Fashionable Fundraising

By James Jul. 5th, 2012

Fashion show fundraiser

Is your school, business, or group associated with a charity? Fundraising is a wonderful way to connect and be part of something bigger. I recently participated in a fundraising event with a group of friends to raise money for type 1 diabetes research; we raised $1,000 and ran in one of the biggest 8K races in the country. A close friend recently researched fundraising ideas and her sorority created an animal fundraising event to help abused and abandoned dogs.

We brain stored ideas on how we could raise money and be social. The standard charity bake sale and car wash are all over done – and they aren’t as fun. Just Luxe readers deserve a little something more. Here are some fundraising ideas to make your group’s fundraiser the event of the season.

Fashion Show – There are limitless options for hosting a fashion show. A different angle is to have a kids fashion show, parents and grandparents love these as they are super involved – creating outfits, doing hair, and dressing up all the kids. A great example of a much more adult oriented show is Save the Girls, a Seattle fundraising event for Susan G. Komen, Race for the Cure. Save the Girls is a Victoria Secret inspired fashion show which takes local Seattle ladies from TV, radio, and web and puts on stage to model custom designer bras in an upscale event featuring fun and fashion.

-Bonus Idea: sell drinks and appetizers to the guys to keep them entertained before and after the show to raise even more money.

The Country Club Event – This is as classic fundraising event that has multiple events to cater to each individual all in the name of your good cause. Most country clubs have three staples: golf, tennis, and a pool. Events are based around each and can be highly competitive or quite hilarious depending on the age group. Ideas for the country club event include:

· -Golf tournament – how about mini golf of the kids?

· - Longest Drive – Different categories by age

· -Doubles Tennis Matches

· -Pool games for kids

Casino Night – Casino night is a brilliant reason to dress up, have fun, and raise money for a good cause. Event organizers can be super creative and make game tables, decorations, and prizes. On the other hand, this type of event also lends itself into becoming a grand event with rented slot machines, poker tables, and black jack – imagine big screens and feathered cocktail waitresses. Players donate money to acquire chips and then use those chips toward buying prizes – leverage your community and contacts. Most event organizers can receive discounts for items used in charity and fundraising.

Throw a Party – Who doesn’t like a good party? Especially when it’s for a good reason? Make is classy, make it casual – either way go as big as your budget allows. The idea here is to have a great time and socialize for a cause. Popular party ideas to raise money are:

· - Fun in the summer sun at the! Head to the pool or beach

· - Costume party, pick a theme 80’s & masquerade balls are classics

· -Winter/Summer Ball, go high-end organize a black tie affaire

No matter what your group ends up deciding on, make sure everyone is having fun all for a good cause.

Stock photography courtesy of Julian Ribinik / Shutterstock.com