Spaghetti Dinner & Chinese Auction Fundraiser
My husband and I have a lot of charity athletic events planned for the 2009 season. If I add up all the money we are supposed to raise, it seems a bit overwhelming. Our largest fundraising minimum is for the Tahoe century ride, AKA America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride, we are doing with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training Program. We have to raise at least $4,800 for that ride.
Creative Fundraising Ideas
I’ve got all sorts of fundraising ideas that I’ll be trying out this year for the first time, in addition to the methods I’ve used in previous years. On Saturday, March 14, my husband and I will be hosting a Team in Training All-You-Can-Eat Spaghetti Dinner and Chinese Auction at our house.
I’ve got the event listed on my Bike Diva blog and on Facebook’s event page: Team in Training Spaghetti Dinner. We’ll have an opportunity to raise money at this event in a number of ways.
Spaghetti Dinner
The main attraction of the event will be an all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner buffet for people to enjoy. The buffet will run from 6 PM to 9 PM. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $10 for children under 12. I’m keeping the menu really simple, it’s all items that are easy to prepare. I LOVE to cook, and write recipes for a number of sites, so preparing the food doesn’t intimidate me at all. When it gets closer to the date of the event, we will be contacting a few local grocery stores and Italian markets to see if they would be willing to donate food for the dinner.
Spaghetti Dinner Buffet Menu
- Antipasto appetizer platter
- Spaghetti
- Penne
- Marinara sauce
- Alfredo sauce
- Turkey meatballs
- Italian sausage with peppers & onions
- Caesar salad
- Garlic bread
- Tiramisu
- Assorted beverages
TNT Table
I’ll also have a Team in Training table setup at the dinner. I always setup a TNT table at all the fundraising events we host at our house. I’ll have pictures from past events, display of our medals, pins and race numbers from previous events, cycling jerseys, water bottles, etc… – basically anything with a TNT logo will be on display. I’ll put out a donation bucket for anyone wanting to make a cash or check donation that evening.
Chinese Auction
I’ve never held a Chinese auction before, but I’ve participated in quite a few Chinese auctions at various club meetings. Chinese auctions were very popular with the gem & mineral society I used to belong to. Tickets for the Chinese auction will be $1.00 each, 6 for $5.00 or 13 for $10.00.
How does a Chinese auction work? It’s kind of like a cross between a raffle, and a silent auction. You buy as many auction tickets as you want. You pick the prize or prizes you want to have a chance of winning. The more tickets you buy, and bid on each item, the better the chance you have of winning that item.
Obtaining Chinese Auction Merchandise
Where do you find the prizes for a Chinese auction? Go to your local businesses and ask them to donate merchandise or gift certificates to the event. Show up to the businesses wearing a team uniform, or team t-shirt, and carry a letter with you which details the event. You might have to talk to the store manager in order to obtain a donation. If the manager isn’t there the day you visit the business, you can leave a copy of the letter at the store.
I am lucky to have many products sent to me for free. Since I am a freelance writer specializing in cycling, running, fitness and nutrition, I am contacted quite frequently by companies wanting me to review their product. I also started racing last year, and have both my USA cycling license and USAT racing license. I contacted some of the companies that are already sponsoring me to ask them for a donation of merchandise for the Chinese auction, and they have been more than generous in sending cool stuff for the auction.
Have you had success running a Chinese auction as part of your fundraising efforts? I’d also like to hear from you if you’ve ever held a silent auction, raffle or online auction to help you raise funds.
Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva
These are great tips!
Some other ones that could work for people:
(1) throwing wristband party at a bar
(2) charity babysitting
(3) holding a bake sale
http://tinyurl.com/asputa
We volunteer to raise funds for Meals On Wheels and other programs for our community. We have a basket auction every year and ask businesses and individuals to make basket with items from restaurant certificates to massages and cream, etc. It is a big hit every year and the community loves it.
I wish I had found this website earlier! I am co-chairing a K-8 Catholic school’s 14th annual Chinese Auction (March 2010) for the 4th year. We have raised over $16,000 in each of the past 3 years (even with the recession, last year we had more donations and raised the same amount of money as the previous year) with around 300 guests in our school gym. If you would like to trade ideas, I would be happy to communicate with you about this! We are always looking for new ideas. Thank you!