Fundraising for your temple may be difficult and frightening, especially if your temple is small.
Providing for those in need is a central theme in several Hindu scriptures. Hindu philosophical texts, the Upanishads, address the issue of dāna (giving to an individual, in distress or need, as an act of virtue). A virtuous person possesses damah (self-control), daya (compassion or love for all living things), and dāna (faith) in them, according to the Upanishads (charity).
Ideas for generating money for Hindu temples
1. Breakfast and a cup of coffee
With a food drive as the first step,
The best way to start the day is with a coffee or tea and a hearty breakfast.
Before your service, you may make money by selling coffee, tea, pastries, and bagels. Consider providing idli, dosa, vada pav, or poha as an Indian breakfast option. Food trucks, street sellers, and Indian restaurants may all provide catering. Consider inviting more people if your caterers are well-known in the region. If you can’t find a vendor or restaurant, ask the local people for traditional delicacies like ragi chakli, laddu, and gulab jamun.
If you live in a colder climate, you may want to go for hot beverages and baked goods. Doughnuts may not be the best option if your temple is in France.
Before the service/community gathering, inform your community that they may purchase a $20 breakfast. It is important to emphasize that all donations generated will be used to support temple programs and activities.
The locals are eager to get together for breakfast, mingle, and show their support for their temple.
2. Brick Donation Drive
Building, renovating, or expanding your temple may be made more accessible with a crowdsourcing campaign like this.
Locate an engraver of bricks. Consider purchasing an engraved brick in memory of someone you care about.
In addition to honoring and remembering a loved one, an engraved tile might help produce money.
Their loved one’s memory may live on in a house of worship, which brings joy to donors.
3. Gifting
Request monetary compensation in exchange for donating time and resources to the community. Diwali, Holi, Yom Kippur, Ugadi, etc., are all great occasions to wear this.
Giving presents at twilight on holy days, or singing hymns at festivals, is maybe one way to do this. The chance to get to know your neighbors in a more personal way.
4. Food & Heritage Festival
It is possible to have a Jewish booth at your temple where guests may sign their names in Hebrew, learn about Jewish holidays and festivals, and participate in singing and dancing. Candles and incense may also be available for purchase in a Buddhist temple.
Many families and communities will enjoy a wide range of educational and participatory activities. Although it is most effective during major holidays, this fundraising approach may be used at any time of year.
5. Birthday Fundraiser
Those Hindus who wish to make a difference are celebrating their birthday today. This may be accomplished in a variety of ways.
On the day of someone’s birthday, the temple provides prasad (a religious offering) to all of the temple’s visitors.
An alternative to custom-made gifts is asking friends and relatives to donate to the temple on behalf of a worshiper.
If a temple wants to gather money and good fortune, it may offer to put particular idols in the temple on birthdays.
Donors may be offered the opportunity to have their names carved into a brick or stone at the temple.
Many Hindus go to their local temple to make this gesture of gratitude to God for the gift of life.
If your temple allows birthday dedications, you may first tell regular temple-goers about the tradition and encourage them to say it to their friends.
6. Recipes from the Temple
Creating a temple cookbook is an easy and successful way to collect money for the temple. For example, there is an alphabetical listing of everything from A-Z for kids’ treats to perfect soups to simple one-pot meals.
Make cooking an enjoyable experience! You might, for instance, create a cookbook with recipes from the young people in your community or a Hindu calendar. Satvik dishes like Kuttu-ki-roti and Sabudana khichdi would be included in a Navratri cookbook. Who wouldn’t want to have them? Enhancing your cookbook’s worth and involving your community is possible by its uniqueness.
Inquire about the family recipes of your neighbors and friends. A personal narrative relating to the dinner may be appropriate, depending on the subject of your book. This will boost the sales of cookbooks!
7. Text-To-Give Campaign
Sending a text message to a donor’s phone or web browser enables them to contribute to your cause without having to leave their mobile devices.
Using this strategy, your temple may generate money from any location. It also reaches out to contributors on their smartphones.
Enter the shortcode of your choice. In addition, these figures should be easy to remember for the user. Then put it out there. Get the word out there!
Use both the keyword and the shortcode to promote your product. Send out a news release to relevant media sources and ask your community to disseminate your text-to-give keyword and allotted phone number on social media.
It is easy for non-profits to join Donorbox and connect with their donation campaign using text-to-give. Learn how to apply this method for temple fundraising events right now!
8. Donors’ thank-you notes
Fundraising letters may help you contact folks who internet fundraising doesn’t reach.
Write a message to the community outlining your temple’s needs and how they can help you raise money for your cause. Tell your story, emphasize the positive effects of your temple, and get support for your mission.
Donors should be able to choose between making a donation online or via mail.
Merjen Novosel of PaydayNow advises, Setting up a particular fundraising website only for this request. If you don’t have a single donation page for all of your fundraising activities, refer your donors there instead.
9. Bids for Services
To raise funds for your temple, have dinner with a services auction. Offer the services of your volunteers to your neighborhood.
They should determine what they’re trying to “market” themselves (ex. gardening, dog walking, babysitting, cleaning, etc.). Then, throughout your dinner, promote those services.
Save money on dinner. After the event, make sure your volunteers are reliable and follow through with their duties.
Parents may leave their children with your volunteers and return later to pick them up, allowing them to participate in the event entirely.
Pay your babysitters and volunteer your time.
When planning a weekly fundraiser, try to schedule it simultaneously each week, preferably in the evenings. As a result, both you and your volunteers and the residents of your community are aware of when you are accessible.
10. Teddy’s Tribute Tombola
Children’s charities should be included in any list of fundraising ideas.
Make a call for donations of clean soft toys few weeks before the Teddy Tombola. A lot of parents would jump at the opportunity to get rid of their children’s overstuffed toys from their bedrooms and playrooms.
The donations should be checked for cleanliness and safety before they are accepted. Put the teddies’ names on two cards and give them to your friends (two per teddy). Using stickers, attach one to the toy and the tombola box.
After that, kids may purchase a ticket from the box in order to be entered to win a stuffed animal. Make sure you have enough supplies of consolation presents to give to everyone who gets a blank ticket if you don’t have enough goods.
11. Bicycle Repair
Donate broken or unwanted bicycles that may be repaired and sold at a profit to your temple’s members and the greater community.
Use a few bike mechanics who are willing to give up their time. Volunteers should be encouraged to learn how to repair bikes.
Harrogate’s Kairos Network Church led the charge with this fundraising idea, which resulted in a lot of attention and money!
This idea may be customized to fit the needs of your temple or community.
12. Donating to a Charity Through the Internet
Donor support is dwindling if your temple does not permit internet contributions. More and more people raise money for good causes via internet fundraising every year!
For the convenience of your members, your temple may raise money via online donations. You may personalize your temple’s online donation page to match its colors and logo.
Fundraising for your temple couldn’t be easier or faster.
