Anyone experienced at fundraising out there?

[monarch64]

So I''m doing the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer this year. I''ve been training for the walk for two months now, have a month to go until the Walk and am doing very well physically. Last Saturday we did 16 miles! This is a two-day event in which my team (from my gym) will walk 26.2 miles the first day, and 13 the second. I am really excited about doing this, as it is my first marathon ever! The hard part of the whole thing has been fundraising for me. I''ve only lived here (outside Chicago) for 4 years, and don''t have a super-huge network...no children for DH and me yet, so I''ve only got friends, family, and work to rely on. My Saturdays are dedicated to team training, so I can''t do a garage sale (I would do a Sunday one but am afraid no one would come), and after work during the week I spend an hour or so a night walking, and make time for DH and household "chores" so I don''t have a lot of time for making crafty things to sell...

I''ve solicited friends and family, and co-workers via email, snail mail, and word-of-mouth. So far I''m at 30% of my goal of $1800 with a month left until the event. Any tips on who else to ask would be greatly appreciated. Also, anyone who''s done this kind of thing before, I would love to hear your stories or advice.

I have another "back-up" list of people I wasn''t going to solicit donations from at first: my dentist, my car-dealer, and our jeweler, and neighbors (we''re not "close" to any of them but I am determined to go door-to-door this coming week.)

Please help! If I don''t raise the required goal amount, I either have to pay the difference myself, or not walk. DH says he has a feeling we will end up paying the difference, and I don''t want that, not because of the financial thing, but because I don''t want to disappoint myself or him! I am happy to have his support, but this is something I took on and thought I could do on my own and it would bother me to no end if we ended up writing a huge check due to my incompetence, lol!

Any suggestions are welcome! Thank you!

Heather

 

[Madam Bijoux]

Hi! Are there any mom-and-pop type stores/deli''s or other small stores near you that would let you put up a sign about the walk? What about putting up a sign at your local library? Do you have a local town hall, train station or post office that has a bulletin board? Does your town have a newspaper that would publish an announcement for free?

 

[sanfranciscoellen]

My friends is doing this too, and she has a Pink Party every year....invites whoever she can think of with an Evite, you pay $25 donation to get in, guests are supposed to come in pink just for fun. But the great part is that she asks local businesses to donate items, gift certificates etc and then people at the party bid/buy them...she usually has a great success in both getting the items, and then raising money from them. She even gets food donated.

Having worked at a bunch of silent/live auctions, I can say that it is all about asking businesses that YOU patronize...they love helping out their regular customers.

Good luck!

 

[Sundial]

A Pink Party - what a cute idea! I''ve done my share of fundraising and I agree with canvasing your neighbors and contacting business offices where you have been a customer. Small businesses are much easier than large companies who may have specific donation policies. Good luck! You are doing a great thing.

 

[kbaker]

I participated in the Breast Cancer 3-day last year and had to raise over $2100.00. I decided to hold a neighborhood pancake breakfast. I provided the pancake mix, syrup, bacon, cofffee and orange juice etc. Then, instead of charging a fee, I said "Donations graciously accepted". It ended up being a HUGE success and I made nearly $2000.00 and had so much fun. Our neighbors got to hang out and catch up after a long winter. I ended up with enough money to reimburse the expenses of holding the event.

Which ever you decide on, I would highly recommend a party of some sort. Although people are generous, they *TEND* to be more generous when they are receiving something in return. So, prizes, food, however you need to work it!!
Good LUck!

 

[monarch64]

Thank you all so much for your ideas! I just got off the phone with my mom, who had lots of good ideas as well. She is a quilter, and is kicking herself right now because she didn''t put together a quilt for me to raffle...oh well, next year I will definitely make use of her skills! She has a lot of talent--she made a wedding quilt for a gal last year and sold it for $800!

I loved the Pink Party idea! I might be able to pull that one off on the Saturday evening the week before the event, I think I have enough time to get it together. Pink drinks will be had by all--cosmopolitans, anyone??? I will visit my old job (Stein Mart) and see if I can get some donated items, and also go to some salons around this area in search of gift certificates or products, and see if I can come up with some other things along the way...

Keep the ideas coming if you have any more...thanks again everyone!

Heather

 

[monarch64]

*bump*

I had to revive my thread because with just over three weeks to go I am getting a little "desperate," lol! I have over half my required donation amount raised, but my DH came up with a fabulous idea tonight and I need those of you with excellent computer/photoshop skills to help me! There is a little neighborhood bar he''s been a patron of for years who would be willing to help me out with donations. One of the bartenders (a female) who has known him the longest donated a very significant amount already, but is the kind of bartender who is a wonderful salesperson and knows how to get donations as she''s done it before for others who''ve done something similar to what I''m doing. The other two bartenders have already given me their own personal cash donations.

So my DH suggested a few weeks ago that the best thing I could do would be to get some of those pre-printed "buy this space for $1" sign thingies that end up all over the bar that people cn write silly things on with a Sharpie marker. I know, this whole thing sounds tasteless to me too. But bear with me: DH says it''s a great fundraiser and I believe he is right. Trouble is, the walk that I''m doing doesn''t supply any of these pre-printed things and I don''t know how to create them on my computer. The walk I''m doing is for breast cancer. I thought I would revive this thread and see if any of you with great photoshop or computer skills in general could help me come up with a graphic mimicking the style of those little paper signs you donate a dollar to in the drugstore or wherever and then they stick them up on the wall after you sign them, for my cause. Anyone??? I am working on it myself right now but I don''t know which idea is best to go with--a ribbon about 5"x7" cut out in that shape printed on pink paper (which I have), or a rectangular shape with the same graphic in the middle so donors can write a message on it? Help!

 

[pricescope]

Monarch, i will work on it

 

[pricescope]

First one, give me please some idea of what text you want up there.

 

[widget]

Wow Irina!!!!! That''s just great!!! You''re a GENIUS!!!!!!

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