If you want to improve your mental wellbeing, make friends, and lead a fulfilling life, then working for a cause you believe in is the best way to do it. Never underestimate the importance of purpose for someone, or how many great friends you can make just by doing something that you are passionate about. The cause you choose to rally behind might be personal, but one of the best ways that you can always help is by fundraising money to help the organizations you believe in most. It can feel difficult to begin, but with this guide, you’ll start fundraising before you know it.
Start Small
Though a fundraiser might not sound impressive until you raise thousands upon thousands of dollars, you don’t need to start so big. Start small. Raise $100 for your local animal shelter, or even secure five different volunteers help with a beach clean. Your contributions could be numerical, or they can help in some other way.
Either way, start small so that your goal is more realistic when you first start out, and you can complete that first goal.
Choose Your Fundraising Tactic
There are many ways to raise money. Here are just a few:
Raffle
Raffles are a great way to raise money. First, you will need an adequate prize. Usually, this is something that a local business has donated. It could be a gift basket, a spa day, a lunch, or anything else businesses are willing to donate for the cause.
Ticket sales will then go directly to the charity. For the best results, work with communities. At a school fair, you can host a table for the raffle, or at any similar community event.
Contest
Contests are other great ways to fundraise. Have an entrance fee and a prize (similar to a raffle) as well as an activity or challenge for them to compete in. Town fairs, school fairs – all of these are great places to hold a contest.
Marathon
Complete a marathon and work to raise money to sponsor you that will go directly to a charity. You can get friends, family, coworkers, and anyone else you may know to donate.
Fundraising Memorabilia
Another way to fundraise money is to offer some sort of feel-good response. Engrave bricks or tiles with Brick Fundraiser for people who donate large sums and have that installed in your building to encourage a larger community response. Have small gifts that people receive if they donate generously (a lanyard for a $10 donation, a tote bag for a $30 donation). It gives something tangible back to the donator and can encourage more people to “buy” your item.
Market Your Fundraiser
You will need to market your fundraiser. A good way to get free publicity is to work with an event in your community. Alternatively, you can market (and even fundraise) on social media.
Work with Existing Charities
If all this sounds like a lot of effort to organize or you don’t have the backing of your own organization (like a school), then a good alternative is to just volunteer. Work with charities you believe in, make friends, and have fun.
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In fact, you can always start with a small one, such as simply joining an existing project. For example, you can find out more about how Portafina helps with JDRF here
Sometimes it is easier than it seems, because there are many charitable organizations and projects