How to Make Your Fundraising Efforts Stand Out

Raising funds for the March of Dimes is a great way to support stronger, healthier babies AND it’s also a great opportunity to be creative! Here are some great ways to make your fundraising stand out and to get your friends and family excited about donating to your March for Babies efforts.

Ask in a special way – Make your letters and emails to potential donors personal in order to get a larger response. Do you send personal letters to your friends and family updating them on your life and career? Include your March for Babies efforts within your update.  If you are sending letters use colorful envelopes that are impossible to ignore.  Remember to share photos of your team and the reasons you are walking in your letters, emails and on your social networking sites (like Facebook and Twitter).

Share something sweet – Make cookies or other baked goods to thank your friends and family members. Go one step further and bring baked goods or candy to school or work (with permission) and sell them for donations.

Utilize special occasions – Is your birthday or another special occasion coming up? Ask your friends and family to donate as a gift this year. Having a celebration or a get-together? Provide an opportunity for attendees to donate to the March of Dimes right there as a thank you. Go the extra step and have a computer set up allowing people to make online donations right to your March for Babies individual or team page.

Offer rewards – Offer to drive your friends to school or work, carry your friend’s books to class, or clean out your friend’s locker in exchange for a donation to your March for Babies team.

Create competition – Challenge your friends and families to see who can get the most people to donate to your team’s page. Make the challenge public and you will see even greater success!

Say thank you – Thank those for donations in-person, by email/letter and/or through Facebook and Twitter. With administrative approval, publicly thank those who have donated at the beginning or end of a class or even make announcements to the entire school! The more public the thank-you, the better! Your donor can help you promote you walk!

Be creative and think outside the box! What works for some does not for others, and you and your friends and family may have a unique idea! Just be creative and have fun with it! Happy fundraising!

For more creative ways to raise funds, be sure to check out the 2014 March for Babies Youth Captains Guide!

Now let’s hear from you!
What is your best fundraising tip?
What creative ways do you raise funds for the March of Dimes?

Tags: fundraising, schools, Youth