Small, local sorority looking to earn some money

[GammaGirl77]

My sorority is very small--only 8 active members. We only have to pay dues of $150 and our fundraising amount that we earn is only $150 to make a total of $300 a semester.

We would like to go national, but I feel being national has its costs. How can my sorority increase our bank account without increasing member dues? The convenience of our dues being so cheap is that we are the cheapest sorority on campus and give those who don't have a lot of money the chance to be in a good group.

[SnakeintheGrass]

Since you don't have a lot of people to organize a large/complex fundraiser, you might want to consider working an event. My fraternity worked at a couple NASCAR races and made some decent money. All we did was tear tickets on Saturday and Sunday for a couple hours and we made over a $100 a person, a couple brothers made more because they went down on Friday night and worked that race as well. The organizers let us camp out on the grounds while we were there so it was also a sort of brotherhood event.

There are all kinds of places that let groups work for fundraising. Racetracks, concert halls, stadiums, anything like that would be a good place to look.

[33girl]

The only way you are going to increase your bank account without jacking up dues is to increase the number of members that you have.

I guess I don't understand exactly WHY you want more money. Are you in debt to someone?

It's very unlikely that a national sorority (an NPC sorority anyway) will take on a group with only 8 members, unless they were colonizing on that campus anyway and your 8 members were just a part of that.

[GammaGirl77]

The reason we are so small is because we have had 9 seniors graduate this past May. Our numbers took a hard hit, and we are slowly rebuilding. We would like to earn more money to be able to take on more. It's a slow process, only because our members can't take on more than 2 littles (our gifts for big/little week would be expensive since our budgets are $100 for 5 days worth of gifts).

We are not in debt to anyone. Members who have gone inactive or are alumni actually owe us about $1000 collectively--we really need to invest in some kind of Greek Financial Services.

I know that it is unlikely that an NPC would take a nation of 8 people. I only said our hopes/goals are to reach national status. We do not plan on colonizing, only making more chapters. We have been around for 11 years this December, and I think it's time to get a move on!

[33girl]

Originally Posted by GammaGirl77

It's a slow process, only because our members can't take on more than 2 littles (our gifts for big/little week would be expensive since our budgets are $100 for 5 days worth of gifts).

Um. This is your problem here. There is no need to spend that much money on gifts!!! If it's sweatshirts and things like that, contact your alums and see if they will donate some of their old stuff.

[GammaGirl77]

But, the thing is we don't care about taking a large pledge class. We really only want about 3-5 new girls a semester who are quality.

Our budgets are $100 for the littles, but a lot of the stuff usually costs $60-75 because we make them. We give littles shirts, but that comes out of their due money, and $10 comes from the big's pocket.

Regardless of how many people are in our sorority, we would like to make a little extra money. We do not plan on going national right this second, so it's not a problem. It's a work in progress.

[IrishLake]

Snakeinthegrass has a great idea, look into that. I know some amusement parks do the same thing.

[GammaGirl77]

Thanks! Does anyone else have any other ideas to offer?

[APiPhiHottie]

What about a pub night? I'm not sure what sort of Alcohol Policy you have, but my organization makes a killing when we host pub nights with local establishments frequented by greeks. You should look into talking to your campus pub.

Basically, you work out a deal with the pub manager/promoter, and sell tickets for the event (usually my organization picks a theme and plans the pub night around it - our latest one was "Sunglasses at Night"). Typically, tickets are a dollar or so cheaper than the door price (3-4$), and guarantee admission before a certain time (usually for us, before 11:30pm), VIP, etc. Some managers even let the organizations keep all the door sales before a certain hour (usually, again, 11:30pm for us).

If your alcohol policy allows it, you should definitely look into it. It's a fun way to raise money for the chapter, or even a specific charity or philanthropy...

[GammaGirl77]

Yeah! Definitely!

My sorority is fine with alcohol, as long as our pledges don't drink at any of our events. But, the moment it isn't a sorority event, if they are 21, they can go right ahead!

[33girl]

Originally Posted by rossfoto

If you have someone who is a decent photographer, we could help you set up a fundraiser where you take pictures at campus events and then pass out "password cards" to people who can then purchase photo products online. This can be an ongoing fundraiser that produces a decent amount of income. If you have any interest, email us at info@rossphotography.biz. This is simple and works well for people.

Or they can take pictures and tag them on Facebook so their friends can see them?

This is the dumbest idea I've heard of in a while.

[excelblue]

Originally Posted by GammaGirl77

But, the thing is we don't care about taking a large pledge class. We really only want about 3-5 new girls a semester who are quality.

Remember, with quantity comes quality. The better question to ask is how much of an increase you are comfortable with. It's difficult to do things with the small amount of people you have, and if you need more money, things are just gonna have to change. You can:

- Expand in size, big-time.
- Pare down on the gifts.
- Increase fees.

In all cases, there's going to have to be major changes. That's just one of the consequences if the small amount of members and money just isn't enough.

[GammaGirl77]

People must not understand the concept of my sorority's fundraising. I was just looking for ideas for us to add to our bank account, so that we can save up to do more community projects and in the distant future, have a house. We are content with having such low dues, because all of the nationals at my school have dues of well over $4,000. Not everyone is a "rich" girl.

We do not want to expand so rapidly that we accept people into our sorority that will harm all of the work we have put into it. This has happened in the past, which is why we are also in a rebuilding phase.

Gifts do not cost a lot of money, since we make them ourselves. This is money that comes out of our own pockets. The point of fundraising is for it to come out of someone else's pocket and into our bank account.

[knight_shadow]

No one is saying that the way you're doing things is wrong. They're trying to get a better understanding of your situation. If everything has worked for the past 11 years, what has changed that is making you need more money (hence, the question about being in debt)?

There were a few suggestions given, and there are multiple fundraising threads on the forum. Do some digging.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by GammaGirl77

The point of fundraising is for it to come out of someone else's pocket and into our bank account.

Sorry, but there'e something about this that rubs me a little bit the wrong way. If your fundraising is to fund a scholarship or do some form of community service (which is one purpose you mention), that's one thing. But I have a bit of a problem with basically asking other people to fund your sorority or help you save up for a house (which will cost lots more than $150 per member to maintain). If it's something that matters to your group, then that's an obligation that should come with membership.

And by the way, lots of people who aren't "rich girls" or "rich boys" find a way to pay their higher dues.