Creative Ideas to Make Your Food Drive a Hit

 

Visible Goals
Create a “thermometer” or chart to track the progress of your event’s fund raising and food donation goals.

 

Competitions
Create competitions between classrooms, departments, groups or floors to see who will collect the most donations. Make sure the winners get a special prize for their winning donation!

 

Company Matches
Encourage your company to match your cash donation. Speak to your company management or Human Resource Department about a financial match program.

 

House Party
Does someone at your business, school or church have a spectacular home on the lake or great view of the city skyline? Consider hosting a party with admission donations benefiting the Flat Rock Community Center.

 

Donation Envelopes
Distribute envelopes to employees, students or congregation members with instructions on making a cash donation to benefit the Flat Rock Community Center.

 

Fundraisers
Ideas include bake sales, car washes, breakfasts, lunches or concerts.

 

Church Collection
Encourage your congregation to request an offering with donations to benefit the Flat Rock Community Center.

 

Raffles or Auctions
Solicit local businesses, your company or staff for prizes to raffle or auction. Examples of fun prizes might include movie tickets, hotel packages, plane tickets, or donated artwork.

 

Loose Change
Have a “loose change” bin sitting at your church or at your company’s cafeteria or break room. Donate the change in the collection bins to the Flat Rock Community Center.

 

Cookbooks
Create a cookbook full of donated recipes and sell the books with proceeds going to the Flat Rock Community Center.

 

Penny Wars
Find large glass jars, place in rooms and have a race to see who can fill up their jars with pennies. Adding bills to an opposing team’s jar requires them to subtract money from their total amount (if you put in a $5 bill, the other team takes $5 off their total).

 

Hunger Fast
Encourage your group to skip one meal, giving what money they would have spent on the skipped meal to the Flat Rock Community Center.

 

Incentive Programs
Work with organizations in your community to establish food drive incentive programs. For example, if a person donates $25 to your event then they receive a “buy one, get one free” movie coupon or a discounted purchase at a local business.

 

The Big Dare!
Who wouldn’t want to see their boss or principal hit with a pie in the face? How about seeing your favorite coach get his head shaved?

 

Preferred Food Items
Utilize the list of preferred food items and designate “items of the day” for people to donate each day.

 

Donation Bags
Plastic or paper bags are distributed to participants to take home and return it full of food. Include a preferred food items list in the bags or place them in mailboxes as a reminder of the items needed.

 

Special Events

You can partner your food drive with a special event, using four or more cans of food as a full or reduced admission.