Fundraising Ideas

There are a variety of events & activities designed to raise additional funds for your team's Bowl-a-Thon effort. In fact, teams of all sizes can coordinate such activities to promote their involvement, strengthening their performance and increasing company morale. Here are some great ideas you might consider.

Items to Sell:

Jeans for JA: Employees designate one day or even a week as Jeans for JA casual day/week. Employees give a donation and buy a Jeans for JA sticker, giving them the okay to wear blue jeans to work on the designated day or days. (Typically $5 for a Friday or $15 for a month of Friday's.)

Basket Auction: Each company department creates a gift basket of donated items. Baskets have themes and may include anything from trinkets to trips! Display baskets and then auction them off.

Car Wash: Have your senior staff wash the cars of all employees who raise over $250 for Bowl-a-Thon. Or recruit some hardworking volunteers to wash cars in a parking lot for a fee.

Dream Season: Secure donated season tickets (possibly box seats) for local sporting or theater events. Sell raffle tickets for each event.

Candy Sales: Buy in bulk, mark it up and sell to employees.

Contests:

Putting Green Contest: Set a putting green in your lobby or cafeteria and charge a fee for employees and/or customers to putt for prizes.

Ugly Shoe Contest: Employees put their ugliest or worst looking shoes on display near the cafeteria. Co-workers are encouraged to submit a $1 vote for the ugliest looking shoes. The winner receives a gift certificate for a new pair of shoes.

Who's the Baby? Contest: Ask co-workers to bring in their baby picture. Each week feature a new group of pictures on the bulletin board. Co-workers pay $2 for each guess.

Children's Art Contest: Employees post their children's art in the company lobby. (Or better yet, if they are JA teaching volunteers they can recruit from their JA classrooms!) Co-workers vote (for a fee) for the best picture in an age range.

Bosses Can Help Boost Your Bucks!

Administrators for Sale: Employees purchase raffle tickets to win an Administrator for a day. The administrator agrees to work for the winning employee.

Get a Day Off!: For any bowler that raises $250 or more, the boss will grant you one paid day of vacation. This is a great way to raise the average amount that bowlers raise.

Go Home Early: The boss collects $25 at the front door from every employee who wants to leave work early.

Pie in the Face: Pay said amount of money to throw a pie in the face of the boss or other favorite targets.

Power Lunch: Pay to have lunch with an executive – this can be part of a raffle as well.

Park Like the Boss: Employees purchase raffle tickets to win the boss's parking spot for a day

"You've been greened!" – Anonymously ‘decorate' an unsuspecting senior management office from top to bottom with Junior Achievement Green – then leave a ‘ransom' note that the décor can be removed and relocated into another office of their choice for a fee. (Usually $25).

Food Events:

Bake Sales: People who would rather bake than bowl can do their share for the team's Bowl-a-Thon fund. To encourage participation, you might have a Bake-Off and give prizes to the best bakers.

Chili Cook off: In the cafeteria or company parking lot. Charge a nominal fee for entries, and charge for lunch. The best chili wins a fabulous prize – or a vacation day!

Barbeque: Setup a Grill and sell Hot dogs and Hamburgers at lunch with the proceeds going to JA.

Donut or Pizza Sale: Ask your boss to buy a few pizzas or dozens of donuts. Have them delivered to the office for breakfast or lunch and sell them individually. Who can resist food?

Sporting/Activity Events:

Aerobic-A-Thon: Secure a local health club to sponsor a 3 or 4-hour aerobic dance session. Participants collect pledges to get into shape for healthier babies.

Inner company Golf Tournament: Proceeds go to JA Bowl-a-Thon team