Get your local businesses involved with your playspace fundraising! Business owners and employees are community members too, and our experience shows that they'll be more than happy to help with building a playspace. Here are three ideas to use local businesses in your fundraising:  bag for a playspace, car dealer deal, and  fast food fundraiser.

Want more inspiration? Visit our wiki list of 101 Tried and True Fundraising Ideas for more! You can even add in your own ideas and thoughts.

Bag for a Playspace

Ask your local grocery store to support your project by allowing you and other volunteers to bag groceries for an afternoon and collect tips for your playspace. Give each bagger a tip jar and display signs to tell customers what you are doing by the check-out aisles and the front of the store. This is a great way to heighten your community’s awareness about your project.

Prep Steps:
1. Contact your local grocery store to request permission to bag groceries for a day. Be sure to explain your project and how the money will be used.
2. Recruit volunteers to take shifts bagging groceries.
3. Create tip jars and posters for the event.

Materials Needed:
1. Posters
2. Jars
3. Matching t-shirts for the baggers.

Helpful Hints:
• This is a great event for the holiday season!
• All volunteers should wear similar colored clothing or your playspace project t-shirts.

STORY!: During the holiday season, one community raised nearly $2,000 bagging groceries. As a thank-you surprise, the retailer matched their amount to help them reach their goal!

Raised: $
When: M
Publicity: Med
Volunteers: <10
Challenge: Moderate
Audience: 500

Car Dealer Deal

Car dealerships love to make a deal and this fundraiser is a sure bet!  There are a number of creative ways you can structure special sponsorship deals with car dealer—a percent for each vehicle sold during a specified time period, a percent of each type of vehicle, etc.

Prep Steps:
1. Create an information packet about your playspace project to present to the dealers’ owners.
2. Approach local car dealerships and ask them to donate $10 (or $5) per car sold each month to your playspace fund.
3. Advertise the deal throughout your community.
Materials Needed:
1. Banners, posters, or other advertising materials.

Helpful Hints:
• This event can also work for other motorized products, like boats, jet skis, snowmobiles, lawn mowers, and snow blowers.
• When approaching the car dealerships, discuss the added benefit of publicity through your playspace PR.
• Encourage each dealership to advertise the fundraising program in their showrooms.

STORY: A local car dealership was so inspired by the school that used this idea that they decided to double their donation at the end of the fundraiser. As a result, the school received $2,000 for their new playground!

Raised: $$
When: B
Publicity: Moderate
Volunteers: 15
Challenge: Medium
Audience: 500

Fast Food Fundraiser

This is a great way to get businesses involved in your fundraising efforts. Contact the manager of your local fast food chain and ask them about their fundraising programs. Many offer special programs whereby proceeds from a certain night are donated to local charities.  Some require that you help “staff” the night.

Prep Steps:
1. Speak to managers at various chains. Speak to them about your playspace project and their fundraising programs.
2. Make sure you understand the expectations of their fundraising program.
3. Let your community know which fast food chains are supporting you.

Helpful Hints:
•  Good marketing is key to this event. Plan in advance.
•  Create a contract and have a good understanding between both groups.

Raised: $$
When: E
Publicity: Low
Volunteers: <10
Challenge: Moderate
Audience: 50