When you run a church, you need to get your message into the world. Marketing with television, radio, magazines, newspapers, and direct mail can take up a lot of time and resources. Instead, you should consider moving to dynamic digital signage that can be a fun and cost-effective way to engage your community.
However, whether you choose an LED sign, a monument sign, or a changeable letter sign, a new church sign is an investment, and you need to consider your situation and your budget before making the leap. To help your congregation get the funds together for a new sign, here are some money-raising ideas:
1. Hold a Contest with an Entry Fee
For example, stage a contest for designing a T-shirt and charge all contestants an entry fee. Then, put the winning two or three designs on T-shirts and sell the shirts to raise money.
2. Explore Fundraising Kiosk Technology
Technology from companies such as DipJar and others can help you facilitate fundraising. You plan an event where you set up a small kiosk that you receive from the fundraising company. Then, parishioners and event attendees can use their credit cards to easily make donations at the kiosk.
3. Try Text-to-Tithe Technology
In lieu of a physical kiosk, you may want to try an app. For example, Text-to-Tithe is another electronic way to fundraise at your church or religious organization. The app works by using a simple text number. Your congregation doesn't need cash. They can just text a donation amount from their cell phone, and the funds are transferred from their bank to your account.
4. Hold Seasonal Fundraisers
Try creating seasonal fundraisers related to the current season or holiday. You can sell wrapping paper during Christmas, pumpkins in October, or tulips for Mother’s Day. The options are endless, and you get to benefit from people's excitement over the season.
5. Hold a Swap Shop or Yard Sale
Encourage your congregation to clean out their closets, garages, and basements. Then create a "store" and fill that area with the donated clothing, home goods, and so on. Resell the items to members of your church and your community.
6. Host a Chili Cook-Off
Get your church’s best cooks to make a pot of their favorite chili and then sell tickets to taste each spicy concoction. Tasters can vote on the winner, the winning cook can receive a small prize or a trophy, and your church can raise the money it needs for a new sign.
7. Hold a Coffee & Hot Chocolate Sale
Everybody loves a warm cup of coffee or hot chocolate. To make money for your church sign, you can sell hot drinks or powdered mixes to go.
8. Consider a Decoration Service
Essentially, you just create a service where your church or youth group charges a fee to put up holiday decorations or to take them down when the holidays are over. You can advertise to your community using flyers, newspaper ads, and social media, but once you have your church sign, you can advertise subsequent fundraisers with your sign. This is a great way to spread good cheer and raise money for your sign.
9. Make and Sell Christmas Decorations
Rather than doing the decorating, consider having your artistic church members or youth group create Christmas wreaths and ornaments. You can also sell ribbon and wreath hooks for additional money.
10. Sell Cookie Dough
Another beloved fundraiser is the Cookie Dough Sale. You can sell homemade, donated dough to your church members and their friends, or you can work with a company that provides the cookie dough for a small fee. If you like, consider selling treats from your website to reach even more people.
12. Create a Church Cookbook
Many of your congregants are probably excellent cooks, and everyone has family recipes they’d like to save and share. Ask church members to provide family recipes to be included in the cookbook. Then sell the completed book online or to your community.
13. Make and Sell Custom Calendars
Start creating the calendar in midsummer, so you’ll have plenty of time to advertise and sell to your church and your community. Add photos from mission trips and church events, but also consider including some church history, quotes, or maybe even member’s birthdays.
14. Charge for Coffee and Muffins
A lot of congregations serve snacks before or after church, but you can also turn those treats into a fundraising opportunity. If you don't want to charge for everything, just make it optional with a donation bucket near the treats.
15. Hold a Silent Auction
Encourage donations of unique items from church members and ask local businesses and individuals if they’d like to donate to your auction. Items might include gift cards to restaurants, lessons from a professional who has donated time, gift baskets, sports tickets, and more. Then, put out silent auction sheets and encourage parishioners to start bidding.
Now that you're armed with some fundraising ideas, it's time to choose the right sign for your church. To customize a sign that meets your needs, contact us today. At Stewart Signs, we specialize in signs for churches, municipalities, and schools.
