Riding your bike is fun. You've met tons of great people, have had lots of laughs, but it's not really why we are here. We signed up for this adventure to raise money for JDRF so they can find that elusive cure for type 1 diabetes.
It's time to get in gear and start raising some dough…
I know, I know: It's scary. It's hard. and I know, you "don't like asking people for money". I get it. No one does. You are not alone (interestingly enough - I use this line many times with newly diagnosed type 1 families.) To try to help you get started, I've put together a list of ways our Ride to Cure team have raised funds in the past and the contact info of those who have done the various projects:
Work Van Andel events (and bring your friends to raise money for you!): Basically, you schlep beer and hot dogs to concert/game/event-goers and get paid an hourly wage (somewhere between $10 & $15/hr). Most events are 5 hours. Bring a friend or two and you can see how the money can start adding up fast. Contact Cindy Aley to get on the email list.
Host a "thing" Party - That thing can be almost anything - jewelry, food, makeup, candles, purses, plastic containers, etc. The idea is the person who comes to your house (the sales associate) gives you their "salary" for the night in exchange for something (usually, the 'host' gift, or something like that). These parties can raise $150 - $250 each. Becky Machuta, & Katie Clark have both done these types of parties.
Have a Get-together/Party & ask for donations - invite your friends & family over to your house or a park and ask for donations. Obviously - you have to give them something - ask a local band to play, have an entertainer donate their time (balloons?), get local store/restaurant to donate food/drink, etc. Some restaurants will give you a discounted price per person for buffet meals - JUST ASK!
Work the Holland 100 on July 16 - it's easy - direct cars parking, answer questions, give directions, pick up garbage. See team email and blog post coming soon about how to sign up for this year!
Have a Restaurant Fund-raiser. BW3, Corner Bar in Rockford, Beltline Bar & On the Border have all had fundraisers organized by our Ride team members. Normally the restaurant will donate 10 - 20% of their food sales for your chosen time period to JDRF. It's easy - call the restaurant and work out a date with the manager and find out how/where you can hand out flyers (some will just put them on all the tables for you, some will ask you not solicit their patrons and rather spread the word before the event). Another $100 - $500 event that is easy to organize. Nicole Nelles, Tom Scheidel, & Cindy Aley have all done these types of events.
Hold an Event - Golf Outing (Katie Clark, Linda Thompson-Poeder), a 5K, a family fun day (Chris Radford), a cycling event, etc. This takes some work - a crew of volunteers to put on, but it can be done and can be a very big money raiser. These events also tend to do better on repeat attempts - first time is a lot of work and lots of lessons are learned - 2nd year tends to be more organized, and can raise more money.
Work Van Andel events (and bring your friends to raise money for you!): Basically, you schlep beer and hot dogs to concert/game/event-goers and get paid an hourly wage (somewhere between $10 & $15/hr). Most events are 5 hours. Bring a friend or two and you can see how the money can start adding up fast. Contact Cindy Aley to get on the email list.
Host a "thing" Party - That thing can be almost anything - jewelry, food, makeup, candles, purses, plastic containers, etc. The idea is the person who comes to your house (the sales associate) gives you their "salary" for the night in exchange for something (usually, the 'host' gift, or something like that). These parties can raise $150 - $250 each. Becky Machuta, & Katie Clark have both done these types of parties.
Have a Get-together/Party & ask for donations - invite your friends & family over to your house or a park and ask for donations. Obviously - you have to give them something - ask a local band to play, have an entertainer donate their time (balloons?), get local store/restaurant to donate food/drink, etc. Some restaurants will give you a discounted price per person for buffet meals - JUST ASK!
Work the Holland 100 on July 16 - it's easy - direct cars parking, answer questions, give directions, pick up garbage. See team email and blog post coming soon about how to sign up for this year!
Have a Restaurant Fund-raiser. BW3, Corner Bar in Rockford, Beltline Bar & On the Border have all had fundraisers organized by our Ride team members. Normally the restaurant will donate 10 - 20% of their food sales for your chosen time period to JDRF. It's easy - call the restaurant and work out a date with the manager and find out how/where you can hand out flyers (some will just put them on all the tables for you, some will ask you not solicit their patrons and rather spread the word before the event). Another $100 - $500 event that is easy to organize. Nicole Nelles, Tom Scheidel, & Cindy Aley have all done these types of events.
Hold an Event - Golf Outing (Katie Clark, Linda Thompson-Poeder), a 5K, a family fun day (Chris Radford), a cycling event, etc. This takes some work - a crew of volunteers to put on, but it can be done and can be a very big money raiser. These events also tend to do better on repeat attempts - first time is a lot of work and lots of lessons are learned - 2nd year tends to be more organized, and can raise more money.
Sell XS Energy Drink. This one is less hard and scary. Tom Scheidel has lined up a corporate sponsor in XS Energy Drinks. Tell Tom what you need, and sell them by the case for $15 each. ALL money goes directly to your Ride. There is no cost to you (and Tom & Mary would appreciate getting the cases of XS out of their garage). (Note: for those hosting events - Tom also has cases of water - no charge to use at your event that raises money for your Ride!)
Wear jeans/shorts/hat at Work Day - talk to your boss/manager about holding a dress-down day for your work place. People pay $5 ($10?, $20?) to wear less dressy clothes to work. Have JDRF stickers or something that people wear to show they paid. Easy! This is a proven fundraising endeavor used by lots of charities!
Send a Snail Mail Letter to everyone you have ever met with a self-addressed (not stamped!!!) envelope. The money starts rolling into your mailbox and it's exciting. Examples of letters sent in the past are on the website here. This, again, is a proven way to raise money for JDRF.
The easiest thing is to send an email from your Ride site with a brief messages as to why you are riding. JDRF National information systems staff have noted that the average donation online is larger (30%?) than for those made in cash & check form. Be sure to include an address that this individuals who don't like putting in credit card information online can send you a check made out to JDRF. Need help getting into the site and sending the email? Call the JDRF Michigan Great Lakes West Chapter at 616.957.1838 or email Katie.
The hardest part about fundraising is asking. Just do it. You'll be amazed at how many people give, and how much!
Any checks you get - have them made out to JDRF and send them to the JDRF office & the staff will apply those to your Ride account!
Wear jeans/shorts/hat at Work Day - talk to your boss/manager about holding a dress-down day for your work place. People pay $5 ($10?, $20?) to wear less dressy clothes to work. Have JDRF stickers or something that people wear to show they paid. Easy! This is a proven fundraising endeavor used by lots of charities!
Send a Snail Mail Letter to everyone you have ever met with a self-addressed (not stamped!!!) envelope. The money starts rolling into your mailbox and it's exciting. Examples of letters sent in the past are on the website here. This, again, is a proven way to raise money for JDRF.
The easiest thing is to send an email from your Ride site with a brief messages as to why you are riding. JDRF National information systems staff have noted that the average donation online is larger (30%?) than for those made in cash & check form. Be sure to include an address that this individuals who don't like putting in credit card information online can send you a check made out to JDRF. Need help getting into the site and sending the email? Call the JDRF Michigan Great Lakes West Chapter at 616.957.1838 or email Katie.
The hardest part about fundraising is asking. Just do it. You'll be amazed at how many people give, and how much!
Any checks you get - have them made out to JDRF and send them to the JDRF office & the staff will apply those to your Ride account!
JDRF
4595 Broadmoor Avenue SE, Suite 230
Kentwood, MI 49512.
Good luck. Email me if you have questions or need more ideas. There are lots of blogs and fundraising ideas out there on the Internet - we can find one that will work for you to help you reach your fundraising goal!
Kentwood, MI 49512.
Good luck. Email me if you have questions or need more ideas. There are lots of blogs and fundraising ideas out there on the Internet - we can find one that will work for you to help you reach your fundraising goal!
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1 comment:
Great post from a master fund raiser.
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