Just raise what you can and don't feel bad if you don't raise as much as you would like.  I used to do that and then beat myself up.  I agree with the one post whatever you raise is more than they had the day before.  There is no magic to this, just follow those ideas of fellow relayers who've been there before, we've all been there and there's no reason to reinvent the wheel.  I always do a "shoot for" goal and then a "settle for" goal and hope that I get close.  Just being a survivor and being out front and "fighting back" is good enough.  Keep us posted

Hiya!

My name is Kimi and I am a Princess House Consultant (on top of a full time correctional officer and single mommy :-)) Just wanted to let you that Princess House has an awesome fundraising program.  I dont know if you are familiar with us or not, but we are  home party based and have been around for 45 years.  What we can do is set up as many home parties as you want and 25% of the profit goes to your team.  It is a great (and easy) way to raise money.  If you have any questions, let me know!!  I would love to help out!

Kimi

In memory of David "Foots" Linzmaier

I just wanted to stop in and tell you that I agree with the learning experience the first year.  The first year we had a team, I was so overwhelmed and was way in over my head.  We got to the closing ceremonies and I felt so low about only raising $80 that I came up with a lot of cool ideas for the next year.  We raised $2500 our second year.  Now I am in the third year and have set our goal for $5000. 

 I know it is not all about raising money, but I do fundraisers that are fun for me.  I am a 4-H leader as well and most of my team consists of 4-H and FFA members, so we do a petting zoo at the relay and several of the local festivals prior to relay.  Last year we also did a kiss-a-pig contest at a local festival and at the relay.  At the relay, or Sheriff was the winner, with the most money in his canister and had to kiss the pig.  It was really fun and we even got the local radio station involved in advertising our whacky contest.  At fair, we did a pie-in-the-face contest and had several of the leaders volunteer...we raised over $500 there.  This year we are organizing a bowl-a-thon.  So as you can see, there are many things that you can do to raise money.  Just do things that are fun for you and you will have more fun raising that money.

Good luck in your ventures and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.  Just remember, you are a Survivor and you will do great with whatever you do.

 Katie

Ionia County Relay for Life

Michigan

I don't have much to add that hasn't already been said, but HAVE FUN!  Relay is a celebration and a chance to make a real difference.  It has been a life-changing experience for me.  It's not about how much you raise, it's that you care enough to raise anything, that you're willing to stay up all night, and that you have passion for this and it matters so much to you.  You already are a fantastic Relayer.  There are soooooo many great ideas on this website.  Take advantage of all the other brilliant Relayers out there and run with a few good ideas.  No matter what, you are making a measurable difference! 

 Take care and good luck!

Heather Alvey

Reno/Sparks Relay For Life

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." -Ghandi

I briefly read through the other comments and wanted to remind you about the #1 Relay For Life Fundraiser - Letterwriting.  I hope you've taken the time to send e-mails through your team's website.  And, don't forget about those people who you don't have e-mail addresses for.  Get out that Christmas card list and drop them a note about what you're doing to support the fight against cancer.

If you continue to need help, please be sure to come back to RelayForLife.org.  From the responses I've seen, there's a lot of experience out here!

Don't panic!  Yes, the idea is to raise funds for a wonderful organization.  The reality is if you raise $10.00...that is $10.00 that they didn't have last year.  Relax and enjoy your first year.  I have been involved at least 10 years.  Some years we raise a lot and some years we don't.  I understand that need to help your event surpass their expectations. 

The true meaning of the event is what you learn the first year.  Its about honoring those who have lived and died.  You make a difference just by being there. So, enjoy it.

Jackie

Hello!
I wanted to respond to your posting, because I just went through this last night at our team captain meeting. I am a former co-chair, team recruiting chair, current entertainment chair and team captain. This is my 6th year. Please do not be discouraged or worried. At our meeting, I talked to a new team captain and she was so overwhelmed. I told her, just as I am telling you that we want you to enjoy this. While it is a lot to learn, this first year is important just to learn about Relay. After you experience the event, you'll come across all sorts of ideas and feel so much more comfortable.

Now, as far as fundraising, the others gave you good ideas. Personally, a family letter netted me nearly $300 the first year. Most folks are happy to do a luminary for $10 in memory or in honor of someone who has faced cancer. However, I caught on about 3 years ago that most businesses are happy to donate $50-100. I easily raised $2000 by just asking the ones I have done done business with. Once you get started, you'll find it's easy.

Your event chairs are a wealth of information for ideas. Let them know how you are feeling. This new team captain was so relieved just to talk about her feelings that she perked right up. No one involved in Relay would ever want you to feel lost or that you were not going to be able to do enough. We all value your time and commitment to this wonderful cause.

Have fun and congratulations to all of you for your SURVIVORSHIP!!

I know that fundraising as a first year team can be tough. Been there! Let me give you a few ideas on what you can do:

Before your event:

get collection cans from your staff partner, Mini-Relay (I raised over $2,000 at my elementary), ask local businesses to sponsor you or at least make a donation, car washes (lots of work but fun and do make money), yard sales, bake sales, make bracelets with beads and sell for $5 donation, know anyone who sews or knits? ask them to create simple crafts to sell, ask a local business to put up Sun and Moon cards $1 a piece

At the event:

you can sell any number of things from bottled water, juice, fruit, snacks, 'Sun & Moon' cards, handmade crafts, etc. you can 'rent out' walkers to other teams which works well for those early morning laps, have a raffle, sell hot food, etc.

The most important thing is to be creative and have fun. Don't overthink your fundraising strategies. Any money you raise is more than we had before. For more ideas, you can look in the team captain toolkit on this site. Good luck!

Don't worry about how much you raise. It is just as important that you are there and participating in the fight against cancer! You are a SURVIVOR!! There are many great ideas in the "blogs" on fundraising for your team. There is everything from sending out letters asking for donations, bake sales in your community, we sell pie slices at the relay, we also work in area restaurants busing tables for tips, there is another team that sells incredible cheese balls every year. Just about anything you can think of will work!

Once you exerience your first relay, you will be filled with ideas for your second, third...

Good Luck!

Toni Swendson ~ Spirit of GenerationsTeam