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Don't forget:
Set A Goal
Set a personal fundraising goal and achieve or exceed it! Whether you raise $100 or $10,000, by utilizing the tips provided by The ALS Association Northwest Arkansas Partner you can reach your goal and help those living with and affected by ALS.
Write a Letter
One of the most effective (and easiest) ways to raise money for the Walk to Defeat ALSTM is to launch a letter-writing campaign. By simply drafting a “Dear family and friends” letter or email explaining why you and/or your family are participating in the Walk, you can reach many potential supporters. Remember to include everyone on your holiday greeting cards list, address book and organizations to which you belong when sending your letters.
CLICK HERE for Helpful Letter-Writing Campaign Tips
Utilize “My Walk Center”
As a registered participant of a local Walk to Defeat ALSTM event you have access to your very own Walk Web Page and the ability to drive your Team Building and Fundraising activities online at your convenience! By using the “My Walk Center” tool, you can upload your current email address book to send messages to friends and family members asking them to join or support your Walk Team.“My Walk Center” also allows you to track donations received and provides a "Fundraising Thermometer" to monitor the success of your fundraising efforts.
CLICK HERE to Learn More About the “My Walk Center” Tool
Ask 10 People for $10
How can you raise $100 in just a few days?? Simply ask 10 people for $10 each! Begin by asking your spouse, parents and other family members… then continue by asking friends, businesses you frequent and even colleagues.
Double Your Fundraising Dollars
Many companies will match their employee’s philanthropic contributions. Be sure to ask your employer! And don’t forget to ask all the people who have sponsored you to find out if they have a matching gift program at their workplace.
To find out if your company will match gifts to The ALS Association Northwest Arkansas Partner, please follow the link below: http://www.matchinggifts.com/als. If your company is eligible, request a matching gift form from your employer, and send it completed and signed with your gift. We will do the rest. The impact of your gift to this organization may be doubled or possibly tripled!
Creative Fundraising A - Z
Ask everyone you meet:
Always carry a sponsor/donation form with you so when you talk to people about the Walk to Defeat ALS™, 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! While you’re at it, ask them to join your team!
Auctions: Hold a live or silent auction for various items. BE CREATIVE! For example, a prime parking space at work, a half or whole day off from work, team members to work a day for someone, a picnic lunch prepared by your team members, OR other items such as collectibles or sports memorabilia.
Babysitter Service: Give parents a rest and baby-sit their children for a donation.
Bake Sale: Bake lots of homemade goodies and sell them at work or at a busy place (Target, Kmart, Macy’s etc.).
Block Party: Organize a neighborhood block party. Sell food and drinks and charge admission.
Boss For A Day: This one is fun! Allow people to bid on being boss for the day. High bid wins!
Brown Bag Lunch Week: Encourage employees to bring in their own lunches for a week and donate the money they would have spent to the team.
Carwashes: People always need a good carwash. This is a great fundraiser for students and adults, alike.
Car Bash: Secure an old car; write “ALS” in large, bold letters across the car. For a donation, participants get to swing a sledgehammer and “Smash ALS.”
Challenges: Challenge another Walk team to raise more money than yours.
Coin Drive: (Great for students) Place a large jar in the cafeteria and ask students and staff contribute their left over change from lunch. VARIATION: Penny Wars: Drop change in jars to compete against other departments, classes, bank branches. Pennies are worth positive points; silver coins and cash are worth negative points. “Sabotage” the other jars by dropping silver or dollars in them.
Coin Toss: Get permission from the local mall to collect all coins tossed in the fountain for
a designated time period. Be sure to have signs stating that the coins will be donated to the
ALS Association DC/MD/VA Chapter Walk to Defeat ALS™.
Challenge by the Boss: Get your boss to agree that if all team members raise their minimum $100, that he will kiss a pig, get a pie in the face, etc. . .
Craft Fairs: Great for year-round fundraising. Set up a booth at a local festival and sell crafts made by team members.
Concession Stands: Get permission to sell concessions at a local sporting event or community event.
Cake Walk: Get team members to bake cakes. Walkers purchase tickets for the opportunity to participate in the cake walk. Place numbers in a circle and when the music stops, participants run to the nearest number. An emcee calls out a number and the individual closest to that number wins a cake.
Dance for a Cure: Students hold a school dance, or adults organize a dance at a local club. Ask a DJ or band to donate services. Sell refreshments.
Dog Walkers: Walk the neighbors’ dogs for a donation or dog sit while pet owners are on vacation.
Donut Days: Get donuts donated from a local bakery and sell at work or school.
Dress Down Days: Have employees pay to dress down at work. This can also work with schools that require uniforms (with permission).
E-mail: Send E-mails to your friends, family and co-workers asking them for donations.
Errand Service: For a donation, run errands for those who don’t have time to do their own.
Fish Fry: Hold a fish fry at your church or community center and charge $5.00 per plate.
Flower Sales: Work with local florist or wholesaler to sell bouquets, potted flowers, or individual stems at your school or place of work. Try this around Valentines Day or other special holidays.
Game Night: Invite friends to your house to play board games, charades, etc. Sell tickets.
Garage Sales: Work individually or as a team.
Go Door to Door: Go door to door and ask for donations. Work as a team to cover different sections of town.
Golf Tournament: Hold a golf tournament with the proceeds benefiting your Walk team.
Hat (or Cap) Day: (Great for schools) Students can make a donation to wear baseball caps to school for the day.
Haunted House: For Halloween, organize a haunted house and charge admission.
Ice Cream Socials: Plan one at your place of work or with friends or children. Ask for a donation to attend. Sell ice cream and tell them that the proceeds are going to your Walk team.
Jail & Bail: For a donation, employees can be arrested. For an additional donation, they can post their own bail or employees have a bounty posted on the heads of fellow employees and they are not set free until the entire bounty is raised ($100 or more per inmate).
Jewelry Sales: Work with a wholesale company to sell jewelry, with your team receiving a portion of the sales or host a jewelry party at your home with a portion of the sales benefiting your team.
Kitchen Tools Sale: Work with a Pampered Chef Consultant (http://www.pamperedchef.com/) to hold a kitchen show. A portion of the sales will benefit your team.
Lawn Service: Mow your neighbors or your family’s lawns for donations.
Letter Writing: Send letters to friends and family explaining what you are doing and why. Tell them your personal goal and ask for help. You could even write a letter from your pet to your friend’s pet!
Longaberger Basket Bingo: Work with a Longaberger Basket Representative to hold a basket show and ask if a portion of the sales could benefit your team.
Matching Gifts: This is a great way to double your donations. Ask your company to match what you raise.
Money Jars: Place jars where you work, on your desk, or on store counters with info about The ALS Association and the Walk to Defeat ALS™ on the front.
Monday Night Football Party with a Purpose: The men will love this one! Provide refreshments and charge admission to the game.
Night at the Movies: Invite your friends over for a night at the movies. Charge admission.
Have popcorn, candy, and drinks to sell too.
Odd Jobs: Ask neighbors or family if you can do their odd jobs for a donation.
Ornament Sale: Get together with your team and make Christmas ornaments. Sell them for a donation.
Payroll Deduction: Employees can make their own contributions by having them deducted directly form their paychecks. A little each week can grow into a large amount!
Pizza Sales: Work with a local pizza parlor to give you a percentage of the pies that you sell.
Party With a Purpose: (aka Neighborhood Parties) Throw a neighborhood party and put the money towards your team.
Poker Run: With four-wheelers or motorcycles. $10 entry fee per vehicle. Riders stop at five different hospitality stops and playing cards are given out. At the end of the trip, the person with the best poker hand is the winner.
Quilts: Sell quilt squares in honor and memory of people with ALS; squares of 4X4 for $5; 8X8 for $15; 12X12 for $25. Have employees make the quilts themselves. Also, you can raffle off a handmade quilt that was made by someone on your team or donated to the team.
Raffles: Just like auctions, raffles can accommodate many items. You can raffle off homemade items or items donated from local businesses.
Roll Those Pennies: And, while you’re at it, break open the piggy bank and start rolling all of those coins that you have been collecting.
Sports Tournaments: Organize sports tournaments at a local school gym or community center and charge an entry fee.
Student/Faculty Game: Organize a student vs. faculty sports game (basketball, softball, etc.) and charge admission. You can even sell concessions.
Tupperware Party: Host a Tupperware party and donate the proceeds to your team.
U-Can-Win-A-Turkey Raffle: Ask a local grocery store to donate a turkey and sell raffle
tickets for $1 for a chance to win a Holiday turkey.
Vacation Day Drawing: Get your employer to agree to raffle off a vacation day with pay. The raffle money raised will go to your Walk team.
Vendors: Solicit the vendors that you use for items to raffle or auction off.
Wristbands: Sell Strike Out ALS™ wristbands. This is a great way to raise money for your team and spread awareness at the same time. Go to http://www.alsinfo.org/ and order your wristbands online.
Xtra Cents: (Great for bank and credit union teams.) Donate the extra cents from your deposit to the bank’s Walk to Defeat ALS™team. Place a sign at the teller line and drive-thru window. “The CURE for ALS may be in YOUR POCKET.” Indicate that all proceeds benefit The ALS Association.
Yard Sales: Clean out those closets and have a yard sale. You can do this individually or with your team. The money raised will go to your Walk team.
Zoo, Zipper, Zebra: We challenge you to think of a creative way to incorporate a Zoo, Zipper or Zebra into your fundraising plan!
Do you have any creative ideas? Let us know.
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