The basic premise is to host an event where all sorts of gardening items are offered for sale. There are many ways to make money with this type of fundraising activity and it works well for just about any type of group from schools to churches to nonprofits.

Getting started

First, you need to decide how much you want to raise and structure your event accordingly. For example, your group may want to raise $5,000 or you may desire to raise $50,000 or more.

In the first case, you could coordinate your event in a very basic location such as a parking lot in a high-traffic area. You could arrange for wholesale delivery of popular gardening supplies such as pine straw, mulch, potted shrubs, flowers, etc. and sell those items on the spot at very attractive prices. Advertise your one-day sale and gain extra profit by charging for immediate delivery of purchases.

In the second instance, to raise the big bucks you need a larger event such as hosting a Home & Garden show at a convention center or other large meeting space. Arrange a layout and sell booth space to gardening supply vendors, nurseries, gazebo suppliers, and anyone else with a product geared toward outdoor home living.

In other words, scale your event to meet your needs and plan accordingly. Divide your organizational tasks up and have your plan in place well before you start publicizing your event.

Extra profit tips

Depending on the size of your event, there are many ways to add additional fundraising activities. Selling raffle tickets, having a live auction, or placing tables with large amounts of gardening items for silent auction bids are great ways to raise extra funds.

A raffle with an attractive grand prize is a surefire moneymaker. Work with a vendor to arrange a substantial discount or outright donation of a grand prize such as a gazebo, hot tub, deluxe backyard makeover, etc.

Obtain donations of secondary prizes such as free lawn service for a year, gift certificates from gardening stores, new lawnmower, power tools, and other desirable products and services. Sell the raffle tickets ahead of the event at participating merchants and through your own group.

Keep the ticket price low and aim for volume on ticket sales. You'll actually make more that way than with expensive tickets with lower sales volume. A price point of $5 per raffle ticket is attractive to most people.

With a big indoor event, a live auction can help draw a big crowd. With a smaller outdoor event, go the silent auction route. Arrange all the auction items on tables in high-traffic locations and tape down the descriptions and bid sheets. Use easy to read font sizes on everything and tape down pens next to each bid sheet.

Publicity

Events like this depend on good advance publicity and day of event roadside signs. Put together a press release explaining the most noteworthy aspect of your fundraising event. That might be the net benefit provided by the funds raised such as funding an animal shelter for a year. Or it could be the awesome grand prize in your raffle or the presence of renowned gardening experts.

The bottom line is that newspapers, radio, and television stations will give plenty of publicity to events that they think their public wants to hear about. So, make your press release as newsworthy as possible and do follow-up calls to all the major contacts to offer interviews, arrange live radio broadcasts, etc.

Gardening fundraiser wrap-up

A successful home & garden fundraiser can produce excellent results for any size group. You can make money by buying wholesale and selling at or below retail. You can offer raffle tickets to attendees and also sell them ahead of time to people who just want a shot at winning the grand prize.

Work with suppliers to arrange attractive displays of a variety of related products. For big events, you can charge booth fees while smaller events can do well by drawing bigger crowds by having some additional vendors and asking for just a small slice of their revenue.

Publicity is key to your success, so actively work the most newsworthy angle of your event. Make it fun, informative, and easy to get to and your group will do very well.

Now spring into action and organize your own gardening supplies fundraiser!