EMBRACE COMMUNITY PUT THE FUN IN FUNDRAISING

Put the fun in fundraising

Whether you’re boosting the PTA or helping a sick neighbor, use these ideas to get your town excited about your cause. by JAMIE LISANTI

Get physical People enjoy doing two good things at once: being active while contributing to a worthy goal. Instead of a traditional run or race, try a dance-a-thon where participants of all ages can cut loose from noon until midnight. All you really need are printed numbers, a large flat space and an aspiring DJ with an iPod.

Be crafty Donors will feel connected to the cause when they use their hands to do more than just reach for their wallets, so don’t merely sell crafts—offer the public the chance to create them. Pros suggest giving lessons for a few dollars per person on how to fold origami figures. Learn designs and print out instructions at origami-instructions. com, then display the creations in a prominent locale with a donation bin nearby.

Go wild Having a good-natured authority figure do something absurd for donations is a surefire way to grab attention and cash. Update the classic dunking booth by having the school principal fall into green Jell-O instead of water. You can also ask your town councilman to allow kids to shower him with wet confetti, or give him a shaving cream hairdo and take photos.

SOURCES: Tom Kelly, author, thefundraisingguru.com; founder, 24fundraiser.com. Paige Robinson, author, 250+ Fundraising Ideas for Your Charity, Society, School and PTA.

When you sign up for bing.com’s free search engine rewards program, you can earn credits for your daily online searches. For example, for every 100 credits, you can donate $1 to Teach For America, which recruits teachers for lowincome communities, or the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

{Community spotlight} Treasures 4 Teachers Tempe, AZ

WHAT IT IS

A nonprofit store at which teachers pay $35 a year for an annual membership, allowing them to buy school supplies at a low, flat rate. The teacher can fill large bags with as many items as he or she needs for $5 a bag—anything that fits, from pencils to microscopes.

HOW IT STARTED

In 2003 the group’s founder, Barbara Blalock, was working for an after-school program and saw how hard it was to get the educational supplies she needed. “Many teachers nearby were spending $1,000 out of their own pockets,” Blalock says. She began soliciting companies like Intel and Target for material donations, and turned her garage into a shop for educators.

WHY IT’S COOL

“So many new teachers walk into their classrooms to find a few desks and chairs—and nothing else. There’s no supply

Treasures 4 Teachers (T4T) founder Barbara Blalock

budget and they’re just told to figure it out,” says Blalock.

GET INVOLVED

Visit treasures4 teachers.org to find out how to start a T4T store in your own community.