I know that you’re wondering what happened to those medieval medicinal gardens. Don’t worry, they still exist, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a doctor who will try to cure your arthritis with Sarracenia, which garden enthusiasts may know as cone-shaped plants indigenous to the southeastern United States.

Sometime around the 17thcentury, medieval medicinal gardens turned their attentions to collecting and displaying plants, and botanical gardens were born. They’re places where people can learn about plants, witness wildlife, such as turtles and frogs, and conduct scientific research.

Botanical gardens matter to universities, communities, and the animals that live within their curated ecosystems.

Just like you need money to buy food, the botanical garden you so carefully manage needs money to survive. While it might be easy to sit at a computer and send out improved communications to increase donations, there are a variety of botanical garden fundraising ideas that involve getting out of your chair and bringing people in to experience your beautiful garden.

Most of these events are monetized via ticket sales and donations, so be sure to attract the masses and show them why your garden is worth a generous gift.

LIGHT SHOWS

Think your family does a good job with its Christmas lights? Just wait until you see what some of these botanical gardens do.

Not to disregard your holiday efforts, but some gardens, like the above pictured Atlanta Botanical Garden, put on the sorts of light shows that are must see holiday attractions. Extraordinary light shows can be popular attractions, especially in the winter months.

The Atlanta Botanical Garden has several corporate sponsorships which enable them to keep their holiday lights affordable and maintain low internal costs.

This seasonal event is a way for organizations to raise significant funds from ticket sales and to gain exposure to a brand new audience of garden visitors.

GARDEN BALLS

Call them galas, dances, parties with lots of pretty flowers, or soirees, but, no matter what you call them, garden balls tend to be premier fundraisers for many botanical gardens.

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia has held its annual gala since 1985. The lavish dinners include live music, dancing, and a silent auction, and all set to the beautiful backdrop of a botanical garden.

Garden balls can attract many wealthy supporters and their friends. You can also seek fundraising for these events from corporate sponsors.

CONCERTS

Live music, fireworks, and beautiful plants everywhere you look. Many botanical gardens host live concert series, usually in the summer when the air is warm and people can sprawl out on the grass and relax.

Concerts can range from symphony orchestras, such as the orchestra that the Forth Worth Botanic Garden features at their annual concert series, to Acapella groups to choral performances to contemporary rock bands. People can sit on the lawn, dance, set up picnics, and enjoy the beautiful scenery, and all for an affordable price. A few rounds of fireworks can add to a memorable experience.

MOVIE SCREENINGS

Outdoor movie screenings are a nice change of pace from the containment of movie theaters. A silver screen with stars in the background and lush flora all around can be a relaxing experience that attracts many avid moviegoers.

Movies can be geared towards adults, families, and other groups, and can range from documentaries to musicals to Hollywood blockbusters. The Myriad Botanical Gardens in Oklahoma City features a family-friendly slate of movies during the summer months.

All people need to do is bring chairs, friends, and food, and they’re in for a great time.

FAIRS

While you might be used to fairs that include Ferris Wheels, cotton candy, and clowns, garden fairs can also be inviting attractions.

The Green Bay Botanical Garden offers an annual fair that features over 100 vendors. These vendors showcase plants, landscape ideas, gardening tools, and provide demonstrations and presentations. There’s live music and food, too.

And don’t forget that botanical gardens can be open to the public year-round. The Green Bay Botanical Garden offers free snowshoes to anyone who wants to come out and see their beautiful grounds during the winter months.

GUEST SPEAKERS

Hosting guest speakers can bring in people who want to learn. Topics don’t necessarily have to be about nature, as the setting of a garden can help to attract folks interested in a wide range of topics.

The North Carolina Botanical Garden brings in professors from local universities to speak on topics such as Charles Darwin. Figure out what the people in your community are interested in, in addition to nature, and bring in speakers who can address those topics. Offering food and beverages can help to increase attendance.

Flower Shows

While there are tons of ways to attract visitors, an obvious way is by showcasing your plants. Whether they be special exhibits or plants that blossom at a certain time of year, special events for flowers can bring in more garden industry enthusiasts who might decide to donate.

You can raise awareness and interest in flower events by hosting an opening night party. Opening night events not only bring in more people, but they raise awareness for the seasonal flower show. The hope is that word will spread, and even more people will visit during the subsequent weeks and months.

The Chicago Botanic Garden hosts an orchid show, and their most recent opening night raised $35,000.

GUIDED TOURS

A massive garden can feel overwhelming to some people who want to see as much as possible. Guided tours allow visitors to walk the grounds while learning about the various plant life.

In addition to the price of admission, you can usually charge for tours. You can offer group discounts and limit group sizes in order to create an aura of exclusivity around the tours in an attempt to increase the desire for them. ThePhipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh offers guided tours for $2 per person.

EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Kids and adults can learn a lot from educational programs, which use your botanical garden as an idyllic backdrop.

Education programs vary by garden, and the New York Botanical Garden provides a nice snapshot with their offerings:

• Botanical art and illustration
• Landscape design
• Horticulture
• Floral design
• Gardening
• Botany
• Horticultural therapy

Classes can be offered year-round if the garden has the proper indoor facilities.

Some members may be enthusiastic about providing donations that benefit educational opportunities.

WEDDINGS

People love outdoor weddings, and botanical gardens have the idyllic scenery to make them memorable events.

Use your facilities to attract more people, such as how the Missouri Botanical Garden provides wedding parties with use of its Native Butterfly Garden for two hours. Weddings are expensive, and you can charge high rental fees for use of your space.

A great way to promote your garden as a wedding venue is through a detailed webpage that highlights the features of your garden and shows off plenty of gorgeous scenery. Weddings are about as romantic as events get, and you want people to know that there’s no better place to tie the knot than at your beautiful, natural paradise.

Tickets sales may be the norm, but, with some creativity, you can find other ways to raise needed funds for your garden. Classes offer tangible benefits to members and are recurring opportunities to engage with the garden, as opposed to one-time or annual events. Weddings promote your garden as a community space at which to host one of life’s most cherished moments.

Botanical garden fundraising can be fun and creative. Thanks to CRM software, fundraising is also easy to manage. Assess your resources, ask what your staff can do, and start implementing new fundraising strategies today to maintain your garden as a community treasure.