Kiwanis clubs around the world are getting creative with their fundraising. These successful moneymakers could offer inspiration for your club.
It’s an age-old problem: You’ve got to make money to spend money. Your club is no different than the next when it comes to money. Everyone needs some. The more, the better.
Over the years here at Kiwanis magazine, we’ve seen our share of great fundraising events. We’ve had our taste buds tantalized with incredible food festivals and we’ve been wowed by one sporting activity after another, from one side of the world to the other. It seems Kiwanians have some unique and fun ideas when it comes to bringing in the cash, and we wanted to highlight a few of our favorites.
Some of the best fundraisers out there are annual events with decades under their belts. Others are quite new and still knock our socks off.
What are you doing in your community to not only make people aware of your Kiwanis club, but also to make some money to help provide service to children and families?
We hope you’ll get some inspiration from a few of our favorites. Go raise some money. And have fun!
Dinner In White
Kiwanis Club of Nürnberg-Franken, Germany
Elegant white-themed meals raise money for a hospice service for terminally ill children. The event raises awareness for Kiwanis as well.
Estimated amount raised: 4,000 euros
Estimated attendance: More than 100
Tips for your club: Create enthusiasm through word-of-mouth advertising, fliers with information about the event and your club. Stage the event in an area that has heavy foot traffic so others are intrigued.
Zozobra
Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe, New Mexico
Annual event that rids the town of doom and gloom. Residents and visitors write down their worries and stresses. Then their notes are placed inside a 50-foot marionette known as Old Man Gloom. And then set afire.
Estimated amount raised: US$100,000
Estimated attendance: 60,000
Tips for your club: While we know Zozobra is a one-of-a-kind event, we encourage you to take a hard look at the community in which you live and determine what makes it unique. Then build an event around that. The fundraiser could focus on food, music, agriculture, a historic landmark, a waterway. Oh, the possibilities!
Biltmore Classic
Kiwanis Club of Asheville, North Carolina
An annual 5K/15K race on the grounds of the historic Biltmore Estate.
Estimated amount raised: US$20,000
Estimated attendance: 1,000
Tips for your club: Road races are a huge success for many clubs and could be for yours as well. Runners take their races seriously. Consider hiring a professional fundraising group to help.
Rock Shrimp Festival
Kiwanis Club of St. Marys, Georgia
This annual festival celebrates the area’s sweet delicacy from the sea and offers a parade, vendors, road races and more.
Estimated amount raised: US$14,000
Estimated attendance: 5,000-10,000
Tips for your club: Street fairs are great fun and can draw big crowds, so plan for food, music, merchandise and fun activities. Center your fair around a local food favorite!
sKreamers
Kiwanis Club of Orleans, Ontario
Ottawa’s scariest haunted attraction offers two haunted barns, zombie paintball, scary wagon rides and more.
Years in existence: 14
Dollars raised: CAD$30,000
Number of attendees: 6,000- 10,000 annually
Tips for your club: Start small and grow as public response increases. Scavenge in your community to find inexpensive props. The club produces a manual of rules and trains its 250 student volunteers how to make visitors sKream.
This story originally appeared in the October 2018 issue of Kiwanis magazine.