The most important rule in planning a youth fundraiser is to make sure that everybody has fun!

These ideas will work well for a youth group, a church young people's group, non-profit group or a youth sports (e.g. football, baseball) group.

Here are seven ideas to get your fundraising started:-

Sales -if you type in 'youth fundraiser' on any search engine you'll find offers to sell cookie dough, pizza cards, scratch cards, candles, sports goods and plenty more. Depending on the age of the children and the type of group, the locality, consider which of these are likely to be well received in your area. Using existing contacts with family, neighbours and friends alone can be quite profitable.

Car wash - this can be a profitable way to raise funds. It will need good planning. A great free guide to organising a successful car wash event is available from www.carwashguys.com , called 'How to run a successful car wash fundraiser' and is written by Lance Winslow.

Fundraising auction - clear out the garage, spring clean the house, ask for donations - and then auction!. Publicise your auction well in advance around the neighbourhood, invite friends and family, have a printed list of auction items and get someone you trust to run the actual auction itself for you.

Sponsored event - such as a walk, sleepover, or 24 hour sports event - your young people will have their own ideas as to what they'd like to do!

Photos - arrange for a photographer to come for a day or evening. Book a time slot for families, children, publicise the event. Arrange a good level of commission on all photographs purchased and ensure plenty of flyers are available to distribute.

Website advertising - does your group have a website? Could you set up a free blog to keep people informed? If so, consider selling advertising space to local suppliers who may be interested - e.g. the local sports shop.

Dance/Disco/Live Music/Barbeque/Casino event - any event that will work for your locality. Obviously, some church youth groups might find a casino night inappropriate. However, most of these are suitable for young people to help to arrange and to attend.

For other ideas to raise money, get your group together and do a little brainstorming. Everyone will have ideas that they can contribute and this will help to get them involve in the fundraising effort.
Remember to follow some simple rules:-

• Never go out fundraising alone, but always in groups of at least two.
  
• Have some printed information about your project and how much you are planning to raise.
  
• Involve as many friends and family members as you can - they will want to support what you are involved with.
  
• Have fun!