SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL of WATSONVILLE FUNDRAISERS

Soroptimist International of Watsonville’s easiest fundraiser is our bus trip to Nordstrom in San Francisco. The cost per guest is $35.00, which includes bus, snacks going (juice, muffins, fruit) and snacks coming home (wine, sparkling cider, peanuts, cheese, candy). Nordstrom furnishes coffee and breakfast rolls upon arrival. They also give a “goodie bag” with samples and a $10.00 gift certificate to be used toward lunch in any of their four restaurants. Because the club is able to get donations for the cider and muffins, we clear between $600 to $700. This can be a spring or fall event and a great way to go to the “city.” Parking alone can be $15.00 for the day. So this is a bargain for the participants. This past year we also had a raffle on the bus: $2.00 per ticket or three for $5.00 and the recipient won the money. We did this just as we arrived in San Francisco so she could spend it at Nordstrom. 

Our favorite fundraiser is Personal Endeavor Day. Everyone in the club is urged to make something or have a friend make something to auction at a luncheon on the last Monday in October. All articles must be hand-made. This includes baked goods, dinners (several people could go together on this), Christmas wreaths, etc. We invite our friends and coworkers. It’s important to have a good auctioneer and keep the bidding moving. Depending on the quality of the items (don’t have lots of small items—the larger the better and just enough to sell completely in about 90 minutes), this event has generated between $2,000–$3,000. 

Our largest fundraiser and the one that requires the most work is our golf tournament. The biggest job of this fundraiser is getting golfers. The more golfers you have, the more money you make. Choose a date after the rains and when there are no other golf tournaments scheduled. Write to corporations and businesses for corporate sponsorships and for hole sponsors—this money is a plus. Have no-host cocktails and hearty hors d’oeuvres (donated by members) after play and have a raffle. The raffle usually generates money. This fundraiser takes a lot of work, but if you have plenty of golfers, you will make money. We usually have about 80–90 golfers and clear approximately $3,500.