Ideas for Fundraiser?

[ML]

We are having a fund raiser at work on Tuesday. One of our coworkers who is 50 has luekemia. She just went through a round of chemo and lost her beautiful blond long hair. She's also waiting for a bone marrow donor. I know of 4 people who needed bone marrow this year and I'm so glad I joined the registry myself. Anyway, We're all bringing baked goods and green chili, etc and wondered if anyone had any ideas for me. I'm making cookies because they're easy and I already have all the ingredients.

Any other ideas? Her family really needs the financial help.

Thanks,

ML

 

[klmno]

difficult child's old school used to ask parents to make gift baskets with different themes. I liked that idea and enjoyed doing it because the person doing it could pick their own theme, depending on what they were interested in or what was readily available. Also, they can have a set price or "auction" them off to the highest bidder.

Baskets can be bought at a dollar store and contained things varying from a person volunteering to work for someone in their yard, gift certificates to a mexican restaurant, movie night (filled with popcorn/candy and gift certificate to a movie rental place), yard working supplies and flower seeds or bulbs, grilling supplies, school supplies, Italian dinner (filled with different pasta mixes and a couple of containers that could be kept and reused), etc.

Another is the "auction" of items you have that you just don't want anymore but are still usable. Not like old clothes, but maybe artwork/pictures to hang, scultpure, bird feeder, about anything that lasts a long time but people get tired of or want to replace when they redecorate.

 

[nvts]

50/50 raffles ALWAYS bring in money! Often times if people are really into the whole thing, they'll donate part of what they won (if not, it's still a good take!). You don't even have to get tickets - you can just put their name on a $1.00 and they win 1/2.

Good luck with the whole thing!

Beth

 

[ML]

Great ideas.

I feel like I want to tell you a little more about her (d). She is one of us. She was adopted herself and also adopted two of her own, a boy and a girl. The boy was adopted when he was about 4-5. He had Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) and a list of other things that just made their lives he@@ and resulted in them having to cut off all contact with him when he was 16. I'm not sure the details but she doesn't talk about to anyone and told me because, well, she knew my what I go through. We walked together every day for a long time till my job got really busy and I got lazy lol. She's been through the wringer and she and her husband were just starting to look at retirement and enjoying themselves.

So any ideas that come from this group you can be sure are valued and appreciated. We may even have to have a second fund raiser because you're giving such good ideas and I think a part 2 is in order

Thanks again,

ML

 

[Andy]

How about some potluck dinners where people not only bring a dish to share but also purchase their meal (free will donation or $5.00 per plate) and the $$ goes to the fundraiser?

When you say work, how many people involved? Do you work somewhere that the silent auction items would be open to the public (maybe have an open house some night in the next couple week with all the silent auction items and a meal?)

 

[Star*]

See if a local travel agent won't donate a junkett type trip - and let everyone know the tickets are $5.00 for a chance to win - and everyone knows whomever wins gives HER the ticket.

That way you can either give the money taken for those tickets to her for spending money OR the person who wins can have the cash - but she gets the trip and I can't imagine anyone keeping the cash -

 

[DDD]

The two easiest fundraising ideas are (1) the 50/50 drawing and (2)
the free coupon basket.

The 50/50 should be in a see-through container to trigger money lust.

An attractive basket with donated coupons also is a big draw. It takes more time because you have to contact restaurants and stores and solicit free meals or goods coupons. For our organization I do all the solicitation calls as I'm a good telephone sales person. Another person prepares a thank you note addressed to the donor. Two or three others take the thank you notes to the business and pick up the gift and thank them in person as well as writing.

Good luck. DDD

 

[susiestar]

If you have some space to gather things, you can raise a LOT of $$ with a garage sale done right. We did one for the school and even with items priced very cheaply we raised several thousand $$.

We also do silent auctions, where a group of people each get together to make a basket or 2. husband's company did this for the United Way and raised an astounding amount in an afternoon. Tickets to local sporting events (mostly college games as we have no pro ball games here, well except for some minorleague stuff), Gift certificates, handmade items, all sorts of stuff.

If you can advertise to the community, maybe a kids' explore setup? Get the fire dept and concrete co and other businesses who have trucks or cool cars to bring them to one large parking lot that is taped off. Each kid gets to come in and explore all the cool things for $5. The kids know it goes to a good cause, so they can feel good, and so can the parents. PLUS it is a really cool family activity.

Esp if you have drinks for sale, and maybe a bake sale?

I wish you good luck. You are a good friend.

 

[Woofens]

Has any one contacted the Masons or any other organization like that? When easy child T needed her brain and skull surgery, we were lucky that her insurance (medicaid through her SSI) paid the hospital and DR bills in full, but we were struggling because I was living at the hospital in Pittsburgh and the other kids were at sitters, etc. The Mason threw a spaghetti dinner benefit for her and raised almost $1000, and we got a once a year grant from the state Mason organization for Christmas that year. We actually had our electricity shut off when T was in the hospital, because I couldn't pay the sitters and the bills and eat. It was terrible and the Masons were such a huge help to us.

Just a thought

Hugs and good luck!!
Jan

 

[Woofens]

More thoughts... ABATE is another group that is great for fund-raisers. The local ABATE chapter has already offered to hold fundraisers for T or S or J if any of them need the surgery or if T needs additional surgery.