It’s winter time right now, which means that it is a great time for a winter themed fundraiser. You could do something generic like selling hot cocoa or beanies, but why not think a little outside the box? One great option that a lot of organizations don’t think about is selling fleece blankets. These are really easy to make if you use the right method, and they can give you a chance to make a lot of money without spending a lot along the way. All you need is some fleece, some scissors, and a few people to work on the blankets. Think you can handle that? If so, here is a quick guide to fundraising with fleece blankets.

Making Fleece Blankets

You don’t have to sew around the edges of a piece of fabric to turn it into a fleece blanket. You can use the tying method, which involves putting two pieces of fleece back to back and tying the ends together. To do this, you need to cut strips of all the edges that are about an inch thick and maybe three inches long. They still need to be attached to the blanket, so don’t cut them off all the way. Just make slits an inch apart from one another so you end up with something that looks like tassels. Do this on both pieces of fleece you want to use for the blankets.

When you have everything cut out, you can put the two pieces of fleece together and start tying corresponding “tassels” in a knot. Do this all the way around, and you will have a cool looking edge that replaces the need for sewing. You can make the blankets as big as you want to, and you can use any fabric that you want as well. You could have one side with the Ashworth University logo on the front of it and the other side with a solid complementary color. That is all up to you.

Selling Fleece Blankets

Once you have a decent amount of blankets to sell, you need to market the hell out of them. Try selling them on campus or at sporting events where people will be most likely to want them. If you have any outdoor sporting events going on right now, you could put them out there for a really quick sell. People will do whatever it takes to stay warm at that point, so you should have no trouble selling a decent supply of blankets there, especially if people know the money is going to a good cause.

The price that you sell the blankets at is entirely up to you. Think about the money you spent on materials, and then do what you can to double that or more. Most people will probably pay around $20 for a blanket if they know it is for a fundraiser. They may not pay quite that much if they think someone is just out and about selling blankets. Make sure to advertise your organization so that people know where the money is going to go. They may even throw in an extra donation if they care enough.

Making fleece blankets can be a lot of fun, and it will allow you to make some decent money with little effort on your part. You just have to think about creative options like this, and you can usually squeeze out money just for being unique. Warm up the club bank account with fleece blankets this winter. You won’t regret it.