It is very, very fun to decorate your tent site!  Be creative and remember the theme - BIRTHDAYS!!!  You can't find an easier theme.  You do not need to spend very much money decorating your tent.  Las Mamacitas has used paper plates every year since their second year to decorate in some way.  Balloons are easy and pretty inexpensive.  Another sure bet - the Dollar Store....especially for birthday stuff.  Be creative...make yourself a poster or banner with your team name and display it proudly!  Be sure and check out the previous post to see what fun awards will be given out!

Look at all the fun awards that will be given out the night of Relay!!!  As the mentor team, Las Mamacitas will not be participating in the contests, but we will be doing the judging and recruiting some "celebrity" judges as well!!!  Use your imagination and have fun.  Most awards will have an award for teams made up of mostly youths, as well as the adult teams!  It is going to be a fun night!

If you take a minute and go through the archives in this blog, you will find EIGHTY FOUR fund raising ideas that have been posted!  One of them might just be your ticket to a great way to fund raise!  There is everything from selling homemade dog biscuits to ideas of things to sell the night of Relay! 

Support each other whenever possible......no doubt it is fund raising "season".  If you have the chance and can do it,  remember to support other teams!  We are all fighting the same fight!  And....it is sure a chance to have some GREAT fun for a GREAT cause and to do some GREAT shopping for a GREAT cause.  Be sure and check out the Fund Raising section on the Relay home page to see what is going on!!!
 

I know that a tag sale....yard sale...garage sale....whatever you like to call it is nothing new.  And....I know I have mentioned it more than one time on this blog.  There is a reason!  They are a great way to make money for your Relay team.  They take a little planning....find a location.....put up fliers around town, create an event on facebook, get it listed on the Newtown Patch.  All inexpensive or free ways to advertise your sale.  Location is important.  Who on your team has the best area with decent parking?  Select a time, round up your tables, and then show up with your items at least an hour before your time starts and set up.  We did a tag sale in September on a Saturday from 9am - 2pm.  We all showed up with our junk priced and set it up and off we went.....all the way to $500 in a few hours.  And...we got rid of stuff!  Anything left over we donated to the Goodwill.  We also had a very fun day.  You can take it one step further and have a bake sale at the same time....you can set up a Luminaria and sell those as well.  You just can't find a better way to earn money without spending money!  Yes, it is a little work, but it is worth it!

A wonderful way to raise money.....email and even the old fashioned way.....mail!  The Relay web site makes it very, very easy to send out emails asking for donations.  And....they make it very easy to send thank you emails, which is so very important.  Can't think of who to ask?  Here is a list that we found and a quick way to get FORTY NAMES FAST.....   Here you go....

Come up with five names from each of these categories & you will have forty people!
1.  Family Friends
2.  Neighbors
3.  Dentists/Doctors/Barber/Hair Dresser
4.  Former Teachers/Church Members/Coaches
5.  Immediate Family
6.  Extended Family
7.  Friends
8.  Co-Workers/Fellow Students

You may not know five from each category, but you get the general idea.  We read an article one time that said "the number one reason that people do not donate to a cause is they were never asked".  And, the best part is.....you do not need to ask for a lot of money - just what they can and would like to give.  It all matters and it all makes a difference.  If they are unable to donate, that is fine too - maybe they will come to Relay or at least just be happy to know about what you are doing and why!

It seemed a little silly for just one person to be the team mentor - after all, one person does not make up a team!!!  Las Mamactias is happy to be the Mentor Team!  We have been doing Relay for a long time and we love it!  We want to help anyone that has any questions, and we want to share our ideas and our tips.  NO team has to fund raise as much as we do....or as often as we do.  We are not here to compete against each other.  We are all here to compete against cancer.  


We have done so many different things....tag sales, bunco games, wine tastings, sold cookie dough...you name it!  And...let me tell you - the number one way we raise money is to send out emails and to just ask.  We tell people why we Relay and we ask for donations.  That is something that anyone and everyone can do.  And....you have to understand - that $10 makes a difference - it all adds up.  That could be the $10 that caused the advancement in a cure - YOUR $10....everyone's contribution matters.  Just your time.....come to Relay....see what it is all about.....you can do what you are comfortable with.  But....if you have a question or want some ideas, find a Mamacita and ask away!