages and pages of them). Your local exchequer should have one of these handbooks. If not, you can buy one from the Corporate Office in Milpitas for $10 (every group should have one anyway...) Date: Wed, 07 Jan 98 15:54:27 -0600 From: rudin at okway.okstate.edu Subject: Re[2]: SC - It's still chicken? :-0 Our shire does a Valentine's Feast fund raiser where we serve mostly mundane couples. We generally serve cornish game hens, one per couple. The only tableware they are given is a spoon and a table knife (not sharp). As I understand, it is quite amusing watching the mundanes try to figure out how to attack the hen. Mercedes rudin at okway.okstate.edu Subject: ANST - Money from other sources Date: Mon, 19 Jan 98 18:57:21 MST From: "James Crouchet" To: ansteorra at Ansteorra.ORG Ulf, thanks [for] the discussion on Event Costs, which is a great lead in to a related subject I have been discussing of late. That subject is Corporate Sponsors. Corporate Sponsors are companies who give your group something of value. For instance, we have one corporate sponsor who prints our baronial newsletter at little or no cost. In exchange they note in the newsletter that they printed it. Further, we try to take our other printing needs to them. So what can we get from such sponsors and what do they get for it? Well, space for one thing. Meeting rooms, space for dance or fighter practice. Perhaps the use of equipment that they already have or even money -- especially if earmarked for a specific purpose. What they get varies. They may want to be mentioned in your newsletter as a sponsor (this is NOT an ad -- that is an important legal distinction) much like public radio and tv mention their sponsors. They will almost certainly want to write off the cost on their income tax as a donation. Consider that if they let you use space they are not using anyway (or in the evening when they do not use it) they can write off the fair market value of that space, i.e. what equivalent space rents for in your area. That can lower their taxes without actually increasing their costs. They may do it just for the community PR. Odds are, they will want all these things. So, how do you get a corporate sponsor? The short answer is, you ask them. In practice it is more complicated than that. First, you need a positive community presence. That means giving school demos, helping in local clean-up days, doing an adopt-a-hwy, marching in parades, helping fund raise for public radio & tv, being the entertainment at the policeman's ball, helping restore parks and other community service activities. Do as much in costume as possible, avoid talking about how weird you are and remember that talking about your religion -- not matter what it is -- is bound to offend someone. What you want for your trouble is a letter of thanks. Keep a file of these. BTW, having the rest of the community know who you are and that you are OK helps a lot in getting halls, getting new members and in interactions with police or city councils. Second, you need to pick a potential sponsor who has something you want. Of course, we all want money, but that is the last thing a business will want to give. Go for the in-kind donations whenever possible. Remember that while you can have multiple sponsors some may see this as disloyal, especially if you have more than two or three. Also, if they want you to show up at their company picnic or some such, more than a couple may put too much strain on your schedule. Third, PREPARE a presentation. Make it clear who you are, what you give to the community (now is when you need those letters), what you want and what you are offering them (like a mention in your newsletter). Fourth, have your best folks make contact and present your proposal. If they say no, go to the next candidate. You may get a lot of NOs, but it only takes one YES. Finally, keep records and REPORT their donations. It is very important to keep this all legal and report everything because if they report their donation to the IRS any you do not they may get audited and then they would drop you at once. What's more, YOUR GROUP might get audited for unreported donations. This may sound like a lot of trouble, but the benefits can be well worth it and there are a lot of side benefits to having a positive community presence. This also allows your group to do things without having to get all the money from the pockets of SCAers. Don Doré P.S. - If any of you treasurer or legal sorts see mistakes in what I have said above, please point them out so those who do this can do it right! From: David Everett Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: fund raising Date: Sat, 04 Apr 1998 19:38:02 -0800 Holly Cochran wrote: > Greetings from Ms. Aidan--The Outlands list has recently begun a > discussion about site fees, etc. The underlying issue seems to be > funding and fund raising. What are some ideas and ways that groups out > there in the big SCA world have used to raise funds for things like > sites, newsletters, loaner armor, etc. without raising site fees? > Thanks, and a list of ideas will be compiled and posted back to the > Outlands list. > > Things I had thought of and already suggested-fighter auctions, demos > with Bashaknight, archery, etc. , participation in RenFairs (no flames > please, its just that its done...), selling scrolls or other A&S stuff, > A&S auctions. > > Thanks. > > Ms. Aidan Cocrinn > Barony of al-Barran > Kingdom of the Outlands Auctions are very good, as are contests with entry fees, Lunchbox auctions, Auction a fighter for a prize tourrney, buyer gets the prize. The list is VERY long, in the kingdom, of the West on every Labor Day weekend, the Ducal Prize Tourney is held, this event is a fundraiser for the Kingdom Historical Trust Inc. a non profit organization whose purpose is to acquire land for a permanent site in the central west kingdom. Over the four days of the event there a myriad of contests, games and auctions. IIRC, last year approx. Nineteen Thousand dollars was raised. I think that the common theme is, at least here, is that we are happy to give money for a good cause. But we want that choice, and being charged an inflated price for an event so the local group can make money just sets a lot of teeth on edge. The Bod Site Fee surcharge was very controversial out here. Finally take a look at your Exchequer's Handbook, It has a lot of suggestions on fundraising in the back IIRC, (haven't been Exchequer in a while =(8^D) -- David Everett/Dimitri Sveestunov Wanna be Jeopardy! Question Writer This Message Brought to You by the Letters L and B, and the number 8. From: "sunshinegirl" Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: fund raising Date: 5 Apr 98 05:12:44 GMT Holly Cochran wrote: > What are some ideas and ways that groups out > there in the big SCA world have used to raise funds for things like > sites, newsletters, loaner armor, etc. without raising site fees? Bake sales at tourneys--especially when lunch items are provided. Lunch basket auction (volunteers make lunch for two, the baskets are auctioned without knowing who made the lunch, and the maker eats with the buyer) Special elections (Queen or King of May, for example) where votes/nominations are purchased. SCA themed garage or costume sales, either with volunteer items or with owners contributing a percentage to sponsoring group. (Don't know if they still do it, but Calafia used to have an annual costume sale--great place to either get rid of that costume that no longer fits your personna or purchase that costume that fits your new personna...) Sponsor a war. It might start off small, but everybody loves a war, and if done right can really add to the bankroll. Simple but throughally researched feasts can also pay, especially if you insist on prepayment with reservation. Simple means less expense to actually cook, but researched and planned means people won't mind paying $8-12 for it. Just make sure that it is on time and comes complete with entertainment as well. Hope this helps, and I would love a copy of your list when you finish it. Melandra of the Woods Date: Mon, 9 Aug 2004 16:17:03 -0700 From: lilinah at earthlink.net Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] What would you do? To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org Samrah wrote: > I totally agree with your entire post. What kingdom are you in? > Here in Caid I have heard carwashes are not allowed as they are not > a "period activity". Chass Brown wrote: > Also never underesitimate the power of holding a carwash with the > lasses of your area (have seen that one done as well). As far as holding a fund-raising car wash... What is allowed is specified in the Exchequer's Manuals. There is a different manual for each kingdom for legal as well as traditional reasons. There are certain rules that hold for the entire organization of the SCA - since we must follow those specified by the IRS for 501.C.3 organizations. There are others that depend on the laws of the states in which a particular kingdom is located. Law about fund raising can be very particular for 501.C.3 organizations, and car washes could be against the law... check with your Kingdom Exchequer before making assumptions or spreading information about any such thing. Anahita Exchequer for a Province that does one event a year, thank goodness, so there's usually only one quarter with activity to report. Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2004 06:48:48 -0500 From: "Terry Decker" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] What would you do? To: "Cooks within the SCA" It's more likely the carwash is against tradition ("it's mundane") rather than being against the law. 501.C.3 is more about how you may use your income than how you make it. And I don't remember anything in that chapter of Title 26 covering carwashes. Individuals can act seperately or as a group to raise money for charity and donate that money as they choose. As long as it is not organized by officers of the SCA acting on behalf of the SCA and the fundraiser is not officially recognized or sanctioned by any SCA group, the fund raiser is not an activity of the SCA. State laws may apply, but they do not apply to the SCA only to the individuals involved. Bear Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2004 09:24:52 -0700 From: Ruth Frey Subject: [Sca-cooks] Car washes and 501(c)(3) To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org > It's more likely the carwash is against tradition ("it's mundane") > ratherthan being against the law. > Bear wrote: > 501.C.3 is more about how you may use your income than how you > make it. Actually, no, there are restrictions on making money for 501(c)(3) organizations -- in order for it to remain non-Federally-taxed "exempt" income, the income must be made in some way that directly relates to your stated non-profit purpose (e.g. historical education). A flat out carwash doesn't cut it as "historical," and wouldn't qualify as exempt income. The US gov't is also rather tricky in some of their definitions of what is taxable and not -- for example, advertising space sold in a periodical, even if the actual content of the periodical counted as fully "historical," would be non-exempt and taxable. Ditto rental of group equipment to others (renting archery targets to a local hunting club, etc.). What happens with non-exempt income is that it's treated as being made by a for-profit sub-office (or whatever) of a non-profit overall group, and all funds made in such a manner are then subject to standard Federal corporate taxes -- so you *could* do it, but the bookkeeping would be a nightmare. There is a small concession in that you can make some relatively insignificant portion of your group's yearly income in non-exempt ways, and still not have to pay taxes on it, but it has to be a pretty small quantity. I know whereof I speak, having been involved in the ground-floor- up organization of a nonprofit 501(c)(3) historical educational corporation recently . . . It's actually been a bit of a headache, trying to figure out what is an "acceptable" fundraiser. There has been some discussion of "piggybacking" historical/mundane activities, like doing a carwash in garb, and handing out educational flyers about the garb to patrons as they wait, though nobody's yet called the IRS nonprofit hotline to ask about it for sure. One nice thing about being a 501(c)(3) group is that you can put out a donations can ("Please help us keep educating about history."), and it's totally legal, and the income is non-taxable. Doesn't always net much cash, but it's a very low-overhead thing to have out at demos, and every little bit helps . . . > Individuals can act seperately or as a group to raise money for > charity and donate that money as they choose. As long as it is not > organized by > officers of the SCA acting on behalf of the SCA and the fundraiser is not > officially recognized or sanctioned by any SCA group, the fund raiser is not > an activity of the SCA. State laws may apply, but they do not apply to the > SCA only to the individuals involved. I've been trying to encourage the above sorts of things a lot myself; as an added benefit, several states allow individuals one or a couple "freebies" a year (you usually get X number of selling events that are not subject to state sales tax -- though if you go over that many events, then sales tax does apply). Check *your* state's rules on that first, though. Getting back to food content, there's always the option of a Period bake sale (Period goodies, sellers in garb, totally historical-educational) . . . :) -- Ruth From: susan stallman Date: September 16, 2005 4:02:33 PM CDT To: ansteorra at ansteorra.org Subject: [Ansteorra] re: Crown Server Auction I'll be happy to explain: A server auction is where people who are wanting to serve at feast are, well, put up for auction. This is always a fun fund raiser. Often a table will go together to bid on someone. Although sometimes a single person may bid on a server and share with their table, or not. The auction will be scheduled for a time where fighters will have a chance to clean up and come bid on someone to cater to them after their long day of noble endeavors. There is always great fun to be had by both server and servee. Often the one being bid on has the most fun of all. Many servers will come up with a twist or a bonus to raise their value. For instance, Lady Thora and HE Adria are being "sold" as a pair, and a middle-eastern dance will be included in the price. So whoever antes up for them will get dinner AND entertainment. If you have seen HL Elizabeth's feast menu, you know it will be quite an extravaganza, so serving experience is preferred. I am now half way to the number of servers needed, so I am still looking for more. REMEMBER! This is a chance to serve those in need, while your serving friends at feast. In Service Always, Lady Bronwen Selwyn The Fox Tail Inn Barony of the Eldern Hills <<< Can you explain what is involved exactly? gwyneth susan stallman wrote: Greetings Good People of Ansteorra! I am coordinating servers for the fabulous feast HL Elizabeth is preparing for Crown. We will be holding a server auction to raise funds for our neighbors to the east who have fallen victim to the treacherous jezebel Katrina. While I have had a number of generous hearted Ansteorrans step forward to offer themselves to be used, or is that abused, as servers, I am yet short of the number needed. I would like to have the list completed by this weekend so I may start to coordinate things as need. If you are interested in being a server, please e'mail me privately at bronwens at cableone.net. Lady Bronwen Selwyn The Fox Tail Inn Barony of the Eldern Hills >>> From: L T Date: September 20, 2005 12:20:34 AM CDT To: "Kingdom of Ansteorra - SCA, Inc." Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] Server Auction I've experienced one of these server auctions and it's really kewl. A number of us bought several servers...some for our table and some for other people's tables... it was amazing... Our best server and the most fun...was a Peer of note...who adopted an alternate persona of his unmarried sister... Another gentle anonymously bid on the lady he was dating...she did not even know he was able to make the event...the moment he revealed his identity as her purchasor...at a very high price...is one of the most romantic ones I have seen in the SCA... Lorraine DeerSlayer From: HLDarcy Date: February 26, 2007 7:04:31 PM CST To: "Kingdom of Ansteorra - SCA, Inc." Subject: [Ansteorra] Community Service I would like to pass on a fund raising activity that my household does to support our local public libraries. It's a simple thing and could be adapted by any group to support libraries or other worthwhile community services in your area. Whenever we have a household event, such as our monthly birthday tourneys, we charge a $1.00 site fee and we hold a raffle in the evening during feast. Tickets are a $1.00 each or six for $5.00. We also have members and friends who donate to the library fund. The money raised is then given to our local libraries to purchase materials on the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. So far we have raised $250 which has been spread out between 3 libraries. We are very close to making our next donation as we do this in $50 increments. If you do this as a branch project (canton, shire, barony, etc.) remember this money must be kept seperate from your branch funds. You can keep it in an old coffee can or a shoe box, but don't put it into your group's bank account. (I put it in an envelope and stick it in my sock draw until we have $50.) HL Darcy Evaline o Lasgwm Lady Burkhaven House Burkhaven Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2007 12:58:58 -0500 From: Ysabeau Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Empty Bowls To: "Cooks within the SCA" I've gone to the one held here in Bryn Gwlad (Austin, TX) several times. It is really a great way to pick up some unique, handmade pottery. There is a wide variety of skill range in the bowls...some are just standard molds/greenware that are painted then fired, others are handmade from the clay up. The auctions are silent auctions with famous artists and people either painting the bowls or signing bowls that were painted for them. One of the bowls I saw in the last auction was painted by a famous southwestern artist with a local gallery. Some are musicians or actors who just signed a bowl that someone else designed for them. The way it worked was that there was someone at the front to collect your $10...each $10 got you one bowl. You were then herded into a room with bowls piled on tables and you sorted through to pick the one(s) you want. Then you go through to the next room that had several restaurants serving up a variety of soup into your bowls. Then you went to the tables out back and ate your soup. When you were done, there was a washing station to rinse your bowls and a packing station with newspaper and stuff. On your way out, they checked your receipt against the number of bowls...or something like that. This would be a great fundraiser for the Trimaris Soup Kitchen at Gulf Wars...just a thought! Maybe have various SCA notables paint bowls for a silent auction...Or, if the facilities are available, have a paint your own area. You can paint it and then have it fired then on Friday everyone can come pick up their bowls and have soup...not sure if the facilities would allow that but I'm not a potter and I don't know what it would take. Ysabeau Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 13:24:28 -0500 From: "Nick Sasso" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Elizabeth Crocker To: "Cooks within the SCA" < < < < At the last meeting of home ec teachers in my district MANY years ago, one of the women said she was not a "stitcher & sewer" she only wanted to teach the family relations and personal adjustment stuff, > > > > > > MAN! talk about an golden opportunity for added income and activity . . . resource education in "stitching and sewing" for your people. Teach basic household skills to middle school, high school, and your adult aged students who want to learn how to make menus, cook dishes and mend clothing. Basic singlehood survival skills that SCA people are rife with! niccolo difrancesco Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:45:35 -0500 From: "Kingstaste" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Cooking for Power To: "'Cooks within the SCA'" <<< Your Majesty Gunthar, as the foodie that you are, have you appointed a Royal Chef? Royal Food Taster? B&V? Any sort of culinary position within your Court? >>> One of our Kings auctioned off Royal Positions (fabricated, not actual offices) for a Kingdom Fundraiser one year. I remember Royal Food Taster was one of them, along with Houndskeeper, Chamber Pot Chamberlain, that sort of thing. You should have a food taster, at least! Christianna From: "Logan" Date: December 23, 2010 8:49:57 PM CST To: Subject: RE: The Triskele Tavern Central Florida SCA calendar hey I raised over $900 for the Atlantian royal travel fund letting folks throw tomatoes at me while I was locked in the stocks I made!!! back in the early 90’s. the video is, well, something to see. especially in slow motion. 8^( wait........ perhaps thats not something to brag about.... logan From: "Rurik" Date: December 25, 2010 9:23:14 AM CST To: Subject: Re: The Triskele Tavern Fund Raiser Ideas About 23 years ago I ran a fund raiser for the Kingdom Sheriff's Office (now Constables). I called it "Pie-a-Peer". Very simply, I hung a sheet with holes in it big enough for someone's face, then provided paper plates of whipped cream for people to throw at those faces. Obviously, it was the Peers whose faces were in the holes, but we also included the Kingdom Officers, and yes, I got "pied" as well as the Kingdom Sheriff (I wasn't a Peer yet). It was a great deal of fun and it did raise quite a bit of money. It's not period, but it certainly does draw a crowd! $1.00 to throw a pie, $5.00 to walk up there and place the pie where you want it. The only question now is, who would be willing to stand there and take a pie for their Kingdom? Just an old idea that still might work. Rurik ----- Original Message ----- From: "Trish Kvamme" In this season of great giving my mind naturally traveled to the thought of Kingdom Fundraising. Trimaris has traditional fund raisers for things like war chest, regalia, etc. But as each cycle completes, things like regalia and Kingdom owned equipment can need repair or replacement. Our Kingdom's Order of the Rose does much of this fundraising. And much of the time the tournaments get put back hours because of meetings or tournaments running over time. This being said, I thought hey...why not ask the populace and folks what kinds of fundraisers they would like to participate in? Make it something new and shiney or something others can help or be involved in? Something really fun? Great ideas can come from anyone's inspiration! Several of the Baronies do them successfully. Does anyone on here have some fun or amazing ideas to raise funds for Kingdom projects, war chests, regalia, etc? Larissa From: "Logan" Date: December 25, 2010 10:13:34 AM CST To: Subject: RE: The Triskele Tavern Fund Raiser Ideas throwing foodstuffs at other people certainly happened in Europe prior to the 17th century. at least I think. ;^) two things I have run, with great success, are gift basket auctions. People donate stuff, it gets put in "baskets" with other similar stuff, bidding sheet goes out and people write in their bids throughout the weekend. can be a live auction, blind auction, online is also a possibility. During my last reign we raffled off training hours with knights, laurels, and notable teachers of various arts or sciences. $1 tickets were sold at events all over the kingdom, we set up a webpage which allowed people to buy tickets online, and after three weeks I took each instructors bag of tickets and had a child draw the winning ticket (or tickets as I donated two one hour blocks). We raised around $1500. If someone donates a block and nobody buys tickets for them I have a few simple solutions to protect them. logan -----Original Message----- From: the-triskele-tavern at googlegroups.com <<< About 23 years ago I ran a fund raiser for the Kingdom Sheriff's Office (now Constables). I called it "Pie-a-Peer". Very simply, I hung a sheet with holes in it big enough for someone's face, then provided paper plates of whipped cream for people to throw at those faces. Obviously, it was the Peers whose faces were in the holes, but we also included the Kingdom Officers, and yes, I got "pied" as well as the Kingdom Sheriff (I wasn't a Peer yet). It was a great deal of fun and it did raise quite a bit of money. It's not period, but it certainly does draw a crowd! $1.00 to throw a pie, $5.00 to walk up there and place the pie where you want it. The only question now is, who would be willing to stand there and take a pie for their Kingdom? Just an old idea that still might work. Rurik >>> From: "Logan" Date: December 25, 2010 11:59:17 AM CST To: Subject: RE: The Triskele Tavern Fund Raiser Ideas Yeah it worked out well. i got some criticism when i came up with it from folks that felt peers, especially knights, should be giving their time away for free. well of course we (peers) do and should. but this presented a chance for serious one on one time. it also allowed a bunch of newer fighters, hesitant to ask for time, a chance to train with that big scary knight guy. one small fighting household bought about 100 tickets and selected which member would be best served by the blocks they won. Some folks had specific hours. For example: one hour of polearm training, one hour of spear training for an individual or unit, one hour of calligraphy training, glass bead making, etc. it started with just the knights but i decided to ask some non-fighting instructors as well. there was almost equal interest in both fighting and a&s. logan From: the-triskele-tavern at googlegroups.com >> I have done baskets but the time blocks is quite brilliant :)
 
L
 
> From: Logan at ebonwoulfe.com

 > throwing foodstuffs at other people certainly happened in europe prior to
 > the 17th century. at least I think. ;^)
 > 
> two things i have run, with great success, are gift basket auctions. People 
> donate stuff, it gets put in "baskets" with other similar stuff, bidding 
> sheet goes out and people write in their bids throughout the weekend. Can 
> be a live auction, blind auction, online is also a possibility.
 Edited by Mark S. Harris fundraising-msg Page 23 of 23