Pay It Forward: Terrible (But Effective!) Ways to Fundraise
Are you looking for a way to help the less fortunate in your community? These are phenomenal fundraising events that have been proven to raise money and awareness for great causes.
The Sriracha Challenge: This is an extra spicy way to raise money! The concept is simple: eat one heaping Chinese spoonful of sriracha sauce or donate to the charity of your choice. This is a social-media challenge, so all you do is nominate people on social media to either eat the sriracha, with video proof of course, or donate to the charity that you are supporting
Cow Pie Bingo: This fundraiser is simple, low cost, and may make living in the dairy state pay off literally. All that you need to do is divide a field into a grid and sell the squares. Once all the squares are sold, you put a cow in the field and let it do its business. Whoever paid for the square that the cow chose wins a usually outlandish prize, such as the cow pie bingo trophy. If you want to see this one in action, stop by Historical Days in Peshtigo, WI, in September. This celebration of the town’s past is held at Badger Campground, and one event is the cow pie bingo fundraiser because nothing says hometown pride like cow pies.
A Pet Rock Sale: This is a fantastic way to make money and clear out any rock pile you have lying around. Simply paint rocks that you have available or go collect some around your neighborhood. Then sell these works of art to benefit a great cause of your choosing. You can even go a step further and paint the cause you are fundraising for on the rocks. Not only are your customers getting an original new best friend, but they are also spreading the word of where your fundraising attempts will profit.
Crisco Challenge: This is a low-cost challenge that will be sure to have you looking your best. The challenge is to work a cup (yes a full cup) of Crisco into your hair to create the best curlicue possible, or donate to a great cause. This social-media challenge was originally based off Calvin in the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip. Simply put the people you nominate either pay in donations to your cause or pay the penalty of glopping their hair.
—Tiffany Jablonowski, Local Favorites Editor