Top 10 Sorority Fundraising Ideas

#1 Basketball Tournament

Host a fundraising basketball game – pitting students against teachers! The basketball team will play against a team made up of their teachers. The other students will be sure to come out and pay $5 to $10 to see their favorite teachers take to the court against the “professionals”. And you never know, the old folks might have some tricks up their basketball jerseys.

have teams sign up and have a prize cash for winning team with brackets

#2 Jello Wrestling

You need a few fraternity guys and a few sorority girls to make this event happen. You also need a mat which you will pour more than 100 containers of jello or pudding into. Jello or pudding is very cheap and altogether the cost won’t be more than $100. This event simply involves guys and girls wrestling each other in a tub of pudding or Jell-O. It makes for great entertainment. Charge admission at the door in order to see people wrestle. If anyone in the audience wants to wrestle a guy or girl, charge them a certain price to wrestle as well. This event could easily raise more than $500 and the crown turnout should be huge if the event is promoted throughout the student body and Greek Life on your campus.

#3 Auction: Date Fundraiser

auction off member of group or organization to go out with you. school auditorium

This fundraising event needs little more than the rental of a large auditorium and some volunteer fraternity brothers who are willing to do another’s bidding in the good name of fundraising (within the law of course). The event should be a lively one, so set the atmosphere with energetic music. A fellow frat brother can easily DJ the event using the college’s sound system and mixed CDs. Each frat brother should come out to a song of their choice and ham it up for the audience while the bidding is going on. The highest bidder gets an fraternity brother to do whatever they want for an entire school day (within reason of course) – cook for them, do household chores, homework, wash their car, walk their dog or maybe even run errands. After the frat brother is auctioned off he will met with the person who won him to arrange for their day of service.

#4 Talent Show Fundraiser

A really great fundraiser to get those in your community, as well as friends and family involved is a Talent Show Fundraiser. Not only are you able to raise money, but you can also have a lot of fun doing so, unearthing the hidden talents of those around you. Moreover, people love watching their loved one (cousins, nephews, nieces, children, grandchildern, etc.) perform so an audience is guaranteed!

Advertising for the Big Event

Use any channel of advertising you can get your hands on to promote this event. School newsletters, local papers, church bulletins are all great ways to get the word out. If you can advertise early enough, you can build up the anticipation, drawing an even bigger crowd to your event. Also, don’t forget to give yourself enough time for auditions, securing the venue, getting local sponsors, etc. Rushing any of these or not giving yourself enough time to prepare can easily be avoided by good planning.

Auditions: Open up auditions to anyone and everyone. Closing off or limiting the talent show will only decrease event moral and limit your reach of talented individuals.

Venue: Be sure to secure a venue large enough to accommodate the expected audience size. One good idea is to wait until you’ve gotten a good survey of people that would potentially want to come to the event, and add ~10 people to that, in case of late additions. If you’re uncertain of the turnout, it is always much better to secure a larger venue than playing it safe and securing a smaller venue. Even if you have a very large room for only 30 or so audience members, you can always group the chairs together to make it seem more intimate.

Local Sponsors: You can always try talking to local businesses to see if they would like to help sponsor the event in exchange for an advertisement banner placement at the event, or even a “shout out” during the event itself. When talking to them, let them now that any amount of money will help, which will help encourage them to potentially become a sponsor.

Fundraising: A bulk of the fundraising amount will come from ticket sales, so be sure you market and advertise as much as you can. Charge a price you feel will draw the most amount of people, but at the same time, will be enough to make this into a great fundraiser. At the event, you can try making extra money by providing snacks and refreshments (akin to a movie theater showing!) You can also videotape the event and sell copies to audience members (take down interested patron’s contact information throughout the event).

Competition

Award prizes based on different categories, and one grand prize to an overall “best” performer. This will help you make this into an annual event, which will only help you in the long run!

Good luck!

#5 Barbecue Fundraiser

A barbecue is traditionally a popular fundraiser, especially if it features giveaways and attractive door prizes. Get sponsors to donate a bicycle, pricey bottles of wine, Spanish classes, gift certificates…anything that will make your barbecue sound more attractive.

For sizeable cash donations, let sponsors display company banners and provide an ad for inclusion in the event program. Sponsors can also provide the food and beverages, grills and fuel, tables and chairs, tents, etc.

Make Your Barbecue a Gala Event

Your barbecue can be an all day fundraiser – you can deliver lunch from about 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and serve supper from 5-7 p.m.

Get a master chef to roast a pig, and have him or her teach patrons about the innumerable techniques of the porcine culinary arts.

Do special group order forms for each member of your fundraising team with a sign up sheet that can be passed around to coworkers.

You can add value and charge a little more for your barbecue fundraiser if you include attractions such as an outdoor concert featuring local musicians, silent and live auctions, and have games for the kids.

Offer your patrons an entire food court with several dishes to choose from – barbecue beef, pork or chicken, catfish, soul food, country cooking and more.

Another idea for your fundraising barbecue is a street fair offering wares from local craft vendors and area businesses.

A fundraiser like this could be a massive undertaking, but it has the potential to bring in a lot of money too.

#6 breakfast fundraiser

A pancake breakfast fundraiser is relatively simple.  All participants pay a flat entrance fee for an all-you-can-eat breakfast, which usually includes pancakes, eggs and sausage, coffee and juice, etc.

Make sure you factor in the cost of equipment, supplies, rental fees and food before setting the price for tickets to make sure you end up making a profit

Breakfast is one of the easiest meals you can prepare for a large group as everything can be cooked quite easily.  Be sure to have someone that has cooked pancaked before to get them cooked just the right way!

The more creative you are with the meal, the more attention it would draw. Some tips are to have multiple pancake toppings, or have pancakes cooked with bananas and nuts.

#7 Jail and Bail

There are many different fundraising events that a group can do for a philanthropic event. The usual events like selling Greek clothing, fraternity yard sales, and sorority bake sales sometimes can be drab. These things don’t have to be boring! The Jail and Bail event is actually so fun; you’ll have people begging to participate in it. What is the concept of Jail and Bail? The idea of this event involves throwing people in “Jail” on various trumped up charges. The funds are raised by the “Jailed” person has to “Bail” themselves with a nominal donation towards the charity of the event.

The Jail and Bail event needs to begin with good planning. The first thing that needs to be planned is picking a location for the jail. A preferred spot for the jail is at a student activity center or a campus building where students gather. Once you find a location, you want to register and reserve it with the university. Registering for an event like this is usually done at student services.

The next step in planning the event is to partner with a few members of the university. You will need a faculty member and someone from campus security. The faculty member will play the role of the judge, oversee the jail, and collect the donations. A member of campus security will serve as the arresting officer. Their job is to travel with the fraternity members to go arrest the “guilty” and escort them to jail.

Four weeks before the Jail and Bail, you will need to develop the props for the event. The most important prop for the event is the jail. This will need to be built well before the event. A jail roughly six feet by six feet will be ideal for the event. The jail can be put together as four independent walls made of two by fours and chicken wire. All the walls can be tied together to build the jail. Most of the material can be found a typical Home Depot or local hardware store.

Two weeks before the Jail and Bail, you will need to start advertising the event. Where the jail will be located, you will want to put up a sign telling what you will be doing. If you let the students know there’s going to be a jail on campus, it will stir up attention quickly. You can pass out flier to all the students where the jail will be assembled. Be sure to wear all of your Greek clothing to represent your organization as the group going to throw people in jail. This will keep peoples attention as to who is doing this.

A day before the event, you want to have sheets of paper designed that will your official Jail and Bail charges. You can design the form that will have the fraternity crest on the letter, the title of the event on it. You can print up or copy a many as you think you are going to throw in jail on the charges. You can write in the charges in the blank space on the form. The more outlandish and funny the charges, the better it makes the event. For example, a jailed offense could be delivering charges to a professor on “failure to keep people awake during his/her lecture”.

The day of Jail and Bail, you will have groups of the fraternity divide up into teams. You will have one team to maintain the jail. Their responsibilities are to run the jail, create charges levied against people, and collect the bail money. The other team will team up with campus security to deliver the charges across campus. This group will gather the charges at the jail, and head out to where the “guilty party” is located. They will read out the charges to the individual being arrested (especially out load if there is a crowd). Then the team will bring the arrested party to the jail. If the person being charged cannot make it to the jail due to various circumstances, this group will take bribes. A good bribe to stay out of jail will consist of a donation to the sponsored charity the fraternity is raising the money for.

Once the individuals are thrown into the jail, they are escorted to the judge for ruling. The judge will be the faculty member who will read the charges levied against the person in jail. Will set the amount for bail and send that person over to the collections person. Once the collections person receives the bail money, they are free on bond.

This event is designed to raise money by jailing people, but it’s meant to really have fun with it. The event gives the members of the fraternity the opportunity to work closely with both faculty and staff of the university. Groups will find this event unique, entertaining, and absolutely enjoyable to participate in.

#8 Bowling Night

Regular bowling can be a lot of fun, but a bowling night for a cause can be a blast. There are a number of things you can do to add flair to a night of bowling to promote friendly competition and provide entertainment. This flair makes for an event that will be memorable and make money for your cause.

Most fraternities and sororities like fun events that provide a little bit of competition. They also like events that allow them to let loose and be a little silly. Bowling, though a legitimate competitive sport, can morph into a fun event for the most inexperienced bowler to the pro with just some minor changes.

When having a sorority bowling night, your first concern needs to be finding a bowling alley that can handle a large crowd. Bowling tends to draw a lot of people, so you will want to be sure that your venue can handle the bowlers and spectators. Some universities will have a bowling alley on campus, but it is more likely that you will have to find a nearby bowling alley to host your event. It may be a good idea to have several dates in mind for your bowling event, as you will need to find a date that the bowling alley also has open.

Once you have your venue and date set, then you can begin planning the night of bowling. Each frame should have a different activity, or method, attached to it. For example, you can have your bowlers bowl with their feet. Or you can have them bowl through another bowler’s legs. How about bowling with their eyes closed?

Another consideration when planning your sorority bowling night is to give out prizes. Though giving to a good cause should be incentive enough, prizes enhance the competitive nature of fraternities and sororities. You can purchase sorority apparel and gifts hand out as prizes for the highest score on each frame, the highest score overall, or even the lowest score of the evening. For non-bowlers, you can have a raffle to win the sorority apparel and gifts

Once you have your venue, date, and activities, you need to advertise your event. It is good to add your bowling event to the Greek calendar. You will also need to create flyers and sign-up forms for each fraternity. Since you will only have as much space as your venue allows, you may need to limit the number of people from each fraternity and sorority that can participate. Set a deadline as to when each chapter needs to sign up their team or teams. It is a good idea to set the deadline a few weeks prior to your event, so you will be able to give final numbers to your venue.

It is also to have people pay registration fees when they turn in their registration forms. Remember to include the cost of renting out the bowling alley, shoes, and more when calculating registration costs. However, you may be able to obtain a percentage of profits from the bowling alley’s sales of food and drink, too. Take all costs into consideration before deciding on fees.

A great way to enhance your sorority bowling night is to designate some of your sisters as team captains. This allows them to develop relationships with each sorority and fraternity, too. In order to make sure your sisters are noticeable to anyone attending the event, and to designate team captains, you may want to purchase some sorority apparel and gifts to be worn that day like a uniform. Make sure you give at least four to six weeks for ordering and delivery of your sorority apparel and gifts.

Once you have your team captains and activities set up, you will then just want to communicate the schedule for your event. Let your team captains know how the evening will go, so that they can follow the schedule. It is helpful to have each frame bowled at the same time, and most bowling alleys have a sound system for you to announce the instructions for each frame.

The day of the bowling event, make sure your sisters are at the bowling alley a half hour to hour early to set up trophies along with sorority apparel and gifts that you are giving out as prizes. As people arrive, have many of your sisters greet at the door and offer assistance when needed. Then have fun with your wacky bowling night, and let the competition begin!

#9 Sorority Greek Calendar

Creating a Greek calendar can be a fun way to keep track of the date, but it can also be a fundraiser that promotes Greek unity. Selling Greek calendars to raise money for your philanthropy or takes planning and research. Yet once it is put together it is a nice keepsake for the years to come.

When planning your calendar, you will need to decide first on what type of calendar you want to sell. Do you want to sell a wall calendar or a date book? Do you just want pictures at the top or throughout the calendar? These are questions you need to ask beforehand, because these are questions you will need to answer when you are talking to publishers and other calendar making professionals. Things like size, colors, type of paper, binding methods, and more all go into making a calendar. It may help you to start with your ideal calendar, then get quotes to see what each component will cost.

When looking to get quotes on your calendar, you will need to do some research. There are a number of printing firms and calendar publishers that will be willing to give you quotes on your calendar. You need to look into several of these firms, as you will see a wide disparity of price ranges. However, also look at several samples of their work to see which firm is able to do what you want for the least amount of money.

Once you have an idea of which printing company you will use, you will be able to get your parameters for your calendar. If you have a sister in your chapter that is studying graphic design, ask if they will give a discount if you provide the design for them. Find out how many pictures you can use, and what type of pictures they will need. The representative at the company you are working with should be able to tell you exactly what they will need from you to print up the calendars. They should also give you a discount based upon the number of calendars you order.

Now that you have your parameters, you will then need to decide who will be posing for your calendar. Remember, the more inclusive your calendars are, the more you will sell. You may decide to choose the “Hot Guys on Campus” or even the “Hottest Greeks” which can include both sorority girls and guys. This gives you twelve months of pictures of some of the best looking Greeks on campus. Then you need to decide on a theme for each month and an overall theme. You can make your calendar amusing, placing your fraternity and sorority members in outrageous clothes or situations, or you can just put them in fun poses. Remember that you want your calendar to have broad appeal, so you may want to avoid anything vulgar.

A good idea when deciding on pictures is to have the people being photographed wear fraternity and sorority apparel and gifts. This way each member of the Greek system will be at least identified by their Greek letters. You can also give the photos some uniformity by having them wear similar fraternity and sorority apparel and gifts. If you do decide to have them wear the fraternity and sorority apparel and gifts, make sure you order them at least four to six weeks prior to the photography session.

Besides ordering your sorority apparel and gifts, you will also need to hire someone to take the photographs of the people you are going to put in the calendar. If you have a member of your sorority that is good at photography, then you are in luck. However, you will want to be sure that your photography is of a professional grade, so you may want to hire someone outside of your chapter. This will need to be done early, as many photographers get booked up rather quickly. Make sure you see samples of their work and get references, too.

Once you have ordered your sorority gifts and apparel along with hiring your photographer, then you can decide who you are going to be putting in your calendar. The simplest way to decide is to have a chapter meeting where you elect members of each sorority and/or fraternity that will be pictured. Have your sisters make nominations and then take a vote. Remember that it is okay to put two or three people in one picture, so if you have more than twelve chapters, you may just need to double up on the photos.

After you have your people chosen, you will need to approach each person to see if they are willing to have their picture taken for your calendar. Since it will be sold, you may want them to sign a release for use of the photos. Also, let them know what they will be wearing and any other details. Make sure they know about the photography session’s date and time. It is also a good idea to call each person the night before the photo session to remind them that their presence will be required. Make sure you have a couple of your sisters present for the photo session to make everyone feel comfortable and to address any issues.

After the photo session, you will then be sent proofs by the photographer, where you can then pick out your favorite photos. It can be a fun in-house event to have voting for each month’s photos. Then all photos and designs need to go to the printing house for your calendars to be made. The printer should tell you when they will have a proof ready for your review, and you need to be sure you go over it with a fine-tooth comb to prevent any errors.

While you are waiting for your calendars, you will then need to take orders. Send around flyers to each chapter, along with a price and a due date, so that you can obtain bulk orders. Make sure when you are pricing your calendars that your price covers all costs plus the donation. If you do not have all your forms back by your due date, then you can call each chapter. Double check the numbers of calendars ordered to the number of calendars you requested. Be sure you have enough coming plus extras. There are always non-Greek members that will buy your calendars plus outside individuals that will want one.

When the calendars are delivered, you will need to go through them to make sure that they are exactly what you signed off on. Then be sure to deliver your calendars of your Greek members dressed in their fraternity and sorority apparel and gifts to each chapter house. Advertise the calendars in the paper and put up flyers to take outside orders. Then enjoy counting down the school days on your Greek calendar.

#10 Bake Sale

A tried and true fundraising classic is the sorority bake sale. One of the things sorority and fraternity members love to do is eat. From cookies and brownies to bundt cakes and snickerdoodles, a sorority bake sale is a surefire draw. Plus, it is a fairly easy fundraising event to plan.

As always, the first step in planning your event is deciding on a date. Since a bake sale is simple to have at your sorority house, you do not need to worry about having a venue. This leaves your date fairly open. However, you need to plan at least a month ahead for a good sorority bake sale.

When planning your bake sale, you need to then decide what you are going to sell. Have each sister sign up to bake something. However, you want to make sure there is variety. The easiest way to determine what baked goods will be sold is to have a list of staple items like brownies, chocolate chip cookies, blueberry muffins, and more. Then leave room for unique items like red velvet cake, scones, and more. Let up to two sisters sign up for one type of item. This will prevent too many people making brownies and not enough people making Rice Krispies treats.

Even though it is a bake sale, do not forget the drinks. Many people will be sampling items or eating them there. Bring out your sorority glassesand punch bowls. Allow people to buy drinks there, which will add to your fundraising efforts. This also allows your sisters who lack cooking skills the option to bring and pour those drinks into your sorority glasses.

You will also need to promote your event, so you will want to take advantage of any modes of advertising possible. You need to make sure your bake sale gets on the Greek calendar, and you will want to place advertisements in the university paper. Use message boards and bulletin boards to post advertisements. Then send out flyers to each chapter and post them in each dormitory. With a bake sale, you can invite the whole campus. You will want to put out advertisements about two weeks before the event.

While you are advertising your event, you will also want to take a look at your space and how you want to organize your bake sale. It is usually simple to have each sister represent her baked goods. It actually makes for friendly competition as one sister tries to sell more of her items than any other sisters. You might even consider offering sorority apparel or gifts as a prize to the sister who sells the most baked goods. Have one or two of your sisters function as the cashiers to collect money for items sold. Plus you will need to designate the clean-up committee to take care of putting your chapter house back together after the bake sale.

You will also need to develop a baking schedule for your sisters living in the chapter house. Without a schedule, you will end up with a lot of fighting over kitchen space right before the bake sale. Schedule needs to take into consideration which items can be baked earlier than other items. You can even put up a sign-up sheet for a baking schedule to help.

Set up needs to take place the evening before. You can set up tables with tablecloths and signs for each item. This way all of your sisters will be clear where their items are to go. On the signs you should have the name of the items and price for it. You will also want to designate your spot for your sorority glasses and punch bowls. The night before you will also want your sisters to contact each chapter house and remind the other Greek organizations about the bake sale.

On the day of the event, have your sisters set up their items at least an hour before the doors open. Then let the selling begin.