Fundraising  |  Online Ideas  |  Event Organization  |  Motivation  |  Post-Event Fundraising

Fundraising Calendar - Good way to build your event's fundraising calendar for the year.
Pass around a large desk calendar so that all the teams can write their fundraisers on it.  It's a great way for them to capture this info, gauge the level of fundraising, and the On-line Chair that posts these fundraisers on the RFL website.

Celebrate the 25th year of Relay For Life...25 cents at a time - Effortless way to collect quarters
Take "official" American Cancer Society coin cans or create your own, print a sign, then ask businesses to help you celebrate Relay's 25th anniversary.  How many business partners should your team find?  That's right...25.  Remember to label the bottom of the can with your name and phone number in case the can fills up before you check back.
 
Pitch Dimes as an On-Site Fundraiser - A fun "dime-toss" game where winners take home prizes
Last year, one team hosted a coin toss at Relay and raised nearly $400.  Here's how you can too.  Have your team empty their cupboards of those odd-matched glasses, mugs, fast -food collectible cups....you get the picture.  Then go to the bank and buy rolls of dimes (this is how you are going to make your money, so buy plenty!).  On site, you set up the glassware pyramid-style on various shelves with increasing difficulty, placing your most prize glasses at the top.  People purchase a roll of dimes ($5) then pitch away winning any glass that their dime lands inside.  The secret to success is that people must buy a whole role of dimes to play and you keep the coins they toss, too.
 
Make that "Extra" Ask--Take the 10 x 10 x 10 Challenge - 10 emails, 10 people, 10 days
Here's your chance to go from ordinary to EXTRAordinary.  Send 10 e-mails asking for $10 for 10 days in a row.  If only one out of four people do what you ask, you'll have raised $250.00. What kind of return rate do you think you could get?  There is only one way to know for sure...

Luminaria Add-On - offer a flower for the "garden" as extra incentive to purchase a Luminaria
All teams ask for a donation of  $10.00. It cost the teams $1.00 to make them.   For $10 you got a luminaria on the track and a flower for the garden. They then gave the flowers back to the people to take home. Cabell, Wayne and Mason counties in West Virginia are doing this. Terri Francis thought it would enhance luminaria sales...it did and it looks great!

Enthusiasm + Elbow Grease = Car Wash Ca$h - Good Old Fashioned Car Wash...organized
With April showers behind us, how about organizing a team car wash?  Locate an accessible parking lot with great visibility, gather some hoses, buckets, a pile of rags and window cleaner, set up an assembly line and you've got a quick and easy event that gets your entire team involved.  Sell advance tickets and position enthusiastic sign-holders to encourage drop-in business.
 
Cancer Coin Cans - Get your Relay coin collecting can out in the community
Coin cans are everywhere...so make sure yours are too. Collecting change for a good cause is a fairly common practice.  You can get "official" American Cancer Society cans or fashion your own container.  Then have your team members ask businesses they frequent if they'll display the cans at their check-out counter.  Be sure to label the bottom of the can with your name and phone number in case the can fills up before you check back.
 
HATs On to this Idea - A new spin on "hat day"
You've probably seen the people who shave their heads in support of someone going through chemo.  Here's a twist that's likely to garner wider support:  HAT Day - where people wear hats to Honor All Touched by cancer.  You can slate HAT Day to honor someone specific or make it a general recognition event.  Click here for a  "how to" guide and flyer to get you started.
 
Relative Connections - Don't forget extended family for online fundraising opportunities
Branch out with your FUNdraising e-mails to include Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandparents, In-Laws - everyone connected to your family tree!  If you send e-mails through your on-line participant page, all they have to do is click the link to make a secure donation on-line.  Plus, you can see if someone has opened your e-mail and send the appropriate follow-up.  That extra nudge could be the extra $50 you need to reach your goal.
 

Can't Sponsor?  No Problem - If your sponsor can no longer afford to renew, a way to keep them involved
From the Relay For Life of Jo Daviess County: Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa has been a $500 sponsor of the Relay for many years but this year they were unable to make their $500 contribution. Rather than let the sponsorship go, they donated a one night stay at the resort plus one round of golf for two with carts. What a great getaway! The committee is selling raffle tickets and will do the drawing the night of Relay. They hope to raise $1,000 through the raffle, which is more than the original sponsorship. Nice way to turn things around!

CHAIRity Auction - Inexpensive, but cute way to auction a chair at Relay
Simply decorate any type of chair and have goodies to go with the chair.  For example, paint a child's chair with a teddy bear on the seat. It would be displayed as the chair, with a teddy bear sitting on it, maybe crayons and a coloring book, a children's story book, a book sack, etc. Display it with things that would appeal to a child and then put up for auction. You could have a rocking chair painted or decorated with flowers and have gardening supplies displayed with the chair or an office chair with office supplies.  This could work as a team or event fund raiser. Each team could decide on a type of chair and the money raised from that chair would go to the team or for the event itself. For upcoming events, it could be done at the event. For past events, it could be done at local craft fairs and festivals or make a special day for it.

Back to Top

More Ideas to Spruce Up Your Relay Online Home Page - Things your home page of your event website can benefit from
Photos: Flowers are starting to bloom and chances are that some of your Relay teams are having bake sales, raffles or other fundraising activities that would present a great photo opportunity for the website. Upload new photos and fundraising ideas to the greeting page so other teams can be inspired, as well as support their fellow Relayers.
Color:Highlight the theme for your Relay by creating a fun, colorful reminder for all visitors to see. Sticking with three or less colors is recommended, but using shades to make the text stand out is sure to draw some great attention!
Quotes or Personal Stories:Use quotes and “Why I Relay” statements to highlight some of the volunteers at your event. This is a great way to give recognition to some of your volunteers as well as showcase the community’s fight against cancer.
 

Relative Connections - Don't forget extended family for online fundraising opportunities
Branch out with your FUNdraising e-mails to include Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandparents, In-Laws - everyone connected to your family tree!  If you send e-mails through your on-line participant page, all they have to do is click the link to make a secure donation on-line.  Plus, you can see if someone has opened your e-mail and send the appropriate follow-up.  That extra nudge could be the extra $50 you need to reach your goal.

Online Chair Email Campaign Messages - How to beef up your email campaigns
- In weekly e-mails some Online Chairs include a “Fundraising Tip of the Week”
- In e-mail from the Online Chair, a survivor story is linked from the event website
- Relay Online Trivia question included with each message from the Online Chair, each participant e-mails the Online Chair with the correct answer and they earn points to use for prizes at the event

Greeting Page Ideas - How to make your Greeting Page more exciting
- Recognize top fundraisers/ top teams on the Greeting Page following the event
- Reminders, reminders, reminders
- If goal was not met, use the Greeting Page to let participants know the amount needed per participant to reach their Relay goal

Post Event Greeting Page - what to put on your site after the event
Has your event passed? The Relay website of Ramapo College is a great example of how the website should look post event. The homepage lists totals, thank you's, pictures from the event, let's participants know that donations can still be accepted and highlights the All-Stars from the event. It's a good idea to also post information to help interested people to join the committee for next year.

Back to Top

Capture the Flag - Generate Buzz and publicity for your event
To help others capture the spirit of Relay, which was being celebrated all over the county, the event co-chairs announced a Capture the Flag challenge throughout the  community – through local media.  They planted Celebrate Remember Fight Back Flags, for anyone (who was not a registered Relay participant) to capture. Each flag had a note attached inviting the finder to Relay.  Everyone who turned in a flag at Relay was entered into a drawing for a gift donated by a local jeweler.  They were planted and found in neighborhoods, local parks, flower arrangements at restaurants and even in the flower pots at a local hardware store.
 

Luminaria Bags CAN Stay Down - Weigh down your luminaria bags...and feed the hungry at the same time
Looking for a good way to help weigh down your luminaria bags? Consider using canned goods instead of sand. The local food bank could then pick up the cans the next morning. At every team captain meeting ask your teams to bring in donated cans.  The candles could then sit on top of the cans. How simple and purposeful.
 

Rain Reddy Folders - Great way to prepare for a rain contingency plan
From the Relay For Life of Highland: Red Rain Ready Folders- In response to the unfortunate weather last year, the ACS knows we need our back up plan in ink, ready to go. So we have devised a plan for 2009. Every team will have a red folder ready to distribute in case of bad weather. If we need to move the Relay inside, team captains will report to the registration table to get their Red Rain Ready folder. Inside will be specific instructions on where to go and what to do once inside.

Back to Top

Punch Card Incentives - Encourages Meeting attendance and other challenges
From the Relay For Life of Fayette: Team Captains are given a laminated punch card that has meeting dates and challenges printed on them. The card gets punched if they attend a meeting or complete one of the challenges. Team Captains who get their card completely punched will receive a gift at the Relay.

Welcome Letter - Welcome new Teams and returning Teams when they register
Part of team retention is communicating with team captains, and making them feel welcome.  You can do both by sending a Welcome Letter to all Team Captains after they register.

Back to Top