Jack of All Spades

Fundraiser Strategies

Click on a category for more information, or scroll down to see them all:

FOOD

You can bring your own food to the hall, use the caterer at the hall, or find your own caterer. Nobody expects you to make everything, so do not be afraid to ask people to help prepare the food. Some great party food suggestions are: lasagna, cracker and cheese trays, deli sandwiches (although these can be a lot of work and money), vegetable trays, fruit trays, potato salad, etc. Try to get foods that you can prepare before hand; do not have to be heated up when you get there; and that are easy for cleanup too. Whatever you do, do not appear “chintzy.” The days of chips, cheesies, and pop won’t cut it on their own! Buy several different munchies that you can put around on the tables, as you may not serve dinner for a couple of hours, and you want to keep your guests happy while they are there.

DRINKS / ALCOHOL

When you choose a hall, they may have a bartender who manages their own sale of drinks, or they may allow you to bring in your own drinks and serve it. In most cases the hall runs the bar, so make sure they have a good variety of alcohol in stock. Generally, the hall rental will be much cheaper if they supply the alcohol since this will create more income for the hall. If you control the bar there are more risks and possible headaches involved, however, you have the potential to make substantially more money. This will include more work and more initial investment, not to mention liabilities. Make sure that you aware of your city by-laws.

Note that in Ontario, you can serve alcohol from 11AM to 1AM Monday to Saturday, and 12PM to 1AM on Sundays. Although it is obvious, remember that the legal age to drink alcohol is 19 years old. You do not want to get in trouble with the law over this. You may require a bartender who has taken a Smart Serve Course. You can either hire a professional bartender or pay for someone to take the course. The cost is around $60 per person and you can find many places that offer this training online. Click here for a tip sheet from the AGCO (Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario) that may answer any of your legality questions. Then click here to apply for "Special Occasions Permit" which allows you to sell liquor. After going to the AGCO website, you should also check with the hall to make sure you are following all of their rules too.

Your drink charges for your guests generally range from $2.50 a drink to $3.50, but this may vary depending on the crowd you are inviting, the kind of drinks you are serving, and the area in which they are from. Jell-O shooters are very popular and generally sell for $1 to $2 a piece and can be sold to people at their tables, rather than waiting for them to come to the bar to buy them.

On average, each person that shows up may drink 3 to 4 drinks, so you can use this number to judge how many drinks to buy. If you buy too much, the LCBO and Beer Store will allow returns under these conditions. The Beer Store will allow up to 20% of the beer you purchased to be returned, as long as it is a perforated case (not glued), you have your Special Occasions Permit with you, the seals of the case are not broken, and it is a full case that is unopened. The LCBO will allow returns as long as you have your receipt and it can be a saleable item again (not used).

You may want to buy some 6 or 12 packs of beer along with your 24 packs. Look at this example: You have one 24 pack left at the end of the night with thirteen beers left in it – The Beer Store will not let you return it because the case has been opened. If you had instead bought two 12 packs, you can return the one 12 pack and drink the last one yourself! We suggest that you have 3-4 types of beer, 3-4 types of liquor, 3 types of pop, and consider the possibility of coffee, tea, bottled water, and milk as other options for your guests.

MUSIC

Music relaxes people and it encourages them to stay longer and spend more money. A home stereo or I-Pod will work if you are under a tight budget, but that can be a lot of work to prepare the songs in advance or have a buddy look after the CD selection throughout the night. If you hire a professional DJ, they can help keep your guests happy as well as keep them at the hall longer, which is key. DJ’s are trained to entertain their guests, and they can actually help you earn more money by making announcements throughout the night informing your guests of a new raffle or game that is about to start. They can also get people to participate in games, or they can announce the Door Prize winner’s name. But... they do come with a price.

If you have chosen a DJ, he/she should have a very large selection of music that will work for all age groups. Look at the possibility of hiring the DJ for the wedding as well, as there may be a combo discount. Decide whether you want dancing at this event or if you want your guests to concentrate on games only. If the hall is small and congested with a lot of games and activities going on, there is a good chance that less dancing will take place. However, a good selection of background music to please the guests creates an exciting ambiance. Hire the D.J. from 9PM to 1AM - any earlier and you are wasting your money. The majority of guests tend to show up between 9PM and 930PM anyway. For a good D.J. you should pay between $350 and $500 for four hours. We highly recommend checking out Spirit of Sound.

GAMES

The number of people you are expecting will help you determine how many games you should rent. Here are four great references on our site to help you decide:

When you are choosing your games, keep in mind that you may want to introduce different games throughout the night to keep it interesting, rather than doing them all at the same time all night. As an example, when guests arrive they may do one round of each game and then sit at a table for the night. But if you keep bringing out new games and get people excited about new tournaments or prizes to win, they will be more likely to keep getting back off their comfortable chair! Pick enough games that will keep your guests entertained all night, not just for half an hour. This is hard to remember because the idea of making lots of money may keep getting in the way, but the real purpose of the night is to entertain your guests and celebrate the whole reason you are throwing a Fundraiser. If you remember this and provide your guests with great entertainment all night long, the profits will just come.

RAFFLE PRIZES (Getting Donations)

This is a tricky task – it can be hard to ask for free stuff sometimes, but you have to do it! A party is not a party without prizes! Think about what kind of donations would best suit your event’s needs. If this party is for a couple in their 40’s, prizes like a Nintendo Wii or a gift certificate to West 49 is probably not the best idea since the guests are also probably in their 40s. Create a list of friends, family, and co-workers who may be able to provide donations for your event. Do not be afraid to ask people, and probably the best way to do it is face to face rather than on the phone or email. It puts people on the spot a little more and they are more likely to say yes. Make it a team effort and get all of your committee members to help.

Next make a list of local businesses that you hope can provide you with gift certificates, and that you think your guests would like to bet on. You can always try some free online ads begging for help! Kijiji and Craigslist are our favourites to work with. One of the best ways to get donations is either by asking for it in person at their place of business or by writing a professional letter. Any mid-sized to large company may have to clear their donations through their head office with the use of your letter anyhow, so this is probably the best avenue. Your letter should say things like:

  • Who you are, the event you are planning, when the event is, why you thought of this particular company
  • Do not make your letter sound vague, be straight to the point and clearly state what you want ie) I am requesting a gift certificate for $25
  • Sign the letter and include your contact information
  • Then make sure to follow up within 3 days of them receiving the letter

Do not rely solely on donations; you may have to spend some money to make money, so look for the sales. Indoor grills, stereos, DVD players, concert tickets, sporting event tickets, gift cards, or even gift baskets are great prizes and they are things that you can usually find on sale. Never pay full price for prizes... there are deals everywhere.

Our Raffle Containers contain your Raffle Tickets securely and they look great on the Prize Table. Be weary of one thing – sometimes people think the more prizes, the better. It always looks impressive when the prize tables are absolutely loaded with loot. Consider that it takes time to draw a ticket for a prize, so more prizes mean more time drawing, and guests can become agitated. If you have a lot of smaller prizes, consider consolidating them into "Prize Packs" or letting the DJ give some away for spot dances - a great way to get your guests up dancing and enjoying themselves.

RAFFLE TICKET SELLING

For Raffle Ticket volunteers, ask your good looking friends to sell tickets to your guests! Make sure they charm, smile, and hustle for best results. It is good to have a few different colours of Raffle Tickets too, because one girl can have the red tickets, and one girl can have the blue tickets. When the red ticket girl sells tickets to a group of people, the blue ticket girl can come around and ask them to buy tickets from her. When your guests say that they already have some, the blue ticket girl can say, “but you do not have my colour,” with a pouty look on her - works every time! Typical pricing would be three tickets for $5 or an arms length for $10. Another good option is to also offer $15 for a hug, which means that a pretty girl will hold the tickets in her hands and will hug your guest. When her hands meet around their waist, then that is how many tickets they get. Guys are a sucker for this!