Hey there just a idea for you my son and I approached our local neighbourhood pub and they letting us sell dinner tickets for $15.00 a person get a burger fries and a drink and we get a protion of it. We also doing a silent auction just an idea for you
Have you tried approaching your employer about a corporate donation? Many businesses have an allottment for charitable donations that they use to support their employees.
My son and I are thinking of setting up a booth at WEM, as we may have a connection with a big chain store soon. If anyone in the area wants to spell off each other in shifts, we could try to blitz a weekend. Nothing is solid yet and it may take time to set up, so anyone interested, please let me know. Maybe the ride has a convention display we could use?
The college I teach at often has fundraisers for the students. They will hold a potluck in the gym & invite friends & family to attend. Asking attendees to each bring 1 or 2 guests gets more people to attend. After the meal have someone explain why they are raising funds (It is okay to be emotional if your family has been touched by cancer). It can be beneficial to have someone you know is donating generously explain why they believe in this cause, and request a donation to match their donation, but encourage people to give what they are able to. Don't be afraid to ask for a certain amount as people like to know how much to donate. We have had a sponsor say they are donating $500 themselves, and most of the cheques we received were $500. You will be astounded how much you can raise in this way, and the kids have a ball preparing the potluck. Good Luck!!
If you're looking for corporate donations, use whatever networking you can. I have found a lot of them will ask if you'd be willing to do a presentation. If you put together something on powerpoint, you may be able to get contributions from the staff and company.
For high school, I'd say approach the staff first. Get a few of the teachers on board (especially the "cool" teachers and the phys. ed. staff) and then ask for some time to do a little presentation for the students. Another option, if you son is up to it, is to see if you can set up an auction...for his hair. Let him grow it until the middle of May (assuming there is a decent length there already...if he likes crew cuts like me, this won't work as well) and then auction off the rights to shave it... you can also get the beauty studies (if there is such a beast at his school) involved.
Last year a friend of mine raised funds in the Lance Armstrong Tour of Courage ride by selling waxing strips for $25 and let people tear the hair off of his legs and the legs of five other members of his team at a local pub. They raised $3,000 and called it the Tear of Courage!
The same year I asked each sponsor for $100.00 and painted the first name of a cancer victim or survivor on the ride route - over a kilometer of names up Storm Mountain and raised over $50,000.00. It was bio-degradable paint and very, very inspiring not only to the riders but to the sponsors and cancer survivors as well. You could easily do the same thing with chalk as long as it does not rain. Nike is doing some of this in the Giro d'Italia this year!
An idea that my team had was to raffle off some wine. Each team member donated cash or wine, and we had enough to make up two full cases. We bought a roll of raffle tickets from Office Depot and started selling them for $5 each. The response has been varied. I have sold over $600 worth of tickets in two weeks without really trying, while some of the team haven't been as successful. If you think it might work for you, give it a try.
Get the rolodex out and send the emails and then follow up in a week or two, hold a BBQ and tell the guests the burgers are on you, but bring a cheque book, with corporations, it is easier to suggest a dollar value, for those with extra leg or back hair, raffle off strips for waxing. That might be painful but so have some beverages ready.
network, network, network.....even folks from online. The more people that know, the more likely you are to have folks chip in...every little bit counts :)
