Fund Raisers

CCW Organization Notebook provided by the Joliet Diocesan CCW

 

 We’re “preaching to the      choir’ here when we attempt to discuss FundRaisers.  CCW women (along with many other women’s groups) are pre-eminent fund-raisers.  At the 2007 NCCW Convention, prior NCCW Moderator, Rev. Robert Servacius, told this joke:

 

“A group of CCW ladies were car-pooling home from a meeting; they were in a multi-car crash, and all died.  Upon ascending to Heaven, they were told by the Lord that because of their unexpected early arrival, their ‘mansions’ were not ready, and they would have to go to Hell for a few days while construction on their ‘mansions’ could be completed.  They duly complied.  After about a week, Satan came to the Lord and asked when the ‘mansions’ would be ready.  The Lord responded that certain supplies had not arrived.  The next week, the Lord told Satan that the plumber was behind schedule; after that it was the electrician (those of us who have undergone renovations can foresee the problems of the next several weeks).  Finally, after many weeks, Satan again came to the Lord, and said “Lord, please take these ladies to Heaven.  They’ve been having bake sales, bunco parties, spaghetti dinners, etc., etc., and they’ve raised almost enough money to air-condition Hell!”  Even the devil knows that CCW ladies are unsurpassed when it comes to fund-raising programs!

 

We know you are experts at bake sales (even ‘no bake’ sales), garage sales, flea markets, raffles, fashion show and/or luncheon sponsors, split-the-pot, craft and vendor fairs, spaghetti dinners, pancake breakfasts, ‘white elephant raffles’, bingo/bunco parties… Having said that, here are a few ideas, some new, some old, of possibly different – perhaps even ‘out of the box’ fund-raisers:

 

1.      a pound auction:  everyone brings a pound of an item which is then auctioned off.  This can get very creative – even hilarious - such as a pound of feathers or other pillow stuffing; a pound of Fair Trade chocolate; a pound of a spice such as cinnamon or oregano; a pound of paper plates or other tableware; a pound of infant diapers; a pound of pennies; a pound of – you get the idea!  Variation: each item is wrapped so bidders don’t know the contents.

 

2.      a pig roast (or if you have hunters or fishermen in the parish, a venison feast or bass fry)

 

3.     a play or musical.  Find a theatre group – amateur or professional - and offer to supply advertising, ticketing services and ushering for a percentage of the profits.

 

4.      a services auction:  just about anything applies here, a real opportunity to swap the talents of your ladies for treasure.  A gourmet meal for a special occasion; a custom-decorated cake; an hour of computer and/or internet instruction; scanning 50 to 80 pictures or slides onto a CD or DVD; faux painting a wall in your home…

 

5.      a bridge (or pinochle or canasta) marathon: players play a set number of games each year, each player contributing two dollars or so each time they play

 

6.      ladies’ night out movie nights: hostesses rent a movie CD/DVD and provide popcorn and soft drinks for 8 to 10 women; each woman contributes $5

 

7.     ‘spud night’, a wintertime version of an ice cream social: baked potatoes wrapped in foil and a large variety of toppings such as: nacho cheese, butter, shredded cheddar cheese, bacon bits, sour cream, snipped parsley, ranch salad dressing, etc.

 

8.      pictures with…  If your parish has a ‘Breakfast with Santa’, or Mother/Daughter or Father/Son event, have someone take digitals photos, and sell for $2 available the next day or immediately if someone has a digital photo printer they could set up (not quite as fast as the old Polaroid shots, but better quality pictures).

9.      Mystery Night: At bookstores, you can buy complete sets of various mysteries that come with scripts for the ‘actors’, clue sheets, and even suggestions for dinner and/or snacks.

10.  “It’s a Girl Thing” raffle.  Raffle off a ‘Pamper Me’ packet consisting of a haircut/style, manicure, dinner for two, and two movie passes – all donated by local merchants.