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A candle making fundraiser is an entertaining alternative to selling cookies or hosting car washes.
Preliminary Organization
School clubs, like athletic boosters and bands, are often in need of funds to pay for trips and equipment. Community organizations, like churches or animal shelters, are also often strapped for cash. Even corporations or for-profit groups can host a fundraiser for a charitable cause. If you are set to organize your group's fundraising activities, consider candle making as a way to raise the money.
Get started organizing your fundraiser by gauging interest. The more people who are interested, the easier it will be to spread the work around. Divide people into groups who will focus on one aspect of the fundraiser:
- Supplies: A group devoted to obtaining donations of candle making supplies to cut down initial costs. The more donations, the less your group must pay out of pocket and the more your fundraiser will make. Be sure to include all donor names on flyers and send them a thank-you card afterwards.
- Advertising: This group will make flyers and posters. They can also promote the fundraiser at their other activities or get interviewed in the local newspaper or on the nearest radio station to get people interested.
- Demonstrations: Someone who has his or her own candle making business can be recruited to teach workshops and classes as part of the fundraiser.
Discuss as a group exactly the type of candle making fundraiser you want to hold. Are you going to host a workshop for children or adults? Can you host a demonstration instead of a full workshop? Would a series of classes on different types of candle making techniques be more profitable for your group? Where can you hold the demonstrations? Brainstorm your ideas as a group and implement the best ideas.
Figuring Your Profit
Because this is a fundraiser, it is important that you make money on the venture. Your profit will be the amount you raise, minus expenses like:
- Candle making materials
- Rental space for the demonstration
- Fees to any teachers
- Printing supplies for tickets or recipes
- Miscellaneous expenses incurred during organization of the event
Candle making workshops and demonstrations can be priced in two ways. You can charge an admission price, which guarantees a particular amount of profit per ticket. Or, you can ask for free will donations. Each has pros and cons.
Admission
Technically, any admission charge is actually a donation to the group-it is just that your group is suggesting the amount to give. For this type of fundraiser, you need to figure out your group's goal. Set the ticket price low enough for people to be interested enough to purchase them, but not so low you do not make a profit.
The success of this fundraiser largely depends on advance ticket sales. It is perfect for one-day workshops and classes where you have to provide materials for each person who signed up. Set minimum ticket sales goal for each club member in order to reach your goal.
Donations
A fundraiser that asks for free will donations is one that relies heavily on the kindness of friends, family and strangers. By not setting a price, you will find many generous benefactors. However, you run the risk of not even making your expenses back-let alone a profit to use towards your group's goals. Demonstrations held during fairs, craft shows or carnivals lend themselves perfectly to free will donations. These demos usually last anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes, and the person at the front of the area only needs supplies for himself, not everyone watching. Have cans or people at the back of the area available to take donations. Hand out flyers and information about the organization or charity you are raising money towards to encourage people to donate.
Candle Making Fundraiser Ideas
The success of your candle making fundraiser depends upon a lot of factors, from interest generated to supply costs and donated funds. Use these ideas to help make your fundraiser a success:
- Host a children's workshop that teaches kids about making Crayola candles.
- Make your candle making demo reflect your organization. For example, a church group can demonstrate how to make a prayer candle while an animal rights group could make pet memory candles.
- Demonstrate how to create candles made of unusual materials, like sand or beeswax.
- Workshops held during the holiday months can teach students how to make holiday candle crafts.
- Showing different candle making techniques, such as colonial candle making, can add interest to a candle fundraiser.
- Add a homemade candle label to any candles that people take home with your group's name and contact information.