Deb’s Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

This
is a compilation of ideas from people all over the United States
who have done the Breast Cancer 2 and 3 day walks.

Perhaps
almost as daunting as the thought of walking 36 or 60 miles is the idea
of raising $1,800+ to participate in the Breast Cancer Event.

Here
are some fundraising ideas for both new and vetern walkers alike. If you
have ideas to share, please email them to Deb at: deb at allearsnet dot
com

**
New Walkers – be sure to attend an
Event Orientation meeting. Fundraising is one of the topics covered in
the meeting. Also be sure to read the Fundraising chapter in your Support
Handbook.

**
People can't donate if they don't know you are walking! Talk
about the Event with everyone you come in contact with. You don't always
have to ask for money, part of the Event is also to raise awareness! Wear
your T-shirt.

** Send a pledge letter out to everyone you
can think of, even if you haven't spoken to the person in a while.

**
To maximize pledges, send a SASE (stamped,
self addressed envelope) with your pledge letter.

**
Repeat Walkers – be sure to send your
letter to folks who may not have pledged before. They might have had good
intentions and forgot. They also may have had a loved one touched by breast
cancer since you last contacted them.

**
Talk to your doctors, nurses, dentist, etc. Ask them if they would
be willing to support your efforts.

**
Have a bake sale

**
Make "business" cards or postcards (program is part of
most word processing software) for your effort.

**
Have a website that chronicals your
journey so your supporters can stay up-to-date with your efforts.

**
If you are an emailer or regular poster on message boards, include the Event information as part of your "sig" file.

**
Check with local restaurants or pubs. Some will work with
you to have a special night where your fundraiser gets a portion of the
proceeds from the people you bring into the restaurant (or pub) that night.
In the Washington DC area, Chevy's has a similar program.

Chevy's
offers fundraiser nights on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from
5-9 and they donate 15% of the proceeds. You can do this as many times
as you'd like. There are 3 of us doing the walk together so we are going
to do this at Chevy's one a month until the walk (two of us work for
a large telecom company so we emailed everyone we know here) and we
are checking into other restaurants in the area! So thanks for the awesome
tip!! (Teresa, Seattle)

Other
restaurants known to assist with fundraisers: Panara, Baja Fresh, Pizza
Hut, Dominos, Ben and Jerrys, Unos. Your mileage may vary depending
on the manager, but if you don't ask, you don't know!

Krispy
Creme, Panara's.

** Put
a poster or sign up in your office. Keep a chart of your
fundraising up in your office.

** Inquire at your business if there is a "Matching Fund" policy.

** Ask
your family and friends if they would give
donation forms out to those they work with.

** In
lieu of holiday or birthday gifts, ask for donations to
the Event.

** Hand write thank you notes!

** My husband loves to play basketball as do many of his friends,
so he is setting up a 3 on 3 tournament for me. We have a friend who
is donating the t-shirts and the company he works for is giving us use
of the gym for free. My husband says most men will pay up to $25 to play
in a tournament and with 4 men on a team that is $100 per team. I am also
walking with a friend and her husband is circulating a flyer around his
work. If we can get 40 teams than we are set. Just thought I would share
this idea. (Thanks to P&T Aubert)

** Follow up with potential donors. It is easy for people
to put this sort of thing off until the last minute. Send out a quick
email with a picture of yourself training for the event. Include a link
to the website so people can pledge you right then and there. Let your
potential donors know that your pledge deadline is coming up very soon.

**
Make a list of 100 people and businesses you will ask to donate.
If you're running out of ideas, do the "alphabet trick." Add one name
for each letter of the alphabet (i.e.: A = Allen or Anderson or A= Accountant).

** Expand your network. Can you fundraise at your office?
gym? church/synagogue? a local restaurant? doctor's office? Ask a friend
or family member to be an "ambassador" for you by asking their friends,
co-workers, etc. to support you.

** Wear your Event t-shirt frequently. When people
stop to ask what the event is, tell them and ask them to support you.

** Submit an article about the Event in your local paper,
office newsletter, church/synagogue bulletin, home community paper and
the newsletters of any other organizations you belong to. Don't forget
to tell people how they can donate to you!

**
Most grocery stores (and even Wal-Mart) will let you set a table
up outside the store for several hours to fundraise. Check with the manager!

Also known
to be open to tables outside the store: Staples

** Offer
to run errands for family and friends, "for a donation".

**
Neighborhood Street Fairs or Community Fairs – get a table!

** Garage
Sales!

The following
tips were from the Complilation of Gerry Paris

** Parties:
Party-lite, Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, Tupperware, etc. Almost all of
these types of companies have a fundraising program. Check with a representative.

Tupperware
has a special Fundraiser Catalog…you get 40% of the sales, and
you don't have to have a party! You can just pass out the catalogs to
friends, family, relatives, neighbors, teachers, etc! Hint: I am a Tupperware
dealer, and I can help you with your fundraiser, no matter where you
live!

** One of
my team members for the 3Day is doing a really neat fundraiser with a
local girl scout troup this Friday night. Breast Cancer Donation Babysitting
Service!!! Friday night … 6:00-10:00 … 4 hours … $20 minimum
donation per kid … and the girl scout troup are the babysitters!!! They
are even earning a badge for this … and one of their requirements for
the badge is having to make up the flyers and pass them out! It is like
a piece of cake! Anyway, I thought I'd pass along the info. It seems like
a real easy thing to plan!! The girl scouts really do all the work! And
they are happy to do it and they get to play with all the kids … AND
get a badge to boot!! Michelle B

** So, I'm
in bed watching TV thinking of ideas for the craft fair at my son's school
($35 to preschool, profit to AWBC SF 2006) and thought BOOK EXCHANGE!
Many of my friends already trade books. What if we make it a party for
a $5 donation and some treats to share everyone can replenish 4 or 5 "new
to you" books!!! If I do one a month with 10 people (I hope) that
is about $400.

** Tricky
tray or large basket raffle. I bought several items that were pink
at the dollar store, breast cancer magnets, pins, key chains, bracelets,
pens etc…And placed them in a basket with a pink liner to raffle off.
Linens and Things have pink breast cancer towels. You can also get small
teddy bears and dress them in pink outfits at Michael's or the Rag Shop.
Kids talk their parents into a couple of tickets to try to win the teddy
bears.

** Unfortunately
if you want to raise money, you need to spend some first. I hit the dollar
store and wiped out all of their pink livestrong bracelets and breast
cancer car magnets. Positive promotions and Oriental trading are great
web sites for inexpensive items. Keep track of what you spend and you
can deduct your costs from your profits. You can then write one check
to the Avon Walk for monies raised.

** Clean
out your closet and hit E-Bay!!!

** POKER
NIGHT … all the $$$ goes to your walk! BUNKO NIGHT … same!

** ONE
OF MY FAVORITE ways is with the pledge letter … but not JUST a pledge
letter … make it fun to read! Add pictures to it … and send them
out more than once … I do mine newsletter/brochure style … I update
everyone on how my fundraising/training, etc is going … highlight events
(fundraisers) I have had … also, (and this might sound a little weird)
if you can make the reader cry, you will have a better chance of getting
that donation and/or getting a larger one. And that is OK … people LIKED
to be 'touched' … and if you can reach out like that, and be verbally
creative and 'bring it on home' you will make it.

** Colored
Paper – Print your pledge request letter on colored paper so it will
stick out in a stack of bills and other correspondence.

** Signing
Your Correspondence – Get in the habit of signing your correspondence
with your name followed by your event number. You will be surprised as
to how many people will ask you what it means.

** Voice
Mail – Change your voice mail and answering machine messages to include
your walker number and participation on the event.

** – Update
your potential donors and your sponsors – Keep track of your donors
and send "training logs" (tally up all the miles, take pictures
of worn soles, share blister and achy muscle stories) and "fundraising
updates" (stories of what other wacky things or long hours you've
put in trying to raise money and awareness for the cause). Some people
may see your commitment and donate additional funds if they see you're
really working.

** Have
something to give away. You can get pink ribbon pins and other products
from companies such as Positive Promotions (ww.positivepromotions.com)
for relatively cheap (from $.10 to $1.50 for most items) and offer them
to people for donations in front of a store or local business.

** Crafts
for a Cause – Many of us have talents or hobbies that can be turned
into a fundraiser. I make wine charms and charm pins which I sell as a
fundraiser message board profiles. Every time you send an email or post
onto a message board, your information will automatically send.

Support
from Local Businesses

– Walk
a treadmill in front of a Local Store – Ask a local sporting goods store
if you can do your training walk in front of their store and raise donations.

– Hold a raffle/auction/silent auction with donated restaurant gift
certificates. We raised a few hundred dollars by collecting donations
from local businesses. We even collected items to make some prize baskets
and some stores offered to sell the tickets and collect the donations
for us. Set minimums for the auction/silent auction and give people
a week to bid on the items.

Check
with local restaurants or pubs. Some will work with you to have a
special night where your fundraiser gets a portion of the proceeds from
the people you bring into the restaurant (or pub) that night.

– Tip Jars
– Ask the bartenders or waiters & waitresses in your favorite restaurant
if they will donate one day's tips. Put a tip jar out next to the register
at local businesses. Put a picture of yourself and a little story about
why you are doing the Marathon, Ride or walk on the jar. Or if you work
at a restaurant, ask your colleagues to donate to a "Pledge Jar".

– Happy Hour – Wear your event T-shirt to Happy Hour and ask people
to sign your shirt for $10. Ask the DJ to announce that you are in the
bar.

– Pancake Breakfast, Pizza night, Barbecue, Spaghetti dinners, etc.
– Get a local grocery store to donate the food and ask your church,
school, or community center about hosting a dinner.

Super
Box – Ask all of your coworkers to put their extra change in it. You
can decorate it or cover it with inspirational quotes.

Personal
Vending Machine – Buy some candy from a warehouse store or on sale
at a grocery store and make your own "wrappers" that promote
the walk. Let your coworkers know that they can satisfy that mid-afternoon
sweet craving and do something good at the same time.

AtYourService

Mow-a-Thon – Hold a mow-a-thon. Get your kids involved (or the
neighbors) and declare a weekend where you will mow your neighbor's lawns
for $50 (or whatever amount you want to set).
– Dog-Walking – Offer to walk the neighbors dogs during your training
walks and charge a donation fee.
– Run Errands for Donations – Offer to be your friends and coworkers personal
assistant for a day (or few hours) in exchange for a $250 donation.

Wine-Cheese
Tasting Party, Sweets Party, International Food Tasting Party, Tea party
– Ask for donations of wine/cheese, fine chocolates, international
foods from various restaurants and invite your friends over for the evening.
Hold an auction/raffle for the prizes or charge a donation "admission".

Pink Flamingo
Caper (Sell insurance to friends, family, neighbors to keep the flamingo
out of their yard – $10 or $15; for those who did not buy "insurance"
they will have to pay a fee to remove the bird from their yard and they
can also pay a fee to have it put into someone else's yard). This is great
fun, but make sure everyone is on board before you upset anyone with this
lovely lawn ornament.

I did a
Penny Drive. That's right, I took pickle jars, orange juice carafes
and any other container I could and set them everywhere. I had friends
to dig up pennies and even strangers. They couldn't believe I was doing
this one! But it worked. I made $250.00 off of this one. Once I collected
the pennies, I turned them in at my local coin star machine. They only
charge .08 cents for every dollar but it proved to be great for us.

** Don't
Come Event.
Are there times you would rather not attend a function? Do you feel that
you would rather stay at home, relax and help out a really good cause
by doing so? Then a Don't Come Event is something that you should seriously
consider using as a fundraising event! Send a humorous invitation for
an event that will never take place. The invitation must be clear in explaining
that the event will never take place and why it is to your invitee's benefit
not to come to an event they have paid for. Be original and use your imagination.
Since the event will never take place you can have it anywhere, anytime
and it won't cost anything extra. After the invitee has paid for their
ticket(s), issue a Thank You note for their non-attendance. Again re-affirm
all the benefits the invitee has enjoyed by their non-attendance mentioned
in the original invitation. Where possible include a speech by the guest
speaker who also did not attend.

I made up a bunch of bottlecap magnets and they have sold really well.
I bought the empty bottle caps and the images for the inside on Ebay.
I bought the magnets from Walmart. The glue, magnets, images and bottle
caps cost me about $25 to make 100. I sold them for $1 each. You can sell
them at work, at a rummage sale or your tables.

I have had
success with chocolates. I went to a craft store AC Moore and Jo Anns
and bought supplies to make chocolate lollipops. I have some at my hubbys
office and a couple weeks ago I tabled at a yoga workshop with a friend.
We sold cookies, lollipops and some other goodies. The chocolate lollis
are a breeze to make. I got the idea for them from a salon. Someone had
them displayed with a jar for donations. I found lollis at AC Moore in
the ribbon shape.