Packaging Fundraising Ideas

Want to raise your own funds to help support your own (or another deserving) World Food Day packaging volunteer or team? Our Junior Board has compiled lots of great ideas! Click the links to find ideas for your school, your workplace, or individual efforts.

SCHOOL FUNDRAISER IDEAS:
“Coin Wars”: Each grade has a jar. Since the idea for WFD is that a quarter can pay for a meal, a quarter in the jar equals a certain amount of points that will be added to the grade’s score. Any other coins, or bills, will subtract points. Anybody can put coins into a jar. All grades will get a prize appropriate to their school (a pizza lunch, an off-uniform day for schools which require them, etc.), but another catch could be that the winning team chooses a theme for the rest of the grades. For example: the seniors have the most points, so they can dress as they please, but the juniors, sophomores, and freshman have to dress like Lady Gaga. It should probably be a ridiculous theme so that people want to put more quarters in their class’ jar, but put other amounts into others’ jars.

Spirit or Off-Uniform Day: Pay a dollar to dress in a particular color or, if applicable, out of uniform.

Raffle: Get donated items from local businesses, and sell raffle tickets for a designated amount of money.

Craft Fair: Students can make crafts (bracelets, headbands, paintings) and sell them. All the money will be donated to WFD.

Collecting Money Before/After School Functions: Students can stand outside the doors after sporting events, dances, or performances with special collection cans marked with the event details and logo.

Bake Sale: Everyone loves bake sales, and all of the proceeds will benefit WFD.

Car Wash: Organize a car wash within your class. Have each car cost $6 – this will feed 24 children!


Book/DVD Sale:: All can refresh their reading or movie libraries by purchasing gently used books or DVDs donated by others.

CORPORATE/BUSINESS IDEAS:
Fun-Raisers
Dress Casual for Our Cause: Do good with denim! “Denim days” or paid “Casual Days” are a great way to make small contribution for “World Food Day” or begin to fund an organization’s team for the event. Options:

• Try a sliding rate for officers ($5); administrative staff ($3); interns ($1)
• Theme your “dress down” days in a variety of ways – Cardinal Red; Green (in keeping with the Center’s environmental mission), etc.

Balloon Pops: List a couple of donated prizes on post-its and them (as well as blank post-its) in balloons before they are filled with helium. Employees pay $1 to pop a balloon (and the chance to win a prize!)

Sell Bulk Candy: Have chocolate miniatures available at a central desk with a donation box nearby, pairing your colleagues’ sweet tooth with a great cause.

“Keep the Change” Collection Can: Have an easily accessible special collection can marked with the event details and logo near a vending machine in a secured area of your workplace and encourage people to add their change to it.

“Make a Donation” Milk & Cookie or Ice Cream Break: Ask for nominal donations for employees to participate in a milk and cookies or ice cream buffet. Craft Fair: Employees can make crafts (bracelets, headbands, paintings) and sell them, as well as show off their artistic talent. All the money will be donated to WFD.

Contests to Generate Community and Funds

Find Your Workplace Best / Worst Tie: Charge a small entry fee for colleagues to enter their best or worst tie in a competition. Options:

• Have the office vote (asking a suggested contribution in order to vote)
• Institute a “fashion show” at lunch (or morning/afternoon coffee)
  

The Take Your Child(hood) to Work Day: Baby Photo Contest: Bet you never realized your boss once looked so cute or that scary head of accounting once dressed up as an M-and-M for Halloween! Scan baby photos of willing colleagues, post them, and offer “Guess Who’s Who?” sheets for sale (suggested $2 each, $5 for 3). The person who submits the sheet with the most matches will win the game.

A “Who Nose” Photo Contest: Have one employee photograph and then cut out the photos of willing employees’ noses, post them, and offer “Who’s Who?” sheets for sale (suggested $2.00 each, $5.00 for 3). The person who submits the sheet with the most matches will win the game.

Food Queen/King Competition: Staff members representing work place teams (HR, Accounting, Facilities) will have a large jar to which others can add change. Since quarters are a key currency in our World Food Day Commemoration (after all, a child in Africa can be provided with a nutritious meal for 25 cents!) for every quarter in the jar, the team gets 25 points. For any currency added that is not a quarter, that jar loses the corresponding amount of points (example, if a member of an opposing team puts a dollar in a jar, that jar loses one hundred points). The representative whose jar has the most points at the contest’s end is declared “Food King or Queen.” Options:

• Have the Food Queen or King be awarded a crown and sash to wear for the day
• If appropriate have the Food Queen or King (and court) serve as the organization’s World Food Day team

Book/DVD Sale: All can refresh their reading or movie libraries by purchasing gently used books or DVDs donated by others.

Treasure Hunt: Sell daily clues to a mystery location where a “treasure” (ballgame tickets, vacation day pass, etc.) is hidden. The first employee to find the location wins the treasure
Option: include facts about World Food Day with each clue.

Host a Hunger Banquet charging guests a nominal fee to attend.

IDEAS FOR INDIVIDUALS
Go Door to Door (for Good!): Accompanied by a parent and using the methods of Girls Scouts, go around your neighborhood or surrounding neighborhoods explaining to neighbors what the Danforth Plant Science Center and WFD are all about and ask for a small contribution. It’s a good idea to have printed material and an official collection can. Contact us to request both!

Babysitting/Parent’s/Pet Helper: Busy parents always need help (so do pet owners!). Consider spreading the word that you are willing to help (on your own if you are old enough and had significant experience) or with a parent. You can help watch someone's children or pet, assist with the feeding, playing, or doing simple chores around the house.

Lemonade Stand: Everyone is familiar with the old fashioned lemonade stand (as fall approaches, it could be an apple cider business! If possible, set up a booth at a local community fair, or sale if allowed and let people know via printed material and an official collection can that their payments support this important event. Contact us to request both!

Landscape Assistance: offer help with weeding, trimming, planting bulbs and other landscaping jobs! Earn money for a great cause!