The 50/50 Raffle

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50/50 raffleThe 50/50 Raffle is as simple as it sounds. Sell raffle tickets for $1, $5, $10, or some other amount. The winner receives half of the proceeds as a prize and the charity of your choice receives the other half. This is a great class project, youth group project, or general temple fundraiser for almost no cost.

An easy way to promote ticket sales is to integrate the raffle into another existing event such as the Purim Carnival, Sisterhood dinner, youth group event, concert, etc. If this is done for a class or youth group project, Continue reading →

Sports Fundraiser

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If you are a sports enthusiast, here’s a sports fundraiser idea: a sports-a-thon! What’s your favorite sport? Basketball? Baseball? Swimming? Diving? Skiing? Doesn’t matter. Pick a sport and pick a challenge. Then get people to support you in your efforts to complete that challenge.

There are a couple of different ways to organize your sports fundraiser. Set a time limit and a task and get pledges for each time you complete your task. For example: For a basketball player, get people to pledge a (nickel, dime, quarter, etc.) for every basket you can Continue reading →

Paper Bead Project

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If you like arts & crafts, this paper bead project is a great idea for you. They are a great way to recycle newspapers, magazines, or wrapping paper. You can string the beads into necklaces or bracelets and give them as gifts to women in senior communities, women’s shelters, or as holiday gifts to girls in homeless shelters. Or you can sell them and donate the funds to the charity of your choice. You can also give them as gifts to the guests at your bar/bat mitzvah.

They are quick to make and easy to vary. You can make them wide or narrow, thick or thin, cylindrical, flat, or spherical (like the ones in this picture.) You can also get fancy Continue reading →

Animal Bake Sale

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If you want to help animals and enjoy baking, this is a great project for you! Host an animal bake sale. Bake up a selection of dog and cat treats for charity. Pets are a multi-billion dollar business in this country. Pet owners want to know they are giving their pets the best. Create a small line of treats and distribute then on a regular basis at the temple or at school. Donate the proceeds to your local shelter or other animal-related charity of your choice. Or donate to another organization you love — just because you’re selling pet treats doesn’t mean the money has to benefit animals.

You can have lots of fun with an animal bake sale: decide on fun treat names, design unique labels Continue reading →

Passover Mitzvah Project

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Passover provides us with many great themes for mitzvah projects. Here are just a few themes and ideas for Passover mitzvah projects:

1. Renewal and rejuvenation: The parsley and the egg on the seder plate remind us that it is spring and a time for life to renew itself. This is a great theme for an Continue reading →

Songs of Love

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Is singing your thing? Then consider doing a project for Songs of Love. Songs of Love is a non-profit that composes and records original personalized songs for kids battling a life-threatening illness. They will bring the recording studio to your religious school, youth group event, youth choir, temple mitzvah day or even your Bar/Bat Mitzvah party so you and your friends can make a recording for some special kid in need of a little pick-me-up. There is a little fine print though: Continue reading →

Host the Amazing Race at Your Temple

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Looking to breathe new life into Mitzvah Day? Host the Amazing Race at your temple. It’s a really fun way to learn something new, do some great things for the temple and your community, and tap into people’s competitive spirit.

Modeling it after the Amazing Race may require Continue reading →

Invisible Children

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Not a lot to say other than, “Watch the video!” It’s exploding all over the internet. Yet another example of how Margaret Mead’s words ring true, “Never doubt a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.”
Sign the petition. Make your voice heard.

http://www.kony2012.com/

Guidelines on How To Donate Books

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Before giving away a book collection, read these guidelines on how to donate books safely and effectively. Most importantly, be sure the recipient is actually a not-for-profit organization and not a for-profit company anxious to collect free inventory. Secondly, consider how you will be transporting the books and any costs involved with transporting them.

Beware. There are a lot of FOR-profit organizations that ask for your “donation” but Continue reading →

Build an Ark to benefit Heifer International

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This is a great project for anyone: bar or bat mitzvah, religious school, youth group, or even the social action committee: build an ark to benefit Heifer International. This is an awesome idea if the Torah portion for your Bar or Bat Mitzvah happens to be Noah. (I know that portion isn’t read until the fall but you can’t wait until then to get started.)

Here is what Heifer International does: they give pairs of animals (or small flocks, hives, etc.) to people in need around the world. They then teach the recipient how to care for the animals. The gift is free to the recipient but Continue reading →