Everyday Fundraising Ideas
People can't donate if they don't know you are walking! Talk about the AIDS Walk with everyone you come in contact with. Talk to your grocer, doctor, nurses, dentist, etc. Ask them if
they would be willing to support your efforts. See if you can check off every name on this list: Sponsor Checklist.
Recycle. Collect and recycle aluminum cans. Put a container in your break room for collecting cans and let colleagues know that recycling helps the AIDS Walk. Don't forget to collect cans at home and ask your neighbors for theirs as well.
Be a guest bartender. Ask your local bar if they’ll allow you to be a guest bartender for a night, or even for a few hours on a Saturday afternoon. Send out an Evite, inviting everyone you know to join you there for a drink, and ask them to invite everyone they know. Create a sign to place on the bar or a flyer that reads, "All tips collected tonight will go directly to Joe Walker, who's walking 10 kilometers to raise money for people struggling with HIV/AIDS." When people see the sign, they may be willing to dig a little deeper in their pocket!
Ask your favorite restaurant to help you fundraise. Is there a local restaurant that you frequent? Are you friendly with any restaurateurs? Ask the owners if they will donate a portion of one evening’s proceeds to your AIDS Walk fundraising total. Then make flyers with the information, create an Evite, and invite everyone you know to dine there on this evening. You’ll bring in more business to the restaurant and more money to your AIDS Walk fundraising total.
Auction off your skills or trade your services for a donation. Are you a trained massage therapist? Can you organize a closet like no one else? What about cleaning house or re-vamping someone’s resume? You can even be the “designated driver” for your friends for a night out on the town. Let people know that you’re willing to trade your services for an AIDS Walk donation. Set your price high – it’s for a good cause!
RAISE MONEY ON THE JOB
Include AIDS Walk information as part of your e-mail automatic signature. Include a link to your AIDS Walk Web page in your signature. Each time you send a message, the recipient will be provided with a reminder to sponsor you.
Utilize corporate matching gift programs. Many employers will match the charitable donations made by their employees. Use the matching gift search function to look for the name of your own employer and for the company names of each of your sponsors’ employers. You may be able to double every donation you get!
Organize "Dress Down Days" at work. Ask management if you can have Dress Down Days to benefit your team at work. Charge people $5 to wear jeans to work on Fridays or any other specified day. This is a quick and easy way to raise big bucks. Everyone wants to be casual at work; help people fulfill their dreams and contribute to a great cause.
Sell goodies to your officemates. Pick up bulk packages of the most sought-after sweets and set up an "on your honor" snack area near the photocopy machine. Charge $1 per item.
Collect loose change. Everybody has a stash of loose change in a cup or jar just sitting around. Ask everyone to donate theirs toward your goal. You will be surprised how quickly it adds up.
Post an AIDS Walk poster or sign. Put up a sign by the elevator, coffee maker, copy machine, vending machine, break room, or bathroom letting everyone know that you are a Star Walker for the AIDS Walk and that you would be grateful for their donation. Get started now: Download a mini-poster for your desk.
Designate a certain day as AIDS Walk Awareness Day. Post these HIV/AIDS Statistics "Sponsor Me" Flyers. Give out red ribbons to each person who donates.
Hold an office potluck. Ask everyone to cook and donate an item for a themed luncheon in the office. Then ask everyone who partakes in the lunch to donate $5 to the AIDS Walk.
Fundraising thermometer. Make a poster with a thermometer, your goal being the top, and fill it in as you raise money. If you did the AIDS Walk last year, hang up photos or awards. Get creative! Make sure people know that you are a member of the Star Walkers Club for the AIDS Walk, and you have a fundraising goal of $1,000.
FUNDRAISING EVENTS
Bake Sale. Bake sales are a sure fire way to raise money. Simply make some of your very best cookies, cupcakes, or pies. Have your co-workers and friends get involved, especially those that can’t sponsor you financially. Advertise the sale and then watch the profits come in.
Karaoke Night. Sell tickets for an evening of awful singing at a local bar or at home. Get people to donate money to stop their friends from singing or have a singing contest. Charge an entry fee and have proceeds from the ticket sales go to your Star Walker fund.
Roll Out the Barrel! Break out the ol' squeeze box and have a Polka Party! Everyone should dress in their best Polka attire and use their most convincing Midwestern accent ("hay dar guys")! Hold a Polka dance marathon to see who can dance the longest. Have people sponsor the dance teams and see if you can last until the cows come home.
Benefit Concerts/Gigs. If you know a rock band, barn dance caller, jazz group, DJ, or string quartet, ask them if they will do a benefit evening for the AIDS Walk at a local club or coffeehouse.
Flamingo Flocking. Hold a good, old-fashioned flocking at your office. Make cut-outs of pink flamingos and charge coworkers to flock their colleagues' offices or cubicles. Charge $1 per flamingo. Tape the cut-outs throughout the flockee's area. The bigger the flockin', the better!
IDEAS OF THE MONTH
Lawn Sports Tournament: As the weather gets warmer people will be spending more time outdoors. Organize a fundraising kick ball, volleyball, badminton, or croquet tournament with your friends by charging an entrance fee that will benefit AIDS Walk San Francisco. The wining team gets half the pot and the rest goes to your AIDS Walk fundraising total.
Car Wash: Ask your local gas station to sponsor you. Use their facilities and bring your own soap, buckets, etc. Get family and friends to join you. Make signs and charge drivers to wash their cars, all the proceeds go to your fundraising total.
June
Donut Day: June 1 is National Donut Day. Buy a box or two, or three for the office! Sell each donut individually with the proceeds going to your fundraising total.
“Phone Home”: The film “E.T.” premiered on June 11, 1982. Have a movie night and sell Reese’s Pieces to family and friends who attend. Or you can sell a bunch of Gertie’s favorite treats at the office for those fans of the film and co-workers feeling nostalgic.
Poker Night: Sponsor a poker night. Charge an entrance fee to play in the poker tournament with the winner taking home ½ of the cash, the rest goes to your AIDS Walk fundraising total.
July
Garage Sale: Gather up the items in your home collecting dust and have a garage sale! Post advertisements on Craigslist.com and around your neighborhood to maximize attendance.
Proceeds go to your AIDS Walk fundraising total
July 4 Cookbook: Know an amazing BBQ recipe; make the best strawberry shortcake this side of the Mason Dixon? Create a cookbook; simply print the pages on your home computer. Sell the
book of treats to family, friends and co-workers in time for the big July 4 picnic.
Carb-Loading Party: The night before the AIDS Walk, make lots of pasta and invite people over to carb-load for the 10k walkathon. They can sponsor you for a plate of pasta. This is a great opportunity to get excited for the AIDS Walk, get last minute donations from your procrastinator friends, and get additional donations from friends who might be walking with you.