What's the quickest way to send church members or church school parents scurrying in every direction? Say: "We need to do a fundraiser!" Immediately, images of daylong car washes and never-ending bake sales come to mind—events that require hard work but bring in little cash.

The good news is that the "fun" is back in fundraising! An exciting array of programs and products and excellent support from firms specializing in fundraisers makes it easier than ever for church groups to raise lots of money.

Getting Started
Sometimes, a desired project simply can't be funded from the church budget. Projects such as a nursery redecoration, new choir robes, or installation of playground equipment may lose out to higher priorities. Or church leaders may partially fund an activity, such as a youth mission trip, and require participants to make up the difference.

Fundraisers have a proven ability to bring significant external support to church initiatives. But where do you begin? Start by asking a few key questions: How much money is needed? When is the money needed? How many people will help with the fundraiser? The answers help identify the products and programs that make sense.

"The longer the time, the more choices there are for fundraisers," says Lauralee Oenick, vice president of sales and marketing at Fundraising.com. If the goal is to raise a few hundred dollars, then less than a month is needed for lead-time. If the goal is $10,000, then fundraisers prefer several weeks of preparation time and sales time using one fundraising method. The product has to be publicized and ordered, and sales time has to be allowed. An alternative is for several fundraisers to run at the same time, with different groups in the church targeting different audiences, and perhaps using different products.

Fundraising success requires that people doing the fundraising be sold on the project they're supporting and love the product they're selling. Think about what your church group would like, and get several options. Fundraising companies will often ship product samples, especially of new or unfamiliar food products, so that the "salespeople" can taste and enjoy the product. Or if the products are tote bags, pens, safety kits, or other tangibles, people can say truthfully that they've used the products.

The "sales force" must be recruited and trained. "I suggest finding at least two or three people in the church who are well organized and willing to stay with the project from start to finish," says Tamara Omtvedt, marketing director at Morris Press Cookbooks. She calls these people the project "champions" who will gather teams of people around them. For example, to put together a cookbook, the coordinating committee needs a team to gather recipes, a design team, and a sales team to sell the cookbook in the congregation and through external channels (such as local shops, restaurants, or on the church's website). A fulfillment team can be useful, too, insuring that orders are completed and cookbooks are delivered and paid for.

Something for Everyone
What kinds of products are there? Products are essentially divided into four categories: food products, passive fundraisers, promotional products, and novelties. Candy and chocolates are popular fundraising items. Fundraising.com, Spirit of America, and e-Fundraising offer an array of popular candy products including Hershey and Nestle chocolates, lollipops, and nut mixes.

Fannie May Candies, well known for its retail shops, also has a church fundraising program using its top-of-the-line products. Patrick Fanning, account executive at Fannie May, says, "We provide a selection of 80 items for year-round purchase. They're the regular core items that you'll find in shops, and they represent the most popular sellers. Most of my fundraising requests come at Christmas and Easter—Christmas especially, because candy makes an affordable gift, and everyone seems to have money at that time."

Passive fundraisers are programs that do not require people to sell a product, but rather to "invest in an opportunity." For example, firms such as First Way Fundraising Group, Fundraising.com, Skratchers, and e-Fundraising offer scratch cards, which have become enormously popular in the last couple of years.

Here's how they work: Donors are asked to uncover a donation amount by scratching one or more spots off a card with 50 spots. The amount they uncover is the amount they donate, never more than two or three dollars. If they scratch two or more spots and complete their donation, they receive a coupon page with up to $50 worth of product discounts. Because the coupon pages are inexpensive, the profit margin on these fundraisers can be up to 90 percent.

One other passive method is a donation box that can be left at a local restaurant or retail shop, and people can put their loose change into the see-through plastic container.

Promotional products include tote bags, pens, pencils, plastic cups, and paperweights—anything that can be printed with the church's logo. Crestline, for example, offers a wide range of promotional products. And Fundraising.com offers bottled water for resale, with a label imprinted with church images. Oenick suggests sponsorship of the sale. "Get individuals and businesses to donate money to buy boxes of bottled water. Then every bottle you sell is pure profit." And Oenick points out that water sells easily in many different places.

Novelty items include a wide range of other products. For example, in addition to a broad line of candies, Spirit of America offers many easy-to-sell products such as safety kits, small fire extinguishers, specialty candles, inspirational planners, and patriotic products. Check out what other companies have to offer using the list on page 16.

Recipes for Success
The good news for churches where volunteers might be hard to find is that much of the work can be done through the fundraising firm. According to Omtvedt, cookbook fundraisers are great for these situations. "A church only has to collect the recipes. We have stock materials and designs to help them put together a book quickly, or we can custom design the book. The cost averages between two and three dollars."

Cookbooks make a terrific commemorative fundraiser. Omtvedt says that even churches that might not ordinarily use a cookbook fundraiser might do a book for an anniversary. A commemorative cookbook can sell for $10 to $15, much more than a typical cookbook sells for. And they will sell. "Our rule of thumb is for every person who submits a recipe, three cookbooks should sell, because they will buy a copy to share with friends and family," says Omtvedt.

One neglected key to success with fundraisers is to leverage the sale by advertising or sponsorship—which means finding distribution channels to sell to many more people. Fanning at Fannie May Candies encourages churches to leverage candy sales through friendly local businesses. "Most churches have an ad page in Sunday bulletins, so contact your advertisers. These businesses—funeral homes, insurance agents, banks—buy in bigger quantities at holiday times to give to their associates and customers, and they can conveniently buy top-quality candy right through your church."

Remembering and Rewarding
"Commemorative products can work as a fundraiser and raise large amounts of money," says Bob Messersmith, president of Messersmith Promotions. He says that many churches simply want to commemorate an event, such as an anniversary, but find out that they can actually raise large amounts of money doing so. His company offers a commemorative porcelain china plate, coffee cup, or ceramic tile coaster specially imprinted with the church image and an anniversary message. He notes that customized Christmas ornaments also have become popular in recent years.

Trees of life and donor plaques are timeless tributes that are integrated into an overall capital development effort. Another benefit to commemorative fundraising is that people are willing to purchase leaves or birds for the tree of life in tribute to a person, or as a memorial. For example, a commemorative tree of life might be installed in a rehabbed church wing to honor contributors. Initially, it may be small and expand as more money is raised, or large enough to cover 22 feet of wall space at once.

Steve Sandler, vice president of W & E Baum, a recognition products manufacturer, stressed the importance of properly determining the recognition levels. "If they have it, I want a donor history to know about previous giving levels. Then I help them break down giving levels to include everyone at any amount so that they don't have to turn anyone away. A leaf offers the most basic donor level, at $100, $150 or $200—whatever the market will bear. Large donors could fund rocks or birds, and a rock might be priced at $2,000. A church can offer several options at different prices, yet all can participate in the same tree."

With so many products and methods from which to choose, it is possible for several fundraisers to be going on at the same time in a local church. Fundraising products and promotions can generate needed income for special capital projects and congregational ministries and programs—and they can publicize the church to people in the community, too. But there are greater benefits from a super fundraiser. This work can bring people together for a good time while advancing the cause of Christ and gaining financial support from friends and neighbors.

John Throop (throop@consultsummit.com) is a management consultant. He pastors Christ Church Limestone near Peoria, Illinois.