Fundraising Under Quarantine

Fundraising In Quarantine By Lance Sahagun | Oxford Key Club

Quarantine. I hate that word with a burning passion. Gone were the many tried-and-true tenured plans of raising money during our busiest and most opportunistic fundraising season. No more bake sales, no more boba sales, no more division roller-skating. Basically, I was jobless. March and April passed by with a veiled panic, the unnerve of my lack of production slowly etching at the back of my mind. “But there was nothing that could be realistically done! We have no idea what we are doing!” The funerals for my DCM sales and Eliminate Week fundraisers were overshadowed by a greater fear of the uncertain reality which we were now dealt with. May was my tipping point; although other treasurers continued to suggest and research, I was finally able to absorb the reality that a lack of a centralized collection system coupled with complete faith in the honors system and social media marketing combined to from the greatest barrier to our fundraising efforts. Still, no treasurer had anything. My personal philosophy in fundraising rests on the pillars of rationalism, maximum output, and mindfulness of my members. At this point, though it would seem to be the time to throw the dice and take that risk, I still felt uncomfortable throwing in my cards. If you told me June would introduce even more detractors from our goal, I would have cried on the spot. However, I had enough of waiting. I continued telling myself all I needed, and all my club needed, is one push of momentum, one glowing sign of hope. That beacon never came because I had to make it on my own. Oxford’s first official fundraiser of the 2020-21 term was the Surplus Spirit Gear Fundraiser, and I am overwhelmingly happy for its success despite how late it was. The biggest obstacle presented was finding a secure and trustworthy way to pitch the sale. For this, I offered to deliver orders directly following strict sanitation and CDC guidelines, showing our ability to adapt and our persistence in fundraising for our preferred charities. 100% of donations will go towards the Pediatric Trauma Program, which is a Kiwanis CNH District initiative to reduce the amount of preventable injury and death by accidental occurrences, such as falling off one’s bike. To

do this, all money raised will be allocated for educational programs, safety supplies, and support for children who have experienced trauma in partnership with local hospitals. The near future shows promise due to the reopening of the state; however, we must still be prepared for the worst. I am proud of my club’s resilience and support, so regarding our goals, I have a strong belief that we will overcome. Being able to nearly achieve 1/3 of my revised PTP goal through one fundraiser gives me the energy and motivation I need to continue to push our boundaries and truly innovate in our most desperate times. I know these efforts will not be mine alone, and so, I am immensely thankful to my club board and members for their faith in me. Fundraising under quarantine has proven to be our greatest challenge, but with renewed hope, we now understand that it is not impossible.