Fundraising Friday: Citywide Scavenger Hunt or Treasure Hunt

When you create a fundraiser, the most important successful aspect of the event is that your participants have FUN!  Make a game of it.  People are more likely to buy tickets or pay to register than just donate money.  Why not take the normal Scavenger Hunt or Treasure Hunt and SUPERSIZE it?!


As you read the following article, you will find some great ideas for taking a simple scavenger hunt to the city level.  Think about Boardman. What are some easily recognizable landmarks—and some that aren't quite so easily recognized? You can use pictures of these and also create some riddles to lead participants to other spots.

I tried to come up with a few for you.  How well do you know your community?  Here are some ideas to get you thinking about pictures and riddles:
  • The clock outside of Barnes and Noble and Bath & Body Works in The Shops at Boardman Park.
  • The covered bridge next to Lanterman's Mill.  Maybe just a part of it to make it not so easy.
  • The turnoff lane to Tippecanoe from Lockwood—picture taken from the old Quizno's parking lot.
At the end of the Scavenger Hunt or the Treasure Hunt, be sure to provide a decent prize.  Lots of companies would be willing to donate a large prize if you have the event worked out well.

Here is the article:  http://www.scavenger-hunt-fun.com/scavenger-hunt-clues.html

Good luck and have fun!
Kari




Fundraising Friday: Just a Buck

At Relay one year, we talked about doing a fundraiser called "Just a Buck".  There are a variety of ways you can implement a "Just a Buck" fundraiser.  We'll talk about two of them in depth here.

Relay Bingo


The first idea for implementing "Just a Buck" is actually a pretty simple idea.  We call it "Relay Bingo", but it's not really "bingo" per se.  Simply print the following image on a standard 8.5"x11" sheet of paper (or get fancy if you want to).


Once you have it printed, find yourself a manila envelope.  It can be one of the larger ones or a half-size one.  You could even use a ballot box type of setup.  Write "Relay Bingo" on the envelope or box so you can put it next to your Bingo board.




Your co-workers, clients, church family, whoever your audience may be can simply throw a dollar or two into your envelope or container and sign their name in a box.

EASY $100!  Good luck!

Just a Buck


This idea for "Just a Buck" takes a little planning, but it could be a lot of fun, and depending on the type of event you choose to hit, quite lucrative.  The concept is to solicit "just a buck" from attendees at a sporting event—for example, a Brown's football game or a Phantom's hockey game.  You can even choose to work with a college game or a high school game.  The sporting season you choose is completely up to you...soccer, basketball, baseball, football, volleyball...whatever ball you prefer.

One of the first things you'll need to accomplish is to get permission from the event's organizers to place your team of volunteers at the entrances to the event with money buckets.  Always get permission first.  In this case, asking for forgiveness after the fact is not a good idea.  You also want to make sure you fully understand the conditions and any rules for your volunteers.  After all, you represent the American Cancer Society and the Relay For Life.

Next, find enough volunteers for each entrance of the venue you chose.  You want to make sure you have as many buckets walking around as you can. 

Make sure you volunteers wear Relay For Life clothing or team clothing.  Get yourselves some matching t-shirts with Relay For Life on them and possibly your team name.  Go all out!!  Relay shirts, Relay hats, Relay bling, Relay, Relay, Relay!

Contact your local American Cancer Society office (or your Team Ambassadors) to get some purple Relay For Life buckets.  Any kind of container will work, but the purple is a great attention getter.

Have fun!  The most important part of any team fundraising event like this is to have fun!  Yes, this is a serious business, but in the grand scheme of everything, the fact that Angie wore a few less pieces of purple or Carlos arrived half an hour late is really not that big.  Be glad they came.

To pump up your team, assign one or more people as cheerleaders whose only task is to take care of your volunteers.  Potty breaks, hot chocolate, jokes, hugs, dancing, mini contests—anything to keep them having a ball.

Let us know if you try either of these fundraising ideas and how it went!

Happy Fundraising!
Kari