Kiss The Pig – Sign up a few local celebrities or business owners to participate in this one. Make some jars with their photo at it, and at whatever event you have, put those jars out for people to put money in. After a fixed period of time, make the person with the most money in their jar kiss a pig at one of your events. People are voting with their dollars and can get very involved!

Charity Goat Raffle – This is one I’m going to be doing as part of fundraising for a mission trip to inner city Los Angeles in the spring. The idea is that you register people in a contest to win a goat, and then make them pay $10.00 (or whatever amount you want) to purchase “goat insurance” to prevent themselves from being entered. When they buy the insurance they also get to give away three raffle tickets to other people and the number of people the charity reaches will grow exponentially.

Adult Spelling Bee – Hold a charity adult spelling bee with an entry fee of $10.00 or $20.00. Have some sort of prize for the winner. People will have a lot of fun and you’ll bring in some good money if you can publicize the event well.

Pink Flamingos – Put 20 or 30 plastic pink flamingo’s in people’s lawns and then make them make a donation to your charitable organization to remove them. After they make a donation, allow them to specify someone else to receive the flamingos on their lawn.

Silent Auction – Have business owners and community members give car donations and other items for donation and then hold a silent auction and sell off the items to the highest bidder. This can be a significant amount of work, but it can also bring in thousands of dollars for your charity.

If you’re going to raise money for a charitable cause or non-profit organization, don’t just call people and ask for money or for them to donate cars or other items, have fun with it and more importantly make it fun for them!

Creative Fundraising Ideas for Your Non-Profit was created by and is property of American Consumer News.

I have seen various practical products for sale that also help to support causes, such as light bulbs, note cards, greeting cards, clothing, jewelry, candles, baskets, and much more. You can either “shop” by the charity of your choice or by the product of your choice. Look around for all of the types of items available for sale by the charity or cause and then keep it in mind for the next time you need to stock up. You can also purchase the items as a gift for those special occasions. The items will most likely be very unique and not something you can find just anywhere. Several things like note cards can even be personalized for the intended receiver. Many of the products can be purchased online so it saves you money and time. Not only are you getting something you needed anyway, you can also continue to regularly contribute to the fundraising efforts of your favorite cause.

Supporting the causes that are dear to your heart does not have to break the bank. Remember there are other ways to help out organizations that cost you nothing financially, only your time and dedication. Volunteering at a local women’s shelter or donating old sheets and shredded papers to the ASPCA, are invaluable ways to help efforts. It cost nothing and can give you everything!

How to Support Your Favorite Charities Without Busting Your Budget was created by and is property of American Consumer News.

Letters Asking For Support. Well written letters to friends and family indicating where you will be going, what you will be doing there, why you will be doing it will be one of the single best fundraisers you could possibly do. People love to give to philanthropic activities, especially when it’s for someone they know, and when the money is going somewhere very visible to them. If someone gives money to the American Red Cross, they have no idea how it will be spent. If they give money to support your mission, they know exactly where it’s going and will be a lot more likely to give. Asking your friends, family and coworkers to partner with you in prayer and financially will often raise hundreds if not thousands of dollars for your mission.

Your Local Church. If you’re going to be doing any sort of mission work, it’s perfectly acceptable to ask your church body for some help. Often churches will have missions boards and be more than willing to support a member who embarks on some missionary journey.

Creative Fundraisers. If you sign up with a company that will have you sell stuff and give you  a small fraction of the profit, you won’t make a lot of money. If you hold your own adult spelling bee, charge $10.00 a head, and have a lot of fun with it, you could easily raise hundreds of dollars. Google for creative fundraising ideas and you’ll get all sorts of results. Doing something unique and interesting will be much more of a draw than going around and selling stuff for a company!

Be a Good Steward. You can save a substantial amount of money by maintaining a tight-ship in your own financial household. If you write and stick to a budget, plan out your spending, and continually look for ways to spend less money, it’s very easy to save $100 a month if not more.

These are just some of the ways to raise money for a mission trip and you will likely have a lot of success with them for a short term philanthropic trip. If you want to become a full-time missionary, you’ll have to put in a lot more visits to churches, ministries, and individuals, but it can be done.

How to Raise Money for a Mission Trip or Other Philanthropic Adventure was created by and is property of American Consumer News.