Fundraiser Ideas

Fair Trade Coffee Fundraiser

Buying fair trade coffee from Equal Exchange (equalexchange.com) is a great way to promote fair pay for small farmers and get a great coffee product. Arranging a coffee assortment in a nice basket with information about New Community Project and Equal Exchange is an attractive way to educate people on responsible consuming while also earning a small percentage for NCP. Best places to sell are at churches, festival events, potlucks, and conferences.

Local Produce Banquet

Having a fest with only (or a majority of) locally grown produce and products is a great way to promote local buying. Your school or church would be a great place to try this meal. Have plenty of NCP educational materials on hand and take some time before or after to talk about some key reasons why it is good to buy locally, such as:

• Having fresh, healthy food.
• Strengthening the economy in your area.
• Protecting the environment (because the food doesn't have to travel far).

Host a Coffee Shop

Put your own flavor into fundraising for NCP, by hosting a coffee shop. You and/or your group can choose your favorite flavors of coffee (consider using fair trade coffee) and tea - perhaps even serve snacks - and invite local musicians, poets, and entertainers to perform. You could even make posters, fliers, and table tents to tell patrons about NCP. A percentage of the money you raise from the sale of beverages and food can go to NCP to help raise awareness of development and environmental issues around the world.

Movie Night

Seen a movie lately that relates well to NCP's mission? Consider holding a movie night fundraiser in a big room with a large screen TV, or even on a lawn with a projector and screen. Raising money for NCP can be done however you think is most appropriate - charging for the movie and refreshments, selling refreshments only, or even just asking for donations.

Listen to the Music

Get your musician friends together--as NCP'er Kelly Musser did--and hold an Art in the Park benefit concert for NCP and/or its special funds! They raised over $500 for Give a Girl a Chance, plus sold lots of NCP t-shirts!

Bazaar Benefits

Arrange for an NCP booth at your next holiday bazaar. NCP has a great line-up of alternative gifts, from donations to our special funds to our very attractive note cards to our new t-shirts.

Sweet taste of justice...

One youth group sold Fair Trade Divine chocolate bars and sent NCP the proceeds--$500. How sweet it is!

Aluminum can collection

1. Find a local agency that is paying for aluminum cans. Inform the
agency that the collection is for a nonprofit organization (collection
agencies sometimes pay more to a nonprofit).
2. Determine places in the area where your collection boxes may be
placed. Examples include churches, gas stations, and grocery stores.
3. Promise a regular pickup schedule. Churches and businesses will
prefer not to have cans piling up or becoming an attraction for bees,
etc.
4. Decorate your collection boxes with information about NCP.
5. Consider getting a small, locked cage into which cans can be easily
tossed. This could be placed in a church parking lot or corner of a
large business parking lot.
6. You and others could also pick up cans from homes in your
neighborhood during your regular pickup schedule, as well.
7. Advertise the collection project in your church newsletter,
community newspapers, and on posters.