Lymphoma Survivor Transforms Wedding into Research Fundraiser

Co-Opt Special Occasions: One of the biggest fears of holding a fundraiser is that guests and attendees will end up not donating enough money and causing the event to be a waste of time. While there are many ways to prevent this from happening, one of the easiest fundraising ideas is to use special occasions to encourage donations instead. This could be during a baby showers, at a wedding reception, or even during a bachelor party. Most of these events involve spending money and giving gifts, which makes it a perfect opportunity to forego the gift giving and encourage donations instead. People will be more willing to donate if they were going to spend money on gifts in the first place.

Host a Happy Hour: Let's face it, alcohol can be expensive. That is why happy hours are incredibly enticing to many regular drinkers. What is even more enticing is all of their money going towards a great cause. There are tons of bars and pubs around most metropolitan areas, and there is bound to be a few that are looking to boost their public image by holding a similar event. You can contact your local watering hole to see if they would be interested in holding a charity happy hour. This can be great for the business as it can boost sales, give tons of publicity, and lead to even more returning customers. You'd be surprised how easy it could be to get local bars on board, especially if you have a list of signatures showing interest in the event.

Put the Fun in Fundraiser: While it would be nice if people donated to charitable causes on their own accord, they are much more likely to do so if there is something in it for them. When planning a fundraiser, you should think about what could get people excited and why they would want to come if they weren't that interested in donating initially. People are much more likely to come out if there is some fun activity involved like karaoke, going to a sports game, visiting an art gallery, etc. You can charge an admission fee and then keep a separate container for individual donations. This ensures that even those who aren't as philanthropic will have reason to come and give to the charity.