Ideas of the Month
April
Easter Candy Grams: Print out little notes with words of thanks, recognition, or good wishes that employees can send to their co-workers. Attach a Peep or plastic egg filled with candy to the note. Pre-sell them for a week before the date of delivery
Earth Day: Earth Day is April 22. To celebrate our planet, put out recycling receptacles with information about your involvement with AIDS Walk. Exchange the bottles and cans for money, and the money can benefit your AIDS Walk fundraising efforts.
Giant’s Opening Day Party: Invite your friends over to watch the Giants play Pittsburgh for the season opener! Serve wings,chips and dip. Charge $10 to eat. You can even sell homemade Giants-themed paraphernalia and baked goods!
Candy Jar Guessing Game: Get a decorative jar and fill it with jelly beans. Have participants donate $2 to guess the total amount of jelly beans in the jar. The person who comes closest to the actual number wins the candy, and you get the money put towards your goal!
May
Flower Sale: April showers bring May flowers. The city is in bloom, so why not make a fundraiser out of it? Sell fresh flowers in the lobby of your office building. Plan ahead and post flyers advertising your fundraiser in advance. That way, everyone will know to have cash handy that day! You can even offer to make personal deliveries within the building for an additional donation.
Bake-Off: Have employees bring in their best home-made baked treats to enter into the contest. Charge people to taste the entries and vote for their favorite. The winning baker gets a prize!
Mini Golf: Now that the weather is warming up, it’s time to play some golf! Have each department design a creative course using only materials already in their department. Examples include: wastebaskets, letter trays, reams of paper, machine parts, etc. Courses can be set up in the office or outside. Employees play the course as often as they like for a small fee. Prizes can be awarded to the department with the most creative hole and to the best mini golfers.
June
Pie Smash: How about a pie smash where a company executive is the target? Make it a department fundraising challenge: the department that raises the most funds during the week gets this once in a lifetime opportunity to smash their boss in the face with a cream pie (Lightly! Of course!). If your boss is nice enough to participate, ask if they are willing to match the funds raised by the winning department. You’ll reach your fundraising goal in no time! And you’ll laugh a lot as well!
Garage Sale: Have your garage sale early this year! Find a volunteer willing to loan garage space or use your work site after hours. Two or three weeks before the sale, team members bring in sale items which volunteers price and sell on the day of the event. Remember to advertise throughout the neighborhood!
Who’s the Baby Photo Contest: Have team members bring in a favorite baby picture with their names written on the back! Pictures are numbered and posted on a bulletin board. Participants purchase a chance to match co-workers with baby pictures. Give each participant a numbered sheet with blanks to write their guesses. Have them put their own name at the top and turn in. Person with the greatest number correct wins a prize!
Raffle off a Parking Spot: Ask a member of the executive team to donate their prime parking space. Sell raffle tickets for the space. The winner gets to park there for a year!
July
Fourth of July BBQ: Host a red, white and blue themed BBQ in your backyard! Invite people over for burgers, hot dogs and apple pie. They can sponsor you for a plate. Before the event, ask for donations from local stores and restaurants to put into a silent auction that guests can bid on throughout the day.
Patriotic Dress Up Day: Have a dress-up competition at your office! Employees come to work in their craziest red, white, and blue costumes, or as their favorite founding father. People pay an entry-fee to join, and the best costume gets all the money raised put towards their fundraising goal!
Shave the boss’s head: Have your CEO agree to shave off his or her hair if the team reaches their fundraising goal. Show progress posters with the slow removal of hair, as the employees get closer to the goal. Host a celebration party after the goal is met when the shaving takes place.
Carbo-Loading Party: The night before the AIDS Walk, make lots of pasta and invite people over to carbo-load for the 10k walk. They can sponsor you for a plate of pasta! This is a great opportunity to get excited for the AIDS Walk, and get donations from your hungry friends.
August
The deadline for fundraising is August 10th which leaves plenty of time to have one last fundraiser!
Picnic Potluck at the Park: Head over to your favorite park for a team potluck! Team members bring their best dish. Invite friends and family and pre-sell tickets to the pot luck. You can invite other park-goers to come over and buy a plate!
Ice Cream Social: Set up tables with different kinds of ice cream and toppings. Have team members serve customers. Charge a set price per bowl or put up a donation jar where people can leave whatever amount they want. Many people come back for seconds and add donations when they do!
Bowling Tournament: Organize with your local bowling alley to hold a charity bowling tournament! Invite your family and friends, and organize them into teams. All participants pay an entry fee to compete. Winning team gets a prize!
