On the arrl_prez mailing list, Ruth KB9VDG wrote:
Hi, my name is Ruth Powell, KB9VDG, and I am the Secretary for the Vermilion County Amateur Radio Association in Danville, IL. We are in need of raising big money ASAP. Our repeater antenna is in need of being replaced, and unfortunately we don’t have that kind of money in our funds. I was wondering if you give send me some information on types of grants that we might apply for and/or ideas for major fund raisers. I am also the Chairperson for our fundraiser committee.
Here are some of the responses:
It depends on your particular group and the size of the need. In one of the local clubs here, special needs such as what you describe are communicated to the club with a request for financial help. Usually the result is that sufficient funds are generated by the response that nothing else is needed. Now, your club may not be large enough or “flush enough” to do this. But you could try it to see what happens….73, Duane AC5AA
We are wrestling with this issue as well and are about to ask for a special campaign to ask people just to donate money to the club. There may be some grant money running around, if you are tied to some other public service/ESDA groups. We have almost given up on traditional ham fest or outright fundraising gimmicks, like food. We have resorted to begging! (just kidding)…Rob K9RST
A local club here in Southern CA is holding an AUCTION this Friday. Most items are outright donations (club gets 100%), but others have a minimum bid set by the seller (club gets 10%). You do NOT need to be a club member to participate! I may stop in myself! The club website is at http://www.w6ze.org/ and the auction rules are at http://www.w6ze.org/Auction_Rules_2005.pdf…Dino K6RIX
Here in Michigan, the Grand Rapids club was able to obtain a $10,000 grant to update their repeater system. There are many community foundations that grant money for community improvement or community service projects. The problem is that writing grant proposals can be difficult, and because amateur radio clubs generally do not rely on this source of funding, they are not experienced in proposal writing.
Another idea for clubs that are within driving distance of Dayton is to sponsor a bus trip to the Dayton Hamvention. Here in Ann Arbor, we are 4-1/2 to 5 hours from Dayton so it’s perfect for us. Last year, our Dayton bus trip netted us almost $1,000.
What does your club do to raise funds?