source: Network for Good
Intersection Ask –
Get permission from local authorities in your town to block off an intersection and stand in the intersection with pink buckets (sort of like a fireman’s fill the boot fundraiser), and ask passers-by for donations.
Email Blasts –
Ask everyone and every company you know if they can do an email blast for you.
Charity Fundraiser 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 fundraiser! Put up a sign and mention that the proceeds of the sale are for charity.
Bake Sale –
Everyone loves baked goods and do not have time to bake. Ask your friends to join you and host a bake sale. You can even have it in conjunction with your garage sale. You can sell lemonade and coffee as well.
“Extra Change from my Pocket” Box –
Create these little boxes for your friends and family and have them place it on their dresser. At the end of the day they can drop spare change in the box. At the end of your campaign, gather the boxes and count the dough!
Answering Machine and Cell Phone Voice Mail 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 and tell them how to donate.
Ask your 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.
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 donations by the end of the night.
Host a Movie Party at Your House –
Pick up a new flick at your local movie store, make popcorn, pick up some soda and invite your friends and family over for movie night. Of course have your fundraising page open and ready to click.
Birthday Gift Pledge –
Ask for donations for your birthday rather than gifts. This is a very simple way to raise money and it will be a lot easier for your friends and family to write a check instead of spending hours trying to shop for you! Post it on Facebook.
Christmas Gift Pledge –
This is a tough one for those of us who love to open up gifts during the holidays, but it’s an easy way to reach your pledge minimum. Ask for donations rather than Christmas gifts this year.
Valentine’s Day Pledge –
It’s always sweet to get a dozen roses from your sweetie, but it’ll be even sweeter for your sweetie to write you a sweet little check and put it in a card addressed to you.
Delegate –
Ask 10 of your friends to contact 10 of their friends to ask 10 of their friends to donate $10 each to help raise money for you.
Creative Friends –
Find a local artist or ask a creative friend if they would donate a piece of art or some jewelry that you can auction off.
House Warming Party –
Are you moving anytime soon? If so, ask your friends to make a donation instead of purchasing a gift for your new place.
Signing your Correspondence –
Get in the habit of signing your note cards and letters with your name AND your fundraising URL . You’ll be surprised at how many people will ask you what that means.
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.
Radio Station –
Call your favorite radio station and ask them to make an announcement on the air. They may even interview you.
Gym –
Ask your gym to place a pledge jar at the front desk!
Hair Salon –
Ask your barber or hairdresser to donate $2 for every haircut they complete over one weekend.
Jars Everywhere –
Ask everyone you do business with or places you frequent to have a donation jar to collect for you for a certain period of time.
Christmas Tree Ornaments and Other Crafts –
Get creative (and ask some friends to pitch in) and make some Christmas/holiday ornaments for the holiday season. Sell them at a local bazaar or fair.
Mow-a-thon –
Get your kids involved in this weekend activity. Check ahead of time with all your neighbors and ask them if you can mow their lawn for $50.
Neighbor –
Write to all your neighbors on your block (or in your building). Attach a letter stating what you’re fundraising for and ask them to make a donation.
Garden Tour –
Check with a local historical society to see if they would sponsor a garden tour of one or several homes in your area. Promote the event in local newspapers.
Babysitting –
Offer up your services and let your friends have a nice, quiet night out of the house!
Pet sit –
Are your neighbors going away and they don’t want to leave “Spot” at the boarding facility? Again, offer up your services and charge them what they would have paid at the facility!
House sit –
Friends going out of town for awhile? Maybe they need a warm body to stay in their place in their absence!
Neighborhood Chores –
Are you a Mr. or Ms. Fix-it? A lot of your neighbors would probably rather pay you than someone else. Place signs around your neighborhood advertising your services (i.e. watering gardens, cleaning roof gutters, sweeping the driveway, fixing an easy plumbing problem, painting a room, etc.).
Karaoke Night –
Who cares if you can’t carry a tune. Spend a Friday night at a Karaoke Bar and sing your heart out! Have the announcer tell the crowd that you’re singing for pledges!
Talented Friends –
Do you have a little piano bar in your neighborhood and a talented piano playing friend? Ask the owner to let you bring some friends in for a cocktail and piano night. Charge anyone who attends and let them know that it’s a fundraising event for Michelle’s Place, whose clients are fighting breast cancer.
E-bay.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? Use E-bays charity arm to sell your item as they do not charge a commission.
Company Vacation Days –
Ask your boss or human resources director if they can swap one of your vacation days for a day’s pay.
In Memory of –
If you’re raising funds in memory of a loved one, include a picture of you with your loved one on your fundraising page.
Game Night with a cover charge –
Get out those board games and start playing! Break into teams and let the fun begin.
Bowling Nights –
Plan a fun night of bowling at your local lanes. Ask the owner to waive the cost of bowling and you can collect that money and turn it into pledges.
Curse Jar –
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, grab a dollar and put it in the jar.
Church Bulletin –
Place an advertisement in your Church bulletin letting the congregation know what you’re up to!
Is There a Teacher in the House? –
Get your students to help you fundraise. Kids are incredibly creative and cute, too!
The Big Chief –
Ask your boss for a company and a personal pledge.
Other Parents –
If your kids play on soccer leagues or any other sports teams distribute your fundraising information to the other parents at the event.
It’s Football Season! –
And that means it’s a perfect time to get some football parties going! And what’s a football party without a football pool? Of course, all the proceeds will go toward your fund.
Speaking of Football –
Host a Super Bowl party in February and ask your guests to donate.
Business Cards –
Print up some inexpensive business cards (you can even do it on your own computer). Have all the pertinent information on the card including your name, name of the event and your address (or PO Box #). Hand these out to everyone you meet!
Return the Favor –
Ask someone to donate who has asked you for a donation.
Movie Ticket Donation –
Ask your local movie house to donate several movie tickets. Sell them and put the money toward your pledges.
Doctor/Therapist/Veterinarian/Insurance Agent –
Ask him/her to make a check out for you instead of the other way around!
Dentist –
Hopefully you won’t have to pull teeth to get him/her to help you out a little!
Chiropractor –
They’ve cracked your back. Now ask them to crack open their check book and make a pledge.
Mechanic –
You’ve given ‘em lots of money to work on your car. Now it’s time for them to give a little back to you!
Local Theater to Donate Tickets to a Performance –
Ask a local theater to donate a few tickets to one of their plays or musicals and auction them off.
Universities and Colleges –
Contact your local schools and ask if you can put an advertisement in their school newsletter asking for donations. Some of the organizations may even invite you to make a short presentation.
Alumni Organizations –
Call your own college or university and ask them to place an ad in the alumni newsletter asking for donations.
Your Own Personal Friend Matching Gift –
Ask a friend if they can investigate getting their company to match pledges. If they donate $500 or more, we will put their Company website on your Bio page for the world to see.
Corporate Sponsorship –
Identify one or several large companies and contact them directly. They may be willing to sponsor you completely. If they donate $500 or more. we will put their Company website on your Bio page for the world to see.