Community Business Directory Fundraiser

A Community Business Directory can help your own community as well as provide an opportunity for raising some handy cash.

When you create a business directory for your school or group, you can offer the business owners within your direct community a free listing. Then charge a small fee for other local businesses to list their businesses.

As an extension of this idea, a major sponsor, such as a local bank or real estate agent, can pay the costs of having it printed in exchange for their logo on the cover and an ad inside.

If you have a website, add value to their listing by placing their logo and link on your page. Similarly, you can ‘like’ their Facebook page and share some of their content.

For higher value sponsors/ advertisers, you can offer to send home a flyer or include an offer in your newsletter or shoutout on Facebook.

Alternatives along this theme include producing a calendar with sponsors on it, or creating a community cookbook and sprinkle local business info through it.

It can be a lot of work to set up the first time, but the upside is that it benefits business owners within your community, plus it’s a great starting point for an ongoing sponsorship relationship!

xMandy

Mandy Weidmann is Australia’s ‘Fundraising Whisperer’ – publisher of the Fundraising Directory and author of the Practical Fundraising Handbook for School and Club Volunteers. Mandy believes that parent volunteers shouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel all the time and is passionate about providing resources to make fundraising easier (and more fun). Click here to learn more about school and club fundraising ideas in Australia.

Originally published 22 September, 2011

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