Christmas trees

A great fundraiser at Christmastime is selling Christmas trees, wreaths, poinsettias, and other holiday decorations. Simply setup a tree lot in your church parking lot, staff it with volunteers, and promote it with large signs well down the road.

You can also offer Christian-themed ornaments, decorative yard art such as wire-framed angels pre-decorated with twinkling lights, door wreaths with bible messages, etc.

Garden sale

A garden sale makes a wonderful spring fundraiser. Emphasize your Christian theme with peace lilies, Easter lilies, and other plants symbolizing peace. Flower bulbs and wildflower seeds are always good sellers, plus you can make arrangements with a nursery for flowering shrubs such as azaleas.

Mulch or pine straw are also good revenue producers. You can even sell Father Dom's Duck Doo Compost, an organic fertilizer that supports a good cause.

T-shirts

Many church youth groups sell message t-shirts that appeal to today's youth. These can be custom produced by a screen print company or ordered in bulk from national t-shirt companies. Expect to pay about $8 plus freight for shirts selling in the $12-$15 range.

Christian music

CD sales of Christian music groups are another easy way to raise funds. Focus on top selling groups and look for compilation CDs that feature hit songs from a variety of musicians. That way your music will have the broadest appeal. Take orders in advance and expect to pay 50% of retail price plus freight.

Auction

Hosting an auction is a fun way to raise money for your favorite cause. Seek donations from local businesses and ask everyone in your group to also ask their personal contacts. the more items donated the more you'll raise. To attract an even larger crowd, publicize your event well in advance with a press release.

Yard sale

A yard sale or rummage sale is another easy fundraiser. Put the word out to get as many items to sell as possible. Have it on a Saturday morning in a church parking lot and use road signs and newspaper classifieds to draw a big crowd. You can even turn it into a monthly event during good weather.

Music concert

A Christian-themed music concert can be a great family night or you could do the same thing for a teen audience. Be sure the groups you bring in have the right sound by asking for tapes or CDs. For bigger groups, you can pay a fee or give them a share of the ticket sales.

Fundraising bricks

Many church groups do landscape projects with laser-engraved fundraising bricks. Design a sidewalk, meditation garden, or outdoor patio fountain and incorporate the use of message bricks. Sell individual bricks that people can inscribe with a name and message of their choice. The bricks are surprisingly affordable and priced right, the project will raise amazing amounts for your cause.

Discount cards

Contact local Christian businesses for inclusion on a discount card for families. These usually retail for $10 and expire after a year. If you supply the advertisers, you can get the cards printed for $1 each which means huge profits. Sell these to supporters or to the general public with a sales table outside a grocery store or other high-traffic location.

Christmas carol-grams

Instead of going door-to-door caroling, assemble some talented singers, print up some flyers offering Christmas Carol-grams, and you're in business. Arrange to have a quartet deliver holiday cheer to a loved one's office, nursing home, hospital room, etc. Make sure your singers take flyers with them because this is a great word-of-mouth fundraiser!

That's all the space I have in this article for Christian fundraiser ideas. Look for the companion article coming soon on Christian fundraising events.