I've been an event planner for LA charities for the past 10 years, so my advice tends to be mostly events based, but have you thought about having one of those parties where everyone brings a purse to auction? I can see if I can find out more info on how it works if you're interested. But basically everyone brings a purse from their closet (or brings a new one) that is in great condition and they donate it to be auctioned by the other ladies there. These seem to be really successful events.

Not sure where you're located but this might be a good option for you too. . . I put together two screenings last year - one of Sex and the City and one for the Secret Life of Bees for a Women's Group at the charity I work with and we were able to raise a ton of money. We have a chain of theaters in LA called Arclight Cinemas (arclightcinemas.com) and they will allow you to have parties there and host private screenings for groups of 30 or more. They include catered food, goodies associated with the movies, two cocktails per person.and popcorn, sodas and water for the movie. You can do it with any recently released movie and they charge about $50 per person. We charged $100 per person, had a host committee who had their names listed on the invite at $500 each and had another committee who had to give or get $1000 each. Our first event raised $30,000 with about 55 women and everyone had a great time.

Hope that helps some!

As a result of the economic troubles facing our country, fundraising has become more & more difficult for the average charity, requiring a little more creativity than seen in the past. Here are some ideas that I've come up with to meet the challenge. Through my "Gold Party Girls" business, I've created a concept called the "Gold Account," which allows donors to donate their old, broken & unwanted Gold Jewelry to benefit the charity of their choice. My company administers the entire process, making it a turn-key operation for the charity. All donors receive receipts for tax deductions for the non-profit benefitting. The donor has the option of donating the entire value of the Gold or a Portion from their proceeds. Since it's found money, it encourages donors to give, despite their own financial difficulties. This is a win-win-win situation for everyone involved! Please call me at 818.262.2992 for further information on this program. God Bless, Stacey