Can I pick your brains??

[krcit]

Hi Disers. I need help with some ideas for fundraising. My best friend was recently diagnosed with leukemia and is currently in the hospital for chemo. She will be in there for 3 more weeks and then will be undergoing a bone marrow transplant. They have 4 young kids and obviously will need a lot of financial help. There is a benefit planned for next month. I have asked everyone I know to see if they can get donations for raffle baskets. Does anyone have any other ideas of ways I can get donations of either goods or money? This is not the family's first brush with tragedy but I'm not comfortable posting it on a message board. Anyway, I know there are a lot of smart people on here who might have some ideas for me. Thanks guys!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

I know my friends dd had leukemia. She is from Long Island too (suffolk).

She had alot of press from newsday and suffolk life (not in busines anymore).

Try to get some print press media like a local paper depending on where you live, exennysaver, the Record, Beacon etc.

If she has young children can you ask for help from their school, pre school, sports teams, etc. etc. Also in the neighborhood, ask people with connections etc. Does she belong to a church etc??
Iknow they also had little collection cans in local stores with her picture on it etc

She is blessed to have such a caring friend in you. Wishing her all the best.

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

How about a trivia night? We do them a lot in St. Louis. You sell tables (usually 8 to a table), provide popcorn & pretzels (or whatever) and sodas (pop) and water.

People are welcome to bring in whatever snacks they want and, depending on your local laws, alcoholic beverages for personal consumption only.

It's usually 10 rounds of 10 questions each. You can sell mulligans (i.e., free right answers....usually 3 for $5 or $10), do a 50/50 and other raffles that night (one we go to does a raffle for a wheelbarrow full of booze -- the members of that service club each donate a bottle or 2 of booze and by the time they fill it all up, they've got 100+ bottles in there)!

We generally award prizes either in flights, or just to 1st place, 2nd place and 2nd to last place. Prizes can be cash, gift cards -- really whatever you can come up with.

We always have fun when we go! Last one we went to raised about $25K. Of course, we also go to a small one that generally raises about $3,500.

If you need further information, PM me.

K

 

[krcit]

Thanks guys!! exactly what I was looking for! I will check with her to see if she's ok with me contacting the local paper.

The trivia thing has me intrigued! We are having just your basic fundraiser at a bar..pay for a ticket and get 1 drink and a buffett. I will make up raffles for that but her expenses are ongoing so maybe in the spring, we could do something like that. Thanks!

 

[golfgal]

Do they have a non-profit charitable status set up for them yet? If so, do NOT do any fundraising for them until that is done or everything you give them will be taxed-at a very high rate.

 

[krcit]

Do they have a non-profit charitable status set up for them yet? If so, do NOT do any fundraising for them until that is done or everything you give them will be taxed-at a very high rate.

Thanks Someone is getting that done for them already.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Also try and see if you can get an organization to "adopt" the family like the Elks, Moose, Kiwanis, K of C, Lions etc.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

I would ask for gift cards to be raffled. Also simple services that everyone needs such as tune-ups, dry cleaning, fall clean up from a landscaping company is great because often they get a contract signed.
Garden Centers, nurseries for a sapling planted in the Spring.
Coupon for a live Christmas tree.

If anyone owns a boat/beach house raffle an experience. "Brunch for 4 w/ Captain Andy"
If there's a new restaurant in the area "Chef for a Night" at someone's home is always a high bid item.
Ask around for someone who has season tickets to donate a game~

Your a great friend

 

[chattyann]

We had a chili supper and auction for my Uncle. For 5.00 a person you got a bowl of chili, tea or lemonade to drink, and a cookie. We went around to the local stores and even to Wendy's restaurant and got free cups, bowls, napkins and such donated. Then we had friends and family get together anything they could donate to be auctioned and also things donated from local stores and restaurants.

 

[golfgal]

A friend was collecting "used" gift cards for a charity. I am not exactly sure how it worked but they were collecting all those cards you have sitting around that had $2.34 left on them, etc. Some how they were able to use those or combine them into new ones, etc. This would be especially helpful for gas and grocery cards I would think. If your town is small enough, some retailers may let you set up collection boxes at the cash registers.

 

[cluvsdisney]

Direct sales parties - a couple of my friends sell Tastefully Simple/Pampered Chef/etc and do catalog events and offer to donate a portion of their sales to charity. It's on going so it can really adds up.

Bake Fairs - if applicable, maybe the family's church would allow you guys to host a bake sales on Sundays after services every once in a while.

Garage Sales - I am not sure of the logisitcs but maybe a multi-home garage sale in the spring when the weather turns back to being nice.

Scrapbooking Crops - you just need a large room with good lighting, tables and comfortable chairs. Depending on the length of the crop will determine what meals you should offer. You could do bagels for breakfast, pizza for lunch or dinner, deli, or trays of food like ziti & chicken. A lot of restaurants will offer a deal since it's for charity.

For raffles at any of these events, most of the times you just have to ask and people will be happy to donate something. Like NEVERENOUGHWDW suggested, go to local businesses for donations - dry cleaners, nail salons, restaurants. Check with major sports teams in the area - one of my friends received donations from the Mets & Yankees for game tickets to raffle off for her church. They weren't the best seats or dates but they were free and there's always someone that would want them.

Check out the Pepsi Refresh project - they are donating set dollar amounts every month to various charities/causes based on votes. It's basically a popularity contest - heavily promote it on FB and other places and see how it goes.

Maybe organize a walk-a-thon.

Organize a dinner dance. Talk to local catering halls & businesses about hosting and providing food & entertainment. You should be able to get a deal for a week night in the off season which is approaching (jan/feb). Sell tickets for the dinner. Collect donations for raffles. 50/50s are always popular! If space permits, you could ask home sales vendors to set up tables (jewelry, home decor, etc) and donate some of their profits.

I am very sorry for your friend.

 

[golfgal]

Direct sales parties - a couple of my friends sell Tastefully Simple/Pampered Chef/etc and do catalog events and offer to donate a portion of their sales to charity. It's on going so it can really adds up.

Bake Fairs - if applicable, maybe the family's church would allow you guys to host a bake sales on Sundays after services every once in a while.

Garage Sales - I am not sure of the logisitcs but maybe a multi-home garage sale in the spring when the weather turns back to being nice.

Scrapbooking Crops - you just need a large room with good lighting, tables and comfortable chairs. Depending on the length of the crop will determine what meals you should offer. You could do bagels for breakfast, pizza for lunch or dinner, deli, or trays of food like ziti & chicken. A lot of restaurants will offer a deal since it's for charity.

For raffles at any of these events, most of the times you just have to ask and people will be happy to donate something. Like NEVERENOUGHWDW suggested, go to local businesses for donations - dry cleaners, nail salons, restaurants. Check with major sports teams in the area - one of my friends received donations from the Mets & Yankees for game tickets to raffle off for her church. They weren't the best seats or dates but they were free and there's always someone that would want them.

Check out the Pepsi Refresh project - they are donating set dollar amounts every month to various charities/causes based on votes. It's basically a popularity contest - heavily promote it on FB and other places and see how it goes.

Maybe organize a walk-a-thon.


I am very sorry for your friend.

Or, being fall, a work-a-thon where people will go out and rake leaves, etc.

 

[Bluetickmom]

Things that people did for us that went over well were the rubber bracelet's from here

http://www.reminderband.com/

The sales from these we used for food purchases while living in the hospital (for 9 months). People are still wearing them 5 years later.

Both for fundraising and for the 5k's we do for awareness, I had someone make a logo for me and I had it put on tshirts.

The biggest fundraiser of all though was a silent and live auction. My Sister in-law approached the local Country Club who gave them a really cheap per head rate for the room and simple food, roast beef, meatballs etc. They got most of the beer and wine donated. Then charged like $25 a ticket.

They got a DJ to donate services, and then pretty much hit up every business in the area asking for a donation. Small things like gift cards, tv's etc. they put on tables with sheet in front where you write down your name and your bid and they had a cut off time so people knew at what time each table would go down and the bids would close on that item.

For larger things like tickets to sporting events, plane tickets, etc. they did a live auction.

Not only did it raise a lot of money but people had a great time there as well.

50/50's are always great too because usually at something like this whoever wins will just donate back their half.

 

[krcit]

Thanks. I'm looking into the bracelets!

 

[aprilgail2]

I work for an organization that helps kids with cancer-but I can give you some tips-- I was just at a fundraiser last month for a child with cancer and it was held at the Nutty Irishman in Bay Shore---it was 25.00 to get in--included a buffet but the bar was a cash bar....they had baskets to raffle off--over a hundred baskets. The auction tickets were a standard chinese auction type ticket and they sold for 20.00 each or 6 sheets for 100.00. They had a cotton candy machine there for the kids and charged 3.00 I think it was for cotton candy. there were hundreds of people there and they did very well.

Another idea is a run-- we are attending one next week but the weather is getting a bit cold now to just start arranging one now....
A bowling fundraiser and do the same with the raffle baskets there and also do a 50/50- 9 times out of 10 the winner of that will donate the money right back.
As far as baskets you can ask local vendors, especially places that know the person....you can also ask friends/relatives if they know anyplaces they could get donationed items from. You can also ask people you know if they could all just donate one basket each and you should be ok. Local businesses get hit so bad for donations from every school in the district, every fraternal organization, fire dept etc that many here have scaled way back on what they donate.

I wish I could give you more help but the charity I work with only does kids 18 and under....

 

[disney67]

im not good with this but I know if this is a non profit organization my company would donate something too this they usually do but not sure on the amount . the company i work for is dairy barn if you want info just pm me

 

[aprilgail2]

im not good with this but I know if this is a non profit organization my company would donate something too this they usually do but not sure on the amount . the company i work for is dairy barn if you want info just pm me

Dairy barn usually give 7.00 in dairy barn dollars...they donate every time- good company!
OP- I do have a list I use of places that donate if you want it-- let me know and I will email it to you, I don't want to post them all here.