Most colorguards don't have an endless supply of money for their expenses. My guard is no exception. We are constantly doing fundraisers to get money for uniforms and flags! Here are some fundraising ideas we've thought up of!

1) Have a car wash! This idea is really well known and popular, but it's a good one. Try to find a place where they might let you have a car wash and ask them. If they agree, find out if they have a hose attachment (the more the better) and then set a date. Advertise! One thing I did was to type up an ad on a 3x5 inch piece of paper, made a lotta copies, cut them all out, and then placed them under windshield wipers in store parking lots. It's a great way to advertise the wash! Make sure you do this a few days in advance. Don't set a price for the cars. You should say the price is whatever they want to pay for the wash, but nothing less than say about 3 dollars. You'll get more customers and most likely they'll pay more than you think.

2) Go to www.wintergarb.com! They've got a whole bunch of fundraising things for winterguard booths. If your school is hosting a winterguard competition, you can earn a lot of money by "buying" a Wintergarb booth!

3) Wash cars at a car dealership! Some big car dealerships will do "hire" the guard to wash the new cars for prices like 200 dollars an hour! Ask around! This is a great moneymaker!

4) Have an all guard garage sale! Hold it at someone's house or at the school's parking lot! Great way to make money and get rid of all that stuff you don't want anymore.

5) Sell baked goods. This is a goodie. You can set up a separate bake sale, or another idea is to sell food at the car wash and the garage sale. Two ideas in one!

6) Work a sports game. Some stadiums have a fundraising program where they "hire" people to sell concessions at sports games. The program that's at Coors Field right now in Colorado is giving 50 dollars for each person that works each game. You will have to talk to your band director if you want to do this. It's a lot of work, but the money is great! Not all stadiums will have this program though.

7) Start a change jar. For example, set out a jar especially for change. Anyone who wants to contribute can put in a few coins. This may not be a big moneymaker, but every little bit helps! My guard started a change jar and within a week, we had 16 dollars!

8) If your guard has old uniforms or flags, try selling them! You can do this through the internet, classified ads or through your band director or guard instructor. Make sure that they are in good condition...clean, no tears or rips (if possible), etc etc...

9) Rent out a skating rink for a night and invite your school to come and skate! Most skating rinks will let you keep the admission money made, but check it out with your local skating rink first.

10) If your school has homecoming festivities, try renting one of those big velcro walls for your school. Then you can set it up in your school parking lot or football field and charge a couple dollars for a "stick". Make sure you get the word out though!

11) See if your school would let your band/guard host a "Fun Night" in your gym. Make sure there are a lot of activities availiable, like basketball, volleyball, refreshments, etc etc and then you can charge however much you want for admission.

12) Hold a sports tournament! Many many people in high school enjoy sports, and your band/guard can organize a sports tournament. You can charge money to register (a couple dollars) and then the winner of the tournament can get a $50 prize or something like that.

13) Hold a colorguard clinic for middle school kids! Charge a registration fee and then have a big performance at the end of the clinic! GREAT way to recruit members!!!

More ideas to come!