Well, look no further! We've got some help for you and those fundraising needs:-)
I can first tell you that one of the teams raised $4700 in 2 months and then last year, that team raised $6000 in 2 months...so it is possible to get to that $500 by Jan. 1. Hopefully you've recruited some friends to participate with you so you all can raise money as a team...as they say, more is better than one!!
1. Have you and your team updated your personal web page via the Chicago Dance Marathon website? If not, you need to do this. If your going to ask people for money, you need to tell them why this is so important to you and why you would like them to donate their money. If you can't take the time to tell your reasons why your dancing, why should they take their time to give you their money? So...go on...get your page updated!!
2. Social Media - that's right...Facebook, twitter, you name it...get the message out there!!
3. Have you sent emails to friends and family? If not, send those emails! You can do it from your participant center or you can send from your personal email. Either way, make sure your friends and family know why your asking for this. If you need some help, I'm sure Hannah can help you get your message across:
Hannah
4. Have you gotten your company involved? Even if your company can't be a sponsor, will they let you fundraise and support your fundraising needs? If so, here are several things you can do:
- 50/50 Raffle - soooooo easy to do!! You decide how much you want to sell tickets for and at the end of your raffle, the winning ticket gets 1/2 the pot and you get the other 1/2 to donate to the dance marathon!! The winner might even be nice enough to donate their winnings;-)
- Pictures with Santa! Do you work with a lot of parents that dread taking their kids to the mall for pictures with Santa? Do you have someone at work that is willing to dress up like Santa and maybe someone who likes photography? If so, your in luck! Dress up an office space with Christmas decorations and set up a day for coworkers to bring their family for pictures with Santa! You set the price and the proceeds go to your team for the dance marathon. You can even get the email addresses to send the pictures to, so you can keep your costs down!
- Chili Cookoff - You know everyone loves some good chili! Get your coworkers to make some chili and sell it to the employees. You would be amazed at how many people want to test out that chili!!
- Mystery Box - You, or you and your team, can all chip in some money to purchase some goodies for a "mystery box". You then sell raffle tickets and raffle off the "mystery box". The winner will be extremely happy...especially if they can regift some of the items;-)
- Gift Basket Raffles - Do companies give your company gift baskets during the holidays? If so, see if your company will let you raffle off that gift basket rather then opening it for everyone at work.
- Vendors - Vendors - Vendors - Have you emailed and solicited any of your vendors? They are usually happy to donate something - Bulls tickets, gift baskets, dvd players or other electronics. Start raffling off what they give you!
Hopefully your feeling a bit more confident about raising that money now. Did I mention that there is a drawing for a prize for anyone that hits their fundraising goal of $500 by Jan. 1? So, there is another incentive!
Go on...it's time to log in to your participant center and post something on Facebook and Twitter and send an email or two. You can do it!! Believe me, if this is the hardest thing you have to do, just remember it's nothing compared to what the kids at Lurie Children's Hospital are going through.
