A flocking good time: Flamingos put 'fun' in Christ Our Savior Church fundraiser

Fundraising for the youth ministry at Christ Our Savior Church has taken a hit over the last year. 

Most years, a church dinner is its biggest fundraiser. When the pandemic hit and communities all over the world shut down, organizations of all types had to pivot. The church was no exception. 

Unable to hold the dinner last  year, this year Christ Our Savior has replaced the annual feast with an effort aimed at putting the fun in fundraiser. 

The church is dispatching flocks of pink flamingos — some plastic, some paper — to homes for its Flamingo FUNdraiser.

The fundraiser began in early March and the church hopes to wrap it up by the end of April. It has received some requests for flocks to be placed at the end of April, and even one for June, and Melissa Fischer, the church’s youth leader, said organizers will happily honor those. 

Some of the fun in the fundraiser stemmed from a church member's misunderstanding. Fischer said a newer congregant was excited but was convinced the flocks were made up of real birds. 

The woman, after hearing of the traveling flocks, questioned whether the flamingos and her chickens could coexist. 

While the concept was new to that particular church member, and perhaps others, it is somewhat of a tradition for the church, though Fischer is unsure when it first started. The youth ministry wanted to bring it back to bring some happiness to people in a COVID-friendly way.

She and her husband, Scott, have a headcount of the birds and keep them in bins so that “flockers” — the volunteers who deliver the flamingos — can easily grab them and go. 

"We text them the address and they deliver, so there's really not a whole lot of interaction," Fischer said.

There is no set donation amount to have a flock dispatched to someone's house, which allows the church to raise as much money as possible for the youth ministry, while also not eliminating those who want to participate but might not have as much to give. 

The church is aiming to keep the flock deliveries as local as possible. 

Those worried about an unwanted flock arriving on their lawn can purchase anti-flocking insurance for $10 a week, or $40 to keep the flamingos away for the full six weeks of the fundraiser. 

Lisa Ehler, a church member, picked "victims" from her Bible study to flock but purchased anti-flocking insurance for herself.

"I wasn't sure anyone would flock us, but just in case, I bought it. It's also just another reason to donate a little bit more if you buy the insurance," Ehler said.

"I think it's a really cool idea. It was really fun to see the pictures of flamingos in the snow."  

Fischer and Ehler said they appreciate the opportunity the fundraiser provides to bring the church community back together. Some people are attending services in person but most are attending online. The fundraiser offers a chance for connection in a fun way as people begin to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

"We just thought this was the perfect time, you know, as people have slowly been kind of getting back to looking forward to the new normal, whatever that will be,” Fischer said. “We thought this was a fun way to support our youth and members of the community and just lift each other up and look forward to the new normal that's coming." 

For more information on the fundraiser and to see pictures of the flocks of flamingos, visit  Christ Our Savior's Facebook page.