Our online auction opens on May 2....please, please spread the word!!!  There are so many fun things on the auction, but if people do not know about it, well....you get the point!  Visit the auction site and you will learn how you can refer people via email.  You can also just tell your friends, family, neighbors, anyone you can think of about the auction.  It is such an amazing way to raise money for our Relay.  If you have a fund raising event coming up, please let them know about the auction!  And....of course feel free to bid away for yourself if something interests you.....I know I am going to do some bidding! 

Fund Raising Idea #62....."Fun Friday"....in the past I have blogged about a Flip Flop Day, a Hat Day, a Jeans Day, etc....How about just a Fun Friday Day.....like the guy above - isn't he cute?  I bet he gave a $5 donation to someone to wear that outfit for work.  Now, of course if you are not the boss, you may need to talk to the boss about the parameters of this day....but the sky is the limit and it could be fun. You ask for a donation and whoever makes the donation can participate in the Fun Friday Day.   And, this is a fund raiser that you can do at work and do it fast!  Get permission and spread the word  however you communicate at work.....And....if you have a small office you can still do this - every bit of money makes a difference, so give it a try!  And, be sure and bring your camera!!!

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It is time to start thinking about raising money the night of Relay.  It is so much fun to walk around the tents and see what everyone has to offer!  I will start directing some of the Fund Raising posts to raising money "night of Relay".  It is always good to have a plan about what you want to do.  The days fly by, so start thinking about it if you have not already.  Do not worry if others are doing the same thing.  It is a long and fun night with a lot of people.....plenty of "shoppers" to go around! 

Fund Raising Idea #61.....Mother's Day is just around the corner, Sunday May 9th...I read an idea online about a girl scout troop and they sold balloon bouquets, hand delivered with a signed care.  Cute idea....and if you go to the Dollar Store, well....balloons are a dollar and you could do six pretty balloons with a nice card and deliver the bouquet for a donation to your Relay team!  Or....you could sell plants, flowers.....and offer a delivery if you have that capability to do around town.  Also, remember to suggest, if you are a Mom and you are on a Relay team, that you would love a donation for your Relay efforts.  And.....anyone who has a Mom who is a Survivor or who has lost a Mom to this horrible disease.....lighting a Luminaria in their honor or memory is an amazing tribute.

Fund Raising Idea #60......You may have gotten an email telling you about this fund raising tool....but if you have not, here is the scoop.  Go to your personal page and log into your participant center.  You will see the above picture....click on it and watch the video.  You can personalize certain parts of the short video and you can email it to friends and it will link to your page, so donations can be made.  You can also link it with Twitter and Facebook....great tool and so easy to use!

Fund Raising Idea #59.....Have a Guitar Hero Tournament.....Now, I have to tell you, I am giving you the idea, but if you decided to do this, you may have to do some research online.  However, there is a good bit of information out there on how to do one of these tournaments.  You mainly need a location, and a minimum of two Guitar Hero stations.  You set up a tournament bracket, create a scoring system and go through a process of competitions and eliminations.  You make your money by charging people a participation fee and then you ask for a donation for the people who come to watch the tournament.  So....if you are interested in this, search Guitar Hero Fundraiser online and you will find more information.  Good luck!

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You could not find an easier theme to decorate this year....BIRTHDAYS!!!  How much fun and how easy.  As some of you know, I LOVE to decorate!!!  But....here is the trick.....you can't spend a lot of money to do it!  That would take away from what our purpose is, raising money to find a cure!  I love balloons - they are inexpensive and are colorful and take up space!!!  Hit the dollar store and be creative.  My team saves things year after year and uses it in different ways.  Another good tip - if you want fabric to decorate your tent with - tuelle is very inexpensive - this is actually "netting".  And...if you have a coupon for the fabric store for 40 percent off (Joannes Fabrics), have it cut as one big cut and you will save a lot of money!  Be creative and be colorful and have fun....Oh, and have a plan and remember to bring what you will need.....tape, scissors, etc...

Fund Raising Idea #58......Sell Luminaria.....this year your Luminaria sales count towards your fund raising.  In other words, if you sell ten Luminaria, you have raised $100.  You can order your Luminaria or the ones that you sell right on your own page - click on the link at the top of  your personal page that says Buy A Luminaria and enter the information.  Now, fund raising aside, Luminaria is one of the most touching parts of Relay....it is your chance to greatly honor a person that has been personally touched by cancer.  Nothing is more moving or beautiful than the Luminaria lit around our track, burning into the wee hours of the morning....

If you do not have eight people on your team, that really needs to be your very first priority.  You must have eight people to have a fully formed team.  If you do not, work on that right away, and then you can focus on your fund raising.  If you have someone who is "on the fence" so to speak, talk to them about Relay and help them understand why it is such an important and worth while thing to do, and also that it is a fun event to be a part of.  Remember, you do NOT have to spend the night, you do NOT have to run a Relay.....but you DO have to have eight people on your team.  So get busy with that, and then.....plot your course to get your funds raised and get ready to have a GREAT time!!!

Fund Raising Idea #57.....the Yankees are on all the time for the next few months.  And...you don't need tickets to the games to have a Yankee "event".  Many things you can do....host a BBQ, a Pot Luck, just a party with snacks and drinks  The key?  Let your friends know this party is a Fund Raiser for your Relay efforts.  Ask for a "minimum" donation to come to the party.  Be sure and have a donation jar in case someone would like to throw in extra money.  You could also do a Baseball pool for what people think the score will be, you can have a game where every time some one says a certain word, they have to pay $1.00....the possibilities are endless!

Thursday is our monthly meeting - it will be GREAT!!!  Remember, there will be a cake decorating contest.  A chance to earn some money for your team and to help another team earn money, too while having fun!  Check out the main page for the specifics.  Also, if you have a formed team of EIGHT (the magic number), you can fund raise at the meeting.....just get there a bit early, find a spot at the side of the cafeteria and step up shop!  Come with your questions and LET'S GET READY TO RELAY.....

Fund Raising Idea #56.....I was talking to a friend in Texas over the weekend and she participates in a Susan Komen event, however her fund raising idea was a good one!  Ebay!  Yep, she lists all kinds of things on Ebay and takes the profits and puts them towards her fund raising.  I have also seen people sell their crafts on Ebay, too.  And....you can find some fun Relay items on their as well, so the sky is the limit! 

Fund Raising Idea #55....I hope this is not cheating as a new idea.  But...the idea is to go back to the beginning of this Team Idea blog and get ideas!!!  Car washes, bowling

tournaments, bake sales etc.....  A lot of ideas were

put on quite a few weeks ago. Maybe you just formed a team, or

maybe you are just now trying to come up with some

ideas for a fund raiser.  So, take a minute and click through

the archives, and maybe you will find something

that would work for your team!!!

Fund Raising Idea #54.....I love this idea - I found it poking around online.  Most emails offer what they call a "signature" area.  It is something that you can put at the bottom of every single email that you send out automatically.   This idea said to put a link to your personal Relay page in your signature line.  So...you are not emailing asking for a donation, but...at the bottom of each email would be a link to your page.  You could even put a note with it that said something like "Visit my personal Relay page".  A lot of people put quotes at the bottom of their page, but this idea just might bring you some donations!  Sure can't hurt to give it a try!

Eight is the magic number.....you must have eight people to have a fully formed team, eligible for a tent spot the night of Relay.  So...if you do not yet have eight people registered on your team, you should make this your first priority.  Remember, ask.....some people may not know about Relay, they may think it involves more time than they have to give, etc....Check out the Myths and Facts listed on the right.....Help them understand what Relay is all about and ask them to be a part of your great team!

Maybe because it is something I would like to have, I would love to see a team do Fund Raising Idea #53.....make and sell a Relay for Life Christmas ornament.  I love to collect ornaments that have anything to do with something that is near and dear to me.  I pick one up when I am traveling, try to get one from the different places we have lived, have many Newtown and even Sandy Hook ornaments.  I would purchase a Relay ornament in a heartbeat!  I think a lot of people would love to remember their Relay efforts each Christmas, or maybe to give to the person that they Relay for.  So, if you are creative or artistic....think about it.  It might just be a great fund raiser!

Fund Raising Idea #52....Have a guy on your team?  Well, then you must convince him to enter the Miss Relay contest!!!  The entrant needs to be a registered team member....details will be available as Relay gets closer, but several things you can be working on....most importantly...the gorgeous outfit.  As you can see by last year's winner, Ken Ayles...he was gorgeous.  Be sure your Miss Relay participant has a great purse.....Why???  Well, during the pageant, Miss Relay will walk the track collecting money and the "girl" who collects the most money for their team will be crowned Miss Relay.  Your Miss Relay can start at any time raising money....if "she" would like to make a personal appearance at one of your fund raising events, that is great!  Just know that all money will be counted that night after the pageant lap and turned in then.  Good luck and be sure and bring your camera....this event is one of the many highlights of Relay!

Reminder....there will be a Cake Contest at the April 15th meeting...Check the main Relay page fund raising tabs on the left for details.  This is a team fund raiser hosted by Walking for a Silver Lining, however

it is also an opportunity for you and your team to make

money, because if people vote for your cake as the best,

you get to keep half of the vote money!  And....if someone

buys your cake, your get a portion of that

money as well....Happy Baking!!!

In looking around the personal Relay pages, there are a lot that have not been personalized.  If you have the time, this is really a very, very important part of your fund raising.  You are asking someone to take the time to give you a donation, so try and let them know why this is important to you.  I have written about this before, but a great site to go to is:
  www.shrinkpictures.comWhen you are at this site, you need to download a picture, and then select 350 pixels and better quality.  Download the picture, save to your computer and then you can download this onto your web page.  Any picture of you or who you may be doing Relay for.....anything that will personalize your page will give you that little edge when you are trying to help people understand why you Relay.....

Fund Raising Idea #51......I have mentioned in the past about having a penny challenge, putting collection cans at businesses around town, etc....But have you thought about having just your own family save their change?  Put a big jug in plain sight of everyone, and just dump your change in from now until Relay.  You may be surprised what you come up with!  The money can be entered on your page as an offline donation (see past blogs on how to do this) and the money turned in at bank night! 

Looking for something to do???  Well, I have some great ideas!!!  Want to go LINE DANCING, sell your GOLD, do some great SCRAPBOOKING?  Want to do a little shopping for SILPADA JEWELRY, order a MAGAZINE?  And....have money go towards finding a cure?  Head to the Relay site (link above) and check out some of the fund raisers that are coming up.  Remember....we are competing against cancer, not each other - we are working towards a cure, that is our goal...so support each other if you have the chance!!!

Well, I really wanted Fund Raising Idea #50 to be a GREAT one.  So.....here it is, and you have heard and read it before......ASK....ASK....ASK.....  There are many ways to ask, but you have to ask.  I know people don't always like doing that, but as I have said to my team before "it may be hard to ask people for a donation, but I think it is harder to have cancer".  I posted a link to my page on Facebook and have gotten $135.00.  I was thrilled - people I have not seen in years, but they just SAW it on my page and gave me a donation.  And...email...my number one way year after year to raise money has so far brought in $405.00.  Remember, you should be so very, very proud of yourself for what you are doing and why you are doing it! 

Fund Raising Idea #49....I have read about this fund raiser on several Relay for Life blogs and sites.  This coffee is made and sold by a company called Olympic Crest Coffee Roasters.  They sell other coffees, but do this coffee just for Relay fund raisers.  Visit the link and learn about it if you are interested.  The minimum order is only 20 bags, so that is not too bad.  Here is the link if you would like more info:  http://www.olycrest.com/relay-for-life-fundraiser.html