Fundraising Complete Guide

Transcription

1 Fundraising Complete Guide Did you know that a regular water bottle filled up with dimes adds up to $100?? Ask your coworkers, family and friends to each fill one up for you. 10 Friends + 10 bottles = $1000!!! Do you know the number one reason why people don t give? THEY WERE NOT ASKED! So ask away! Did you know that many companies will match a donation made to a non-profit? Ask your company and be sure to have those that donate to you do the same. Paperwork involved? No problem-send it to us at the CCFA!

2 **** TAKE STEPS FUNDRAISING TIPS and IDEAS! **** FUNDRAISING CHECKLIST If you complete this checklist you will be a very successful Take Steps Fundraiser! Set-up your personal fundraising website. CCFA can provide your unique URL. Meet with a CCFA staff member Make your list of 100 Send out your s Write and mail your fundraising letter Use your Facebook page Plan a fundraising event Set up Your Webpage If you need support or instructions on how to access your participant center and set up your webpage, contact the CCFA office at Personalize your webpage 1. Add a photo (and video!!) of yourself or your honoree. 2. Post your fundraising letter on your website. 3. If you need help, call the CCFA office! Meeting with CCFA Staff Meeting with a member of the CCFA staff is important so that you can get the support you need meet your fundraising goal. The CCFA staff can help you set a goal that is manageable for you and your team, as well as help build your plan to meet that goal. The staff also has experience with small events and fundraising activities for which they can provide materials and support if you choose to make that part of your fundraising plan. The best part of our job is meeting with all of you! Make Your List of 100 Try to make a list of at least 100 people to contact. If you don t have addresses handy, don t get bogged down, just write as many names as you can think of. When you think you just can t come up with another name STOP and give your brain a rest. Sleep on it and take the list out the next day. Do this for a couple of days. DO ask your parents for the names and addresses of relatives and people who knew you as a child. DO send your letter to everyone on your holiday card list. DO look through your checkbook or bank statements to identify people and places where you regularly spend or have spent a large sum of money in the past.

3 Making the Ask or Letters? Ideally, use a layering approach by sending both and letters. Some people you know will respond better to a hardcopy letter stuck to their fridge as a reminder to make a donation. Others prefer the ease of clicking on a link in an and quickly entering their donation online. Many people need more than one request to donate, so it s okay to send your invitation via both and letter. s is a simple and quick way of directing your contacts to your online fundraising website. The content of your s should be similar to that of your letters. Be sure to include a personal story of why you are participating in Take Steps. It can also be used to send reminders or follow-up s, as well as updates on your progress. You can send s via your Participant Center by clicking on Send s. You can also upload your contacts from any source (outlook, yahoo, excel, etc). If you prefer to send s from your personal account, you can copy/paste the unique personal URL that our staff sends you after registering. Need help? Call us at *Tip: Use a Signature on your outgoing s, and a special outgoing voic or answering machine message to constantly and passively remind people about your endeavor. Letter Writing Elements of a successful letter: Introduction Why you are Taking Steps The Ask or request for a donation How to donate (your website address) Where to send donations (self addressed return envelope) Closing Write a Rough Draft Using the sample letters provided (Appendix A), write a rough draft letter. Don t get bogged down, it doesn t have to be perfect. Your Take Steps staff person is here to help. If you d like, us a copy of your letter, and we d be happy to proofread it. Two sets of eyes are better than one! Return Envelope We recommend including a self-addressed return envelope. Although it is not essential, we have found that participants usually get a better response when they do this. (Some participants might choose to stamp the return envelope for the donor). If cost is an issue, determine who would most likely donate online and do not include a return envelope (or stamp) in their letter. FOLLOW UP Send a reminder. Keep a list of those who send in donations. Send a reminder to those what have not yet donated. Include updates in your reminder, and let them know that fundraising is going well, but you still have a bit farther to go. Sometimes, reminder letters are more successful than original letters for bringing in money. Send Updates. It is always important to send updates on your progress and your goals to your entire list - those who have previously responded AND those who have not. Sometimes people will even donate more than once Send a thank you card. Thank you s are like pancakes, they are better served warm!! Send thank you notes as soon as you get donations. It is nice to receive a note acknowledging the importance of a donation, no matter how small the amount. Staying in communication develops a rapport that will have many added benefits, from closer bonds of friendship to continued support for another season of Take Steps.

4 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 $50 of what you raise!) Day 7 Celebrate Your Success! Total: $250 BONUS: Ask businesses you frequent to personally contribute $25 (hair salon, drycleaner, favorite restaurant, etc.) Want to raise much more than $250? 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, or hand-deliver it. 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.

5 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. $ Ask 14 friends (and other family members) to donate $25 each. $ Ask 10 co-workers to donate $25 each. $ 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 $ Ask 5 local businesses you frequent to donate $25 each. $ 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.). $ 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 Additional Fundraising Tips: 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 s 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!

6 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. 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 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 I Know People At Camp Church, Synagogue, Mosque, Temple, etc. Clinic Federal Government Golf Course Health Club/Gym Hospital Hotel Family Parents, Grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws Who Sold Me My Auto Bicycle Bridal Gown Condominium House Insurance

7 **** 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 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 s. 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!!

8 MATCHING GIFTS and CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS Many corporations and businesses will match funds raised or donated by their employees. Talk with your human resources personnel to find out your employer s policy and encourage your donors to talk with their HR departments as well! Most companies require the Crohn s & Colitis Foundation of America to complete a form to verify that the donation was received at the chapter. The matching gift paperwork should be mailed or faxed to your CCFA office along with proof of the donation (copy of the check or online confirmation). Once CCFA receives the matching gift paperwork we will complete our portion and communicate with the company to receive the company match. What You/Your Donors Need To Do Ask your potential donors to inquire if their employer matches donations to the Crohn s & Colitis Foundation of America, and if there is a minimum donation. Individually approach people you know who work for companies who you know have matching gift programs. If they have such a program, the donor obtains the matching gift form from their company usually from their Human Resources Department. The donor makes a donation to you, either online or via check/cash/credit card. The donor fills out their company s matching gift form. The donor gives you the form and the donation. CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS How to inquire within the company Find out what department would handle your inquiry (Marketing, HR, Community Relations, CEO, etc). The larger the company, the more digging required. Research your company s giving history & focus. Contact CCFA Contact a staff member at CCFA so that you can work together to strategize your next steps. Set up a meeting with a decision maker for you and the CCFA Staff Member. The CCFA has lots of materials to help you through this meeting. Follow up!! You and the staff member should work together on the next steps (i.e. a proposal, formal ask letter, online submission, etc.) 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 Bowling tournament Scrap book party Dinner party Art auction Ice cream party Hot dog stand Candy sales Golf tournament Bingo night Hot cocoa sale Craft show Holiday bizarre Super Bowl party Oscars party Valentine carnation sale March Madness tournament Monday night football party Volleyball tournament Yoga session Restaurant giveback days 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!

9 SAMPLE FUNDRAISING LETTER SAMPLE LETTER 1 Dear Friends and Family, When I was in middle school my mom was always sick. She was in and out of the doctor s office and the hospital. She was on a lot of medication and she always seemed to be in pain. She also always had to go to the bathroom every time we went anywhere. I remember being embarrassed of her because I didn t understand what was happening. Later in life she had a large portion of her intestines removed and though she has been able to manage her disease with medication for quite some time recently she has had a bad flare that currently they have been unable to control. My mother and my grandmother both have/had colitis. On June 14 I will participate in a walk to find a cure for IBD because I do not want colitis and I don t want my children to go through what they went through. I walk because it wasn t fair that my mom s little girl was embarrassed by her or that she had to miss a day of my life because of her colitis. Please consider sponsoring me and if you can joining me in my mission to raise $5000 by joining my team and fundraising yourself I would greatly appreciate it. Together we will find a cure! One in every 200 people suffer daily with digestive diseases. For those who live with these chronic diseases, life is a roller coaster of active and remitting disease. However, the opportunity to make life more manageable for patients who live day to day with intense pain, the threat of long term hospital stays and multiple surgeries has never been greater. I am asking you to help by supporting my fundraising efforts with a donation. Your tax-deductible gift will make a difference in the lives of the 1.4 million patients suffering with digestive disease! You can make your donation online by simply clicking on the link at the bottom of this message. If you would prefer, you can also send your tax-deductible contribution to the address listed below. Any amount, great or small, helps in the fight. I greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress. Sincerely, Stephanie [insert personal webpage].

10 Date (Letter sent from parent to school nurse, guidance counselor or principal) First, Last Name School Address City, State Zip Dear First Name, My name is (XXX) and my (son/daughter), (NAME), is in (X) grade. As you may be aware, (NAME OF CHILD) was diagnosed with (Crohn s disease and/or ulcerative colitis) at the age of (X). After (NAME OF CHILD) was diagnosed, we became involved with our local Chapter of the Crohn s and Colitis Foundation of America s (CCFA), a nonprofit organization who mission is dedicated to cure and prevent Crohn s disease and ulcerative colitis through research, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these digestive diseases. CCFA is supported solely by individual, foundation and corporate contributions. CCFA is the only national voluntary nonprofit organization dedicated to the fight against inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Since its inception in 1967 CCFA has invested $158 million dollars in research, with over $16 million invested in 179 research grants in CCFA complies with the highest standards of the National Charities Information Bureau and the Philanthropic Advisory Service and is one of only seven charities to earn an A rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy. Our school system has literally dozens of children affected with these diseases. Participating in Kids Take Steps to Cure IBD School Program is a great way to show them that we care and are helping to make a difference in their lives. I would like the opportunity to meet with you to discuss ways in which (NAME OF SCHOOL) can help support CCFA and raise awareness in our schools. Not only would raising money for CCFA directly help those in our community by moving us closer to cures, participation in this kind of activity can teach our children a lesson on the importance of helping others around them. It can also provide them with the empowering experience that shows them that even as a child, they can have an impact on other s lives. Sincerely Parent

11 WHERE THE MONEY GOES Welcome to the Take Steps program! We are so excited to have you on the team to help us raise money in support of the mission of the Crohn s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA). The commitment you have taken on is one that will help many people now and in the future who battle inflammatory bowl disease (IBD). The Crohn s & Colitis Foundation of America is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. Mission: To cure Crohn s disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases. Your Dollars at Work The American Institute of Philanthropy gave the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation one of only 6 "A" ratings (out of 44 charities) in its most recent watchdog report. The Foundation also consistently meets the standards established by the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance. Expense Breakdown 81% Research, Education, Support Services 9% Fundraising 10% Administrative DID YOU KNOW: Crohn s disease and ulcerative colitis are painful, medically incurable illnesses that attack the digestive system. Approximately 1.4 million American adults and children suffer from Crohn s disease or ulcerative colitis, including 30,000 Hoosiers. Most people develop these diseases between the ages of 15 and 35. More than 80 cents of every dollar goes directly toward research, education, and support services. Research Since its inception, CCFA has funded more than 1,100 grants. We invest our dollars wisely, funding the highest-quality IBD research anywhere in the world and implementing a peer-review process to ensure that only the most promising and relevant grant applications are funded. To date, CCFA has more than 160 active research projects with an investment of over $16 million. Your gift goes a long way for example, a gift of $250 sends a child to Camp Oasis for one day or can buy 25 test tubes for a lab. Research Highlights: CCFA has provided more than $167 million for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis research. Backed studies developing more than 80 new drug treatments, some expecting FDA approval in a few years. People with different IBD genes have different compositions of gut bacteria. These studies help identify potential target for drug development and diagnosis. 163 genes associated with IBD have been discovered, but their functions are still unknown. Program Highlights 2012: 1,300 pediatric patients served by CCFA Camp Oasis Power of Two program launched in October Team Challenge engaging over 2,500 participants and Take Steps with about 60,000 walkers The online and mobile app disease management tracker, GI Buddy, was launched

12 FUNDRAISING - Third Party Events & Ideas Answering Machine Message This will alert everyone who calls you at home that you re up to something special. Let them know that you need their support! My personal favorite: Hi, I m not available right now as I m out raising money for the Crohn s & Colitis Foundation. Leave me a message and I ll call you back when I receive your donations! Book Sale Have your coworkers donate books they have read, then sell them to othercoworkers to make a profit. Most everyone has some pre-read books they want to get rid of and would be glad to contribute. A variant might be CD s or videos/dvd s. Store Front Collections Ask your local grocery store, retailer or bank if you can spend a day asking patrons to support your efforts. Don t forget to ask the store if they have a policy of matching funds raised this will double your efforts! Shoe Sale Sell our paper megaphones to fellow employees (can also be done at church,synagogue, local club you belong to, etc.). You can post each megaphone with the employee sname on your office wall to show who has supported you by giving. Garage Sales Know all that stuff that s been hanging out in your garage/attic/basement? Gather it up and ask your friends to donate their giveaway and have a garage or yard sale! Make sure to post signs that all proceeds will go to the Crohn s & Colitis Foundation. Fundraising Through Friends Do you have a friend or family member that is a bartender or restaurant server? Ask them to donate a portion of one day s tips to your fundraising! You can create a sign or button for them to wear stating All tips collected tonight will be donated to the Crohn s & Colitis Foundation. If the patrons see the sign/button they may be willing to dig a little deeper in their pocket! Happy Hour Talk to your local bar manager about hosting a party at their bar by inviting all your friends and family (and their friends & family ) Get the manager to give you a set rate for all you can drink for an hour and then add $10 to that which you keep for your fundraising. Theme Party/Dinner Hold a theme party for your friends and ask for a $50/person donation. Spend no more than $20/person on the food. Be sure to add a fun theme (costumes anyone?) to the night or make it a game night! Movie Party Host a movie party at your house. Pick up a new flick at Red Box, make some popcorn, pick up some soda and invite your friends and family over for a movie night. Charge an entry fee and have a few items to auction off for more funds. You Say It s Your Birthday? If your birthday falls between now and the walk, ask for donations instead of gifts. This is a very simple way to raise money and it ll be a lot easier for your friends and family to write you a check instead of spending hours trying to shop for you! Delegate Ask 10 people you know to send a fundraising to 10 people they know on your behalf! Auction Ideas Movie theater tickets, local performing arts theater, local artist (jewelry, paintings, pottery

13 Business Cards Print up some inexpensive business cards for your fundraising efforts. Be sure to include your name, website, date and location of the event, and of course CCFA s name and mission statement. Radio Station Call your favorite radio station and ask them to make an announcement on the air. They may even interview you! Hair Salon Ask your barber or hairdresser to donate $2 of every haircut they complete over the weekend. Be sure to provide them with a sign for their work station letting their customers know what they are doing and where the proceeds go. Mow-a-thon Ask your neighbors if you can mow their lawn for a $50 donation. Create flyers advertising this and letting them know a set weekend you will be doing this along with your name and /phone. Even better, if you have teenage kids, get them involved and have them do the mowing! Meet the Press Does your company distribute a newsletter? Does your company have interoffice ? Take advantage of these! It s a perfect way to get the word out. Be sure to include a link to your webpage! Karaoke Night Who cares if you can t carry a tune? Spend a Friday night at a Karaoke Bar and sing your guts out! Have the announcer tell the crowd that you re signing for pledges! (Or collecting pledges to stop signing!) Ebay Remember the garage sale idea? Do the same and sell it on ebay.com! Company Vacation Days Ask your boss or human resources director if they can swap one of your vacation days for a day s pay with the money going to CCFA. Game Night Get out those board games and start playing! Invite your friends, break into teams and let the fun begin. Ask everyone to make a donation for coming. Poker Night Host a poker game with the winning proceeds being put in a 50/50 split-50% goes to the winner and 50% goes to your fundraising. Bowling Night Plan a fun night of bowling at your local lanes. Ask the owner to waive the cost of bowling or give you a discounted rate and you can collect the money for donations. Curse Jar C mon, everyone does it. Now they ll have to pay for it. Place a Curse Jar in your office or home and whenever someone say a curse word they have to open up their wallet and put a dollar in the jar. Dress Down Day Ask your company to allow an official Take Steps Dress Down Day. For the privilege of dressing down, employees donate $20 towards your fundraising efforts. Company Grants Find out if your company offers grants to employees who volunteer their time for charitable causes. If so you can volunteer for CCFA and get paid grant money for the work.

14 Church Bulletin Place an advertisement in your church newsletter or bulletin letting the congregation know what you re doing with CCFA. Inspirational Book Marks Create them and sell them to your friends and family. Universities and Colleges Contact your local schools and ask if you can put an advertisement in their school newsletter promoting the walk and your webpage. Computer Screen Savers Create a CCFA/Take Steps Screen Saver and send it to everyone in your company. A gentle reminder is a good reminder! Rock on! If you know any musicians ask them to perform at a benefit concert. Tell people that their admission ticket is a check made out to CCFA. Wine and Cheese Party Host a party at a local restaurant and ask the owner to donate the wine and cheese. Fraternities and Sororities Contact the National Chapter of your college fraternity or sorority and ask them to make a donation. Alumni Organizations Call your own college or university and ask them to place an ad in the alumni newsletter asking for donations with a link to your webpage 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 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

15 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! 50+ Fundraising Ideas -Fill an empty water bottle with dimes - $100 -Update their signatures, business cards and anything else that regularly profiles -Remind to regularly update their social media profiles with fundraising progress. -Keep fundraising after event 1. Online Fundraising. This is a quick and easy way to fundraise! Set up your account and send sponsor me s to your list of potential sponsors. 2. Letter Campaign. Use our prewritten letters, or create one of your own, and send them to all of your friends, family, and coworkers. 3. Corporate Matching Gift. Ask your company to match the amount of pledges you receive from your fellow coworkers. 4. Your own personal friend Matching Gift Ask a friend if they can investigate getting their company to match pledges. 5. Corporate Sponsorship. Identify one or several large companies and contact them directly (they may be willing to sponsor you completely). We even have a team sponsorship proposal available for you online. 6. Product Parties. Everyone's heard of Tupperware parties, but did you know that there's also Pampered Chef, Dove Chocolate, Mary Kay Jewelry and more? Host a party at your house and invite all your friends and family to join you. The presenter will donate a percentage of profits or sales from the night to your account. 7. Bucketing for Donations. Find a store near you that will allow you to stand outside the front door on a Saturday morning asking patrons to make a donation of their spare change or even a couple bucks. Make sure you get permission first. 8. Dress Down Day. This is usually a successful fundraising tool! Ask your company if they will all ow those who donate to wear jeans on a designated day (usually Fridays). Send out an to your staff notifying them. Have everyone pay $5 to dress down and put all of the money towards your fundraising. 9. Desk Drop. Get a box of assorted cookies (usually 36 bags per box from Costco or BJ s). Make up little business cards with your team information on it and directions on how to sponsor you. Attach the card to the cookies and drop one on each desk of your coworkers that you want to sponsor you. It is even better when you see them personally so you can tell about your efforts and what you are doing 10. Web Site. Create your own personal page about your journey. Send an to everyone on your contact list and invite them to visit the website. You can do this by registering online or asking a bike tour coordinator to set up an online account for you. 11. Garage Sale. Know all that stuff that s been hanging out in your garage...in your attic...in your basement? Gather it up and ask your friends to do the same. Put it in your front yard and sell, sell, sell! Put all the money raised toward your pledge minimum! 12. Bake Sale, Become Julia Child (and ask your friends to do the same) and host a bake sale. You can even have it in conjunction with your garage sale. It s a fact that people will buy more stuff on a full stomach! 13. House Party. This is a sure fire way to fundraise. The Staff will be happy to give you some tidbits. 14. Extra Change In My Pocket Box. Create these little boxes for your friends and family and have them place it on their dressers. At the end of the day, they can drop that spare change in the box. 15. Start your own Extra Change Box. Keep a jar near your door and put all your extra coins in it everyday. It adds up. Or put it on your desk at work others will join you. 16. Office Fundraising Challenge. Speak with everyone in your office and get them to challenge each other to raise the highest amount. Give the winner a prize. Maybe some movie passes? Gift certificate to dinner? Day off? 17. Answering Machine Message. Change the message on your cell phone or answering machine to mention your fundraising campaign and participation in the walk. Let them know you need their help!!

16 18. Return Address Labels. Create return mailing address labels that read, I m raising donations to fight IBD in the walk. Will you join me in the fight against IBD? 19. Bag groceries. Ask a local store if you can bag people s groceries for donations (you can have your kids, nieces or nephews do it for you). Let everyone know that donations benefit CCFA. 20. Solicit Tips. Ask your local bartender to donate a portion of one day s tips. Same goes for the waiters and waitresses. Ask them to donate tips from one night. You can create a sign for the bartender to place on the bar stating that All tips collected tonight will go directly to your name or team name. If the patrons see the sign they may be willing to dip a little deeper in their pocket! 21. Carry Copies of your Fundraising Letter in your purse. Have one with you at all times and pass them along to people you meet. 22. Ask local restaurants to place a money jar at the front of the restaurant. Check with the restaurant manager. They may be willing to place the jar in a high traffic area so lots of patrons can see it. 23. Happy Hour Party. Invite all of your friends (and their friends!) to a happy hour party. You can charge per head or just hold a raffle. (It can be cheap raffle items, bottles of wine, movie tics, etc.) 24. Theme Party/Dinner. Hold a theme party for 10 (or more) of your friends. Donation: $50 per person. Spend no more than $20 per person on the food and you ll have $300 (or more) in pledges by the end of the night. 25. Movie ticket donation. Ask your local movie house to donate several movie tickets. Sell them (or use them for raffle items) and put the money toward your pledges. 26. Local entertainment companies donate tickets. Raffle donated tickets to an upcoming event, such as a concert or play. 27. Birthday gift pledge. This is a very simple way to raise money and it ll be a lot easier for your friends and family to write you a check instead of spending hours trying to shop for you! 28. Delegate. Give 10 of your friends 10 pledge forms each and ask them to help raise money for you. 29. Creative Friends. Find a local artist or ask a creative friend if he/she would donate a piece of art or some jewelry that you can auction off. 30. House Warming Party. Are you moving soon? If so, ask your friends to make a pledge instead of purchasing a gift for your new place. 31. Color Pledge Forms. These can be very eye catching. Send them in colored envelopes, too. These will stand out among friends bills and stuff. 32. Signature Lines. Change the signature line of your outgoing s to mention your involvement in the event. 33. Travel Agency. Do you always make your travel plans through the same agency? Ask them to donate a travel voucher. You can auction it off at one of your parties. 34. Doctor/Therapist/Dentist/Insurance Agent. Ask him/her to make a check out for you instead of the other way around! 35. Restaurant Nights. Ask your favorite restaurants about having giveback nights. You bring in customers (and prove it by giving our vouchers or flyers that they hand in with checks) and the restaurant donates a portion of the sales from those customers back to your fundraising account. 36. Penny Wars. Put out a jar for each department at your office. For every penny that is in there you have to subtract one point. For all silver coins you get one point. Do this for a week or so and reward the department with the highest total. Put all of the money toward your fundraising. 37. Chinese Auction. Ask friends and local businesses to donate items. Save them all and have one big Chinese auction. You can do this at a party that you hold or at your work. 38. Radio Station. Call your favorite radio station and ask them to make an announcement on the air (they may even interview you). Pledge s can be sent directly to our office. 39. Gym -Ask your gym to place a Pledge Jar at the front desk! Leave a stack of pledge forms at the counter, too. 40. Spinning Class - Have a stack of pledge forms with you and ask your spinning instructor to make an announcement in class. 41. Hair Salon-Ask your barber or hairdresser to donate $2 from every haircut they complete over one weekend. 42. Picnics - National Holiday Picnics are a great place to raise some pledges! 43. Donate your services- Get your kids involved in this weekend activity. Have them perform a free service for donations, such as raking leaves or mowing lawns. 44. Neighbor - Write to all your neighbors on your block (or in your building). Attach a letter stating what you re training for and ask them to make a donation.

17 45. Good Karma Tipping Jar-Ask local businesses to put one of those jars near the register or on their front counter. Tape a picture of yourself on the jar and a short explanation of why you re raising money. 46. Car Wash -Hold a themed car wash and ask businesses to donate items. Get family and friends involved. 47. Meet the Press- Does your company distribute a newsletter? Does your company have interoffice ? Take advantage of these! It s a perfect way to get the word out. 48. Baby Sitting - Offer up your services and let your friends have a nice, quiet night out of the house! 49. House Sit- Friends going out of town for awhile? Maybe they need a warm body to stay in their place! 50. Ebay.com - Remember the garage sale idea? How bout rounding up the goods from your friends and putting it all on Ebay.com to be auctioned off Party Ideas Children s Party What do Barney, SpongeBob SquarePants and Hannah Montana all have in common? Kids love them! Throw a party, wear a cartoon costume and pop in a Lizzie Maguire movie for the kids to enjoy. The kids will be so distracted and happy that their parents will actually have a chance to write you donation checks and the parents will be so grateful for their momentarily distracted and happy kids, they ll be relaxed enough to start writing donation checks! Cocktail Party Throw a "donate to the cause" cocktail party (checkbooks required). Game Night Do you miss the good ole days of Scrabble and Monopoly? Bring out the board games, charge at the door, break into teams and let the fun begin! Garage Band anyone? Party like a rockstar and invite your friends for a Garage Band tourney. Charge admission and then get prizes donated for the winners. All proceeds go to your pocket! Royal Flush Call up your serious (or not-so-serious) card-playin friends and invite them over for poker night. Movie Night Pick up a new flick at your local movie store, make some popcorn, pick up some soda and invite your friends and family over for movie night. Of course have your donation forms ready to go! Decade Party! Who doesn t want to relive the 60s, 70s, 80s and now.90s!! Hold a theme party for a bunch of your friends and their friends. Donation: $30 per person. Spend no more than $10 per person on the food and you ll have $20 per person or more to take away that night. Wine and Cheese Evening This event requires a budget. If possible, recruit local suppliers to provide cheese and wine. Sell tickets in advance and donate proceeds to CCFA. For those enthusiastic and knowledgeable wine aficionados, each table could have a theme, such as a particular wine-growing or cheese-producing region. Silent Auction (this can be combined with any party above) Put together a weekend getaway: a nice bottle of wine, a B&B stay, donated concert tickets, museum tickets or play tickets. Then, hold a silent auction for the items. You can either send out bid forms or have bidders submit a printed form. The highest bid wins the prize and all proceeds go toward your Team fundraising. It s a win-win situation! Battle of the Bands Party Do you have friends who can play piano, guitar or sing really well? Ask the owner of a neighborhood bar to let you bring friends in one night for great cocktails and great music. Charge at the door and let patrons know it s a fundraising event benefiting CCFA.

18 How to Get Your Workplace Involved Corporate Matching Gift Ask your company to match the amount of donations you receive from your fellow co-workers. Corporate Sponsorship Identify one or several large companies and contact them directly. They may be willing to sponsor you completely. Company Grants Find out if your company offers grants to employees who volunteer their time for charitable causes. If so, you can volunteer your time at a local charitable organization and get paid grant money for the volunteer work that you do. You may need a letter from the organization you volunteer for stating that you ll be volunteering in the office, and we d be happy to make that happen. Donated Sports Team and Concert Box Seats More often than not, there are quite a few fanatics that will pay just about anything for seats to their favorite team s games or their favorite band s concerts. Ask a company to donate their box seats to a major sporting or entertainment event in your community and hold a drawing for the seats the more exclusive the tickets, the better. For sporting events, ask the park to make an announcement about the company donating their box seats. Dress Down Day Ask your company to allow an official Team CCFA Dress Down Day. For the privilege of dressing down, employees donate $10.00 towards your fundraising efforts. Extra Vacation Day Raffle Ask your company/boss to sell tickets at $20 each for an extra paid vacation day. All proceeds go toward your fundraising efforts! Meet the Press Take advantage of your company newsletter or inter-office . It s a perfect way to get the word out to your co-workers. Office Fundraising Challenge Encourage your co-workers to challenge each other to raise the highest amount of money for CCFA. Give the winner a prize, such as movie passes or a gift certificate to a restaurant of their choice. Wear a Logo Tell your employer you'll wear their logo on your sleeve if they donate to you the bigger the donation, the bigger the logo. Kiss Your Mother with that Mouth? C mon, everyone does it. Now they ll have to pay for it. Place a Curse Jar in your office, and whenever someone says a bad word they have to open up their wallet. Bake Sale It s not just about cakes and cookies! Include preserves and muffins, hold guess-the-weight-of-thecake competitions and serve refreshments. Donuts/Bagels/Cupcakes Everyone needs breakfast or snacks! Buy a box of goodies on the way to work, and sell them at the office for $1 each! See if you can have them donated or lower cost to you, so you get more money from those that purchase!

19 How to Get Your School Involved Hold a School Mini Walk Set the date, time and location walk during lunch hour around the school grounds, after school around the school track or on the weekend at a local park Set a walker and dollar goal for the school to strive toward. Have the art class develop posters and giant thermometers to track the school s progress Create excitement by having competitions between classes Hold a school assembly to get everyone excited about the walk, educate them about Crohn s disease and ulcerative colitis, sign up walkers and promote incentive prizes Walkers will collect donations from friends, family, neighbors and online through the letter writing campaign anyone you have a relationship with ASK! Provide incentives, like a pizza party to the class that raises the most money or movie tickets for the top individual to encourage participation Mini Fundraisers for CCFA Caps for a Cure students pay $1 for a designated day to wear their favorite hat Host a car wash, bake sale, book sale, dance-a-thon, jump rope competition etc Collect loose change for Cure/Pennies from Heaven Dimes in a Bottle ask people to fill up a water bottle with dimes. 1 bottle = about $100! Family Movie Night in the Gym students pay $1 all others $3 Have the teachers become involved: Jeans Day teachers pay $5 to wear their favorite jeans on a designated day, tricky tray events Have classroom competitions to raise the most winning class gets a pizza day, or something else special. Fill buckets or bottles with loose change Ask principals and teachers to be the prize for classes reaching a certain fundraising goal they have to shave their head, or get dunked, or something silly Designate a particular day of the week, or month to hold event, or designate a month as IBD month and hold a different mini-fundraiser each week Hold CCFA raffles for $1 or $5 here are some no cost ideas: o Be the principal or teacher for the day o Get out of gym pass o No homework for a day o Extra study hall pass Sell CCFA Icons Students can sell paper icons to family and friends for $1 Display them in a prominent location such as the cafeteria or the gym The student/class that raises the most money will be entitled to a prize Set Assembly Dates to Help Kick-Off your Campaign Set the assembly date at least a month prior to the fundraiser to help kick-off the event. Have a CCFA rep and/or a student speak about Crohn s disease and ulcerative colitis. Hand out CCFA materials, sign their team up online, promote walker incentive prizes and get everyone excited to Take Steps to cure Crohn s disease and ulcerative colitis.