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We
have a winner!
North
Dorchester High School has won our Cash for the Bash contest
with their Basket Bingo fundraiser. Thanks to our sponsors,
Citifinancial and Citigroup Foundation, they will receive $5,000
that will go toward this year's prom.
See
the rest of the Cash for the Bash entries!
What was their idea?
Hold a bingo game!
The key word on this fundraiser was free. The students of North
Dorchester High covered their costs before the game even began,
thanks to donations. The prizes - twenty Longaberger baskets
- were sponsored by local businesses, and the local American
Legion allowed the students to use their hall for free. They
even got the bingo cards for free from the American Legion,
too.
The fundraiser made money
in two ways. Tickets were sold before the event and at the
door, which guaranteed a certain amount of profit, and each
bingo card people played also cost a small amount of money.
All told, North Dorchester raised around $4,000 in a single
night!
One of the students who organized
the fundraiser said, "It is especially important for a
student in an economically challenged area like ours to be
business savvy and financially literate. We recognized that
it is not only the fundraising idea itself that is important,
but the way that it is executed."
Tips to
take to the bank
- Don't be afraid to ask
for free stuff. Local businesses and associations are
often more than happy to help your school by helping keep
your costs down. Think about offering them a chance to put
their name in a program or other printed materials.
- Advertising can be key.
Holding an event without advertising is like throwing a party
- how will anyone know to come? Advertising can start within
your school, but try to branch out to your local community.
- Prizes matter. Although
some people will come to a fundraiser just because it helps
your school out, it doesn't hurt if you include prizes that
people will really like. But remember that every dollar you
spend on prizes is a dollar less profit. Sponsorships can
be very important.
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