Brick fundraising has been around for decades.  However, advances in technology and choices of material have brought about a renewed interest in brick campaigns. Here are the different things you need to know about organizing a brick fundraiser.

Your Location

Organizations that own their property are best suited for brick fundraisers.  This can be indoors or outdoors, but it should be public and get lots of foot traffic.  Museums, churches, hospitals, schools, gardens and civic organizations fit this description, but any group from fraternities, to families, to sports teams can benefit from organizing a brick fundraiser.

Organizations that rent their space or don’t get many visitors are less likely to be successful with a brick program.  A nonprofit theater group that holds all public performances at a local college would probably not be a good candidate for a brick program, and neither would a youth organization that meets after school.

Your Supporters

Brick fundraisers work well for organizations that have kept good records of individuals, families and businesses that have interacted with the organization in the past five years.  Besides contacting all current supporters of an organization, the group can also reach out to:

• Former church members
• Lapsed donors (for many types of organizations)
• School alumni and parents
• Former patrons and members for museums, historical societies and gardens

Organizations that don’t have a strong database of current and past supporters, members or attendees are at a disadvantage for brick fundraisers.  These might include:

• Newer nonprofits
• Museums and gardens that don’t track visitors or have memberships
• Organizations where the data has not been properly maintained

Your Volunteers

A successful brick fundraiser doesn’t just happen; it takes hard work, good leadership and a lot of volunteers.  An organization without a strong group of volunteers won’t have much success in this arena.  You’ll need volunteers to:

• Sell bricks, including personally contacting people on your organization’s lists.
• Create sharp-looking marketing materials – fliers, letters, brochures, etc.
• Choose how many sizes and colors of bricks to include in the campaign, and what dollar amount to charge for each level.
• Decide where the bricks will go and organize different dollar level arrangements.
• Organizations that are short of volunteers or are already stretched too thin might want to hold off on a brick fundraiser until the time is right.

Why Bricks R Us?

So many nonprofits, schools and civic organizations turn to Bricks R Us for their brick fundraising needs because of our excellent prices and customer service.  Contact us today for more information about holding a brick fundraiser for your organization!