Alternative collection methods...

[Pennybug]

Good collecting idea!.... We were doing a summer bible school at my church a few years back... we had an Australian theme. To collect money for missions, we had all the boys put change in a bucket and the girls in another bucket. Then we put the buckets on each end of a 2x4 and put it on a saw horse. Whoever had the most weight was the winner (at the end of the week... the winning team got to put a pie in the face of the pastor or the bible school leader.) Anyhow... day 1 we had about $3 in change. Day 2 was about $35 or so. By the end, day 5... we had over $1500 in change! MAN I WISH I WAS sorting back then! We had about 5 five gallon buckets FULL of all kinds of change (LOTS of pennies)! We raised more that year than the previous 5 years combined! Anyhow... I was elected to move the money to the bank... and whammo!... broke a handle out front of the church... in the rain... with no one else at the church! Anyhow... maybe a thought for you Rydale guys who are involved at your church. As I said... we raised A LOT more for the church this way too! Win/win if you ask me.

Anyone else have similar stories or other alternative collection methods?

[zyll]

Our church had a missions collection campaign, with cardboard money banks. When the drive was over, I counted it all (with help from HCBTT), and paid for all the coin by check. I then deposited all coin that weren't pennies at my bank. Then I sorted the pennies and deposited the zinc at my bank. All told it was a win, except I miscounted the quarters, and ended up giving my church $185 more than I received, by mistake. Oh well, it went to a good cause!

[Copper]

Great story Pennybug,

Our pastor reported that the grade 8 class at summer bible school 2010, gave $25 dollars of pennies on the last day alone, I wondered how many they gave the 13 days prior. I did not have enough guts to ask the pastor if I could buy the pennies from him!!

[HoardCopperByTheTon]

Our church had a missions collection campaign, with cardboard money banks. When the drive was over, I counted it all (with help from HCBTT), and paid for all the coin by check. I then deposited all coin that weren't pennies at my bank. Then I sorted the pennies and deposited the zinc at my bank. All told it was a win, except I miscounted the quarters, and ended up giving my church $185 more than I received, by mistake. Oh well, it went to a good cause!

How did you miscount the quarters? .. I know I loaned you a perfectly good spare counting machine from the hoard. If you would have asked, I would have rolled them up for you.

[traderchowder]

For an alternative collection method, has anyone had luck with asking cashiers for change in nickel or penny rolls from their drawer? During regular transactions at the grocery store or something?

I wonder if taking change off their hands is doing them a favor because they have to count less, or if it makes their job harder because they have to acquire more rolls for themselves. This probably varies by circumstance. I haven't had a job as a cashier in a long time now, can't recall these details other than that I rarely had to break open new rolls while working.