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Fourth of July: it’s a holiday filled with patriotism, barbecues, friends, and family. It’s also one of the best fundraising opportunities of the year. In fact, Fourth of July celebrations are so varied and diverse that it’s best to act early and create an effective strategy for fundraising well in advance. After all, with so many things happening on one day, you’ll need an army (or at least a large group) of volunteers to get the most out of the day. Here are some places to start:
City celebrations: Between parades, fireworks, and other public events, cities big and small will organize and stage their own Fourth of July event. Some of these events will allow for you to have a table; in other cases, you can just have volunteers and staff work the crowd with fundraising goodies. In either case, the best thing to do is to contact the city’s event staff and see how they work with outside organizations like yours.
Homeowner’s associations: Many neighborhood associations will put together their own social event, usually involving a barbecue at a local park. Some associations are bigger than others and can present a number of fundraising opportunities. If you plan on fundraising with goodies that have a diverse target audience - such as cookies or candy - it’s easy to take advantage of the situation. Simply consult with a number of local associations to see what’s going on, then ask permission to send a few staff or volunteers to the event. It’s even possible to have representatives at multiple events at once to truly maximize your fundraising.
Local clubs: Country clubs, local swimming pools, and athletic clubs will often gather members for a celebration involving food and fun. These clubs often come with a membership fee, which means there will be more than a few affluent people there (especially country clubs). Will they be generous with your fundraising? Only one way to find out! Contact the event coordinator or facility manager at these venues to see what’s available.
Not sure where else to look in your community? Try local online message boards and newspaper event calendars. You can even try contacting the administrators for those to see if they have a heads up about what’s happening for Fourth of July celebrations.