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Fundraising is easy if you keep it simple

Start with the basics:

1. Set a goal.
2. Start early.
3. Fundraise online with your “My Participation Center”
4. Not sure how to get started? Use this guide for some great ideas and maybe even develop your own ideas from them.
5. For more details check out the Fundraising tab
    

Fun Fundraising Ideas

Dunking Booth
(Corporate or Friends & Family Teams)

Resources and materials needed:

• Dunking booth, water source, soft balls, roll of tickets, and central location outside in the sun! Tables/chairs, music, and change for cash transactions.
• Confirm the date:
• Friday’s are usually a highly picked day for fundraisers.
• Good idea to have this focused around a payday.
• Location and site:
• Outside break area or front parking lot – central high visibility area for employees.
• If friends & family, pick a house, restaurant or central location for team members.
• Promote the event:
• Company and team emails, intranet website, social media outlets (face book, YouTube, twitter, etc.), post flyers and posters, and talk it up!
• In-kind donations:
• Provide a list of items needed, quantity and a deadline to have them brought in.
• Financial donations:
• Set a minimum per price for each ball, discount for multiple balls, or have different throwing distances.
• Sell tickets prior to the event.
• Provide a jar for anyone to make a general donation and label in with MS Society logo.
• Get senior managers to be in the booths to be dunked?
• Serve lunch for donations as well to bring more people to the event.
• Volunteer needs:
• Estimate number of people attending and sell tickets prior to event.
• Recruit volunteers (communicating and coordinating with departments, staff and managers is key for all to be involved and all to have fun and enjoy this event).
• Determine volunteer assignments – pass around a sign up sheet for various needs: booth attendees, people in the dunking booth, set up, clean up, order takers, money counters, and event promoters.
• Strategies and Tips:
• Gain corporate approval and encourage healthy corporate competitiveness.
• Provide incentives such as prize drawings for volunteers, donors, and/or departments.
• See if your company will match all employee donations from the event (check with the HR department).

Car Wash
(Corporate or Friends & Family Teams)

Resources and materials needed:

• Water supply, towels, soap, good weather, sun screen, music, and cash for change.
• Confirm the date:
• Friday’s are usually a highly picked day of the week for fundraisers and especially for a carwash – it is wrapping up the week, heading into the weekend & possible casual dress.
• Good idea to have this focused around a payday.
• Location and site:
• Parking lot with ample space (company’s office or an off site business such as one of the National MS Society retail or restaurant partners) - easy in and out “drive thru” experience, or top level of a parking garage.
• If friends & family, pick a house, restaurant or central location for team members.
• Promote the event:
• Company and team emails, intranet website, social media outlets (face book, YouTube, twitter, etc.), post flyers and posters, and talk it up!
• In-kind donations:
• Provide a list of items needed, quantity and a deadline to have them brought in.
• Financial donations:
• Set a minimum per car - add extras - $5 to vacuum, $5 for tires, $5 to Windex the mirrors.
• Provide a jar for anyone to make a general donation and label in with MS Society logo.
• Special Request – Want to have your VP wash your car? Sure for a larger donation! $150, $200 – what can it be?
• Volunteer needs:
• Estimate number of cars being washed and take orders prior to the event.
• Recruit volunteers (communicating and coordinating with departments, staff and managers is key for all to be involved and all to have fun and enjoy this event).
• Determine volunteer assignments, pass around a sign up sheet for various needs: car washers, set up, lunches, breaks, clean up, order takers, money counters, and event promoters, etc.
• Strategies and Tips:
• Gain corporate approval.
• Encourage healthy corporate competitiveness.
• Provide incentives such as prize drawings for volunteers, donors, and/or departments.
• See if your company will match all employee donations from the event (check with HR).

Jeans Day
(Corporate Teams)

• Confirm the date: This is up to the company because some may only allow jeans on Fridays, while others could possibly allow jeans all week for a fundraiser – just ask!!
• Location and site: At your office.
• Promote the event: Publicize the event by sending company emails, website, social media outlets (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc.), post flyers and posters ... and talk it up!
• Financial donations: Set a donation price of $5, $10 or more! Ask anyone who wears jeans to work on the day of the event to pay a certain amount for the privilege of wearing jeans that day.
• Recruit volunteers to collect money prior to the event and the day of event and also for communication and marketing.

Strategies and Tips:

• Gain corporate approval.
• Encourage healthy corporate competitiveness between departments, floors of the building, warehouse vs. office, etc.
• Provide information to participants on Multiple Sclerosis and other ways to get involved in the organization.
• Ask if your company will match all employee donations from the event.

CRAWFISH BOIL
(Corporate or Friends & Family Teams)

Resources and materials needed:

• Crawfish, corn & potatoes with all the fixings, tables/chairs, utensils, tablecloths, hair nets, plastic gloves, music, and change for cash transactions.
• Confirm the date: Friday’s are usually a highly picked day for fundraisers especially for this fun event!
• Good idea to have this focused around a payday.
• Location and site: Company’s lunch room, outside break area or parking lot with tents, or restaurant.
• If friends & family, pick a house, restaurant or central location for team members.
• Promote the event: Company and team emails, intranet website, social media outlets (face book, YouTube, twitter, etc.), post flyers and posters, and talk it up!
• In-kind donations: Provide a list of items needed, quantity and a deadline to have them brought in.
• Financial donations: Set a minimum per plate of food or sell tickets prior to the event.
• Set up a table for general donations which can be set up as a pledge to be collected.
• Volunteer needs: Estimate number of people attending (sell tickets prior to event).
• Recruit volunteers (communicating and coordinating with departments, staff and managers is key for all to be involved and all to have fun and enjoy this event).
• Determine volunteer assignments – pass around a sign up sheet for various needs: cooks, waiters, hostesses, set up, clean up, order takers, money counters, and event promoters.
• Strategies and Tips: Gain corporate approval.
• Encourage healthy corporate competitiveness.
• Provide incentives such as prize drawings for volunteers, donors, and/or departments.
• If having it at a restaurant, see if they will match or donate a percentage of their sales from that day to your event.

Garage Sale
(Corporate or Friends & Family Teams)

Resources and materials needed:

• Donated items, display tables, price tags if wanted, change, plastic bags for customers to take small items with them.
• Confirm the date:
• Saturdays are good for garage sales and Fridays are great for the corporate office.
• Location and site:
• Determine if the garage sale can be at the team’s office or at an individual’s home.
• Promote the event:
• Team emails, intranet website, social media outlets (face book, YouTube, twitter, etc.), post flyers and posters, and talk it up!
• In-kind donations:
• Provide a list of supplies needed such as pricing labels, drinks for volunteers, markers and of course donated items for the garage sale.
• Financial donations:
• Provide a jar at the garage sale for anyone to make a general donation and label in with MS Society logo.
• Price everything right to move the items and to raise funds.
• Volunteer needs:
• Determine estimated volunteers need.
• Estimate number of hours volunteers need to work.
• Gather donated items prior to event.
• Recruit volunteers for money collection, answering questions, bagging items for customers, reorganizing items throughout the day, set up and take down.
• Strategies and Tips:
• Gain corporate approval.
• Encourage healthy competitiveness between departments and see who can bring in the most items for the sale.
• Provide incentives such as prize drawings for departments who bring in the most items or for volunteers who help during the sale.
• See if your company will match all employee donations from the event (check with HR department).

Bake Sale
(Corporate Teams)

Resources and materials needed:

• Tables for displaying items, cash for change, tags for pricing, signs for tables.
• Confirm the date:
• Friday’s are usually a highly picked day of the week for fundraisers and especially for a bake sale. Good to have it on a payday as well.
• Location and site:
• Break rooms, cafeteria or lobbies work best.
• Promote the event in every possible way:
• Team emails, intranet website, social media outlets (face book, YouTube, twitter, etc.), post flyers and posters, and talk it up!
• In-kind donations:
• Employees and team members bring items for sale.
• Financial donations:
• Suggested minimum (and of course no max).
• Set a price – Ex. 50 cents for one cookie or $1.00 for three.
• Provide a jar at the garage sale for anyone to make a general donation and label in with MS Society logo.
• Volunteer needs:
• If in break room – none, work on the honor system.
• If in lobby, one to two volunteers per shift or just have sale during lunch.
• Strategies and Tips:
• Gain corporate approval.
• Encourage healthy competitiveness between departments by seeing which floor can raise the most money, etc.
• Develop a poster that informs everyone who the fundraiser is for and where the funds are going to.
• See if your company will match all employee donations from the event (check with HR department) 

Stationary Cycling or Walking on a Treadmill for $ 
(Corporate Teams)

Resources and materials needed:

• Stationary bike, trainer, or treadmill, volunteer wears team jersey or shirt, bucket for collecting cash, posters for promoting the event, hand out flyers listing team members.
• Confirm the date:
• Any day of the business week will work. Pay days are the best.
• Location and site:
• Obtain approval to set up in the lobby of your company or other high traffic areas. The ideal location is the main employee entrance during peak times when employees are arriving, going to lunch or leaving work at the end of the day.
• Promote the event:
• Company emails, intranet website, social media outlets (face book, YouTube, twitter, etc.), post flyers and posters, and talk it up!
• Financial donations:
• Suggest a minimum in dollars to minimize coins (and of course no max).
• Volunteer needs:
• Develop a schedule to solicit members for a specific period time (Ex. 6:30 to 7:30, etc.).
• Members bring their own water bottle and bike, etc.
• Set up stationary bike, trainer or treadmill.
• Strategies and tips:
• Gain corporate support & approval.
• The goal of the activity is to collect donations, but can be a means to increase awareness about the team, volunteerism and community events, and MS Society.
• Outcomes from providing a handout list of team members by department:
• Increase interdepartmental donations to specific members within the department.
• Management awareness can be positive for individual team members.
• Increase the awareness of needed volunteers for the MS events.
• See if your company will match all employee donations from the event (contact HR department).

Restaurant Fundraiser
(Corporate or Friends & Family Teams)

Resources and materials needed:

• Pick a great restaurant and don’t forget all the other goodies that you want to bring to make this event very special.
• Confirm the date:
• Friday’s are usually a highly picked day of the week for company fundraisers, while weekends work for personal fundraisers.
• Check that the benefit night is exclusive to my organization.
• Location and site:
• Select a restaurant location that can hold a large crowd and provides a large variety of food.
• Promote the event:
• Publicize the event by sending emails, website, social media outlets (face book, YouTube, twitter, etc.), intranet, post flyers and posters, and talk it up!
• In-kind donations:
• Ask your local restaurant if they would donate a private room in their restaurant to host your fundraising event.
• Financial donations:
• Contact your local restaurant and mention that the fundraiser is for a 501 (3) c non-profit group. Many restaurants will donate meals at a discounted price, while others will donate a portion of their sales on a particular day to the nonprofit group.
• The portion of sales is typically between 10 and 25%.
• Volunteer needs:
• Recruit volunteers for communication and marketing.
• Volunteers to collect money.
• Strategies and Tips:
• Promote awareness and provide information on Multiple Sclerosis and other ways to get involved in the organization to those who participate in the fundraiser.
• See if the restaurant will match all the donations from the event or provide a percentage of the sales from the event. See if your company will match all employee donations from the event (check with HR department).
• See if you can have people work behind the counter or as “celebrity servers”.
• Set up a promotional display to solicit additional donations.

Wine Tasting
(Corporate or Friends & Family Teams)

Resources and materials needed:

• Don’t forget the wine and other goodies to make this event very special.
• Confirm the date: Friday’s are usually a highly picked day of the week for company fundraisers, while weekends work for personal fundraisers.
• Location and site: Approach your local wine shop or winery regarding your fundraising event. Choose a venue with a knowledgeable wine expert for the wines that will be tasted. Seek out suitable merchants by wine list, price, and location.
• Promote the event: Publicize the event by sending emails, website, social media outlets (face book, YouTube, twitter, etc.), intranet, post flyers and posters, and talk it up!
• In-kind donations: Ask wine merchant if they will donate bottles of wine or cheese for the tasting as well as provide a private area in their store for your event.
• Financial donations: Sell tickets to co-workers, friends, team members, and merchants who support the organization, etc.
• Set a price of $10+ per ticket!
• Volunteer needs: Sell tickets and take money prior to the event and the day of event.
• Recruit volunteers for communication and marketing.
• Strategize on how you want to develop the layout for the wine event, etc.
• Strategies and Tips: Provide information on Multiple Sclerosis and other ways to get involved with the organization to those who participate.
• See if the wine store will match all the donations from the event or provide a percentage of the sales from the event.
• See if your company will match all employee donations from the event.

Parking Space Raffle
(Corporate Teams)

Resources and materials needed:

• Reserved parking signs for the parking space(s), a parking location to raffle, raffle tickets.
• Confirm the date: Decide on how long someone can have the reserved parking space (week, month, year).
• Obtain management approval. If at a lease site, get landlord involvement.
• Location and site: The parking space(s) nearest to the front door of the facility are premium parking locations. Get parking location donated by landlord or management, if applicable.
• Promote the event: Company and team emails, intranet website, social media outlets (face book, YouTube, twitter, etc.), post flyers and posters, and talk it up!
• Financial donations: Set a price for raffle ticket ($5 to $20+) for a reserved parking space.
• Volunteer needs: Enough volunteers to sell raffle tickets.
• Strategies and Tips: Gain corporate support & approval.
• The more parking spaces you have to raffle, the greater the participation. If you have more than one parking space, more people will participate.
• You could have 12 winners for one parking space if the term is broken down by months (Jan, Feb, Mar, etc.). This may increase enthusiasm to purchase a raffle ticket.
• Have an Executive donate his/her parking location for a week or month.
• See if your company will match all employee donations from the event (check with HR department).

Pie in the Face 
(Corporate Teams)

Resources and materials needed:

• Pie tins, whipped cream, poster boards promoting the event, towels and water to clean up pie recipients and facilities.
• Confirm the date: This best works at company picnics, employee meetings or other company events where a large group of employees meet.
• Location and site: Anywhere large groups of employees can meet; cafeteria, employee meetings, staff meetings, etc.
• Promote the event: Company and team emails, corporate intranet website, social media outlets (face book, YouTube, twitter, etc.), post flyers and posters, and talk it up!
• Financial donations: Pooling of donations works the best for this situation. For instance, the goal is to raise $1,000 and the CEO will then get a pie in the face at the next company meeting.
• Obtain CEO approval (highly recommended) and seek guidance on establishing the goal. Don’t be afraid to set your goal high!
• Volunteer needs: Individuals willing to get a “pie in the face” for a good cause (CEO, VP, Directors, or that individual that everyone would to love see to get a “pie in the face.”)
• Individuals to obtain supplies and to set up for the event.
• Strategies and tips: Gain corporate support & approval.
• By increasing the number of “pie in the face” recipients, this will increases the chances of financial success. This activity can build excitement between departments.
• Finance, IT, Production, Engineering, Legal, etc.
• Encourage healthy corporate competitiveness.
• A variation to this strategy: recipient (executive) can match total contributions raised to avoid “pie in the face” up to a certain level.
• See if your company will match all employee donations from the event (check with HR department).

Silent Auction 
(Corporate or Friends & Family Teams)

Resources and materials needed:

• Donated items (filled baskets, signed memorabilia, jewelry, coupons for services, lessons etc.), tables for display, bidding sheets, pens, #’s for items, posted list of items.
• Confirm the date: If at the office, start bidding on items on Monday and conclude on Friday. Good idea to have this focused around a payday. If friends & family, have it on a single day.
• Location and site: If at the office, foyer or lobby works well. If company is small, the break room is a good alternative. If friends & family, pick a house, restaurant or inviting location for everyone to meet at.
• Promote the event: Company and team emails, corporate intranet website, social media outlets (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc.), post flyers and posters, and talk it up!
• In-kind donations: Provide a list of items needed and a deadline to have them brought in.

Financial donations:

• Set a minimum per item in auction.
• Set up a table for straight donations which can be set up as a pledge to be collected at the end of the auction.
• Volunteer needs:
• Determine how to monitor auction during the week.
• Estimate how many items are needed for the auction and where they can be dropped off.
• Determine how you are going to collect the winning bid.
• Have someone that is in charge of set up each day and take down each day.
• Determine how you want items displayed.
• Strategies and Tips:
• Gain corporate approval.
• Encourage healthy corporate competitiveness.
• Make sure items are secure at end of business each day.
• Have different departments within the company donate one item for the auction.

How to raise $500 in 9 days

• Day 1 Start by sponsoring yourself for $25
• Day 2 Ask two family members to sponsor you for $25
• Day 3 Ask five friends to contribute $20
• Day 4 Ask five co-workers to contribute $10
• Day 5 Ask five neighbors to contribute $10
• Day 6 Ask five people from your church or temple to contribute $10
• Day 7 Ask your boss for a company contribution of $25 (Or find out if your company will match what you raise)
• Day 8 Ask five local merchants to sponsor you for $20
• Day 9 Ask two businesses you frequent to contribute $25

Quick & Easy Fundraisers

• Car Wash
• Retail Sales
• Vendor Sales
• Book Sales
• Candle Sales
• Jewelry Sales
• Assorted Raffles

Bake Sale
(Friends & Family Teams)

Resources and materials needed:

• Tables for displaying items, cash for change, tags for pricing, signs for tables.
• Confirm the date: Meet with local grocery stores to see if you can set up on a particular Saturday in front of their building.
• Location and site: At one of the entrances to your neighborhood grocery store, etc. Promote the event in every possible way:
• Company emails, intranet website, social media outlets (face book, YouTube, twitter, etc.), post flyers and posters, and talk it up!
• In-kind donations: Neighbors, family, friends and team members bring items for sale.
• Financial donations: Suggested minimum (and of course no max).
• Set a price – Ex. 50 cents for one cookie or $1.00 for three.
• Provide a jar for anyone to make a general donation and label in with MS Society logo.
• Volunteer needs: Just you and maybe one friend or family member.
• If you know someone with MS, it would be great if they could come to sale as well.
• Strategies and Tips: Place MS poster in front so everyone knows where the donations are going.
• Be positive and encouraging but don’t nag.
• See if the grocery store will match all the donations from the event.
• See if your company will match all employee donations from the event (check with HR department)