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Photography Fund Raisers :: CamerasOnly.com

Tips for doing fund raising with digital photography and cameras, provided by CamerasOnly.com.

Photography Fundraisers

Fundraising with Digital Photography

Let's face it - fundraising for most groups can be a task that is both daunting and necessary. There are, however, many modern fund raising ideas in the realm of photography that can produce a much higher profit than your average bake sale. Whether you offer or provide a "picture with your pet," family portraits, children's costume or theme portraits, portraits with fun and unique backdrops, or candid snapshots that people can take home with them after an event, there is a high potential for monetary gain which can greatly benefit your sports team, event, group, or non-profit organization in a short amount of time.

Camera Raffle

Nikon Coolpix L6 Digital CameraOne easy way to fundraise would be to sell $1-$5 tickets for a raffle, one of the grand prizes for which could be a nice digital camera. A camera is a desirable household item that most people would be interested in winning, even if they already have a camera. This is especially true if the camera being offered in the raffle is one that has a special feature that their own camera doesn't, such as a waterproof camera, or an ultra-light camera, or extra small (in dimension) camera. You could add additional raffle items, donated from local businesses or friends and family as well to boost a ticket-buyer's chance of winning a prize.

Do-it-Yourself Event Photography

At a specific event, there are a few different options for raising money with photography - many of which you can organize and implement yourself. The fact is, most people don't like to carry around their bulky cameras all day or night. At the same time, people love pictures - especially ones that are taken at specific events, and with friends and family. If your group can provide these pictures and people don't have to worry about carrying around or losing their own cameras, it only makes sense that it should be a profitable venture to provide pictures for your guests to purchase - either candid, or portrait-style.

If you tend to have more than one event a year, or you have one popular event which you believe may incur a large amount of picture sales, you might want to think about purchasing a portable picture printer (with plenty of photo paper and extra ink cartridges). There are many different ways to organize or structure your picture-taking. You can have one, or a few different people taking pictures with a digital camera, and they can give p eople a numbered "ticket" so they can later use their tickets to go to a booth an hour or so later to look up their photos and buy prints on-the-spot. Or, you can have guests purchase prints ahead of time, and take photos with a nice backdrop and lighting (rented or made), then have the ability print out their photos just a few feet away. This might be a good option when guests are first entering the event, while you can best capture their focus.

A portable picture printer for printing photos immediately at your event.Photo Printers:
However you decide to organize the picture-taking and fund collecting, have your own photo printer there, and charge $5-$10 a print. A 100-pack of 4x6 photo paper can end up providing you with $500-$1000 in profit. You can see how this can quickly add up, especially at a big event, and especially at multiple events throughout the year.

Portrait folders for a more desireable and professional presentationAccessories for Presentation:
To make your photos look more professional, you can place them in 4x6 picture folders, which you can choose to charge an extra $1-$2 for, or you can include these within the total price of the print:

Tripods:
If you decide to take portraits (with a backdrop or view), it is best to use a tripod to ensure your prints come out clearly - especially at night, when a camera needs to be held still in lower-light. In case you don't already have a tripod, here are a few options:

A Polaroid camera may be another fundraising optionPolaroid Camera:
Another option would be to use a Polaroid camera and film, and charge $2-5 per photo (which should be collected before the photo is taken, or you may waste plenty of film trying to capture the perfect photo before the guest purchases it).

You can also market the photos more by placing them in a nice (and inexpensive) picture folder:

Pointers/Tips for Do-It-Yourself:

  • Polaroid cameras are more likely to take better photos in daylight, or in a well-lit area, so this option is not recommended for nighttime events, unless the area is very well-lit.
  • Whoever is going to be taking the photographs, make sure they take some time to get to know the camera(s) before the event - including the proper white balance, ISO settings, and scene mode(s). The higher quality the available photos are, the more likely people are to purchase prints.
  • Make sure you have enough photo paper, ink cartridges, and adequate power for your digital printer, and don't forget the A/C adapter - a battery is likely to run out during the event. You will also want to remember extension cords, and plenty of memory for your camera(s).
  • Another option you may offer, if you are able to have a notebook (laptop) computer and wireless internet access at your event, you can present an additional option to have their photo(s) emailed to their account for a small fee. If your wireless account is not working properly, you can at least let people view their photos on your laptop screen. Be sure to have a form available to take down their email address, ID number of their pictures, and their contact information so you can send the image(s) to them as soon as possible.
  • Take care to have a good system of tracking and locating people's image ID numbers so it is easy to locate and print or email them. Especially if you have more than one photographer, it will be important to have a good system of quickly finding people's photos to print.
  • Consider accepting other payment options than just cash for these sales to increase potential for payment - other options might include personal checks, Paypal payments, and/or credit cards, if you have the means to accept, such as a credit card machine or a computer with wireless access present and available.

Working with Photographers and Designers in the Area:

There may be local photographers who would be interested in working with your group either for free, or for a small fee in a number of different ways, and for many different reasons. If someone is a student or new photographer, for instance, they may have the desire for experience, or to boost their portfolio of images. You may want to think about making a visit to local design or photography schools or departments to request photographers that would be willing to volunteer their time and equipment to your cause or event. Perhaps a few teachers or professors would be willing to allow you to make an announcement during class, or you could post flyers or bulletins describing your needs. Local photography studios or independent photographers might also be willing to work for your event if they are allowed an option to hand out coupons and brochures offering their services in the future. If you are a non-profit organization, maybe you know someone in your network, or friends and family who would simply be willing to donate their time to a worthy cause. This may be especially applicable if your group is willing to complete sales for the photographer prior to an event, or as the actual fund-raiser (see below for ideas) - a photographer may then be more than willing to offer her professional services to your cause.

Ideas for photography fund raisers:

  • Portrait Packages:
    There are companies that are set up to allow your group to sell portrait packages, such as family portraits, children's theme portraits (antique, sports, holiday), sports team photos, etc. You profit according to how many portrait packages/sittings you set up for the photographer, and then you receive a percentage of the profit when prints are ordered as well:
    Glamour Fundraising, Hands Fundraising, and Enfocus Photography are just a few of these companies.
  • Photo Manipulation:
    Have graphic designer skilled in a photo editing program create fun backgrounds, funny scenes, etc. that he/she can digitally edit to make it look as if people are standing on the moon, or underneath the Eiffel Tower - or maybe they're skilled enough to "morph" two faces into one, to see what their offspring might look like...
  • Sets and/or Characters:
    Create a fun or unique "set," (i.e. a movie or stage set), and/or have characters that can pose with people, or have themed costumes people can put on for a western theme, an outer space/sci-fi theme, an 'under the sea' theme... Give them the option to have prints made of their photos, or email for a price.
  • Photo Booth:
    There are actually companies that will share the profit on sales for a photo booth placed on location - if you have a convenient location available for a photo booth, look into the option with some companies such as Photo-Me.

Host a Photography Show or Exhibit:

Post a bulletin or ad to propose to local artists the ability to show their work at a photography exhibit. Choose a theme, go to art, photography, or design schools to find artists who might want to show their work and get some exposure. Ask around at local restaurants or business with plenty of open space available to see if they may be willing to donate their location for an evening (free advertising and traffic to their business). If anyone in your network has an affiliation with a school, see if you can borrow a classroom for the evening.

Charge admission, and have a potluck for finger-foods people can enjoy at the exhibit.

Pointers/Tips for a Photography Show or Exhibit:

  • Make sure you screen your artists - see what work they intend to show so you know it would be appropriate for the event
  • Advertise well, with a good theme - showcase artists so friends and family will want to support them - utilize good word-of-mouth advertising with everyone in your affiliation
  • Create a simple program with a program like Adobe Acrobat and a copy machine listing the a brief synopsis about the show's artists and what the funds raised at the event are benefiting
iGive.com

One final and very low-maintenance means of raising funds is to set your non-profit group up on www.igive.com, and by word of mouth, anyone can shop through an enormous network of online stores, including RitzCamera.com, and a percentage of purchase total (depending upon the individual company) will go to your organization's account.

There are obviously many opportunities available in the realm of Photographic Fundraising. Best of luck to you and your organization with a task that can be a lot of work, but with the right choices can be a highly profitable and enjoyable venture.

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