All about Fundraising

The following information has been taken from the Playgroup Manual, Section 10 - Money Matters. Members may download the manual from the Members Gateway.

Remember to check the fundraising page on the website for other great ideas!!

Tips for successful fundraising

Fundraising should not be overwhelming to organise or financialy a burden for the members - plan ahead, involve all members and choose a suitable fundraising method.

• Fundraising must be for a specific reason and as playgroups are not -for-profit entities, money should not be accumulated in the bank unless you are saving for a large item of equipment, etc.

• Playgroup NSW has an Authority under the Charitable Fundraising Act which covers all affiliated Playgroups, who in turn, must abide by the Dept of Gaming & Racing's rules and regulations. A summary of the requirements is available from Playgroup NSW.

•All equipment and other tangible items that are purchased through fundraising must be used for 'specific Playgroup activities' and cannot be given away to members or other groups outside the organisation. If your Playgroup closes all items purchased through fundraising must be returned to the Association for distribution to other affiliated groups.

• If you find at the end of the year that you have a large amount of funds, think about assisting other less fortunate Playgroups via the Association’s “Country Cousins” Scheme, whereby funds donated are distributed to country playgroups. Contact Playgroup NSW for details.

• Playgroup money cannot be given to other charities unless the fundraising is done in the name of that charity.  Contact Playgroup NSW if you require any further information. Before conducting any fundraising for another organisation your members must have a chance to vote on the proposed fundraiser and it may be necessary to gain permission from the organisation before raising funds on their behalf.

Try to avoid using the same method of fundraising as other community groups at the same time - there are only so many chocolates a family wants to (or does not want to) buy at one time.

Ideas for Fundraising

• The Raffle
The key to this much used source of funds is to offer an exciting prize.  Try to have the prize donated by a local business or franchise or receive a discount for the purchase. Also, have a limited number of tickets with a greater ticket price. Check your local council to see if permission is required to sell tickets in public places.

If the total value of prizes is greater than $5,000, you must keep all records including names and addresses of all ticket purchasers and all unsold tickets for at least 3 years after the date of the draw. More info on conducting raffles can be found here.

Or you can leave all the work to us and focus on participating in the Playgroup NSW Annual Raffle.

Great prizes including $6,000 travel, toys and other fabulous goodies!
All your Playgroup needs to do is order tickets and then sell them to your local community. All the prizes, all the paperwork and all the regulatory details are handled at Head Office and you get $1 for every ticket your group sells! How easy can it be?

Click here for more details or ring Jode on 1800 171 882.

 • The Tombola
In the same vein as a raffle except each prize is roughly the same value.  The first winner drawn has first choice of a prize, followed by the next and so on.

• The Auction
The live auction is usually conducted after dinner during coffee.  Note that a professional auctioneer will always generate twice as much money.  You may wish to link up with a dinner planned by another organisation. You organise the goods to be auctioned; they may provide the people in attendance and promotion of your Playgroup.

• Competitions
For example, guessing competitions where a large jar is filled with many items (such as jelly beans) and entrants must pay a small fee to register their guess.

• Drives
Another old favourite! Most common are the lamington drive, chocolate or biscuit drive, etc.

• The Trivia Night
You will need a venue able to accommodate at least 50 -100 people and a humorous or entertaining master of ceremonies. As with auctions, ask businesses to donate items, but preferably articles which have slightly different appeal.  Trivia night prizes tend to be mostly vouchers for free dinners, cruises, hampers and the like. People may be asked to book tables of six (to form a team) at $10 per person. It may be helpful to have food and drinks as BYO. Eight to ten rounds of questions are ample. Categories could include silliest answers, noisiest table, worst answers, etc. so that everyone takes a prize home and will come again another time.

• The -“Thon”
Walkathon, cyclothon, swimathon, paintathon, and readathon: whatever you choose simply split it into units (kilometres, metres, number of books) and draw up sponsor sheets for each person. Prizes should be given for fun categories, so people will enjoy themselves more and raise more money. 

• The Dance/Kids Disco
There are many types: country, bush, modern, Latin, old time, 50/50, rock.  Everyone loves a dance whether just watching or joining in. Try to get an inexpensive or free venue; if not, try a licensed club. Again have an auction or raffle.  For the children you should have plenty of dancing space and make it last about two hours. A professional DJ can be hired; make sure there are lots of happy tunes throughout the session. Keep the kids disco ticket prices low ($3 or $5). For extra funds sell hot dogs, drinks, chips for children, tea and coffee for parents.

• Fashion night
Approach an organisation which organises equipment such as lights and a catwalk. Contact a label or your local store to provide the clothes and models. It may be easier to arrange this prior to the beginning of a season. Ask a food outlet to contribute cheese and crackers; members can bring their own wine. Try to get an inexpensive venue. Organise a raffle and charge around $10 entry.

• Party Plan
This is one of the simplest ways to fundraise. Your Playgroup will earn commission on sales which will vary from company to company.  Many companies offer demonstrations of their products. It is recommended that party plan selling be held outside of playgroup sessions.

• Tours
Shopping tours are a fun way to combine fundraising with a day out and the natural urge to shop. Your Playgroup must organise its own group before arranging a bus tour company to take you. Usually the stores you visit will give you a rebate (percentage of goods sold). Many companies offer a choice of lunch venues and shops for your tour.  Some companies organise from country areas to Sydney.

• The Rally
This could be a car or bike rally.  Rallies are a great laugh - getting lost is all part of the fun! Start from a car park at around 10 am and design a route that is interesting and fun and takes about two hours to complete. At the finish line organise a sausage sizzle. Have food and drinks for sale, a car display, lucky dips and a raffle.  Charge around $10 entry for each vehicle.

• The Spring Fair/Fete
Fetes are easy to organise so don’t be put off. There is a very tried-and-true formula for success. Include a:
• Chocolate Wheel  • Lucky Dip  • Pony Ride  • Guessing competition  • Sausage sizzle  • Raffle 
Ask people to donate items. Alternatively, have a stall at your local school fete, shopping centre or markets.

• The International Food Fest
Local restaurants may be happy to donate samples of their foods to attract new customers. Some Playgroup members may have a favourite multicultural dish they may wish to show off.  Make sure these members are reimbursed for ingredients. Charge an entry fee per head which allows cuisine to be sampled. This is a good way to try new cuisines in a relaxed environment and expand your cultural awareness.

• Nights Out
No longer restricted to theatre nights, you can expand your horizons and hold card, karaoke, concert or film nights. Ask your local club which is their slowest night and offer to bring people on that night.

• Sponsorship
Ask your friends, relatives, and local business to sponsor you and your child in a race, eg. throwing items such as oranges or balls into a colourful box or a sack race.

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