
Balloon animals and other balloon fundraisers
Make sure your fundraisers go with a bang!
Balloons make a great fundraiser. There are all sort of ways you can use them to make money for your group or good cause.
Here are some great fundraiser ideas all of which can be tweaked to make them suitable for village fetes, school fundraising, sports fundraising and church groups.
You just need plenty of puff!

Balloon animals are always popular with children. The special balloons for modelling are available online at nearly all party and magic supplies stores.
This is a great one for a school fete or sports fundraiser. It is not for the fainthearted however
An area of a playing field is cordoned off or you could use a school hall or gym. Contestants pay a fee to have a balloon tied to each ankle. On a whistle all the contestants have to try to stamp on other people's balloons and pop them. if both of your balloons are popped you are out. The winner is the last one with a balloon on their leg.
This is best played in a hall or gym.
A large number of balloons are inflated and placed on the floor of your venue. A few special balloons have a winning ticket placed inside them prior to being blown up. Contestants pay a fee to enter. On a whistle all the contestants try to pop the balloons (no pins allowed) as quickly as possible to find the winning tickets. The contest ends when all the balloons are burst.
This is really a less hectic version of Balloon Blast and is great for fetes etc. Balloons are attached to a fence, wall or a ceiling. People then pay a fee to pop one balloon with a pin on a stick. If the balloon contains a winning ticket they get a prize. Alternatively you could have them throw darts at the balloons.

This is a tried and tested fundraiser but it is popular, very visual and it works.
The basic idea is that people buy a helium filled balloon.
Attached to the balloon is a card with their name and details of how to
return the card if found. The balloons are released en masse and
(hopefully) float off into the sky. The card that gets returned from the
farthest distance by a certain date wins. Distances of several hundred
miles are not uncommon

To maximise take up of tickets you need to offer a good first prize.
Many organisations will also use prizes for the person who sells the most tickets prior to the event etc
There are a large number of companies who will supply all you need for a balloon release. Shop around to get the best deal.
Several companies can also now supply biodegradable balloons and cards - the green option for those that don't get returned.
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