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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.

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.

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