The Fundraising Factory - Archive for the ‘Fundraisers’ Category

Using the Ole Noggin’

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

Creative thinking affects effective fundraising.
 

Fundraisers are just like products.  They can be tracked on the bell curve.  Slowly rising, peeking and then tiring on the downhill.

When a fundraising event takes off and grows revenue for a few years in a row we pat ourselves on the back, include it as a line item in the annual budget, and hope it lasts forever. 

Since we are aware of the bell curve phenomenon it’s necessary to take our head out of the sand, put our thinking caps on and come up with the next best fundraiser before the downhill slide begins. 

It is the development committee’s responsibility to raise the funds for the budget and to come up with the fundraising ideas.

The chance of a fundraising committee coming up with a successful new fundraiser that is meaningful and unique improves when IME elements exist.

Inspiration, Motivation, and Execution elements are achieved through creative thinking.

Creative thinking is enhanced and maximized by social stimulation, (small group brainstorming), in other words you can’t do it alone.  Creativity drives the problem solving process when unexpected dynamics are introduced to the group.  Asking a question with constraints, such as what if the fundraiser is all about blue?  Or, no one can come to the event that is under 30.  Stimulation jump starts the grey matter into looking at things from a different perspective and firing off the synapses that can lead to new concepts, new ways of thinking and new fundraisers.  

Small group participation creates inclusion.  Shared ideas can lead to “buy in” and greater motivation to bring the idea to fruition.  Execution is easy when the person with the most enthusiasm for the idea is given the leadership role to oversee or chair the fundraiser. 

 As always Happy Fundraising,

Lucinda

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Good Peeps, Good Eats, Good Cause!

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

Maine Cancer Annual Luncheon

Cure Breast Cancer for ME luncheon was amazing!  Over 650 people together celebrating life and remembering those we have lost to breast cancer.  Heart breaking stories were told but triumphs were shared giving us hope that someday we will find the cure. 

I was soooo fortunate and greatful to be able to try my new game  ITAGU.ME with everyone.  There were hundreds of women and men who played tag.  Each taking an ITAGU.ME tag and filling out a card to have one sent to someone they know.  It was a true play it forward game of thoughtfulness. Donations from the tags sent went to the Maine Cancer Foundation.   A big thank you to everyone who joined in.  I can’t wait to see what happens as friends are tagged “IT” by other friends.  Will they go to ITAGU.ME and play it forward?  Time will tell.

Thank you Meredith Burgess the founder of this wonderful day!

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Speaking in Virginia…Come out and see me!

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

The weekend of 26th and 27th  I will be in Virginia speaking at two events.  One is Saturday evening at a dinner/auction to recognize and celebrate NOVACO’s 10th anniversary.  Then on Sunday I will be talking at a tea/brunch for the Daughter’s of the Zelophehad.  They have sold 17293 pins!!!!!  I am excited to be a part in these events and visit the state where I was born.

Custom Design Fundraising Pin For NOVACO

This a very cool custom pin we designed for NOVACO.

They have been very successful with these designs and I am sure they will sell allot more of them at this event.  Can’t wait to see you all!      

Next week is the Cure Breast Cancer for ME luncheon where I am going to kick off my new idea.  It’s called ITAGU.ME. tag.   I am going to play tag with the 650 attendees.  Each person will have the chance to purchase an ITAGU.ME tag for $10 AND send one to a friend.  It’s a play it forward game that raises money and gets a buzz going.  The tags can be used as a key chain, attached to a purse zipper, a gym bag, or as a dog tag around the neck.  There are probably a million more uses that you can think of for the tags.   Lisa is putting together a page on our website for the ITAGU.ME tags and we’ll let you know as soon as it’s ready.  More on this later.

ITAGU.ME for The Maine Cancer Foundation

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No Fairytales for the Hungry

Monday, August 31st, 2009

I don’t always pick up the phone at Designs by Lucinda but when I do there’s always the chance of enlightenment.  The stories people share with me about their non-profit and the work they are doing can be awesome, inspiring, or heartbreaking, and some times….. a good reminder of the things we take for granted.

Friday I had the good fortune to answer the phone and meet Es Cohen Development Director of Jewish Family Services of Orlando.  She told me she is preparing for a big event in October, an Evening of Valor.  It nets $186,000.00.  WOW!  As we talked, I learned that one of the many services JSS provides in the community,  is food to families in Orlando via the Pearlman Pantry.  Es expressed an interest in selling our End Hunger Pins to raise awareness for the food campaign.

End Hunger Pin

This year they expect to distribute over 100,000 meals!  My first thought was “How can this be? Hunger in Orlando?”  It wasn’t making sense with the image in my mind.  “Orlando…the land of make believe ….where magic comes to life.”  That’s not a place where people risk malnutrition from hunger, or where mothers don’t have enough food for their children, and children go to school unable to concentrate because of lack of breakfast or where the elderly rely on soup kitchens and food pantries.  My inner child screams.  Dammit!  It can’t be true.   

So I put on my big girl suit and I set out to clear up this notion.  I emailed The Second Harvest of Central Florida AND left real live voice messages just in case servers were down.  “Sure” I thought “there’s probably  soup kitchens in Florida serving the poor but certainly none near Disney.”  I would get the answers soon enough.  Patience….. I have been sitting next to the phone all day waiting…… waiting for someone to explain to me this cruel and unimaginable reality.  It’s nearly closing time here and still no word.  They must be out feeding the hungry.  Maybe tomorrow someone will call and enlighten me.  Here’s some food for thought….

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The Heart of the Volunteer

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

 

The Tri for a CURE was this past Sunday.  It’s a triathalon, swim, bike, run race to raise money for the Maine Cancer Foundation.  In the dead of winter on a February night registration opened at exactly midnight.  600 woman registered to race, each for her own reason.  It sold out in less than 30 minutes.  I didn’t get in.  Not necessarily a bad thing since I don’t swim well or even like to run.  So I volunteered instead to help at the first leg of the race, the swim.  I was asked to count the women coming out of the water.  A job I could handle… or so I thought.  I was even given a counter to make it easier.  It was a no brainer assignment and I was left at the shoreline to click my counter as each woman finished the swim and headed for her bike.  The goal was to be sure the same number of women who went in the water came out of the water.  Waves of women went into the Atlantic 30 to 40 a time until all 436 were swimming in the 60 degree ocean.   As they finished the swim and arrived safely back to shore, I cheered enthusiastically and loudly for each and every one of them…. and I clicked away.  That part of the race was done and the women had survived the swim. I checked my counter.  It read 587!  How is that possible?  436 went in right?  Perhaps it was my thumb clicking skills.  In all my emotional excitement had a clicked unknowingly?  Had I clicked for every woman who got out of the water and then clicked again as I realized that her breasts were gone!  Or double clicked  for those wearing pink caps designating a cancer survivor!  2 clicks for the survivors of cancer and the survivors of the Maine cold waters?  There were so many.  Did I count them twice because they deserved it?   I was a witness to woman of unbelievable stamina, commitment, dedication and most of all courage.  Whoever assigned me my first time volunteering job was brilliant.  Because they put me in a position where I could have an emotional connection to the cause the experience compelled me to want to help again next year. 

I know my numbers may not have been spot on but my heart sure was.  I know I shouldn’t give you the take away but I can’t help myself.  If you have a first time volunteer put them close to the heart of the cause and they’ll be a volunteer forever.

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