Pilot International KS-MO District

• Special Materials/Equipment:  Collection canisters, Penny wrappers, penny sorters
• Sponsors/Donations:  Contact a bank that offers a coin counting service to its customers and ask if it will count your pennies at no charge
• Possible Venues:  Retail Stores, libraries, government buildings, banks and anywhere else you might find people with money in their pockets works well
• Recommended Volunteer:  5 to 6 to distribute collection canisters, pick up filled containers, count and wrap pennies, and take the rolls to the bank
• Peparation:  Distribute the containers.  Put a label on each container explaining the reason for the fundraiser, the name of your club and the day the penny drivce concludes.  Ask the sponsing location to call your club when the container fills up. 
• Execution:  Volunteers should visit sponsoring locations on a regular basis to pick up full containers and leave empty ones in their place. 
• Tips:  Bring a handcart and a box when picking up containers.  Even small canisters will be surprisingly heavy when full.
• Variation:  Collect all spare change and calit it Change for Change and write on the container what positive transformation the money will help your club bring about. 

Help Santa and all the tired shoppers during the gift-giving season by offering gift-wrapping for a charge. 
Special Materials/Equipment:  Wrapping paper, tape, gift tags, scissors, ribbons

• Sponsors/Donations:  Ask stationery stores, florist shops, card stores, and discount retail stores for donations of wrapping materials; ask neighbors and club members to donate as well.
• Possible venue:  Malls, shpping centgers, department stores, book stores
• Recommended volunteer:  4-5 who can do a neat job of wrapping. 
• Preparation:  promote the event through news releases, bulletin boards and newspapers
• Execution:  Set up the wrapping station in a highly visible place. Display the rolls of paper so shoppers can make their choice
• Tips:  If you have a secure area where packages can be stores, offer tro hold the wrapped packages while people shop: charge a small fee
• Variation:  Offer a gift bag option or gift basket option.  Provide an assortment of fancy bows and ornaments to be used as decorations for an extra fee. 

• Invite bowling teams, kids, families and others for an afternoon of bowling and refreshments.  This low-cost fundraiser is easy to run and requires no special equipment other than the bowling balls and rental shoes already provided at the alleys. 
• Sponsors/Donations:  Persuade your favorite bowling alley to give your club a percetage of money generated by supporters who attend the fundraiser.
• Contact local businesses for sponsorships in exchange for publicity at the event and in any promotional materials that are sent out. 
• Ask retail businesses to donate raffle prizes and a pizzaria to donate food that can be sold to raise additional cash
• Possible Venue:  a large bowling alley in a metropolitan area is ideal.
• Recommended voluntters:  5 to 10 to promote the event, collect money, run the concession and award prizes
• Preparation:  Promote the event in local media through ads in free community papers, signs on bulletin boards, and news releases sent to radio and TV stations. 
• Execution:  Crank up the music, throw open the doors, and watch the money roll in in.  Have volunteers circulate among bowlers and offer to deliver snacks and drinks alley-side.
• Tips:  Find a bowling alley that offers Cosmic Bowling to create a party atmosphere.  Consider charging a higher-than-usual flat fee to increase profits, but be sure to let participants know up front how much they must pay. 
• Variations:  In addition to charging an admission fee, have participants collect pledges tied to their bowling prowess.  Pledges can be based on the number of pins knocked down, the number of gutter balls or some other criteria.

• Special Materials/Equpment:  Sound equipment (microphone, speakers) and Hawaiian decorations. 
• Sponsors/donations:  Line up a local band that can play island tunes to donate a few hours of play time or a dj!!  Locate reataurants that can prepare and donate Hawaiian-style pork, ribs or barbecued chicken, or seek donations to purchase menu items.  Contact party supply stores for donations of leis, grass skirts, and tiki torches.  Ask a bar to donate bartending time and ingredients for mai tais, pina coladas, and non-alcoholic fruit drinks.  Find a dance troupe to perform native dances.  Ask local businesses for prizes. 
• Possible Venues:  A public beach, municipal park, fairground or parking lot is a good option. 
• Recommend volunteers:  15+ depending on the number of activities offered
• Preparation:  Promote the event heavily in local media; advertise in free community papers;  distribute fliers, give details on your club's website or facebook page and post noticies on bulletin boards.  Create a venue plan, including buffet logistics. 
• Execution:  Have volunteers don Hawaiian shirts.  Play recorded Hawaiian music while selling food and souvenirs.  Have live entertainment and dancing after the sun sets.  Hold a drawing for the best Hawaiian outfit. 
• Tips:  Check to see whether a license is needed to hold the event
• Variations:  Serve a traditional meal luau-style around an open fire pit. 

• Special Materials/Equipment:  Kid games (ie lasso a stuffed animal), Pictures to color, Party favors( sheriff badges, toy horses), Plywood and paint (to build a fun Western town backdrop) Adult games (ie horseshoes and darts) and face painting supplies
• Sponsors/Donations:  Approach local civic groups known for supporting children's causes for sponsorships or donations.  Ask a horse farm or sstable to provide pony rides at a reduced cost
• Possible Venues:  Try a municpal park, school auditoriaum or gymnasium, stable or farm
• Preparation:  Send out news releases, and advertise the event in local media.  Post notices on open bulletin boards in stores and at day care centers.  Map out the staging area to accommodate the various activites.  Designate a clean-up committee. 
• Execution:  Assign volunteers to take tickets, run games, do face painting and run concessions.  Offer Western-themed fare, like corn on the cob, baked beans and chili along with burgers and hot dogs.  Play country music for  dancing. 
• Tip:  Make sure the person or company that provides pony rides is insured and can provde helmets for riders
• Variation:  Hold a Native American powwow complete with native dancers, food and crafts

• Special Materials/Equipment:  Tank of helium, balloon weights, balloons-mylar and/or latex, colored string or ribbon
• Sponsors/Donations:  Companies that cater to children, like kid-friendly hair salons, pizza parlors, water parks, skating rinks, and toy stores.  Craft shows might also be a good place to set up a balloon booth. 
• Possible Venue(s):  City fairs, church festivals, or school events (i.e. sports games, dances) are great places
• Preparation:  Gather all materials.
• Execution:  Inflate a bouquet of balloons (10 or more) to attract interest at events or for in-store displays.  Sell them on-demand and customized to each customer's preferences. 
• Tips:  In addition to offering colored balloons, always have varied assortment of design balloons on hand for occasions including birthdays, graduations, weddings, new babies, anniversaries, Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Christmas, and New Year's Day. 
• Variations:  Offer a balloon service at a hospital in concert with the in-house florist or floral provider.  Deliver the balloons or bouquets directly to patients' rooms.  Offer add-on items like candy or stuffed animals to increase the price point of each balloon sale.  Host a balloon release event.  Tag balloons with a card listing the purchasers 'names and return addresses.  Have a ceremony to release the balloons, and award a prize to the person whose balloon travels the farthest. 

Flower Bulb Sale

• Late winter or early spring is the perfect time to cultivate a flower bulb fundraising effort.  Your members will use colorful brochures provided by the bulb supplier to entice customers.  The bulbs are shipped en masse directly to your club so you can distribute orders to buyers. 
• Special Materials/Equipment:  T-shirts with the name of your club
• Possible Venue:  Community events, church fairs, shopping centers or malls are good options
• Preparation:  Find a bulb supplier online.  Order brochures and order forms.  Prepare signs to display on your table.  Promote the sale in community newspapers and on bulletin boards.  Send a news release to the lifestyle editor of local newspapers and broadcast stations, emphasizing what the funds will be used for. 
• Execution:  Set up a table with signs.  Place a potted plant or two on the table to put buyers in a floral frame of mind.  Have volunteers greet passerby in a friendly way before hitting them up with a sales pitch.  Help customers fill out order forms. 
• Tips:  Offer home delivery of bulbs to customers for an extra charge.  Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes cost as little as $4.95 to mail from the U.S. Postal Service and make it easy to send out orders. 
• Happy Selling!!!!

Collect donated clothing, accessories, household goods, small appliances and other treasures and resell them at a profit.  Locate a no-cost venue and 100% of the profits will go to your club!!! 

• Special Materials/Equipment:  Cashbox and start-up funds; Pilot Club t-shirts, tables to display merchandise, Signs to advertise the event
• Sponsors/Donations:  The general public is the best source of donations;  Contact retailers for dinations of out-of-season or other unwanted merchandise you could sell
• Preparations:  Start requesting merchandise donations at least three months in advance through free community papers and the media.  Designate a centeral collection point.  Create a donation receipt.  Sort Through merchandise as it arrives to keep the job manageable.  Price individual items using preprinted tags.  Place similar items in a large box at one price.  Advertise the sale dates in free community newspapers and on free bulletin boards.  Send a news release to the local media. 
• Execution:  Set up your merchandise and enjoy the rush of rummagers.  Have volunteers sell refreshments like coffee and doughnuts to keep shoppers energized.
• Tips:  time the sale for spring cleaning season or before the holidays when people are looking for a last minute charitable tax deduction;  Donate leftovers to another organization
• Variations:  Try setting up a trading post and charging particapants an entry fee to come trate their unwatned items for some else's treasures. 

Pilot Club of Belen NM has a space that has been donated to them that they have created a Pilot Store and is open once a month in conjunction with a neighboring associations monthly flea market.  They average $300.00 per month in sales and they receive donations through the month that are gone through and organized prior to the monthly sale.  They have never lacked in merchandise or their faithful monthly customers!!!

Candle Sale

Easy to organize and simple to run, a candle sale can shine a new light on fundraising for your club!!! 

•  Special Materials:  Sample candles, easel for signs, cashbox and startup funds for making change, tables 
• Sponsors/Donations:  Contact a candle company to propose a sponsorship arrangement;  Work with a gift store to obtain donations of past-season product;  As a small or shopping center management office to sponsor the event. 
• Possible Venues:  Malls, shopping center, grocery store lobbies, or community events like art or craft shows work well
• Preparation:  Advertise the event in free community newspapers and on store bulletin boards.  Send a news release to the community events editor at local papers.  Price the merchandise or create signs indicating the prices.  Work with a print or sign store to create a professional-looking sign
• Execution:  Create an attractive display by placing small boxes or books of different sizes on the table and covering them with a tablecloth to crate a landscape on which to arrange merchandise.  If holding the sale in a shopping center or mall, ask the facility's management company to broadcast periodic announcements about the sale to attract buyers.  have information about your club and Pilot International and business cards available
• Tips:  Tie the sale in to the holidays, like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Valentine's Day and Easter;  Host a candle party with products from one of the many companies found online which provide everything needed for a successful event.

• You can earn a 90 percent profit with this promotion.  Sell fundraising scratch cards which typically have 60 dots on them under there are various amounts to donate from zero to $2.50.  The donor chooses and scratches off a dot to uncover the amount to be paid.  Because the amounts are low, buyers may choose to scratch off more than one dot.  If all dots are scratched off, the card totals $100.00
• Special Materials/Equipment:  Fundraising scratch cards available online and can be personalized for your club
• Sponsors/Donations:  Scratch cards are inexpensive, so many clubs simply purchase them with funds from their operating budget.  but if you solicit donors, offer them the opportunity to put their name and/or company logo on the cards
• Possible venue:  Try this fundraiser at Pilot events, for door-to-door sales, outside retail stores, and in conjunction with other fundraising activities
• Preparation:  Obtain a solicitation license if going from door to door.  Obtain permission to set up outside a retail store
• Execution:  Wear T-shirts or buttons that identify club members of your club.  Have documentation available showing that your club is a registered non-profit
• Tips:  Some scratch card providers include a sheet of national brand name coupons that can be given to donors as a token of thanks.  The donation amounts on these cards typically run from zero to $2.50 for a 60-dot card, and $1 to $5 for a 30-dot card
• Variation:  Tie a scratch card promotion to your club's goals.  For instance, if your club raises money for a local Alzheimer's chapter, hold your fundraiser during an annual Alzheimer's Walk.

• Special Materials:  Massage tables or chairs
• Sponsors/Donations:  In addition to locating masseurs who agree to offer their services, funds will be needed to provide refreshments, including snacks like cookies or fruit, and non-staining beverages like lemonade and bottled water.  You can increase your club's take by holding a raffle with cash prizes or goods solicited from local business owners.
• Possible Venues:  A massage therapy studio, mall or other space with a large open area, community or church fair where a row of chairs can be accommodated, or even a home improvement, camping, boat or other convention center show can work if the venue will provide space for free.
• Preparation:  Have professional signs printed for the event.  Prepare promotional copy that can be used to advertise the event on the venue's and Pilot's website.  Send news releases to your community's free newspapers, and broadcast and print media outlets.  Prepare fliers that can be handed to passers-by.  Check with your state concerning gaming rules for raffles. 
• Execution:  Assist masseurs with the transport of chairs and tables to the venue, if  necessary.  Have volunteers chat up passers-by and hand out flyers to those who walk by.
• Tips:  If held at a mall or shopping center, have volunteers offer to carry packages to the car as a value-added service.

Dessert Auction  

Auction off gourmet desserts with a Chinese auction.  Chinese auctions are a combination of silent auctions and raffles.  Supporters purchase tickets for a set price and use the tickets to bid on the items by dropping them into container next to the item.  The more tickets a supporter drops into a container, the better chance of winning.  At the close of the auction, a ticket is drawn from each container identifying the auction winner. 

• Special Materials/Equipment:  Display tables and gourmet desserts
• Sponsors/Donations:  Seek bakers or volunteers with a knack for baking to donate specialty sweets
• Possible Venues:  A hotel banquet room works well because the hotel can provide catering, lighting, a sound system, tables, and seating
• Preparation:  6 months:  Start with a central committee of five to seven people who will serve as committee heads for the venue, sponsors/donations, and advertising as well as to run the Chinese auction. 
• Decide when to have the event
• Determine your budget
• Start seeking sponsors and dessert auction items
• Book an appropriate venue
• Advertise by sending e-mails, and letters, posting fliers, on your club's website, local media
• Have your various committees meet regular
• Hold a meeting with  all event volunteers and go over the tasks and schedule. 
• Execution: Come in early to set up;  Follow a script to run the Chinese auction; Periodically announce the time left to enter the auction, including the one-minute mark;  Announce the winners and present them with their desserts;  initiate cleanup at the designated end time.

Chocolate Tasting Party

• Invite supports of your club to a party where they can indulge in a decadent variety of chocolate.  Send out fun-size chocolates or personalized candy bars with your invitations to ensure a sweet response.  Charge fee for admission. 
• Special Materials:  Presentation equipment and materials, Chocolate, Chocolate related food items
• Sponsors/Donations:  A local chocolatier, chocolate shop or candy company could be the best sponsor
• Research your community for local chefs and bakers that do great things with chocolate.  Ask these individuals to take part in your event. 
• Possible venue: A nice upscale hotel with comfortable meeting and/or banquet facilities is ideal
• Preparation Time:  4-6 months:
• Identify your venue and date
• Determine your budget
• Seek a partnership with a local cholatier or chocolate shop
• Select what activities will occur at your event
• Advertise
• Use the event's them in evening
• Three months prior to the vent, print tickets and have everyone in your club sell tickets
• Write a script to serve as your minute-by-minute flow of activities for the event
• Hold a meeting all event volunteers and go over the tasks and schedule
• Execution: Come early to set up and decorate; Have volunteers collect tickets and sell more at the door; Follow your script ;initiate cleanup
• Variations:  Throw an Ice Cream tasting Party; Have a Coffee Tasting Party