What exactly is a cow chip fundraiser? It's a country-style fundraising event that combines guessing where a cow will answer nature's call with raising funds for your favorite charitable cause. Turn it into a big party with multiple fundraising activities and you'll be amazed how much you can raise!

How it works
Line up a location with a flat grass field and plenty of parking. A soccer field or high school football field are good choices. The field will need to be roped off and divided up into squares that are appropriately marked.

Each square is then sold for a set price and square numbers are assigned through a drawing system. Price your squares reasonably so all will sell, but high enough to raise considerable funds. For example, you could offer 500 squares for $20 apiece.

Offer half the total amount taken in as the prize for the winning ticket. In the example above, you would promote the $5,000 prize offered in your cow chip fundraiser.

The fun part of it is that instead of doing a drawing to select the winner, the winning square is the one where the cow leaves it first cow pie.

Fundraising event activities
Obviously, it isn't that exciting to just stand around and wait for the winner to drop, so you want plenty of other fundraising activities going on. Providing live music and food will help draw a much larger crowd.

For instance, you could have a pig roast or offer traditional barbecue. You can set up a stage area where a live band can entertain or even offer a battle of the bands.

Make it a family event by offering children's activities like face painting or an inflatable moonwalk. Have a bake sale booth.

Attract older children with fun events like a home run derby or judge a speed pitching contest with a radar gun.

Setup tables offering donated items through a silent auction or hold a live auction for popular goods and services such as spa treatments or vacation trips.

You can even hold a big raffle in conjunction with your event. Raffles featuring big prizes like a new car or a big screen television can raise substantial amounts all by themselves, so combining one with a big turnout event is a no-brainer.

Publicity
Due to it's unusual nature, a cow chip fundraiser is sure to attract media attention. Put together a press release kit a month ahead of time and get it to all the major media outlets in your market.

In your summary paragraph, highlight the prize and and how the winner is chosen, as that's usually the only part that's read. Give your event a newsworthy angle by including pictures of your blue ribbon cow or bull and your organizing committee.

Fun stories often make local newscasts, so play up the 'Let the Chips Fall Where They May' angle.

Offer a spot as Grand Marshal to a local television personality and have them announce the winner. This kind of publicity lays the groundwork for making this fundraising event an annual tradition.

Summary
By combining multiple fundraising activities with your event, you can raise incredible amounts of money. The key is to make it fun and draw a big crowd by getting lots of publicity.

Live music and unusual food are big draws as are family-oriented fun. Auctions and raffles can also be included to aid your cause.

The bottom line is that a cow chip fundraiser is the way to go!

Kimberly Reynolds writes for national publications on fund raising topics such as nonprofit fundraisers, fundraising events and other charity fundraisers. Find more fundraising ideas on her website, FundraiserHelp.com