Fundraising Ideas
40 Fundraising ideas
and you can commit yourself to help impoverished and vulnerable children
Group Projects:
Students, churches, charities, governments, sports teams, drama organizations, National Honor Societies, and dance teams do service projects in the community. Many times you may end up scrambling to find an organization to support. Talk to your advisor (early!) about dedicating your project to aiding support for impoverished and vulnerable children
Speaking engagements and Lobbying:
Contact your church, other local high schools, youth groups, book clubs, and adult organizations, Rotary clubs and ask for a few moments to speak to their group. Create a short presentation – use some media – about the children and conflict, the push for peace, and call for action. Make sure to publicize action events in the area, and refer them to www.childreninitiative.org
Express self creativity:
Are you a slam poet, dancer, actor, singer, writer, musician, or rapper? Create a piece expressing an aspect of the conflict that you find interesting – maybe the night commuters, child abductions, orphans or the peace process. Write, choreograph, and perform your awareness campaign! Take part in studio shows, school talent performances, or concerts.
Organising Tournaments:
Put together a tournament on a weekend and charge registration fees for each team. With some planning and lots of energy, these come off to be really fun events that everyone can be a part of!Talk to your local golf course about hosting a benefit golf tournament and advertise to course members, friends, family, your church, etc.Host an evening poker tournament – or "Casino Night."Organize a basketball/ultimate Frisbee/soccer tournament at your school – include parent, or "Mom" and "Pop," teams for added entertainment! Push for everyone to get a group of friends together for a team – no matter how good! Encourage crazy team themes and costumes.
Art Show and Auctions:
Talk to art students at your school, local college, or nearby gallery and convince them donate pieces for a gallery and auction. Better yet, see if you can get artists to do work depicting international issues, cultures, or travel. Get local artists involved! Set up a cool exhibit at your school, nearby gallery, or community center. Advertise and host a fun showing and auction of the pieces! Get the artists involved and this could be a really awesome fundraising event.
Scout days selling:
Start selling chocolates, trash bags, and sweets door-to-door. Try that now it’s great.
Sports Game:
Organise a game and have people over to watch it– making clear it will be a benefit event! Ask for donations at the door. Some food, energy, and the game will get them there.
Website, My Space:
Do you have a webpage, Facebook, twitter or My Space online journal? Make a post about the desperate problem children are facing, Children Global Initiative, and some ideas about taking action and fundraising. You can reference www.childreninitiative.org and make sure to publicize any upcoming events in your school, etc.
Ebay Business:
Do you have some odd trinkets that might catch a few bucks? Are you an artist or jewelry designer? Put some items up for sale online – and describe where your proceeds are going! Tell your family, friends, and classmates about your awesome entrepreneurship self and ask for their support.
Sell Clothes:
Cut down your closet – sell the items you don't wear very often and contribute that money towards the children support and peace process
Working at the Car Wash:
Schedule a carwash spot (in advance!) by calling the manager of a local fast food restaurant or shop – and make sure it's at a busy, noticeable spot! Get a crew, supplies, and LOTS of big signs together – advertise the great cause. Usually asking for donations is the way to go – if you get a lot of attention and proceeds goes to Children.
Benefit Concert/Battle of the Bands:
Get local bands to rock out at night, especially ones with a reputation that would draw a crowd, to put on a benefit concert or Battle of the Bands. Charge admission and is a concessions for another easy fundraiser.
Letter Writing Campaign:
Organize a letter-writing campaign to your state Representative or Senator, asking for their commitment to supporting poor children. At school, have a table set up where students can read and sign pre-typed letters before/after school and during lunch. Make sure to let people know about this effortless, but extremely effective, campaign!
"Cash" in that allowance:
Contribute 10% of your allowance or earnings to the support of vulnerable children, peace process and humanitarian efforts, and encourage your friends to do the same. A few dollars makes a great difference!
Host a Benefit Event:
Make your Student, Government, youth group, or sports team host an annual benefit event like a dance, MORP, or dinner and percentage of the proceeds will go towards Children Global Initiative programs.
Start your own Children Global Initiative Network:
If your school is lacking an active, internationally-minded student organization or club? Start your own! Find an interested faculty advisor, get administrative approval, and start planning events for awareness, fundraising, and action! Great advertising – or showing Invisible Children – will get kids interested and ready to join. Having Children Global Initiative Network would allow you to focus fully on your fundraising. Contact us for more information.
Instant Messenger Campaign:
Send a brief message describing the extreme problems children are facing (and some shocking facts) and www.childreninitiaitve.org link to all of your friends. Ask them to pass it on to their friends and to post it in their profile and/or away message. This is a great advertising tool if you are going to have an event!
Child abductions campaign:
Work with a member of the administration to lead a school-wide awareness campaign about the horrific and extensive child abductions in the poorest war area of the world. Symbolizing the close to 5million children abducted to be child soldiers, throughout the day (every hour, passing period, etc.) announce over the intercom that students have been abducted (include a story with each!). Have the "abducted" students dress in costume, and they are unable to speak the rest of the day.
Wear those ribbons! Start a ribbon campaign for awareness !
This is a great way to raise awareness! Get a group of friends together to make a bunch of ORANGE ribbons with safety pins (one of the colors of Uganda's national flag). Attach them to a short blurb about the conflict – including some startling facts – and a reference to www.childreninitiative.org Wear yours everyday and bring a stash to hand out to friends and those who are interested in wearing them.
Host a Speaker:
Invite a speaker - this could complement a film screening really well. There are many inspiring people who would be able to speak – local leaders, advocates, activists, and political figures. Investigate your community organizations or universities for professors. Wherever you host it (school, community center, etc.), advertise well, book a facility with enough seating, and charge admission/suggest donations
Bake Sales:
How about a good old-fashioned bake sale? Have a group of friends and interested students bring a bunch of treats and snacks to sell during lunch. Distribute information about the problems children are facing and the push for peace to advertise the great cause.
Party/pool party/bonfire:
Host a house party, pool party at a local neighborhood, or bonfire on a slow weekend. Make invitations open, have some fun music and snacks, and get people excited! Ask for a $5 donation at the door (or charge).
Give it Up for Peace:
Do you always have to have that morning Starbucks, midday Coke, or after school candy bar? How about giving your crutch up for a month, and instead donate that money towards Children Global lnitiative efforts. Giving up a little luxury goes a long way in saving many lives of the children
Children Global Events:
Participate in Children Global Initiative coordinated campaigns! Sign up on our mailing list and regularly check in for the latest at www.childreninitiative.org
Strength in numbers:
Participate in awareness-related events in your school and community! Assist on a planning committee, talk it up, and attend!
Yard campaign:
Ask your favorite neighbors to post a sign in their yard about the conflict in the poorest part of the world. You might consider getting a few of these printed up so that they look more appealing – with a fact or two, call to action, and reference to www.childreninitiaitive.org Of course, put one in your own yard!
Local Editorial:
Write a letter to the editor in your local newspaper. Newspapers receive a number of such letters everyday, so some tips to get yours published:a. Make it short and concise – present solid facts and make your request/recommendation known early. Stick to one topic.b. Connect with the newspaper and your community. People will take interest in a concerned and passionate young adult.c. Advertise local efforts – action and fundraising – that those who are interested can get involved in. If you wish, refer readers to Children Global Initiative campaign.
Speak your mind:
Write an editorial to your school newspaper about the worst problems children face and make a call for action – from your fellow students, from your community, and from government and international community. Or, if you or a friend is on the newspaper staff, write a feature story.
Don't let it be "The Forgotten War":
Meet a group of friends at school early to COVER the school in awareness - don't let it go unseen! (Make sure you receive all of the proper permission from your school's administration)a. Stick small footprints throughout a common area and in the hallways, leading to an information table with information about Children Global Initiative campaigns, a sign-up sheet for those interested in working on Children Global Initiative -related projects, a petition for peace, and announcements about upcoming events, like a film screening or speaker.
High School Admission:
Work with your administration, investigate the possibility of donating a percentage of admissions costs to Children Global Initiative efforts. Local media would be likely to cover this support, and your school would be able to announce to its crowd/audience that the evening's fees are benefiting an extremely important international effort!
Performance:
Put together cool performance – Variety Show. An international theme with some local African or other artists to perform. Maybe the Senior Class would want to put on a final talent show. Or get a local improve or comedy group to perform. Talk this up, get some great performers (they're out there!) and charge admission. Concession adds some easy funds.
Potluck party:
You and your friends can host a fun potluck lunch at school. Cook local, other international, or any delicious food and ADVERTISE! Charge per plate – this is a nice alternative to the same old cafeteria! Play fun music, and you're bound to get a great crowd! You could also host this as an evening dinner.
Block Party:
With your parent/guardian's help, organize a fun neighborhood cookout. After eating and socializing, show your guests Invisible Children, explain your efforts in the campaign for peace, and ask for their support. Explain exactly how fundraising works – where their donation would be going, and what it would do. You'd be surprised how generous people can be
Penny Wars:
This is a successful fundraising competition! Organize your group into teams (for instance, in school, by class). Your team wants to raise as much money in pennies as it can (pennies help), but donate a lot of silver and bills to the other teams (everything else hurts). In the end, each team's silver/bill total is subtracted from its total penny count. It is helpful to get a lot of people on this project – for instance, the student government, which can rally each class.
The $1 campaign:
Complemented by a push for awareness (any of the suggestions in this list - the documentary showing, speaker, or poster campaign, etc.) run a "Your $1 Towards Children Global Initiative." There is great publicity potential in this campaign – a couple of suggestions.i. "What is $1 to You?" 1/5 a Starbucks drink, 1/8 a movie ticket, 1/40 a new pair of jeans, 1/2 a Coke…but a great deal more to support poor children.ii. Make this a strong community effort! Get your student body to be psyched about ALL contributing. Each student's $1 may feel like nothing, but times the 1,000 (or however many) students in your high school – it goes a LONG way! "Your $1. Times 1,000. A single contribution means Central High School is pulling strong for Children Global Initiative"Have teachers collect all of the $1 contributions in first period (maybe over two days, in case people forget). Lots of reminders – posters, African music playing in the mornings, etc. will help a lot!
Share your ideas:
Share your ideas, what worked, what didn't, and tips with high scholars across the nation! Email Children Aid at info@childreninitiative.org and we will post your information on the website.
March on Washington:
Host a virtual March on Washington, London, Sydney and other cities where you have a designated group of people call your state senator or Representative to demand their support for Children Global Initiative
Talk it UP!
Tell everyone who will listen about the extreme problem children are facing. Talk about it with your parents or guardians and the dinner table. Call and email friends and family members to tell them, what you're doing, and encourage them to get involved. Refer everyone to www.childreninitiative.org for the latest news, updates, and national campaigns.
Host a House Party:
A very good way to raise awareness about the global problem children facing – while socializing! Have people over and show Invisible Children. To follow-up, you can discuss ideas about how you would like to get involved. Be creative!
Tailgate:
Host a tailgate before a big game (maybe your parents/guardians and their friends would want to be involved too)! Once you know how many people will be attending, get your food (you can budget to keep costs low), and charge per plate. Party for peace in the parking lot!.
For any information,Email, Kikwiyakare J'Moses, President/CEO at
moses@childreninitiative.org
