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Increasing Funds During an Economic Crisis - Part 2
Thinking Out-of-the-Box
By Jeff McLaughlin, MMGI

As a Christian music artist or band, you've probably thought about getting gigs and taking the funds made on those gigs to pay for your recordings, marketing materials, new equipment, vehicle maintenance, etc. Well, there's certainly many more ways to raise funds than that, but you have to start thinking out of the box. How do youth groups at your church raise funds? How do school clubs and organizations raise funds? Why couldn't you do some of those same things to raise funds? Let's think through some of these ways of raising funds.

Parents Night Out

This one is huge. I know of artists who have done this on a quarterly or monthly basis. What is “parents night out”? Basically, all you are doing is watching children while parents go out for the evening. It sounds very simple, but this can be something that the parents look forward to on a regular basis. Think about it. There may be people in your very own church who have not bought a CD from you or wouldn't give you $5 to go toward your ministry for one reason or another. However, they would gladly give you $20 or $30 to watch their child for 3 or 4 hours on a Friday evening while they go out to eat, go to a movie, go shopping for Christmas, etc. 

Get family and friends to help you with this. Print flyers. Plan activities. Use the church fellowship hall as a place to hold this event for the children. You should be able to watch 10 children for every one volunteer you have working with you. 50 children at $20 per head is $1000 raised. 100 children at $30 per head is $3000 raised. Not bad for 3 or 4 hours of work.

Buy Low, Sell High

There was an artist that used to go on eBay, attend auctions, flea markets, garage sales, etc., searching for items for pennies on the dollar. These were any items that the artist knew would sell for much more than they were being sold for now. Then, they would rent a shelf at a local convenience store or grocery store, clean up and/or repaint these items and sell them for more then they were originally purchased for. It took a little time to find the items, but when those items are sold in this manner, you don't have to be present to sell them. It works.

 
Simply Ask

How does a Missionary raise funds when they are preparing to go into the mission field? Well, you are also entering into the mission field. Your tools may be slightly different, but the ultimate goal is the same. Prepare a fundraising letter and response card. Include a detailed list of the items you are specifically raising funds for (recording costs, equipment, radio promotions, etc.) and include it with your letter. When sending the letter out, don't pre-judge anyone. Many times, you will find that the people who are least likely to help you will end up being the ones who help the most. So, send the letter to everyone.

 
Other Ways

What else do school and church groups do to raise funds? …bake sales, silent auctions, coupon sales, cooking dough sales, candy sales, candle sales, coffee sales, bath items such as Avon, home interior, and the list goes on.

 
Special Events

Host a dinner theatre at your church fellowship hall by providing sandwiches, coffee and tea, and desserts and treat them with a small concert while they eat. While you have their attention, share your heart with them about your mission. Give each person a packet of material to take him with them with your fundraising letter, budget, and response card.
 
Now, you are starting to get the picture. Get with your family and friends and share this article with them. Brainstorm with them and see what else you can come up with. As you think of other things not mentioned in this article, please do share them with us so we can share them with others. Pray. As long as your heart is pure and you are raising funds for the right reason, the Lord will help you if you will just simply ask. I hope this has been beneficial. I'm anxious to hear from you. Let me know what you have tried and which worked best for you. It would be great to have part 3 with additional ideas submitted by you!

http://McLaughlinMusicGroup.com

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