Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser

Fundraising Event Tips

A spaghetti dinner fundraiser is a tried and true fundraising event, but many groups overlook additional profit opportunities. Just putting together the spaghetti dinner is not enough.

You need to give people a strong reason to attend and then you have to provide them with multiple ways to help raise the needed funds. Here are some event tips on maximizing turnout and several fundraising activities you can easily add to your event.

Publicity
Many groups overlook the power of publicity and wonder why they didn't get a bigger crowd. Improve your turnout with a press release focusing on the most newsworthy aspect of your event.

A human interest story is always newsworthy, so be sure your summary paragraph details why you are raising funds and how they will benefit the recipient.

Newspapers, radio stations, and television stations all want to offer news stories that have widespread appeal and tug at the heartstrings, so be sure your press release has a newsworthy angle. Include pictures whenever possible because a good picture practically guarantees lots of publicity.

Ticket prices
Once your publicity campaign ensures a good turnout, make sure you price your tickets correctly. Too cheap and you won't raise enough funds. Make them too expensive and you'll price yourself out of the reach of many customers.

It's usually best to keep ticket prices fairly low and offer discounts for families, small children, college students, and senior citizens.

Donations
Place a large jug or bucket right next to the cash register and hang a large sign above it asking for donations. Attach a sheet of paper to the donation container saying something like 'Every Little Bit Helps' or 'Donations Always Welcome' or 'Make Checks Payable To.'

Oftentimes, you can raise as much in donations as you did with ticket sales. The key is prominent placement where wallets and checkbooks are already out. Even if people only donate their change from buying tickets, you are ahead of the game.

Silent auctions
At any fundraising event, silent auction items are a great way to raise money. Ask local business to donate goods or services and then place those items on tables where people wait in line.

Include a full description of each item in large, easy-to-read type. Tape down your bid sheets and pens so that it's easy for an adult to bid while using only one hand.

Raffle tickets
Conducting a raffle is another great way to fundraise at your spaghetti dinner. Take the best item or service that was donated and sell raffle tickets both before and during the event.

If you can't get a good enough prize that will attract more in raffle ticket sales than it will sell for, then consider offering a cash raffle. What you do is offer tickets where the prize winner gets half of the total raffle ticket sales and the other half goes to the cause.

Again, the best place to sell the tickets is right near the cash register where people already have money in hand.

Other fundraising ideas
There are lots of other ways to add fundraising activities to a spaghetti dinner. You can sell advertising space on the placemats. You can use local celebrities as waiters. You can ask local businesses to be sponsors of your event.

In certain cases, you could offer a cash bar or include a wine tasting as part of the event. You could ask a local celebrity chef to participate and cook a special tableside dessert for an extra fee or as a prize of some sort.

The key is to include as many fundraising activities as possible and extend your reach even to people who can't make it to the event through raffle ticket sales, silent auction items, etc.

Summary
You first task is to get as many attendees as possible, so use every form of publicity. A good newsworthy press release is one way to maximize turnout. Another is to promote heavily through newsletters, roadside signs, and word-of-mouth.

Offering raffle tickets and silent auction items are proven ways to raise more funds at any event. Providing an easy way to accept donations is often overlooked, but very worthwhile.

Include as many fundraising activities as possible and your spaghetti dinner fundraiser will be a resounding success!

Related Pages

Fundraising Event Ideas - A lengthy list of fundraising event ideas - Tips on putting together various charity fundraising events and maximizing your profits.

Fundraising Event Tips - Tips on raising maximum funds at your next event - Easy to follow fundraising event tips for getting publicity and attracting sellout crowds eager to support your cause.

Web Here

Ideas For Fundraisers

Art Raffle
Auction
Bake Sale
Band
Baseball
Bingo
Bowling
Bracelets
Brick
Candle
Candy
Candy Bar
Capital Campaign
Car Donation
Car Raffle
Car Wash
Cash Calendar
Casino Night
Cell Phone
Chair-ity Event
Charity
Charity Poker
Cheerleading
Cheesecake Calendar
Chinese Auction
Christian
Christian Event Ideas
Christmas Carols
Christmas Trees
Church
Church Festival
Church Fund Raisers
College
Cookbook
Cookie Dough
Corporate Grants
Cow Chip
Credit Card
Dance
Dance Team
Discount Cards
Donation Request
Donor Recognition
Earth Friendly
Easy
eBay
Event Tips
Events
Events - Part 1
Events - Part 2
Events - Part 3
Flower Bulbs
Flowers
Food Sales
For The Cure
Free
Fruit
Fun
Fundraising Sample
Gift Wrap
Golf Ball Drop Raffle
Golf Fundraiser
Golf Tournament
Grant Requests
Halloween
Healthy
Hockey
Home & Garden
Holiday Carnival
Individual
Inkjet Recycling
Internet
Jamba Juice
Jingle Bell Run
Jingle Bell Walk
Karaoke
Kathryn Beich
Krispy Kreme
Lip Sync
Location
Lollipop
Magazine
Mardi Gras
Merchant Plan
Mini Golf Tournament
Non-Profit
Pancake Breakfast
Photography
Pink Flamingo
Pizza
Pizza Hut
Political
Popcorn
Product Ideas
Promo
Publicity
Raffle
Raffle Prizes
Raffle Tickets
Relay For Life
Relay For Life Events
Rubber Duck
Sales Tips
Sample Thank You
School
Scratch Card
Scrip
Silent Auction Tips
Soccer
Softball
Spaghetti Dinner
101 Tips
Top Five
Tried & True
Tupperware
Valentines Day
Whiskey Tasting
Wine Tasting
Worlds Finest
Youth Group
Youth Sports