I have run a very successful fundraiser on eBay for the last three years for my Community Theatre. Our theatre has a very impressive costume shop, and while it's spacious, there still seems to never be quite enough room for everything (sound familiar?). So one day I thought, maybe instead of tossing these things we don't use (and feeling guilty about it later), why not try selling them on eBay? Well, the first few things I sold made us a couple hundred dollars and I was sold! It took some research and a well thought out presentatioin to the board, but soon we were on our way to raising several thousand dollars each year selling items we no longer needed!

eBay's program for non-profits
eBay has a program called Giving Works through Mission Fish that is especially designed for non-profits. Visit the eBay website for more information on Giving Works, Mission Fish, charitable auctions, and their fee donation policy (they don't charge insertion or final value fees on items that sell if 100% of the profit goes to your organization!)

What should we sell?
Well, first check with your lawyer, to be sure you have proper licensing. However, usually donations made to your organization can be sold easilly. Vintage clothing is a hot seller, and something people donate to a community theatre often.

Second, for all of your questions about eBay as a fundraiser, check out the "Fundraising on eBay" book (below). It's absolutely the best information on starting a fundraiser on eBay.

If you decide to start your fundraiser, you can open a store at eBay. It does have a monthly charge, that's not returned through the giving works program. Having a store for us has been more than worth it though. It gives you the ability to list things very inexpensively for months at a time at a fixed price. A great option if you have businesses donate products for you to sell.

Startup Cash: LOW. $10 for initial fees to test out auctions. You can make a separate account and promise not to spend more on fees than you earn. $15/month (est) for a store if you choose to use one.
Volunteers: LOW but DEDICATED. This is a time consuming endeavor if you choose to write auctions in-house instead of using a Trading Assistant. Learning eBay is a process.
Time Commitment: HIGH. If you choose to use staff or volunteers for this project, they will need to be dedicated and/or really enjoy working on eBay. After time, the writing and uploading goes faster, but this is NOT "easy" money. Good money, but not easy.

If you'd like more ideas for community theatre fundraising, check my website at www.dramaticallycorrect.com. I have information there about other fundraising ideas as well as links to my costume shop organization website.

Some things to remember:

Check with both your theatre's lawyer and its board of directors before beginning any fundraising project. If you think these projects or any others will work for your organization, do your research first. Bring concrete information to the board so they can weigh the pros and cons. Boards will probably be reluctant to any idea they may have to input money into to start it up. That's why I've chosen low-cost start up fundraisers.

Be ready to work. These are fantastic ideas, but if you're the one bringing the idea to the table, be prepared to be asked to head it up. I've found this to be very rewarding for me, and I hope others will feel the same way.

Be open to new ideas. Everywhere I go, I keep my theatre in the back of my mind. If you see a good idea, remember to think "would this be good for our theatre?". You'd be surprised how many ideas you can come up with--especially with all the tools that the internet has provided us. I've barely scratched the surface with these three ideas.