Susan Erickson wrote:
The question is what does your society or one you know well do to
raise funds?

At the Triangle OS (North Carolina), our primary fundraisers are a
Spring and a Fall Auction. We buy plants from Carmela' which usually
sell well, and accept plant donations from members. The donated
plants are major profit makers, because they cost us nothing and are
often unusual species or hybrids that aren't common in the trade.
There is a raffle plant at every monthly meeting, but we minimize other
sales at the meetings to avoid competing with the speakers. We don't
pay an honorarium; instead, the speaker is generally given a monopoly
over sales at the meeting.

There is no show associated with the auctions. In fact, we haven't had
a show for several years. We are currently struggling to find a venue
that would allow us to break even. Our previous venue did not satisfy
our vendors.

We also have an annual "Grower's Day" for beginners. It's our primary
recruiting tool, so we budget to break even rather than make a profit.
The board also organizes group orders from international nurseries once
or twice a year, but again, they are designed to break even rather than
make a profit.

Nick
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