Big ideas, big budgets
Kiwanians know that great service projects sometimes come with a cost
By Dick Isenhour
If your Kiwanis club could provide any service, what would that service be?
Maybe you would build a school for underprivileged kids in another part of the world. Or, your members might create a literacy program that touches hundreds if not thousands of children in your own back yard.
But what if your big idea doesn’t have the big budget to back it? If that’s the case, it’s time to turn to fundraising.
Thousands upon thousands of clubs reap the rewards of successful fundraising that lead to scholarships for college students, awesome service projects, and donations to fund other organizations’ efforts. Here are just two examples.
Flea market makes club tick
The Kiwanis Carefree Flea Market has been around almost as long as the Carefree, Arizona, Kiwanis club. And during its more than 30 years, the market has melded into a mainstay of the community, owing to the merchandise it markets—everything from Stetsons to sailboats, collectibles to curios, furniture to furnishings, and antiques to artifacts.
“We’ve been called the Neiman Marcus of flea markets,” quips Max Wyatt, one of the chairmen of the club’s Flea Market committee. “We enjoy great success, with very little advertising. We operate mostly through word of mouth.”
The reasons for its success are many, say club members. For starters, most of the proceeds go for scholarships, while some money is earmarked for club-supported youth projects, including a science fair as part of the club’s science education program, and dental assistance for children from low-income families.
Another success factor: low overhead.
“We use a building and parking lot owned by the city, and all our workers are volunteers, so we have very little overhead,” Max says. “We have six sales a year, each one raising about $10,000, though we raised more than $75,000 this past year.”
And, at its current pace, 2007 could be a record-setting year. February’s market brought in $15,700, the best ever at the time. That total was shattered in March, though, with sales totaling $16,600, all of which went into the club’s coffers.
There’s another reason for the market’s ongoing success: The operation helps members, local residents, and a few regulars from out of town (some from as far away as Las Vegas, Nevada—290 miles) rid themselves of unwanted items. It’s akin to the adage that one person’s junk is another person’s treasure—except the market is picky about the products it peddles.
“Everything we sell is donated, and we are selective about what we accept,” Max notes. “We accept gently used household items, electronics, tools, and all kinds of furniture. We don’t accept large appliances, clothing, or medical equipment. And everything has to work.”
Items at previous sales have included jewelry, artwork, office furniture, computers, TVs, and even a Hohokam pot dating back to A.D. 700.
Though the club’s expenses are low, Max stresses there is “sweat equity” required. The market is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., six Saturdays a year, with the schedule advertised far enough ahead for people to rummage through their belongings for things to donate. On the Friday before each sale, people bring their items to the market, where a team of 10 to 15 volunteers inspects, sorts, and prices the goods.
A fleet of vans and trucks—owned and operated by volunteers—is also ready to pick up items from donors who are unable deliver them or to haul stuff too large for the donors to bring in themselves.
Another 10 to 15 volunteers are needed to work the day of the sale, enough to adequately handle a crowd that typically numbers more than 1,000.
“Not all of them are buyers,” Max notes. “Many of them are lookers, but we do enough business to keep three cashiers going.”
Max says the club tries to be realistic when setting prices for goods.
“We’ve been doing this long enough to know what a fair price for something is,” he explains, “but we still get people who want to haggle. We’ll haggle a little bit, but we try to be firm. After all, the money we raise goes to good causes.”
Islanders put fun in fundraiser
In Guadeloupe, a group of Caribbean islands in the Lesser Antilles, the people are known for combining a national passion for food with a priority of enjoying life.
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Dancers entertain at the Kaladja Kiwanis club kaladja (dance). |
For proof, consider the archipelago’s Kaladja Kiwanis club. For the past two decades, the Kaladja club, formerly known as Kiwanianne de Point-Á-Pitre, has thrown an annual festive dinner dance, raising money for its many causes. Typically falling about halfway through the season of Lent, the event is the club’s primary fundraiser. This past year’s event, for example, raised 2,300 euros.
“This year, the evening unfolded during March,” notes Marie-Thérèse Simon, club secretary. “The atmosphere was happy and full of warmth. About 170 friends and guests took part in an elaborate meal and a night of dancing to the sounds of an orchestra mixing music from the islands and popular songs.
“We were able to watch young people perform traditional dances, including the kaladja (a traditional line dance), and to hear the beautiful voice of one of our guests performing old songs. It was a very pleasant evening.”
Rounding out the event is a prize drawing. This year’s drawing of 40 prizes, she says, made for “many happy winners.”
Money raised from the event is used for worthwhile purposes, Marie-Thérèse notes.
“Every year, the club helps a high school graduate prepare for his or her move to mainland France to continue studies,” she explains. “One year, for example, we gave a computer and printer to a young, female student. Another year, the club helped a young student of modest means who had had a baby. We provided her with clothing and helped furnish her baby’s room with a changing table and bathtub.”
For the past three years, though, the main beneficiary of the club’s altruism has been the Karukéra Association des Handicapés Moteurs Adultes (the Association for Physically Disabled Adults). The club is raising money to buy a specialized vehicle to transport people who have limited mobility. Its efforts were bolstered after this year’s gala when a neighboring town, Le Moule, donated 5,000 euros to the club.
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