Sharing Fundraising Ideas
By Sue Dockstader – Rally Ambassador & Contributing Blogger
We have heard of some great fundraising ideas from our Rally Ambassadors over the years. Here are a few of our favorites to add to your program of events and enhance your bottom line.
Have some fun at your sporting events – for a fee! There are many ways to add fun fundraisers at tennis and golf outings – remember, even a small fee adds up if everyone participates:
- Rent a pro – pay your pro to hit your drive, or play one point in your tennis match.
- Pre-sell “Mulligans” to keep an extra stroke off your score, or add a 3rd serve in case you double-fault.
- Fill a basket with different lengths of ribbon, pay to pick a ribbon from the basket and use it to shorten the length of a difficult putt.
- Invite some men to act as caddies to the ladies for the day – auction their services to the highest bidders.
- Have a pink piggy bank set up in the pro shop the week before your event to collect donations, move it to the registration table on event day.
Make money at lunch:
- For a minimum donation, offer your floral centerpieces to take home.
- Create a photo-booth by providing pink props like hats, wigs and feather boas and station a photographer by a fun backdrop to capture the moment for a small donation.
- Offer a custom pink cocktail, perhaps in a souvenir glass.
Involve local businesses:
- Ask local businesses to sponsor your event- recognize their donations on tee markers, pop-up signs, large vinyl banners, small signs around the greens, adverts in your event program or on your website.
- Request an in-kind donation of food, prizes or décor – a saving on expenses for these items will help boost your fundraising total.
- Gather interesting donations from neighborhood restaurants, boutiques, jewelry stores or hotels for a silent or live auction. A designer purse or spa treatment can make great raffle prizes.
Donations to remember or honor friends who have battled breast cancer:
- Reserve a space in your event program, or on an event notice board for supporters to insert an “in honor/in memory of” message.
- Offer custom signs with words of encouragement, or in remembrance, to display at your event.
- Have a scrolling slide show of messages on a big screen TV.
- Sell pink tennis balls and encourage players to write the name of a survivor or loved one on the ball- push the balls into the chain link court fence to create a pink ribbon or spell out “HOPE.”
Offer some souvenirs:
- Have some custom made items for participants to buy as a keepsake – hats, visors, shirts, engraved wine glasses, Tervis-type tumblers.
- Sell pink bows to decorate carts, bags and ponytails – they can be re-used on mailboxes, trees and purses to spread awareness after the event (see January blog post.)
Everyone wants to contribute to the fight against breast cancer. By incorporating some of these fun ideas into your event, you can offer multiple ways for people to donate. You will be surprised how quickly small donations add up!
The Rally Team is always here to help you – just email us for more creative fundraising ideas!
(Note: Always check any local regulations regarding the need for solicitation licenses and raffle restrictions before planning any kind of fundraiser!)