You could ask your supervisors if you could have "Sneaker Day", "Blue jeans Day", or something more casual than you normally have to wear.  Everyone who wants to participate can donate 5.00 and get to dress more comfortably one day for work.

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. Make sure the top few donations on the form are significant; other people are apt to follow suit. Conversely, if you start with a $2 contribution, others may follow with $2. Don't prejudge whether people will give--just ask!

Auction (Silent or Live): Hold the event at your business, in your neighborhood, at church, or at your event. Ask for contributions of unique items such as homemade toys or art, a hand-knitted sweater, breakfast or dinner at someone's home, or a ride on someone's sailboat. Display the items (or their description) prior to the event. Hold the auction over lunch or at a convenient time. Ask for items such as:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->homemade toys or art

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->hand-knitted sweater

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->breakfast or dinner at someone's home

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->a ride on someone's sailboat.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->a half or whole day off from work

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->team members to work a day for someone

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->a picnic lunch prepared by your team members

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->other items such as collectibles or sports memorabilia.

Bake Sale: Host a bake sale at work or a busy place (Lowes, Food Lion, etc.). OR, have a No-Bake Sale, where coworkers pay so they don't have to bake goodies.

Balloon Bouquets - Donations for RFL balloons can be for $2 each and make bouquets to be delivered by volunteers.

Baskets For Life – ”Our big fundraiser for our team this year has been "Baskets for Life". We played bingo for Longabarger products - what a good time, lots of good food (all homemade), 50/50 and lots of wonderful prizes for about $4000. It was our first year and I'm sure it will grow this year!.” - Thanks to Nearly for this idea!

Bowl-A-Thon - Bowlers get pledges for each pin they knock down, then come and participate. The money goes to your Relay… Alternatively, charge a flat fee of $20 donation per bowler and invite your friends to come bowl. Get the bowling alley to donate the evening… The University Relay For Life raised $2200 this way for their event!!!!!! (Submitted by Mindy Coates and Ramesh Moorthy, Baltimore, MD)

Car Washes - Good for students and adults, alike.

COOK OFFS - Chili, cookies, gumbo, bar-b-que, any thing that can be cooked can be turned into a cook off contest. Charge an entry fee, tasting fee, judging fee, sell ads. Sell tickets for samples . $35 to enter each category, $5 to come and taste the food!

Coin Cans – put Relay For Life Coin cans at every business you can think of – put a sticker with the local office name and # as where they can call to turn it in/get a new can.

Dance for a Cure: 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. Make sure the top few donations on the form are significant; other people are apt to follow suit. Conversely, if you start with a $2 contribution, others may follow with $2. Don't prejudge whether people will give--just ask!

E-mail or letter writing – People love e-mail these days! Send an e-mail or letter to your address book (personal and/or corporate) about why you are involved and how they can help (donate, get involved, etc.)… There are countless stories of volunteers who have raised thousands of dollars with this method, too! E-mail or write your friends and associates, asking them for donations

Fashion Show – Have local businesses make donations for a Relay For Life Fashion show… have them provide Purple themed outfits you can accessorize with Relay For Life items, charge $20 a person to attend, get food donated

Flamingo Alert: Place a pink flamingo in someone's yard. It will fly away once a donation is made to the Relay For Life. You may also sell "Flamingo Repellent" to prevent flamingoes from landing in someone's yard. Freddie the Flamingo: An eight year old boy in put "Freddie Flamingos" in people's yards with a note around Freddie’s neck asking for a donation for Relay For Life. In the morning, he collected the birds and donations. He raised more than 6,000!!!

Food Tasting – “My Mom does a fund-raiser every year called The Great Chocolate Escape. All of the volunteers bring a chocolate dessert (we usually have one table of non-chocolate, so those who are allergic have no excuse to skip it), and guests are charged $5 for all you can eat, $5 for a standard take-out container, or $10 for both. This concept could translate to barbecue, sandwiches, whatever. Basically, all you need is a couple of banquet tables to set all the food on, and someone to recruit the cooks. Sometimes we use place cards (bought at card or party stores) to label foods. For a small local fundraiser (a rural mill town of about 5000) it usually brings in about $2000, without a lot of effort.” (thanks for sharing)

Garage Sales: Work individually or as a team and hold a group garage sale where all the moneygoes to the American Cancer Society… It is a great way to raise money, and for people to get rid of things they don’t need!!!

Golf Tournament – Hold a Relay For Life Golf Tournament – This will get men involved more, and can kickoff the Relay For Life season. Have the losers on each hole have to make a $1 or $5 donation (depending on what your community can handle), in addition to paying the needed donation/entrance fee.

Hair cuts - Have local salons sponsor a cut-a-thon with proceeds going to Relay.

Hat day in school – Since most schools do not allow kids to wear hats, convince yours school that kids can wear a hat on a certain day for a donation to the American Cancer Society. Invite all those that wear a hat to come to a lunch time info session about the local Relay For Life, encourage them to have a team

Ice Cream Socials: Plan one at your place or work, at school, or for friends, asking for a donation to attend. Sell ice cream for dessert, have games, and social activities...

Letter Writing: Send letters to friends and family explaining what you are doing and why. Tell them your personal goal and ask for help. Write a letter from your pet to your friend's pet.

Neighborhood Slam – Visit a neighborhood and tell them you will be back in two weeks to do chores for donations for your American Cancer Society Relay For Life Team. Sign them up, and tell them that there are only limited slots! Bring your team back, and knock out all the chores! Also done as Rent A Youth – Line up a group of kids, go to a neighborhood and offer to do chores for a donation of $10 per hour to the American Cancer Society… If you line up the chores a couple of weeks in advance, you might have even more luck!

Painting the County Purple - From Tennessee – Leslie Thrasher - This fundraiser for Relay has a two-fold purpose. Everyone in the community gets involved asking why purple bows were up everywhere and it also raises money for the teams. Huntingdon, TN, in Carroll County, is the community that did this campaign during the month of February. We do go to any and all the florist in the communities and ask for them to donate their services, ribbon or both. You may buy a roll of 100ft. ribbon for $4-6 dollars and you get 20-30 bows out of each row you will be making an excellent profit. We asked for a $10 donation per bow. We have also got a community that had a woman start making the smaller bows for $5 for people to put them on their car antennas. One of the schools got involved with the smaller bows-- the homeroom that has the most bows bought and placed on their door will get a pizza party.

Pancake Breakfasts: Hold a pancake breakfast at work, or at a church or social hall.

Pool Party – An athletic club held a Poolside Guest Bartending Evening on a Friday night from 6-9 PM. Six bartending teams members participated, each dressed in costume of choice and working an hour shift had pre-invited friends to come out and support team fundraiser. In three hours they collectively raised $11,000 in tips…. The Collier Athletic Club banked over $22,000 for their team in one fun filled over-extended happy hour!

Raffles: Just like auctions, raffles can accommodate many items. Possible ideas include:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Theme baskets: Summer basket - sun screen, paperback book, sunglasses, bottled water, magazines, etc.; Easter basket - candy, chocolate bunnies, stuffed animals, etc.;

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Night out package - gift certificates to a movie, play, sports event, and a restaurant gift certificate.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Also, donated items from local businesses

Rocking Chair Donation, or Raffle – Have 2 rocking chairs painted, signed by survivors, and donated to local hospitals for use, or auction the chairs off and donate the proceeds (the idea to have the rocking chairs signed and donated to local hospitals came from the Arnold, MD Relay For Life!)

Roundup At A Local Business – Have a local business ask customers for several hours to roundup for the ACS Relay For Life. Whether they pay cash, write a check or charge it, the cashier takes the change out and drops it in the jar ($22 payment, $21.22 bill, $0.78 in the jar, get it?). At the end of the night, the donations go to the American Cancer Society.

Sports Tournaments: Set up challenge matches between individuals or departments for basketball, softball, football, golf, bowling, fishing or any sport! Ask for a donation as an entry fee and admission fee. Ask for contributions in exchange for refreshments at the event. MORE DETAILS CAN BE FOUND BY SPORT (for example, under Bowling Tournament)

Street Fair - The Mo Show Street Fair. The Street was closed in front of Mo's Restaurant and open to any Relay Team to set up booths. The time was from 6 - 10 pm. The Mo Show is a very entertaining band and then some lip synch by Mo dressed in drag. The show itself had a recommended donation of $15. There were 10 teams that participated and we raised a combined $6000.

Taste of Relay - Submitted by Kate Langstone, Regional Executive for Communications, -New England Division - "The Taste of the Relay" as we call it, is an opportunity for area restaurants to join the American Cancer Society. We ask that places donate a sampling of one or two of their specialty dishes and a person to help serve. At the Relay, in the cafeteria or in a tent, the restaurants set up. Participants, and the public donate $5. The planning committee is in charge of putting together the event…. Last year the net income from the Taste of Relay was $600.

Tupperware Party: Donate the proceeds from the party to your team.

Wrap Presents: During holiday time, get permission to wrap presents for donations in the mall or a busy department store. Have team members donate paper, tape, bows, etc.

Yard Sale and Fair – All Day For Relay - –Thanks to The Giles Relay For Life, VA, for this great idea! – “This event is a great opportunity for teams to raise money at one large event. It is basically a large-scale yard sale, coupled with a small-scale fair… There were raffles, arts and crafts, hot food and cold food, baked goods, cake walk, music, childrens activities, yard sale items, silent auctions, live auction. PSK, dunking booth, hair weaving, puppet show, and d much much more!!” The Giles Relay raised over $6000 with this idea!!!!!!!

For a full list, check out:

http://www.acsrelay.org/Darn_Good_Ideas/10-Fundraising_From_A_To_Z.doc

Good luck!

Hi,

Go to www.homestylegourmetfoods.com It doesn't cost your team anything and you'll earn 50% depending on which option you choose.

Our team rented a local skating rink for a Sunday afternoon.  We're selling tickets for $5 person.  65 people to clear the rental & the rest is profit.  Youth leaders & schools are a great way to advertise.

 hi sandy,

 most pizza hut's have some kind of fundraising  you can do and also you might try your local bowling alley to try to set up a bowing fundraiser of some sort. hope this helps!