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Listing all posts with label Charity Drive. Show all posts.

  1. Free And Easy Fundraisers

    Posted by Joanne M Wotherspoon on August 23, 2010 at 11:07 AM under
    Car Wash Fundraiser, Charity Drive, Community, Community Cleanup Fundraiser, Free, Fundraiser, Fundraiser Planning, Fundraisers, Fundraising, Global Community, Yard Cleanup Fundraiser, Youth Group
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    Does your youth group need to raise money quickly?   Perhaps you would benefit from a fast, free fundraiser to generate revenue. The amount you make will largely depend on preparation time, participation and execution.

    Here are three tried and true projects to raise some fast cash:

    1.  Car Wash Fundraiser

    Car washes have proven to be great community fundraisers.  You will need willing volunteers, a high traffic, visible location, and some terrific signage.

    Here are some tips to get you started:

    • Choose a location with good main road frontage.
    • Ensure you have proper water access.
    • Prepare a list of supplies – hoses, buckets, wash towels, dry towels, and squeegees.
    • Assign each volunteer with a task and the appropriate supplies from the list.
    • Make 8-10 eye catching signs in high-contrast colors.
    • Schedule the volunteers in 2-hour shifts.
    • Wash cars for six hours, preferably on a Saturday.
    • Have two lines so you can wash two vehicles at once.

    Weather will play an important part in the success of your fundraiser.  If you are able to wash 12 vehicles an hour (one every ten minutes per line), you will easily raise over $500 in one day.

    It would also be beneficial to prepare a flyer, which outlines the purpose of your fundraiser and the price per car wash.  You may even wish to offer additional services, such as tire dressing or interior cleaning, for an additional charge.   

    Alternatively, you can also advertise a free car wash and ask for donations for your cause. Although this can be a bit of a gamble, many groups often find that this method raises more cash than a specific asking price.  It is not uncommon for people to be more generous when they see a group of volunteers working hard and having a good time.

    Be sure to get the word out.  You’ll want to post your fundraising event on Twitter, Face book, Myspace, etc.  As well, be sure to let friends and family know and ask them to help you spread the word.  Advertise in your local newspaper, and get permission to post signs a few days in advance.  Always keeping safety in mind, have some of the volunteers hold and wave signs toward passing traffic.

    2.  Yard Cleanup

    A yard cleanup fundraiser is extremely fast and easy to put together. Simply create a set of instructions for your group detailing what to offer, what to say, and how much to charge.

    Like most fundraisers, the target market, for a yard cleanup fundraiser, is family, friends, and neighbors. Depending on the age of your volunteers, the offerings could range from simple lawn care to mulching flower beds and pruning trees. Fall is a great time for this type of fundraiser, because leaf cleanup is always a necessity during this season.

    You’ll want to prepare a flyer describing your fundraiser, as well as the objectives, and clearly list your prices for the various cleanup tasks. Assign a quota to each volunteer.

    As incentive, a pizza party or movie passes to the best performers can definitely improve overall results.

    3.  Community Cleanup

    A community clean up, is also known as a trash bag fundraiser.  You will be performing a valuable community service while earning significant revenue for your cause.  

    Organizing a community cleanup project is a terrific way to raise funds, while sending a positive message about your group.

    This type of fundraising event is normally a weekend event.  The group participants will solicit pledges from family, friends, neighbors, and local businesses.   As well, you’ll want to approach local businesses to donate trash bags and recruit parents and relatives with trucks to haul the trash.

    Pledges are tied to a specific attainment goal such as the number of pounds of trash collected or the number of road miles cleaned of debris. You'll need to create a one-page overview of your cleanup program and a pledge signup sheet.

    When you prepare your flyers, be sure to include a suggested range for donations.  For example, you may ask anywhere from a penny to a dime a pound for larger projects. Large amounts of garbage can be collected from a local stream or illegal dumping area, so you may also put a maximum limit on pledge amounts of $20.

    Assuming you have 50 volunteers, each with five pledges of a penny a pound, a ton of garbage will raise $100 per participant or $5,000 for your cause.

    You’ll raise a ton of cash for disposing of a ton of garbage and you’ll be doing a world of good for the community. 

    Each of these fundraising tips is fast and easy to put together, as well as being a reliable source of revenue for your group. For safety purposes, please ensure you have adult supervision for any youth group event.  Start planning your free and easy fundraisers today!

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    Holiday Drive At The Office

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  2. Holiday Drive At The Office

    Posted by Joanne M Wotherspoon on November 5, 2009 at 6:32 PM under
    Charity Drive, Clothing Drive, Food Drive, Holiday Drive, Office Drive, Penny Drive, Toy Drive
    • 0 comments

    With the cold weather approaching, now is the perfect time to organize a holiday drive at the office. Whether it's a penny drive, clothing drive, toy drive, or a food drive, your contributions will be greatly appreciated by those in need.

    A drive is relatively easy to organize. It's all about communication and providing specifics. People will want to know where the contributions are going as well as who will benefit and how. It's a good idea to provide some background information about the organization which will be receiving the contribution.

    You may even choose to do multiple drives during the holiday season, with each one benefiting a different organization. I'm currently holding a penny drive & clothing drive simultaneously. The proceeds will be split between two of our local shelters.

    To boost enthusiasm, you can appeal to your coworkers' competitive nature by issuing a challenge to other departments, branches, or your business competitors. Most people thrive on challenge, so why not put that energy to good use? Here are a few ideas...

    Penny Drive

    It has been suggested that the quickest way to determine the winner is to weigh the pennies. Unfortunately, in Canada, the newer coins don't weigh as much as the older version, so this isn't accurate. If the competition gets serious, this might not be the best way to determine a winner. Instead, use this to generate some momentum for your drive.

    You'll want to set a specific timeline and break it up into 3 weigh in times. Ultimately, the dollar amount will determine the winner, so the competitors will work harder to ensure that they are in the lead. Until the final tally, they won't know for certain where they stand in the competition.

    To make things even more interesting, you can encourage "side bets". This typically takes the form of a pie in the face for the team that comes up short. Keep it fun and keep it safe.

    Clothing Drive

    During the winter months, warm clothing is in particularly high demand. If you are holding a competition for a clothing drive, you'll want to assign points to the various categories, with the highest points being awarded to the most coveted items, such as youth snow suits.

    It's a terrific opportunity for people to clean their closets and it gets the clothing to those in need, rather than our landfills. Below are a few item suggestions. The items closest to the top would typically be awarded higher points.

    If you're donating to your local shelter, they can probably help you with this, as they know which items are in the greatest demand for your area.

    10 Suggested Categories:

    1. Youth snow suit
    2. Youth winter coat or jacket
    3. Youth snow pants
    4. Youth winter boots
    5. Adult snow suit
    6. Adult winter coat or jacket
    7. Adult snow pants
    8. Adult winter boots
    9. Blankets and sleeping bags
    10. Mittens, gloves, toques, scarves, and socks

    Toy Drive

    A toy drive really gives you the "warm fuzzies". You can just picture a child's face when they receive that special gift. Those in need would include children's hospitals, as well as youth group homes and community centers.

    Most toy drives include new and gently used toys. It's important to point out that, replacement batteries are not only bad for the environment; but also costly to replace. Try to steer people away from these types of toys, if possible.

    I would say that the more happy, smiling children the better, so this competition could be based on the total number of toys donated by each group. If you have children, get them involved. They'll be excited to be a part of it.

    Food Drive

    Last, but definitely not least, is the food drive. Food banks everywhere are struggling to meet the growing need for food.

    If you are hosting a competition, I would go strictly by weight and provide a list of the most needed items. Your local food bank can help you with this; however, the most needed items are typically those listed below.

    You can also incorporate this into your office parties, functions, and events by offering discounts to customers who bring a nonperishable food donation. Some office parties require an admission fee for a spouse or escort. This fee could be waived, if they bring a nonperishable food donation to the event.

    10 Most Wanted Food Items:

    1. Powdered Milk
    2. Juice
    3. Peanut Butter
    4. Soup
    5. Canned Meat & Fish
    6. Canned Stew
    7. Pork & Beans
    8. Baby Food
    9. Baby Formula
    10.Pasta

    Take a look at the Regina & District Food Bank website to see the results of the recent "Battle of the Queen Cities" food challenge. 

    Let's not forget the wonderful work that the animal shelters and animal rescue organizations do for our communities. You can easily apply many of these drives to benefit animals as well. For example, below is a list of common top ten items for the Regina Humane Society.

    You'll note that kibble is not in the list. This is because Horizon Pet Nutrition now supplies the Regina Humane Society with consistent, high quality dry food. Most animal shelters and rescue organizations do still accept this type of food donation.

    Towels are also gratefully accepted as, you can imagine, they go through quite a few. That's why laundry detergent is at the top of this list.

    10 Commonly Requested Items For Animal Shelters:

    1. Laundry Detergent
    2. Wet Food (kitten, cat & puppy)
    3. Kitty Litter (clay, non-clumping, non-scented)
    4. Large Rawhide Bones
    5. Medical Scrubs (size S, M & L)
    6. Hot Water Bottles, Heating Pads & Pet heating Discs
    7. Rubber Boots (women's size 7, 8 &9)
    8. Gift Cards
    9. Tall Puppy Pens
    10. Kuranda Dog Beds

    Give till it feels good.

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