• Chambers of commerce can find ways to fund their operations.dollars image by Svetlana Kashkina from Fotolia.com
  
  Since chambers of commerce are nonprofit organizations that exist to help the community and offer benefits to member businesses, funding can be an issue. A chamber has many connections through its members and their networks; these can be used to raise funds when dues from member businesses fall short. Whether you need money to pay chamber employees, add on to the building or complete a major project, you can host a small fundraiser, sell a product for profit, or host a major event as a fundraiser where all the proceeds go back into the chamber.
  
  

Raffle

• A raffle is one of the easiest ways to generate funds for any type of project or need within your chamber. It can stand alone as a fundraiser, or can be used as a supplemental fundraiser at a larger event. Give raffle tickets to chamber employees and volunteers to sell. Collect donated items from local business to raffle off, or promise the winner or winners of the raffle a percentage of the funds taken in. The rest of the money can go directly to the purpose of the raffle. The only cost you'll incur is the raffle tickets.
  
  

Bake Sale or Craft Sale

• Sell homemade baked goods or handmade craft items to generate funds during a community event. Enlist chamber employees, member business owners or volunteers to make the goods. Sign up in shifts to sell them at a parade, street festival, block party or local sporting event. Once the money is collected and counted, reimburse those who made the goods for their expenses, and use the rest toward your fundraising goal.
  
  

Competition Events

• Host a miniature sports tournament and charge an entry fee for each team or participant. You can have a short race, or play softball, basketball or soccer. You'll need to appoint one or two chamber employees to take care of the planning, logistics and execution of the event. To lower costs or increase profits, have chamber members seek donated or loaned materials for the event. You can get donated prizes for the winners of the event, though you may need to pay field rental or umpire fees if you lack voilunteers.
  
  

Sell Bricks

• If you need donations for a larger building or for some major project, you can have people sponsor the project through buying an engraved brick to be placed in a visible location. Base the charge on how much money you'll need to complete the project and pay for the engravings. Send notifications to all your member businesses and ask them to spread the word. You could also place small ads in the local newspapers, letting people know of the opportunity to support the chamber in this way.
  
  

Cookbook Sales

• Put a cookbook together with favorite recipes from chamber employees and business members. Gather recipes and organize them into a cookbook to have printed and distributed. You can sell these cookbooks for as long as your supplies last, so you won't even need to plan a day-long event. Ask chamber business members to sell them in their offices or store fronts. Tell your friends, families and personal networks about the cookbooks. If you can get popular local restaurants to donate a recipe or two, you may notice the cookbooks sell more quickly than you expect.