Why $20? Ask the Reverend...
What would you do if an organization (nonprofit, school, church, etc.) that you are involved with gave you $20 and said, "Take this money and use it to raise more funds for our group"?
This is basically the question that Reverend Michael Eden, of the Church of St. Peter & St. Mary in Stowmarket, England, asked his congregation. Eden took a £900 donation (just under $1,800) and distributed it in £10 notes to ninety of his parishioners with the request that they do something with it to increase the donation within six months.
As reported in the British newspaper, The Telegraph, "Vicar puts his faith in a parable and harvests the profits." Yes, the investment paid off, with a total return of about £5,000. (The point of the fundraiser was to increase the repair fund for their 14th century church building).
The more religious among my readers will recognize this as being inspired by the Parable of the Talents. In the parable, a master gives his three servants money before leaving on a sojourn. He returns to find that two have doubled their money, while the third buried it in the ground.
As Eden told the BBC, "I challenged the congregation to use their God-given talents and they responded accordingly."
You do not need to be religious, however, to recognize that there are some great fundraising ideas and practical lessons to be learned from Reverend Eden and his congregation.
The fundraising ideas you'll find on this site will work for any small, grassroots organization, whether religious, or a school, or even a political cause.
So, go raise some money!