Master Calendar 2000
June Holiday and Seasonal Fundraising Ideas

If your group has a fundraising activity that is centered on a holiday or season
please tell us about it at brengled@fundsraiser.com

Flag Day

The Fourth of July is traditionally celebrated as America's birthday, but the annual day specifically celebrating the Flag is reserved for June 14th. Flag Day - the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 - was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916, but even today is not a federal holiday.

For those of you choosing to hold an event tied to Flag Day there are a lot of benefits:

• Flag Day isn't trademarked so you can use the name without danger of being sued or paying a royalty.
• It has national recognition by all groups of people
• The press (newspaper, radio and television) covers the event in some form every year.

Types of events suitable for Flag Day

• Flag Sales

  Flag Day in America is an oft forgotten holiday. Raise it's awareness and funds for your group with a flag selling fundraiser. This year Flag Day is on a Wednesday, so use the preceding weekends to hold your fundraiser. Resources for buying flags can be found below.

• Patriotic Celebrations

  A good old-fashioned day in the park, street fair or patriotic dinner is a good way to celebrate the flag and raise awareness for your group.

• Run/Walk Events and Golf Tournaments

  If your community's calendar is crowded at other times of the year with these events, this can be an opportunity for your group to secure an open spot on the calendar. I would be willing to bet not many communities use this holiday for these events yet.

An event isn't the only way to utilize Flag Day in your fundraising efforts. Kim Klein of the Chardon Press recommends, "Most of us don't even own a flag anymore, but when I was a kid everyone put out a flag on June 14. At Center City Organizing Project, we were reminded by one of our senior members of the principles the flag stands for: Freedom of Speech, Liberty, Democracy, Equality, Pursuit of Happiness. With your help, we will continue to work for these ideals. We aren't putting out a flag, but we are putting out a request - will you help us with an extra gift? You cherish these ideals as much as we do, and with your help they can become reality for all people."

You can read more great fundraising advice from her "Grassroots Fundraising Journal" online at http://www.chardonpress.com/titles/gr_journal.html

Flag Day Resources

• The National Flag Day Foundation - http://www.flagday.org/

• Flag Sales

  http://www.vfw.org/catalog/index.shtml
  http://www.usflag.com/
  

• Flag History and How to Display

  http://www.vfw.org/catalog/index.shtml

Father's Day

The first Father's Day was observed on June 19, 1910 in Spokane Washington. In 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.

For those of you choosing to hold an event tied to Father's Day there are a lot of benefits:

• Father's Day can be used without danger of being sued or paying a royalty.
• It has national recognition by all groups of people
• The press (newspaper, radio and television) covers the event in some form every year.

Types of events suitable for Father's Day

• Breakfast

  If you have the facilities, host a Father's Day Breakfast. Many children (and wives, too) will find this an ideal way to celebrate the holiday.

• Sponsored Event

  Don't hold the event, but be a sponsor and sell tickets. Professional sporting events (baseball is a good one in the summer) or movies (pick a father related movie showing at the theater) are good examples of low effort fundraisers that can raise lots of money.

  Many businesses offer nonprofits the opportunity to sell tickets to their events and keep a percentage of the ticket price. It's a win-win situation for all involved.

• Real Men Cook

  The annual Chicago event, Real Men Cook, the nation's longest running, largest urban Father's Day event, will spread its winning recipe for supporting charitable and nonprofit organizations coast-to-coast this year as the celebration expands to 10 cities. See if your city is participating at http://www.realmencook.com/

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Deane Brengle is the editor of several free online publications that cover fundraising for small nonprofit groups. You can visit these publications and read more about fundraising in articles by him and other experts in the field at The Fund$Raiser Cyberzine, The Fundraising for Small Groups Newsletter, and Fundraising Booklets.