Relay For Life Encyclopedia of Fundraising Tips Click here for Word Document
Participants seek donations rather than pledges from friends, family and associates. All fundraising is done prior to Relay For Life, eliminating the hassle of collecting pledges after the event.
Set a goal. Each team member's minimum goal is $100 plus registration fee. There are a ton of great fundraising ideas both for the individual and the team to help you meet your goals. The only rules are to be creative, have fun and ask everyone you know or meet to help support your effort.
FOR
PARTICIPANTS
A
Art Sales - This one is perfect for a kids team. Have
students
produce great works of art and have a
show. Parents
and friends buy back their budding
artists'
masterpieces.
Ask everyone you meet - Even if you have sent out letters, be sure to carry a sponsor/donation form with you so that when you talk to people about Relay, you can ask them to donate right then. Take those sheets with you to meetings. When you carry a sponsor/ donation form with you, indicate your own contribution at the top. Make sure the top few donations on form are significant. Other people are apt to follow suit; conversely, if you start with a $2 contribution, others may follow suit with $2. Don't prejudge whether people will give. Let them say no or ignore your letter rather than not ask.
Auctions of All Kinds -
- Auction off a prime parking space at work,
- Auction off a half or whole day off from work
- Auction a picnic lunch.
-
Auction desserts, homemade dinners, local art
work or other creative and fun items.
B
A "No-Bake Sale" - Coworkers pay so they don't have to bake goodies.
Book Sale - Dust those bookshelves and have a book sale.
"Boss for the Day" - Allow people to bid on being boss for a day - high bid wins.
Bake Sales - Hold a Friday bake sale so employees have treats for the weekend. Ask for items to be wrapped attractively so they could be given as gifts.
"Brown Bag Lunch Day"
- Everyone brings their
lunch and donates the money they would have
spent for lunch to the Relay For Life fund.
C
Carpool - for fun and profit.
Clean up - with a neighborhood car wash.
Car Window Washes - Teams can wash car windows at fast food restaurant drive through windows.
Challenges - Challenge another team to raise more than you. Some radio stations may gladly put your challenge on the radio.
Challenge by the Boss/Principal - Get the boss to agree that if every team member raises their minimum of $100 that he'll dress up like a pig, shave his beard, sit in the dunking booth, or get a pie in the face, etc.
Change Jar - Keep a change jar in high traffic areas. All change is donated to your team fundraising totals.
Cook Offs
Christmas Trees/Wreath - Ask a local retailer to donate $1 for every tree and wreath sold.
Cake Drawing
Every Hour
- Here is a fun and tasty
on-site
fundraising idea. Team members bake different
cakes, exchange
tickets for a donation and then raffle
off the cakes
each hour of the Relay.
D
Dime-A-Dance (at event) - Provide music at your campsite. Have other people pay to dance with your team members.
Host a theme Dance or party - Sock hop, beach party, disco, square dance, dance for senior citizens, etc.
Dedication - Your personal effort to someone who has won a battle with cancer, or to someone who is battling cancer, or to someone who has lost their battle - or all three. Include that in a letter along with a self-addressed envelope.
Dress Down Day - Ask every employee to contribute to your Relay team, and in return they will be allowed to "dress down" on a specified day at work
Dinner
-
Hold a dinner. Have your team do a theme
dinner. Get a
hall donated and have each member of
your team
prepare part of the meal. Sell tickets and
get some
entertainment donated.
E
Envelopes at
Restaurant Tables
- Teams
generate
donations by placing a Relay For Life envelope at
every table,
stating "Please Support Our Relay For Life
Team and the American Cancer Society."
Waitresses check envelopes after each seating.
F
Flowers and
Plants
- Sell corsages, your donations
will blossom. Sell your extra house
plants or bouquets
from your garden.
G
Gift Wrapping - During the holidays, teams can set up at the local mall or in a particular store. Mother's Day is another ideal time for teams to offer a gift wrapping booth.
Garage Sales
- Ask your team members to clean
out their
attics, garages and basements and bring
items in for a
team wide sale.
H
"Hot Dog for Cancer" - Principal at an elementary school agrees that if ALL the teachers raise $100 each, he/she would dress up like a hot dog and let the students squirt ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, and relish on him/her.
Human Jukebox - Set up a decorated cardboard box with someone that sings selected songs outside of a supermarket (after receiving permission) and ask for a donation for each song that is requested.
Handyman for
a Day
- Shovel snow, rake leaves or
mow your
neighbors lawn and donate your "fee" to
your Relay For
Life.
I
Ice Cream
Social
- Teams can raise funds by
collecting
donations for delicious ice cream delights.
Get creative and
decorate your location as an old
fashioned ice
cream parlor and soda fountain. Set up
tables with a
variety of board games for patrons. Play
oldies on a
jukebox and charge for song requests.
J
Jail & Bail
- An old American Cancer Society fundraiser. For a donation,
employees can be arrested
and for an
additional donation can post their own bail
OR employees have a bounty placed on
their head, are arrested, and are not set
free until the entire bounty is
raised ($100+ per inmate).
K
Kiss The Pig
- Select three
to five well-known and
well-liked
employees. Have the employees choose the
individual they
would like to see kiss the pig by
purchasing a
jelly bean(s) for 50 cents each. The jelly
bean(s) will be
placed in a jar for that individual. The
individual with
the most beans will have to Kiss The
Pig.
L
Lawn Service
- While you are
mowing your lawn, mow someone else's too.
M
Matching
Funds
- Ask your CEO/President to match
the total raised
by your team or to be the leading donor for your team. (In order for it to count
toward
incentives, you must turn in written confirmation
prior to the
event.)
N
Name Bead
Bonanza
- Take orders for personalized bracelets, keychains, necklaces,
etc. for a donation.
O
October
Festival
- Celebrate autumn and the fall
bounty by
raising funds for Relay. Have pumpkins,
straw bales,
dried corn stalks, colorful gords and
bright flowers for your decor. For the main attractions
you may want to consider the following
activities: a dance, pumpkin carving contest, apple bobbing, face
painting, petting zoo, pony rides, bake
sale, and a scarecrow decorating
contest. Charge an admission
fee and sell other goods and services at your festival
P
Pancake Breakfast
Percentage of Sales - Designate a percentage of one day's sales or proceeds and let the public know so they will buy more.
Pet Service - Love pets? Walk someone's dog.
Pies - Find which fruit is in season, make and sell your delicious pies.
Pot Luck Lunches at the Workplace - Name every Wednesday "Relay For Life Pot Luck Day." Team members take turns preparing foods, salads, desserts, etc. and offer to employees at the workplace at a set price or donation.
Publicity
- Publicize your team's participation in the company newsletter.
Q
Quilts - Sell quilt squares made by the employees themselves. The squares
can be sold in honor and in
memory of people with cancer, squares 4" x 4" for %,
8" x 8" for $15, and 12" x
12" for $25.
Quarter
Canister Campaign
- Old film
canisters hold $7 worth of quarters. Challenge co-workers or
students to fill
as many canisters as possible. Have a
reward for the
team that collects the most canisters
filled with
quarters!
R
Romance
- Cater a romantic dinner for two, highest donation wins the
dinner.
S
"Stay at Home Tea"
- On Valentine's Day donate $1
for the pleasure of having your cup of tea
at home.
Smile Day Give Away
- Each time you catch someone
at your office smiling, they donate a designated amount to your team.
Give the smiling donor a smiley
face sticker or button to wear.
T
Turkey
Drawing
- Offer a dollar to win your Thanksgiving/Holiday turkey.
U
Unique
Boutique
- Collect or make unique one-of-a-kind
items for raising funds via a silent or live auction.
V
Video
Sale
- How many
times can you watch
Forrest Gump?
Vacation Day
- If you are on a team with your
co-workers, ask
your boss if they can offer a bonus
day off for the
team member that raises the most
money.
W
Wine Tasting
- As with any
other fundraiser - but especially with this one - the wine must be donated
and all liquor liability laws must be followed. This works great for a company
with two or more teams.
Each member of
all the participating teams puts in
$1 or $2 into a
kitty at the beginning of the week.
The team that
collects the most money during this
week gets the
money in the kitty.
X
X-Mas Tidings - Make fresh evergreen wreaths and
yule logs to
sell adorned with festive holiday bows, -berries
and pinecones.
Y
Yard Sale - Hold the ultimate Yard Sale.
Z
Zzzz
- Sleep when
the Relay ends.
One Last Note For Team Captains
» Call members of your team and meet with them, challenge them.
•
Borrow the Relay video and show it at your team
meetings.
•
Ask for a speaker from the Relay organizing
committee for your team meeting.
• Set high goals.
• Compare amounts collected by team members.
•
Have team dedicate Relay to someone from their
company - then let people know about it.
•
Put up a sponsor sheet in your business for
walk-ins.
•
Ask your employer to sponsor your mailing
costs.
REMEMBER
There is no magic formula in fundraising for an individual, team or Relay. Keep an open mind. Try new things. Try old things that worked well. Get started early. One volunteer when asked when she started collecting donations for the Relay answered, "The Monday after last year's Relay ended."
One important factor to keep in mind is to educate everyone on the programs, services, research, education, and advocacy of the American Cancer Society. If the people you are asking for a donation know that their money will be spent in the fight against cancer, then they will be more likely to give. And the last point -HAVE FUN!
Disclaimer: Please check with your staff person for any local laws or any other restrictions that may be in place in your local area with any of the fundraising ideas above.