If you lead a group of band members, own a band, or are a band student, you should know how important financial resources to the bands are. Without funds, it’s not possible for a band or a music group to organize shows, travel from one city to another, and purchase uniforms and instruments.
Are you looking forward to organizing the best fundraising campaign this upcoming holiday season? Check these 22 band fundraising ideas out to drum up higher participation and profit in your next fundraising event.
Like any other non-profit, bands also need to raise funds for their causes. So basically, what is a band fundraising?
Well, it’s an event, a campaign, or simply a medium through which a music band, Orchestra troops, March teams, Concert groups, etc., make money to fulfill certain objectives.
Oftentimes, a thriving music group can fall prey to immense financial pressures. If your academy or school is lucky enough to have the necessary resources, then also you might need to raise funds to pay for several things, such as uniforms, travel, concerts, instruments, and more.
The good news is that collecting funds for a band’s cause is not difficult if a fundraiser is planned strategically. All you have to do is draft a time-bound action plan, gather some volunteers from your band itself, and assign them tasks individually to host a perfect fundraising campaign.
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A high school band or a music academy band shows out at pep rallies, home games, annual programs, carnivals, community programs, school reunions, and in many other programs.
They need significant preparations and rehearsals beforehand to perform. Plus, traveling to distant cities or towns and doing shows require financial support as it involves food and lodging, entry fees, transportation costs, etc. Without the funds, their project will just remain an idea.
Every band has a lot to cover on their own. All they need is an income to cover the running costs, which oftentimes calls for the need to host fundraising programs.
The better the fundraisers, the higher your fund amount will be. Great fundraising ideas for bands can come in different forms. They can sell attractive products, arrange events, gather sponsorship, or do a simple online fundraiser.
Through engaging band fundraising campaigns, students get splendid opportunities to gather funds within a short period. However, the success of band fundraisers lies in the type of event being hosted and how it’s being hosted.
For instance, the themes of the band’s fundraising ideas should be engaging and should give an enthusiastic vibe. It’s because most young people are going to participate in the Fundraiser and to keep them entertained, the event has to be evergreen.
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The importance of fundraisers knows no bounds to non-profits. Especially for groups like music school bands, high school bands, or independent music groups, fundraising activities determine their future.
Great fundraising ideas can contribute immensely to the growth of the funds of these bands. There are lots of expenses a band has to incur as well as a significant amount of investments for different purposes.
In terms of income, it’s not possible for a band to make a huge amount of money from every show, especially if it’s a local or small one.
No matter what the size of the band is, fundraising is crucial to meet the requirements. Nevertheless, amidst so many options available, it often becomes confusing which fundraising program to host.
A number of factors, including the time, the target amount of the fund, the budget, the number of band students going to participate, etc., should be taken into consideration.
Check these 22 band fundraiser ideas below to accomplish your fundraiser goals systematically and drive your revenue within a short time:
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Holidays are incomplete without freshly baked cookies, and cookie dough fundraising can be one of the most effective band-booster fundraising ideas. What will be on the menu? Soft, chewy flavored cookies accompanied by muffins and candies.
Let your band members take the responsibility of baking the mouthwatering cookies at home and selling them at the event. This would reduce an enormous amount of expenses you had to incur had it been on-site baking.
Arrange a cookie stand at any community place that is easily accessible from all corners of the city. Now sell each cookie/box for a few dollars to raise the targeted amount. Cookies are loved by people of all ages, so you can expect a lot of crowds which may even make you earn some extra bucks.
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A popcorn and peanuts fundraiser is perfect for both the Fall and Holiday seasons, as it will ensure a lot of success. Plus, you can make it as creative as you want, which will help you raise the required funds within a short span.
A popcorn and peanuts fundraising campaign is an extremely easy fundraising idea for the marching band as well.
First, get different flavors of popcorn and peanuts delivered to you. People will love to try out flavored and a bit spicy variants.
So, you can purchase gourmet popcorn such as cheese butter, vanilla chocolate, tangy tomato, spicy red chili, and deliciously flavored peanuts like cream onion, salt, and pepper, cheese garlic.
Now organize a stand at an open community space and decorate it with catchy banners, flyers, and festoons to attract more and more customers.
Keep a nominal amount for each purchase of popcorn and peanuts to raise the funds. Also, to make the buyers fall in love with your fundraiser stand, give them a small thank-you note with every purchase.
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Earn more and have fun with a well-planned candy bar fundraising.
It’s possible to raise a significant amount of money through candy bar fundraising as everyone loves candies, and a campaign like this can be hosted at any easily accessible public place such as a wide footpath, a children’s park, the front yard of a community member, etc.
Now you will have to select some of your group members who will love to help you execute the remaining stages of the band fundraising ideas.
If you are worried about the supply of candies, you can get them from any local vendor at lower prices. It’s an excellent way to help your local businesses make some money.
To let your community people know about your event, print flyers, banners, and posters highlighting the details and hand hang them down in different corners of your locality. You are all set to sell the candies and raise the funds.
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The fall season is already here, and holiday seasons are on the way; so are the significant celebrations such as Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving Day, New Year, and others.
The demand for candles is going to rise automatically. You can target this projection and raise funds for your band through a candle fundraising program.
Keep a nominal price for each candle box. You can also offer discounts for the more giant boxes to drive the sales volume.
There is nothing extraordinary you will have to do to host a candle fundraiser. People will get attracted to your candle stall as the festive days are approaching.
Choose a communicable community place that people regularly visit, such as outside the railway station, cinema hall, neighborhood ark, church, etc., to enhance your stall’s visibility. Make sure to track the results of the Fundraiser for better distribution of the fund.
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A bake sale fundraiser is one of the best band fundraisers that require little effort to organize and host. You only need the necessary ingredients, equipment, and a bunch of enthusiastic young musicians from your group.
Even if you can’t decide on the venue, choose any public place, such as a community park, the yard of a neighbor, or the standard room of the school.
With the holidays approaching, the love for baking and baked food items is getting more prominent gradually. You also don’t have to pay for the supplies if your band members and their families agree to prepare the baked items at home and bring them to your campaign.
Now to raise money, sell these baked goodies in exchange for a few dollars. It would be simply great to give some delectable to the buyers after they purchase any baked items such as chocolates, roses, and Thank-you cards.
The best part of this bake sale fundraising campaign is it’s profitable and fun at the same time. You can arrange some music programs to keep the participants and donors entertained.
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A Bands’ Face Off is one of the fierce and easy high school band fundraising ideas you can host to raise money for your cause. The first step is to get as many people as you can because you need a lot of people to host this event.
It would be too much fun because there is going to be a vibe of competition and the winning team will also be rewarded. Create 4/5 small teams from your band members and fix a date on which the face-off will be conducted.
Also, choose a venue to host the event, preferably a community hall, a local cafeteria, or a children’s park.
Set some basic rules for the bands’ battle and let the competition be a little vicious since it will draw visitors’ attention.
After everything is complete, promote the event through social media, posters, banners, and flyers to create awareness. Now, we have tickets of small prices as entry coupons to raise the fund.
This is one of the most profitable band fundraising ideas that will draw huge attention and keep the donors (audiences) entertained for a longer time.
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A simple lemonade stand is one of the most profitable band fundraising ideas to meet the needs of your band. Some lemonade and a location are all that you need.
A children’s park, the footpath outside a local movie theater, and a local car wash station are perfect venues to host the lemonade stand fundraiser.
Deck up the stand as much as possible with flyers, banners, posters, and other decorative items to make it noticeable amidst the crowd and attract as many people as you can. Keep a small price for each lemonade purchase, and you will see a massive flow of customers.
To make the fundraiser more interesting you can ask a few of your band members to sing contemporary songs and play music near your stand. This will draw the attention of customers, and maybe you will be able to earn some extra bucks for your band’s purpose.
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The fall and the holidays are the pivotal seasons for nonprofit fundraising. Especially face-to-face gatherings go pretty well during this time.
With all the colorful clothes, unique foods, and great entertainment, such a music festival can be an example of a fantastic band fundraising idea.
You can only host a small music festival with your band members and their peers. Let it be simple to avoid unnecessary costs, but make sure to have some added perks to draw the attention of as many people as possible.
For instance, you can request a budding singer of your community to take some time and take part in the festival with your members.
However, you will have to promote the event on social media quite uniquely so that all the nearby connections can come to know about it. Keep the entry fee minimum so that the event can draw huge crowds. You don’t have to worry about the venue because these kinds of music festivals can be hosted in any spacious area of your community.
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Organizing the same old events every year reduces the overall value of a fundraising program and the associated objectives.
An obstacle course fundraiser is a simple way to raise funds for your band. All you need is some coordinators, which you will get from your bar only, and a space to conduct the event – preferably in the backyard of a local school.
Some obstacles and activities to add include wall climbing, rope climbing, bag races, biscuit races, mud pits, climbing stairs, tire-based obstacles, dodging water balloons full of color paint, running through a pool of soapy water, and others.
Charge a registration fee from each contestant and keep it a minimum amount. Only your band members don’t need to participate in these kinds of band fundraising ideas. You can also invite their friends, neighbors, and family members to increase your fund amount.
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While having a picnic in the open air, you’ll inhale fresh air that will leave your body feeling fresh and rejuvenated. So, why not a benefit picnic for a fundraiser? This can be one of the most successful marching band fundraisers if appropriately planned.
You can expect a huge crowd at this event, thereby resulting in a quick wrap-up of the campaign. To avoid every kind of additional cost, ask the band members and their families to cook food at their homes and bring them to the picnic. Everybody will be sharing and having food.
Keep a small amount as the entry fee for the picnic to raise the targeted amount. Plan some fun games and entertaining activities such as music sessions and dance contests where your band members can participate. A gathering like this will also strengthen the bond between friends and family.
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What’s a band fundraising idea without a music-themed night? Plus if you make arrangements for binge-watching movies or web series, it would be immense fun.
Some refreshments and entertaining activities are scheduled between movie breaks to make the night more enjoyable.
Take a minimum amount from the band members as the entry fee, which will help you raise the required amount. They can also invite some of their friends and family members to boost your band fundraiser even more.
To make the event more interesting, let your band members perform interactively. For instance, the participants can request a song or music, and they will sing it or play it so that others can also join.
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Raffles are an easy and fun way to make money for your music band. You can make them a part of the more significant event, which can be conducted via mail or even online. On top of raising funds, raffles can help your group in different ways.
For instance, if your band has a more significant objective, you can uniquely promote your mission. Raffle Fundraisers are an excellent way to get your organization’s word out. One big advantage of this kind of band fundraising idea is it can encourage peer-to-peer fundraising.
To host a raffle fundraising program, plan the raffle first and then choose the prizes.
Furthermore, design the raffle tickets with a minimum entry fee so that a maximum number of people can participate. It’s now time to promote your Fundraiser via online platforms. If your band has a website, use that too to let people know about it.
On the day of the event, sell tickets, stay organized, and be prepared to have fun and maximize your profit. To make the event more entertaining, you can ask a few of your band members to create a group and do a mashup of all the contemporary pop songs.
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You have heard about Walk-a-thon and Dance-a-thon. But have you heard about Sing-A-Thon? Yes, that’s also possible if you align it with the objective of your band fundraiser. It’s a category of band boosters where you can make money with minimum or no effort.
The only thing you have to do is to have all your band members by your side and sing while walking from a source to the destination. To raise the funds, take a small amount from the members as the registration fee to participate in this Sing-A-Thon.
It’s one of the easiest marching band fundraisers to host during holidays, as people have much leisure time. Being the band director, you have the full authority to decide what type of songs they will sing and which music will be played.
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Virtual fundraisers oftentimes work pretty great in comparison to offline band competitions. Successful marching band fundraisers like this work pretty great if planned accurately.
In addition, it’s simple too. Gather your group, make teams, and choose themes for the battle, and you are all set to raise funds.
While planning to host the event virtually, consider Facebook and Instagram primarily. You can go live on these social media platforms and ask your band to start the battle. Take entry fees from the viewers beforehand to raise money and collect additional amounts from more members joining.
Reward the winning team to increase the excitement level of the event and increase the watch time and reach of the live video.
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Do your band members have old uniforms with them from the previous programs? You can now utilize them to host a successful fundraising event. Share this fundraising idea with your band members and take their feedback. Ask them about the physical condition of their uniforms, like whether they are in good condition, whether they can be sold, etc.
Ask them to bring the uniforms down to a common place, the local community hall. Examine the condition of the garments by yourself or with the help of some volunteers and keep those separate that are fit for sale.
Now, select a date and time to sell the old uniforms to those interested in exchange for a rebated amount. You can also let the community people know by promoting through social media or email. Arrange music programs and refreshments for the donors to add extra fun.
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Social media challenges sound fun and daring, mainly if conducted on a fundraising day. They are on trend and adds huge fund in any event.
Based on social media challenges, a high school band fundraiser can be immensely entertaining and successful.
Some of the hot-trending social media challenges that are putting the fun into fundraising are the Ice Bucket Challenge, The No Makeup Selfie Challenge, Movember, The Dalgona Coffee Challenge, The Doodle Challenge, The Don’t Leave Me Challenge, and The Book Bucket Challenge.
Invite all your band members, their friends, neighbors, family members, and ex-members to drive the maximum revenue.
Charge a few dollars as an entry fee to participate in the challenge and take the attendees to a community children’s park or a car wash station. Play songs on high volume with a lot of Bass to bring life to the Fundraiser.
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Who doesn’t like a graceful dinner accompanied by soothing classical music? A fine musical dinner would greatly raise funds and enable your members to enjoy it simultaneously. What’s best here? Well, you can wrap it up within a short period, and that is also very easy.
Choose some interested members from your music group as volunteers and let them make the necessary arrangements.
You can host the dinner at any community hall, dance studio, school canteen, or local eatery. If you organize it at a local eatery, you must give the restaurant a certain percentage of their sales and pay some amount for leasing them.
You can give the event several catchy names like “Eat To Donate,” “Musical Night,” or “Melodious Dinner” to drive the attraction of guests. Charge some amount from each attendee as an entry fee to help you raise the funds. Ask your band members to play old and new classical music to set a vibe for dinner.
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No fundraising efforts are as easy as an online fundraiser. There is nothing you have to do. All you need is two or three prominent Instagram handles of your band, and that’s it. Choose the social media apps that work best for you. It’s advisable not to run behind all the platforms simultaneously.
Create the event, and mention the event’s date, time, and cause. Also, choose the payment gateways carefully. Start promoting this online fundraiser program ten days before the event day through engaging posters, banners, and flyers.
Go live with some of your crucial band members on the day to boost visibility. Your team may present a virtual show during the live session, increasing the number of donors.
Select a few band members who can keep track of your earnings. In this way, you can easily measure the progress of the Fundraiser and hit the targeted fund.
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A fundraising program like a tasting night can simultaneously be made creative and profitable. Pick a date and time and book a venue for hosting the event – a school canteen, dance studio hall, or community hall are some of the best options.
Get some band members with you as volunteers and start the preparations. Collect some good wines, but buying excessively high-priced brands is unnecessary since it will increase your expenses.
The Fundraiser will amaze the donors even more if there are arrangements of starters such as chips, chicken fingers, fish fries, pizza, baby corn, sandwich nuggets, etc.
To raise the money, take a small amount as an entry fee to the program. This is one of the best band fundraising ideas that boost your sales easily, as people will be thrilled to participate in this event. You can also spread the word online through social platforms and target your local community people primarily.
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An alumni luncheon is one of the fantastic marching band fundraising ideas to show love and respect to the ex-members of your band. It may sound a bit difficult to plan and host, but it’s super easy to strategize a band alumni luncheon.
You need an ample space to accommodate all the participants, and such a spacious place can be found easily in the local community halls, school standard rooms, restaurants, cafeterias, dance studios, etc. Next, draft a budget plan detailing the expenses you’ll have to incur.
Pick a day to host the event, preferably a weekend, to attract maximum participants and get some entry cards printed as registration coupons.
Now, you can call the alumni to invite them or send them an invitation mail and let them know about the registration fee. To make the luncheon more engaging, tell the ex-students and present students to share some of their memories associated with this band.
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Masquerade Night is one of the most popular fundraisers to help you raise funds for your band’s cause. It adds a mysterious yet glamorous theme to fundraising campaigns if appropriately planned.
Invite your band members and their friends or families to this party. Each of the invitees has to dress up in an enigmatic way and must put a Mask on their face. Create a two or three-membered group from your team who will be in charge of the music, lighting, and songs for the night.
In addition, the masquerade night will add no value if there isn’t any food and wine. Host the event at your school’s hall, a community club, or a dance studio to avoid any additional venue charges.
When it comes to raising money, ask the invitees to pay a small entry fee to attend the party. This program will be a huge success, and you can eventually collect the targeted fund amount without much trouble.
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If you have never heard of this Fundraiser, let us tell you it’s an intelligent campaign idea for a marching band fundraiser. This means a swag-selling event is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. The best part is there is no hard and fast rule to plan it; you can develop strategies according to your choice.
You’ll have to focus on some popular SWAG items to sell that will help you generate a huge amount of funds. Some of the most popular swag ideas for 2022 are Backpacks, travel essentials, workplace essentials, drinkware, T-shirts, totes, bumper stickers, fridge/cupboard magnets, etc.
You can certainly do that if you want to print your band or school’s logo on these items. After these are designed, sell them amongst your team members in exchange for some amount and encourage them to spread awareness. The more people purchase your swag items, the higher your revenue will be.
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High School Bands or Music School Bands are full of creativity. Even after doing shows and receiving help from the authorities, their financial sustainability can become tough at times. This is where planning a fundraising program is necessary.
The 22 band fundraising ideas we have jotted down above can help you collect money for your music group and strengthen your community’s bonding. These recommendations are customized for you no matter how big or small your cause is.
Also, we would love to help you! Contact us to host a successful and profitable band fundraising idea and make money for your cause without hassle.
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