Fundraising Clinic

Last night the local office for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society held a fundraising clinic for participants in the fall Team In Training events. There was a very small group of us that came, nearly as many participants as there were LLS staff and TNT mentors there. But they provided us with some fun tips:

• Sell Body Parts:
  They mentioned that you’d have to be careful how you word this, but you could tell friends, family or businesses that you’ll put their name on certain body parts if they donate a set amount. Like $50 for your name on my right arm, $250 for your name on the seat of my running shorts, etc. Of course, since I live in Las Vegas I could always take the risque route and make pamphlets outlining my plan to sell the body parts and I could stand along The Strip with all those questionable types who hand out the um… literature there. But seriously, if somebody donated $250 I would gladly wear a sign with their name hooked to my rear if they requested.
• Hold a Raffle (or opportunity giveaway):
  Okay, so maybe your friends (or family) don’t like you enough to just donate the money. But maybe they’d be interested if there was the chance to win something! The whole idea is to get someone to donate a few items that you could use in a giveaway. After that announce that people who donate a specific amount are entered in the drawing. The big thing is to not buy a ton of stuff yourself for the giveaway so that you don’t recover your costs. If you buy something that costs $100 only to have 3 people donate $5 for that prize, wouldn’t you have been better off to just donate that $100 to your own fundraising initially?
• Charge Admission:
  Have a party at your house. Invite all your friends and charge them admission. You might want to let them know about the fundraising aspect in your invitations, just so they actually come with money. Or so they know to avoid your party completely if they really hate helping charities!
• Pimp Your Website:
  If you have a donation website, make sure EVERYBODY knows about it. Put a statement about it in your e-mail signature. Make labels and stick it on all of your outgoing mail (do people still send mail these days?). Make your own business cards and pass them out to everyone you can. This could be another opportunity for me to stand on The Strip and hand out stuff to the tourists! (Because I’m always looking for an opportunity to stand on a crowded street in 110°+ heat!)

These were just a few of the items they suggested (sans my sarcasm). The fundraising aspect is still overwhelming to me, but I’m going to get it done. So far I’ve just sent e-mails out to family members. I’ll admit, the response was a little bit of a let down. I’m immensely grateful to all of those who have donated. But I had built up in my mind that everyone would respond, even with $5 or so. But that hasn’t happened. But if I have to be like the tortoise in the fable, I’ll keep going slow and steady. I would like to have my fundraising complete by September when it comes time for recommitment.

I know there are some of you out there who have done fundraising, whether it be for Team In Training or other charities. What methods have worked for you?

Cross-Training Day:
40 minutes of Vinyasa Yoga
Push-up Challenge Week 1 Day 2: 9+8+6+5+9 = 37 total
Chest muscles are feeling a little sore today.