The guys at Texas Tech’s Sigma Chi have a thing about water. Then again, that’s kind of understandable when you live in Lubbock, TX, where water can sometimes be a scarce commodity. So they naturally gravitated to a car wash for past fundraising endeavors. However, despite pouring their hearts (and their backs!) into the effort, the money they made was just a drop in the bucket.

So when their pledge class decided to travel to Taos, NM for a white water rafting trip, group leader Ryan Harden knew it was time to either do something different or be facing another weekend in Lubbock. He decided it was time to call in professional help. Confiding in a friend who had just completed a fundraising program, he learned her group had “raised a phenomenal amount in a short period of time”. The decision was made instantly – bring in the guys from CampusFundraiser.

Selling magazines is a far cry from a car wash or date auctions, but it’s far more lucrative, too. “The communication with the fundraising manager was key to our success” Ryan recalls, noting “Overall, I think that it was fairly painless.”

That reaction comes despite the initial pessimism of his pledges. Once Ryan took control of the situation and made participation in the program a requirement before they could go on the trip, though, all the players – and the pieces – fell into place. And for three days of painless work, the guys at Sigma Chi raised almost $3,500. That’s a pretty slick trick by any measure.

Ryan reports they had a heckuva good time on their trip, but they now face a challenge: What will they do with the money they raise NEXT time?

CampusFundraiser can help your group successfully raise money too. Find out how.