I am an Elk member and we do lots of things for charity.

January and February we do a breakfast buffett for the public on Saturdays. 8am till 10:30am. $5.00 a person, eggs, pancakes, sausage, bacon and gravy and biscuits. Most of the stuff we get donated. We do have to buy some. It's been a great fundraiser.

Gulf event we have certain holes that you can buy a shot of pucker for $1.00. Pucker is donated by members.

We have crafty ladies and some great cooks. We will donated items and sell them at the lodge. We do this about 6 times a year. Anything from towels to pickles and salsa.

We have special dinners like; Mexican night, Italian night, salad and soup, Greek and others I can't think of right now. Any profits are for the charity.

50/50 raffles are a great way to make money.

They also have Vegas night twice year, great fundraiser but takes a lot to people to run it.

How about a country western night, the decor could be hay bales and bandannas. Food could be BBQ ribs and drinks served in canning jars.Old & new country music could be played.
or
Hawaiian night. the decor could be larger green leaves, or artificial large plants or trees. Large paper flowers in bright colors, flower leis and grass skirts. Food could be sweet & sour chicken or seafood and the drink could me Mai-tais (SP?) Hawaiian cd's could be played.
or
If it was a date near or around July 4th, you could have a red-White-Blue theme.
or
In the autumn it could be an....End Of the Summer Blues....party. Decor & drinks could be in shades of blue and people could be asked to wear clothing in blue color, and of course the music would be the blues.
Have fun, Dottie

Thanks so much for sharing your ideas. I really like the Pucker shots. I think those would go over well at our dinners. We do 50/50's but have noticed a drop as the economy drops.

we usually do a trivia night, bingo and chili cook-offs

Trivia night is a good idea. Most places here supply beer and set-ups, each group brings their own snacks. It is usually $10. to $15. a person with groups of 8 at each table. Prizes are donated or winning teams get cash.

You could also do a poker themed night or bingo.

How about a dessert party? Our choir does this once a year. Each member brings a dessert or two, we set it up buffet-style,and charge $10.00 a ticket.

Something that works great around here are Chinese Auctions and Balloon Prizes. For the Chinese Auction you collect prizes, display them with a bag or box in front of the item, then sell raffle tickets. The purchaser puts his raffle ticket in the box or bag they wish to win. At the end of the auction a lucky ticket is pulled from the bag.

We sell the raffle tickets by the arm length for $10. For the Balloon sales you gather the prizes and number them 1 to whatever the number of gifts. Write the numbers on slips of paper and put one number in each balloon, fill the balloon with helium and sell the balloon. The buyer pops it and wins the prize inside. This can be fun even it it is a white elephant event! It's done in fun!!

The prize committee has a ball with it. We go to merchants that we frequent, for example I ask my hairdresser/nail salon for a basket of their products or a restaurant I visit regularly will donate a certificate. Even in you just give away a couple of things if you sell enough tickets it can add up!!

How about a White Elephant sale? Collect donations of any unusual objects, then stick a price tag on them or hold an auction.

Thanks so much for all of these really great ideas. I just want to come up with some new ideas that will help breathe some life back into this group. There are lots of people happy to help but they just don't have any new ideas. Every Friday, it seems we either cook pork chops or meat loaf and I want to think of some new dishes too. The Hillbilly Night and Sock Hop were very successful. Now...we just need to have fresh ideas. We usually do dinner for 40-50 people and those numbers could be bigger of we had some different foods. If you don't mind sharing more ideas, I would really appreciate the help!!!

A masquerade party would be fun around Halloween! Mardi Gras would have been fun too. Are you doing a St Patricks Day dinner??

What about a "southern style" night? Beans and cornbread, greens, grits, etc., or a "Gulf Coast" night with jumbalaya (sp?--too lazy to look up the spelling) and other Cajun foods? Probably too late this year to tie into the real event, but a Mardis Gras theme would have been great with Cajun food.

Do many members garden? If so, why not do a garden themed event in summer and auction off what members bring from their harvest?

What about a Dancing with the Stars night? Can you get someone who does ballroom dancing to come in and give beginner lessons for an hour or so after your meal?

What about a pie auction after a meal? Or an old fashioned box supper auction?

Do you do bingo? That's always fun! Or a take-off on some old game shows like Password.

We hold Ugly Purse auctions... fun stuff or great stuff or just stuff you want to get rid of in old handbags....

Some food ideas from the midwest -- chicken & noodles, country fried steaks, BBQ pulled pork or brisket, baked potatoes with lots of topping choices- chili, cheese, etc.

Spaghetti and meatballs --here in this area meatball dinners are popular with gravy and mashed potatoes, corn and bars for desserts. Mac and cheese (baked) with salads also. Look at the months and see what holidays are listed. Get a calendar that list all the days--like Secretary's day, etc. Any Canadians or others in your group. International Day is good. Dress like your ancestry, if possible.

Talent night - local folks to sing, play instruments, dance, tell humourous stories, etc.

Advertise a training meeting, inviting people who want to learn how to live well on less, with several resource people skilled at stretching a dollar to offer a number of suggestions to make the same number of dollars get more needed services accomplished. Participation recommended - many of the attenders would have suggestions to offer, as well.

As a number of people are trying to get along with no job, these days, pass the hat, asking for donations, as folks are able.

ole joyful

"Father's Day Breakfast" & have an 'Ugly Tie' contest with a coupon for a free dinner as a prize.

A formal "Harvest Ball" where everyone can get really dressed up...champagne fountain & appetizers during cocktail hour, a nice full course dinner and a old time 5 piece dance band.

I did a "Queen for a Day" ladies luncheon..we had everone attending-put their name in the bowl & after lunch & before the entertainment-we drew 6 names as the Queen's Court and of those 6-we redrew 1 of the 6 names who was the Queen. It was a really elegant affair-I can email you w/details, menu,decorations, etc if interested.

"Country Ho-Down"..have a round & square dance-hire a caller, Best dressed couple prizes, serve a 'country supper' family style...oven baked omelet squares, sausage gravy over biscuits or pancakes, ham, home fries, etc, etc.

Has a Tacky Night been suggested? MY DS and DIL went to one . Everyone had to wear mixed matched clothes etc and I think it was pot luck and they had to bring silly food like franks and beans or spam sandwiches - stuff not normally served at a buffet I think they played Spike Jones records