Woodworking communities are more than just groups of people who share a common interest in working with wood. They provide valuable emotional, educational, financial, and practical support to their members. Woodworking community fundraising and support efforts build a sense of camaraderie and enables these hobbyist and professional groups to take on ambitious projects they couldn’t accomplish alone.
But running a community space, organizing educational events, and providing assistance to members in times of hardship requires money. Let’s explore some of the popular ways woodworking groups raise funds and rally behind their members when they need it most.
| Key Takeaway | Details |
|---|---|
| Auctions of Member Woodcrafts | Live, silent, and online auctions of furniture, carvings, cutting boards made by members are a popular fundraising method. |
| Crowdfunding Campaigns | Crowdfunding sites like GoFundMe and Kickstarter help woodworking groups raise money for specific initiatives like workshop repairs or new equipment purchases. |
| Corporate Sponsorships | Local wood suppliers, hardware chains, power tool companies often sponsor communities with lumber, gear, tools, and more in exchange for promotions. |
| Emotional Support | Groups connect over shared passions for woodcrafting and encourage members through tricky builds. |
| Woodworking Education | Workshops, classes and mentors help members keep advancing their skills. |
| Shared Tools & Workspaces | Maintaining community workshops with expensive tools members can access represents a key benefit. |
| Case Studies | Real-world examples of an online auction raising $15k for repairs and a Kickstarter campaign generating $22k for accessibility upgrades. |
Why Woodworking Groups Need to Fundraise
From purchasing tools and lumber to replacing equipment in a shared workshop, woodworking communities have many expenses over the course of a year. Other reasons these groups fundraise include:
- Supporting members facing hardship – If a member is coping with health issues, damage from natural disasters, or other personal setbacks, communities often band together to assist them financially.
- Enabling community service projects – Some woodworking groups use their skills to help build homes for those in need or create custom items for charitable causes. These initiatives need funding for materials.
- Hosting workshops and classes – To further woodworking education among their members, communities require money to pay instructors, rent venue spaces, and purchase lumber for participants.
Popular Fundraising Methods Woodworking Communities Use
Woodworking groups have found several go-to fundraising models to generate the money required for their activities and assistance programs:
Auctions of Woodcrafts
Auction events are a popular way for woodworking communities to raise money while also showcasing their members’ skills and workshop creations. Some approaches include:
- Live auctions – Typically held at annual woodworking shows or group gatherings, these allow attendees to bid on items in real-time.
- Silent auctions – Participants write down bids on sheets of paper by each item throughout the event. Highest bid wins the piece when the auction closes.
- Online auctions – For broader participation, groups use auction sites to sell members’ work to followers and woodworking fans worldwide.
In addition to auctioning off finished wood pieces, communities might also raffle off high-value tools, lumber, and woodworking services donated by local businesses.
Crowdfunding Campaigns
Crowdfunding sites like GoFundMe and Kickstarter allow woodworking groups to raise money for specific community initiatives. Common crowdfunding goals include:
- Purchasing a new larger bandsaw and drill press for a shared workshop
- Adding wheelchair accessibility to a makerspace
- Sending members to teach woodworking skills to youth in need
- Rebuilding a community workshop after flood damage
- Funding an expedition to harvest exotic lumber from a remote forest location
By sharing these campaigns online through social media and woodworking forums, groups can attract global donations and bring awareness to their causes. Backers receive small thank-you gifts like custom-branded gear or woodcrafts depending on pledge levels.
Corporate Sponsorships
Local wood suppliers, chainsaw servicing companies, hardware stores, and even large national brands like DeWalt often offer sponsorships to woodworking groups in exchange for promotion, advertising, and partnerships. These sponsorships might include:
- DeWalt sponsoring new cabinet saws and cordless tools for a community workshop
- A lumber yard providing exotic boards for an auction event
- Big box hardware stores giving gift cards to buy new equipment
- Chainsaw servicing companies donating safety gear and maintenance
By partnering closely with these sponsors and highlighting how their support enables classes, projects and events, woodworking groups can secure ongoing sponsorships.
Support Within Woodworking Communities
In addition to monetary assistance through fundraising, woodworking groups also provide incredible emotional, educational, and practical support to their members in various ways:
Emotional Support
Woodworking communities give members a chance to connect over shared passions, lend an ear when frustrations arise with tricky projects, and provide encouragement to keep going. Newcomers have an opportunity to learn from veterans who’ve spent decades mastering their craft. Friendships forged over wood chips and saw dust motivate members to keep growing their skills.
Woodworking Education
Many woodworking groups organize special skills-building workshops and classes for their members taught by veteran woodworkers. Others facilitate mentorships that pair amateur hobbyists with professional carpenters, turners, and cabinet builders to advance their knowledge through one-on-one training. These educational initiatives rely on fundraising and sponsorships to keep workshop equipment maintained, pay instructors, and supply lumber to students.
Shared Tools and Workspaces
Owning woodworking power tools like table saws, thickness planers, drill presses and joiners represents substantial investments for any hobbyist. By maintaining community workshops outfitted with this expensive equipment, woodworking groups allow their members to use tools they otherwise couldn’t afford access to through monthly or annual membership fees. Fundraising helps these community spaces purchase new equipment as needed.
Discounts from Local Businesses
Negotiating special discounts for community members is another way woodworking groups provide practical support. Organizations might partner with local hardwood suppliers for cheaper lumber, home improvement warehouses for equipment deals, or chainsaw servicing companies for lower maintenance rates. These sponsorships and discounts help lower builders’ direct costs.
Case Studies of Successful Woodworking Fundraisers
Let’s look at two real-world examples of woodworking groups creatively fundraising for important community initiatives:
Auctioning Member Woodcrafts for Shop Repairs
Alan S., organizer of the Lakewood Carpentry Club in rural Wisconsin, shared how his group raised $15,000 last year to repair their leased workshop after a roof collapse from heavy snowfall.
“We organized a special online auction of birdhouses, furniture, cutting boards, and carvings made by our members. Local painters even volunteered custom artwork on some pieces to up the auction value. We promoted it through all Midwestern woodworking forums and had support flood in from as far as Florida! In the end, dozens of pieces sold allowing us to fully fund fixing our damaged workshop for the whole community to keep enjoying.”
Crowdfunding an Accessibility Initiative
Jill R’s Oakland Woodworking Collective successfully raised $22,000 on Kickstarter to improve wheelchair accessibility in their shared makerspace. Jill explains their approach:
“By producing a great video showcasing members in wheelchairs telling their stories, we gained tons of crowdfunding support. The upgrades allow wheeled woodworkers to use all our tools safely. Local businesses sponsored stretch goals that let us purchase even more adaptive equipment beyond our initial goal too! The shop is now a space for woodworkers of all mobility levels to keep pursuing their craft.”
Both these examples showcase the generosity and goodwill within many woodworking communities. By giving their members avenues to contribute through auctions, crowdfunding campaigns and sponsorships, they raised substantial sums to take on meaningful projects.
Final Thoughts
Fundraising may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of the joys of woodworking. But as we’ve seen, securing financial support is crucial for community workshops, educational events, assistance funds and outreach initiatives these groups take on.
Rather than holding generic fundraisers like bake sales, leveraging their woodcrafting skills through auctions and sponsorships with local wood industry businesses represent winning strategies. Crowdfunding campaigns also allow the broader online woodworking community to contribute to causes they find meaningful.
The bonds within these woodworking groups motivate members to generously support each other both financially and emotionally. If you enjoy the craft, consider joining your local community. Fundraising efforts show first-hand how woodworkers stick together through life’s ups and downs.
Now that you know a bit more about how woodworking groups support themselves, check out our common woodworking mistakes article to avoid pitfalls on your next project!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Are donations to woodworking community fundraisers tax deductible?
A: Some woodworking groups register as official non-profits which would make donations tax-deductible. Check with specific organizations on their charitable status.
Q: How much money can woodworking fundraisers realistically earn?
A: It widely varies based on the size of the community and chosen fundraising approaches. But woodworking auctions, crowdfunding efforts, and sponsorships often generate thousands to even tens of thousands in donations.
Q: Can I donate supplies or tools rather than money?
A: Absolutely! Woodworking groups happily accept donated power tools, lumber, hardware, workshop materials to support their spaces. Reach out to confirm their specific needs.
Q: What’s the best online platform for running woodworking crowdfunding campaigns?
A: While many options exist, woodworkers report Kickstarter and GoFundMe have the widest reach and credibility for raising funds from the woodcrafting community.
Q: What do corporate sponsors expect from woodworking groups in return?
A: Common benefits are displaying banners in workshops, product placement at group events, logo inclusion on websites/forums, and public partnerships announcements.
Q: Can I volunteer to help with fundraising events rather than donating?
A: Volunteers are extremely valuable! Connect with your regional woodworking communities to assist with running auctions, festivals, crowdfunding campaigns and securing local sponsorships.
Q: Where does the money raised actually go? How is it tracked?
A: Reputable woodworking communities keep fundraising finances transparent through public reporting and earmark funds raised for defined projects so donors see direct community impact.
Below are three external links that could be relevant to this article:
huge list of woodworking fundraising ideas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVWLtNApaHk
https://www.woodcraft.com/products/carving-in-the-round