Stuck for funds … or ideas? Be inspired

There is always something to be done with money — if you can get it. With so many people fundraising, methods are getting more interesting. Whether it involves flamingos or flipping food, the trick is engaging people without becoming a pest — or maybe just finding a way to pester them in an engaging way. If your congregation or Uniting Church group is stuck for ideas, be inspired by the successes and creative efforts of others reported in this special fundraising feature.

Have you been invaded by a UFO?

	Steph Gesling with the UFO...

UFO (Unidentified Flamingo Ornament) sightings were common around West Epping in the later months of 2003. I began a flamingo craze to help raise funds to go on “About FACE 6” in which young people travelled to different parts of Australia and spent time living in various Aboriginal communities.
What do flamingos have to do with About FACE? Nothing!

The internet provided inspiration for this fundraiser. The idea was that for $10 members of the congregation could have plastic flamingos anonymously sent to someone else’s front yard!

The victim would wake in the morning to find the UFO perched conspicuously on long metal legs in their front garden — around its neck, a note, explaining that a friend of theirs had sent the flamingo as a joke, and that there was a catch.

For the removal of the flamingo, the recipient was required to pay $5 as a donation. They we also invited to contribute a further $10, along with the name and address of someone that they would like to surprise with a UFO.
Soon flamingos were appearing all over the place. My Dad and friends from church provided transport for the late night missions — to deliver and collect UFOs!

A flamingo victim in Sydney was most distressed when she saw the flamingo on her lawn. The note around its neck was in a plastic bag, and when I came to pick it up the woman laughed with me, explaining how relieved she was when she saw that it was a note in the bag and not a bag of dog’s droppings tied to a flamingo.

This was her first impression of the thing in her yard.

“We’re a strange bunch,” I said, “But we’re not that strange.”

The flamingo frenzy was very successful, not just as a fundraiser but also as a community building activity. We raised almost $500. Most people were delighted to receive a flamingo and were sad to say goodbye to it.

Thank you to everyone who participated! About FACE was an amazing experience.

Stephanie Gesling

Flea Market funds wider ministry to needy

	Turramurra Uniting Church Flea Market – a treasure trove for fundraising. Funds are distributed to projects which help disadvantaged and needy people.

To the untrained eye, these laden trestle tables might look like they hold a hodgepodge of unwanted goods. But to the 100 or so people who take part in running the Turramurra Uniting Church Flea Market every six months they represent a goldmine.

Trash and treasure and books are usually the big earners, but selling clothes, refreshments, cakes and so forth also yields a tidy sum.

So far this year $14,500 has been distributed to groups — making the cumulative distribution since 1983, when the flea market began, well over $300,000.

Funds raised in May went to Frontier Services, Uniting International Mission, the Board of Mission's Build a Future campaign, Pacific peace building initiatives in Ambon, Hilston Uniting Church, Operation Christmas Child, and Wesley Mission's country family holidays program.

Secretary of the 16-person organising committee, Don Woolley, says the flea market is an avenue for generating funds to support the church’s work outside the Turramurra area. “It is always a frustration that we must choose between so many situations in which the church’s workers [serving disadvantaged and needy people] are desperate for funds, and we have what always seems such a small amount compared to the real need.”

A key to the flea market’s success is its promotion through local press advertisements and a letterbox drop of pamphlets.

The next flea marketwill be held in March 2007 at Turramurra Uniting Church in Turramurra Avenue. Stay tuned for further details. Don Woolley says he’d love to show you around!

Marjorie Lewis-Jones

Come all ye fete-ful

While it isn’t a new idea, holding fetes is a proven way to raise funds quickly. It’s been working for the Lismore Caroona Auxiliary for 42 years.

Its fete is held rain, hail or shine in the grounds of UnitingCare Ageing North Coast Region’s Goonellabah Complex on the second Saturday of August. The Auxiliary commonly raises between $15,000 to $17,000 during the annual fete, which is donated back to UnitingCare Ageing to improve the quality of life for the residents.

When Kippax congregation found that few people had time to organise and run a fete, they settled on a more casual approach.

“A few of the blokes decided to have a quarterly garage sale instead,” says Peter Ellis. “That’s much easier to arrange, and who can resist a sale?”
Not many apparently. Even with turnover as the aim, rather than profit, their “fair bargaining” still typically raises $5,000.

Lyndal Irons

There's no batter way

	Volunteers at Keiraville helping to raise funds on Pancake Day.

Throw together some milk, sugar, eggs and flour and then cover the result in lashings of cream, maple syrup, strawberries or lemon juice.

Could fundraising get any better?

UnitingCare’s annual Pancake Day raises funds to support UnitingCare's work with the homeless, abused and vulnerable children and adults, the frail aged, families in crisis and those with disabilities.

In 2006, 3,370 Pancake Day events were held to support the work of UnitingCare. This means 33,370 volunteers were involved in cooking and serving pancakes to more than 303,300 people across Australia.

When UnitingCare organised Pancake Day across Australia in 2004, over 250,000 people stopped at or attended a Pancake Day event to help raise awareness for the poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged.

Wagga Wagga Uniting Church was one of 1,358 groups nationally to cook and toss pancakes. Congregation members hosted breakfasts, morning or afternoon teas and each of the four services flipped pancakes on the Sunday before Lent.

Two hundred and fifty worshippers contributed $1,000 over the period while promoting fellowship within and outside of the church.

Pancake Day was held over a number of days at Keiraville Uniting Church in Wollongong in a similar fashion.

Keiraville has raised $1,600 over two years and funds have found their way to the local nursing home, Lifeline Illawarra and the congregation-run preschool. Pancake Day provides an opportunity for food, fellowship and fundraising.

One more reason to get involved: the results of fundraising are plainly visible in the community. Each local area determines which UnitingCare projects receive much needed support.

Next year Pancake Day falls on February 20. Groups can register by phone, 1800 060 543, or internet, http://www.pancakeday.com.au

Elizabeth Gorham

Celebrity dinner plate auction

UnitingCare Ageing South Eastern Region held an auction over dinner in Riverwood. But it wasn’t just an auction of any old objects.

“In order to have auction items that were unusual,” explains Craig Fletcher, “we contacted sporting, entertainment and other high profile people and asked them if they would contribute some words and thoughts about an older person in their life. Those that agreed were sent either a dinner plate or a shirt on which to write their thoughts.”

Among those that responded were the Sydney Kings, Angry Anderson, Rebecca Cartwright, and Mark and Steve Waugh.

The items were then framed and auctioned off, raising over $15,000.
For more information, or to find out about items still up for sale, you can call Craig Fletcher on 0409 849 063, or email craigf@unitingagedcare.org.au.

Magic puddings

	John Russell, with a selection of Campbelltown's "magic puddings".

“We call them magic puddings!” said John Russell from UnitingCare, Campbelltown. “We’ve always considered what we do with them as magic.”

Christmas puddings have long been a traditional item on the Christmas dinner menu and, fortunately, they are readily available for purchase by Uniting Church congregations.

Uniting Church volunteers at Adamstown in Newcastle and Campbelltown have been cooking Christmas puddings for a combined 55 years, raising funds for congregational and community use, as well as selling puddings to other organisations that are keen to fundraise.

Using one tonne of raw materials, Campbelltown produces between two and three thousand puddings every year in its purpose-built kitchen, with 60 per cent of pudding sales to Uniting Church members.

Campbelltown Uniting Church jumped on the pudding wagon just over 20 years ago when it borrowed the idea from Adamstown.

Since then, Campbelltown has paid off its church building and begun to direct funds raised to the Australian Cancer Foundation and UnitingCare agencies including the Literacy Centre and Cottage Family Care Centre.

Money has also found its way to an under-resourced Fijian hospital and village damaged by storms as well as Australian farming communities that are struggling through the drought.

“There have always been things that we’d never have been able to do without the money from the puddings and those things have always been surprising!” said Mr Russell.

Pudding orders can be made by phoning: Adamstown Pudding Kitchen 4952 2724; Campbelltown Pudding Kitchen 4626 7902.

Elizabeth Gorham

22 families and $2 million

When you combine the Samoan culture and fundraising, you get 22 families devoted to raising a projected two million dollars.

The Samoan congregation at Lidcombe Uniting Church started raising money over ten years ago when they recognised that their property was too small for the congregation.

Raising over $400,000, the congregation purchased the neighbouring property.

The last seven years have been spent collecting the two million dollars needed to build the new church building and hall.

Lidcombe Uniting Church is also dedicated to providing a venue for future Uniting Church Samoan Conferences in Sydney. The Rev. Sione Eli described his congregation’s effort to fulfil its ten-year building vision as incredibly determined and committed.

Once a month, the 22 families meet on a Saturday afternoon to share in traditional Samoan dancing and each family donates $500 or more.

Further, throughout the year a variety of celebrations that would usually involve feasting — from Mother’s Day to birthdays — are refocused: money that would have been spent on food or celebrations is instead donated to the building project.

So far, the congregation has raised $500,000 for the cause and are well on their way with a grant from the Synod Mission Resource Fund and a donation from another Uniting Church congregation.

Elizabeth Gorham

Here are some other ideas

Gifts of Love is a Uniting International Mission and Uniting Church Overseas Aid project. The catalogue provides an A-Z of mission projects that need funds. Starting from $4, plenty of options in price and project make a donation a considerate and personal gift. For details, call (02) 8267 4223. The catalogue is available online here.

Proving that you are never too old to lend a hand, 99 year-old May Ewin from Queanbeyan has been collecting and trimming stamps for many years. These are sent to the Stamp Committee, which raised $22,075 last year through stamp collection.

The Sydney Day Mission Support Group is a group of volunteers who have met February to November since 1977. They sell Tea Towels (since 1988, $68,500) and Notelets (since 1979, $163,000). Money has been donated to support Board of Mission, Uniting International Mission and Frontier Services.

Operation STRIVE is an incentive of the Balgowlah Uniting Church. Each year the group goes door knocking to find people who will sponsor them per hour to clean up the community. They usually raise between two and three thousand dollars each “operation”.

Jubilee Australia raises money and awareness for campaigns to cancel third world debt. Hosting a screening of their video Life and Debt is a great way to educate the community about the effects of international debt and raise money at the same time. For more details, phone (02) 9299 2215.

The Christmas Bowl appeal has been running since 1949. The National Council of Churches in Australia has continued the tradition online, allowing people to donate at www.ncca.org.au/give/christmas_bowl. Last year this raised in excess of $750,000. The Bowl supports NCCA work in international aid.

Christmas cards with Bible verses are available through the Board of Mission. Proceeds from these sales assist urban and rural mission and evangelism, cross-cultural ministry, leadership development, new congregations, mission planning and far west ministry. For details, contact Annette on (02) 8267 4270.

This information has been updated from an article which appeared in Insights magazine, October 2004.