CLUB FUNDING

With the exception of blanket tax organizations, clubs are NOT funded by the University on a yearly basis. For this reason, it is often necessary for clubs to raise funds, both to cover operating costs and to sponsor special events and projects.  Possibilities include charging members a nominal fee and co-sponsoring events with other clubs.  Additionally your club can often come up with some very own creative ideas for raising funds.

Fundraising:
Provided below are some thoughts on how you can approach the concept of fundraising as well as some examples of things to get your brainstorming started. Before you begin you should be able to answer the following questions:

1. What do we want to accomplish with this fundraiser?
   a. This should be the first question your group considers.
   b. You need to understand how the money will be used so you can explain to others what your goals are.
2. Who is the audience for the fundraiser?
   a. Students
   b. Faculty and Staff
   c. All of the above
   d. Establishing your target audience will give you a clearer vision of how to promote your event.
3. What is the financial goal for this fundraiser?
   a. You need to know at the beginning what your end goal will be.
   b. Do not forget to factor in your initial/start up expenses.
   c. It is important to know how much money you may have to invest up front before you see a return.
   d. Knowing how much money is needed up front will give you a clearer picture of how you will proceed. 
4. How much time and energy can you devote to this fundraiser?
   a. Raising funds takes time and energy.
   b. Is your organization setting realistic goals when it comes to the project?
   c. Do you have enough people who are willing to put in the time necessary?
   d. Have you given your group a reasonable amount of time to achieve your goal?
   

Now that you have answered these questions, it is time to begin brainstorming ideas for what your group would like to do.  Always remember you have to tailor your event to campus and your target audience.  With that in mind your group should do the following:

1. Determine fundraising categories
   a. Ongoing – events that raise funds over a period of time and are often sales oriented
   b. Event specific – event that occurs once and can incorporate services.
2. Establish fundraising goals
   a. Assemble a budget
   i. For the fundraiser
   ii.For the event it supports
   b. Develop a realistic picture of the income and output required to conduct the fundraiser.
3. Create a checklist
   a. Include everything, such as advertising, decorations, donations, paperwork, pre-event deadlines, reservations, timeline, post-event thank you notes, etc.
   b. Make sure all group members have a copy of the checklist
   c. Remember that you will probably be running the fundraiser along with your regular events.  It is an additional responsibility that may require you to adjust your events.
   d. Plan for advertising and publicity needs
   e. Be clever with promotion and don’t forget to remind participants how the proceeds will be used and the benefit(s) they get by contributing.
   f. Publicize your results
4. Evaluate
   a. Assess the overall value.
   b. Determine whether it was worthwhile.
   c. Write up recommendations for what went well, what could be done better, timeline adjustments, etc.
   d. Review the questions you addressed when you began planning to see if you met or exceeded your goals.
   e. Was this fundraiser worth the effort involved?  Or was it a drain on everyone?
5. Follow up with participants
   a. Ask them to contribute to the evaluation.
   b. Send thank you notes.

Here are some potential ideas to help you brainstorm your options.  This list is not all-inclusive.

• Arts/Crafts • Balloon Drive • Birthday Cake delivery • Candy Bar Kits • Candy Grams • Car Wash • Clean an Apartment/Room • Coupon Book Sale • Dance-a-thon • Dances • Date Auction • Donut Sale

• Face painting before athletic event • Game Booths • Guess the jellybeans in the jar (or similar) • Holiday Sales – flowers for Valentine’s Day • Key Chains • Make your own tie-dye • Penny War • Singing Telegrams • Silent Auction • Spare Change Drive • Used book sale (non academic books) • Work a day at alumni/faculty/staff homes

NOTE: Sales of books, stationary, supplies, and novelties are reserved for the campus bookstore, food for Rice Catering, and all items at athletic events for the Athletic Office. Plans to sell any items should therefore be approved by the Office of Student Activities before anything is begun.

NOTE: If you fundraising plans involve the sale of taxable items (i.e. articles of clothing) see Sales Tax and Tax Exemption, in the Clubs Manual.

Working with the Athletic Department:
Clubs can seek fund-raising opportunities in the Athletic Department during both semesters. Fall opportunities include:

1. Clean up after football events for $500. You will need 20-25 students for this four-hour duty.
2. Volleyball games need rotators (people to throw ball back to the server), about $15.00 per match.
   In the spring:
3. Baseball Games – post game clean up.  You will need 10 students for approximately a two-hour duty. Pay is around $100.00.

For more information contact Mickey Beavan in the Athletic Department at x8785 or mbeavan@rice.edu.