Laying the Foundation

Fundraising

6 Fundamental Rules | 9 Success Tips | Building a Relationship with your Donors | The Fear of Asking | Quick Fundraising Ideas | Budgeting | Press Release |

Quick Fundraising Ideas

• School Jam Session: ask all those who play instruments to come to a jam session and charge $5 to get in
• Crazy Teachers: ask one of your teachers to do something wild, like dye their hair blue, and collect donations from students to reach your goal
• Have a dance, bake sale or raffle
• Have a sports event at your school and charge an entrance fee

How do I decide what fundraiser is right for me?

Think about the time you have, the number of committed helpers, the amount of money you want to raise, the amount of money you can invest in your fundraiser and the expertise within the goup as you decide on the type of fundraiser you will do. Also consider whether you are interested in raising money and/or raising awareness.

Special Events: Special events are lots of fun! But they also take a lot of time, planning, commitment and usually some start up costs. To have an event like a dance or a carwash will take a dedicated group of people, some supplies and initial costs, as well as planning and organization. For the time you put in, you may not make as much money as you would think, but the benefit is that you will have lots of fun, raise awareness and engage lots of others!

Grant Support: Foundations normally require a grant application. You will need to do a significant amount of research, from finding a granting group that shares similar interests to the development of a solid proposal. It takes a significant amount of time to write a good grant proposal, but the amount of funds you can get in return is quite high. It is unlikely that you will receive funding for every grant application you send out. Granting committees go through hundreds of applications and usually have very strict guidelines. If you decide to apply for a grant, make sure to get a copy of their guidelines and speak to a representative about your proposal before you send it in. Monitoring and reporting are also part of the grant process, if your proposal is selected.

Donors: Individual donors are the usually the easiest way to receive funding. Actually over 80% of charity funding comes from donors, so they are a great resource! Donors are your friends, family, colleagues and other contacts. It is common to feel uncomfortable asking people for money, especially if that person does not have money to spare. But it is also important to remember that you should provide everyone with the opportunity to get involved in your project. People will let you know if they can't afford it or if they are not interested. You may be surprised to find that those that have the least, are willing to give the most. It is also important to realize that the more people that know about your project the better, as they will tell their friends, who tell their friends etc!