Fundraising Ideas - Quick Tips
How to Raise $250 (or more) in One Week
Key First Steps:
1. Work with team members to set individual fundraising goals
2. Set an overall Team Fundraising goal to focus and motivate your team
3. Be ready to tell people how their donations will be used to fight IBD and support the mission of CCFA
All you have do is ASK!
Day 1 Sponsor Yourself—it shows your donors you are committed! $25 Day 2 Ask Three Relatives (who aren’t team members) for $25 $75
Day 3 Ask Three Friends(who aren’t team members) for $10 $30
Day 4 Ask Five Coworkers (who aren’t team members) for $10 $50
Day 5 Ask Four Neighbors (who aren’t team members) for $5 $20
Day 6 Ask Your Boss(better yet, find out if your company will match all of what you raise!) $50
Day 7 Celebrate Your Success! Total: $250
BONUS: Ask businesses you frequent to personally contribute $25 (hair salon, drycleaner, favorite restaurant, etc.)
Six Easy Steps to Raising $1,000
This may be the first time you’ve participated in a fundraising event. We’d like to show you just how simple it can be.
Follow these six easy steps, and you’ll be well on your way. Have you set a higher goal for yourself than $1,000? Great!
Simply adjust the minimum donation amount you’re asking of each potential donor, and/or increase the number of people you’re going to ask.
1. Donate to yourself. It all begins with you! $50 2. Ask 4 family members to donate $50 each. $200 3. Ask 14 friends (and other family members) to donate $25 each. $350
4. Ask 10 co‐workers to donate $25 each. $250
5. Ask your boss for a company contribution of $60. $60
6. Ask 6 neighbors to donate $15 each. $90
TOTAL $1000 Add just 4 more steps to reach $1,500!
Now that you’ve raised $1,000, you know just how easy it is. So, why not increase your goal? Here are four easy steps to raise an additional $500.
7. Ask 5 local businesses you frequent to donate $25 each. $125 8. Ask 5 members of an organization to which you belong to donate $10 each. $50 9. Host a community fundraising event (book sale, garage sale, car wash, etc.). $200 10. Ask your doctor, lawyer, etc. to donate $25 each. $125
TOTAL $1,500 Add ONE more step to raise another $500 to reach $2,000!
Use Social Media like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc. Send a blast and share what you are doing. Ask 25 friends for $20! It’s that easy…$500 more in fundraising! Try choosing a different group of 20 friends to target each week.
TOTAL $2,000
Who Is/Are My…
Accountant_______________________
Spin/Gym Instructor________________
Architect_________________________
Attorney_________________________
Bartender________________________
Beautician________________________
Boss/Manager____________________
Chiropractor______________________
Dentist__________________________
Electrician________________________
Financial Planner__________________
Lawyer__________________________
Nurse____________________________
Nutritionist_______________________
Optometrist_______________________
Physical Therapist__________________
Physician (Family) _________________
Physician (OB‐GYN) _______________
Veterinarian_______________________
Family…
Parents, Grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, in‐laws
Who Sold Me My…
Auto_____________________________
Bicycle__________________________
Bridal Gown______________________
Condominium_____________________
House___________________________
Insurance_________________________
I Know People At…
Camp____________________________
Church, Synagogue, Mosque, Temple, etc.
_______________________________
Clinic__________________________
Federal Government_______________
Golf Course_______________________
Health Club/Gym____________________
Hospital__________________________
Hotel____________________________
Restaurant________________________
School___________________________
Spa_______________________________
Volunteer Group___________________
Other People…
Bank Teller_____________________________
Children’s friends’ parents________________
Facebook “friends”_______________________
Fraternity friends_________________________
Mailman________________________________
My parent’s friends_______________________
People from past jobs______________________
Play sports with___________________________
Sorority friends_______________________
Who do I ask?
Whom can you ask for donations to support CCFA? Here are some suggestions to get you started. By making a list, you’ll be sure to cover your family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors as well as all of those other people you never thought to ask.
**** SOCIAL MEDIA ****
FACEBOOK, TWITTER, and PERSONAL URL!!!
Maximize your fundraising for Take Steps for Crohn’s & Colitis using Facebook.
Change your status update often – even multiple times a day.
• Try the weekends and weeknights when people are more likely on Facebook.
• Include your personal URL to direct them to your fundraising page.
Talk about your goals.
• “Our team is $250 short of my goal to find a cure for digestive diseases. I need 25 people to give $10!”
Make your status updates creative!
• “I’ll send an autographed photo of myself (or cookies, mix‐tapes, etc.) to the next 10 people who donate $10 or more to help me fight digestive diseases.”
• “Thanks to John Doe, my donor‐of‐the‐day, for putting me closer to my goal! Who will be tomorrow’s highlighted donor?”
Be specific.
• “My birthday wish is to raise $500 by my birthday!” Continue status updates about progress.
• “I need at least 50 friends to donate in the next 2 days.”
• “I want to reach my goal by May 1, the anniversary of my diagnosis with ulcerative colitis.”
Tell a story.
• “I’m walking this year because my aunt …”
• “I just got an email from someone who told me she donated to my efforts because she ….”
• “I want my mom to celebrate birthdays until she’s 100 so …”
• You can also tell a story by tagging you or your friends’ photos and notes, to connect your friends, and grow your network.
Be bold.
• “I don’t want Crohn’s disease to affect another year of anyone’s life.”
• “I’m taking steps for Crohn’s & Colitis because I don’t want my children to ever struggle with this disease.”
Send Facebook Messages if people aren’t responding to your emails.
• You can send messages individually or to groups of up to 10 people at the same time on Facebook.
DON’T FORGET ABOUT TWITTER AND MYSPACE!!
Want to raise more?
• Write a letter explaining what it is that you are doing, why you are doing it, and how people can sponsor you with a contribution to Take Steps and mail, e‐mail or hand‐deliver it.
• Email is a powerful tool – you can quickly send your letter to everyone in your address book.
• Check to see if your company provides corporate matching; include this information in all of your materials and presentations.
• Organize creative Team fundraising events (i.e., car wash, bake sale, garage sale), with proceeds going to team totals.
• Place a collection jar in a common area for loose‐change contributions in support of your Take Steps Walk Team.
• Challenge other groups or departments to a fundraising competition.
WRAP AROUND EVENTS
Wrap Around Events are fun and creative events that help you raise funds for CCFA. They are an excellent way to raise money and bring out the FUN in fundraising! Here is a list of ideas to help you brainstorm:
Bake sale Garage sale Silent auction Pub crawl Karaoke night Wine & cheese party
Bachelor & bachelorette auction Grocery store collections
Car wash
Snack bar at work Pancake breakfast Oscars Party Scrap book party Dinner party Art auction Ice cream party
Key Elements of a Wrap Around:
• Contact a Staff member at CCFA and let them know your plans so they can provide you with any guidance and materials you might need. We can also help promote your activity through Facebook!
• Start planning early.
• Do something you enjoy. Only host a dinner party if you enjoy cooking! Only organize a volleyball tournament if you love playing volleyball!
Hot dog stand Candy sales Bingo night Hot cocoa sale Craft show Holiday bizarre Yoga Session Babysitting Service Bowling Tournament Valentine carnation sale March Madness tournament Monday night football party Volleyball tournament SuperBowl Party Golf tournament
Restaurant giveback days
Additional Fundraising Tips:
1. Email 5 friends asking them to forego their morning coffee purchase and donate $5 instead → $25 2. Double each of those $5 gifts with an employer-match → $25
3. Make a self-pledge → $30
4. Challenge your uncle to match it → $30
5. Host a movie night , invite 4 friends. Ask them to contribute what they would normally spend at the theater ($15 each) → $60
6. Team up for a car wash fundraiser and charge $10 per car. Even if you only wash 3 cars, you’ve made it! → $30
Last Minute Fundraising
7. Send “friendly reminder” emails asking for last minute gifts 8. Ask if donations are eligible for an employer-match
9. It’s not too late to recruit friends to join you make it a team effort!
