People love to buy merchandise that pays tribute to their local community and reminds them of a great memory. This form of fundraising works best when it’s an addition to other fire department fundraising ideas.
However, if your department isn’t planning an event anytime soon, you can still as a standalone fundraiser. To reach a wider raffle for charity, you can sell your shirts online and post about them on social media. Supporters can share their tee shirt purchases on social media using hashtags.
Start an online campaign
During the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual campaigns became one of the only ways for organizations to spread awareness of their cause and continue fundraising. As the world slowly returns to raffle for charity activities, virtual campaigns remain a popular and effective way to fundraise. This is because they can raise serious revenue while keeping costs low.
Your online campaign can include information about your fire department, its recent work, and photos of the firefighters in action. Including a goal meter in your online fundraising campaign can motivate others to participate. Posting your progress on social media can encourage supporters to participate and share their donations online.
Fill the boot
Are you looking for volunteer fire department fundraising ideas? “Fill the Boot” is a straightforward way to fundraise. All it takes is a boot and a few volunteers. In a “Fill the Boot” fundraiser, a few volunteers raffle for charity at a designated location and ask for donations. A place that gets a lot of foot traffic is perfect for this type of fundraising.
Hold a raffle
Raffle ideas are a classic way to increase funds for any organization, including the fire department. You can hold raffles in-person, online, as a single fundraiser, or as an addition to a fundraising event. There are many different types of raffles, but these two forms are the most popular:
Single Raffle
Consider holding a single raffle if your fire department just received an excellent donation. Single raffles can be held in person or online. If you have a fundraiser event planned, holding a single raffle at the event might encourage more community members to attend.
If your fire department has no fundraising events on the calendar, you can use an online raffle to donate away. Regardless of raffle for charity you host the raffle, you can sell tickets and promote the raffle online. Ticket prices will depend on the value of the raffle prize.
50/50 Raffle
A 50/50 raffle may be better if your fire department hosts a significant fundraising event. During a 50/50 raffle, participants purchase tickets to enter the raffle. If the number on their ticket is selected, the participant wins 50% of the money raised throughout the fundraiser. The remaining money goes to your fire department. This is a great fundraising option because it is easy, and many people are already familiar with it.
Regardless of what type of raffle you choose, you can count down to the raffle’s end date online to increase excitement and encourage others to donate. If you want to hold a raffle but need a raffle prize, send a fire department donation request to businesses in your community.
Ask supporters to purchase a brick
Are the bricks at your fire station looking a little bare? Consider asking supporters to buy a brick.” campaign, donors raffle for charity a brick by donating a selected amount. The donor’s name and donation amount can be etched into the brick. This benefits both the fire department and the donor.
The department gets a donation, while the donor gets to see physical proof of their contribution. You can share the “Buy a Brick” campaign on social media to encourage community members to participate. You can also share when a new brick is purchased. When people see others’ names etched on the bricks, they will be inspired to send their donations.