Don't let the purple people scare you, let them help you.  If you have been to meetings, you know that there are some people who are very, very excited and into Relay for Life.  This may be there fifth or even sixth year, and your first year....Do not be over whelmed with all the excitement & know that you do not have to do all the things that are going on!  A lot of things are happening...fund raising at the meetings, fund raising outside the meetings, team laps, entertainment for that night, Miss Relay Contest.....please know that you can come to Relay and Relay.....walk and take it all in.

But be careful.....Relay fever is contagious.....

Fund Raising idea #37 is not selling candles, although that is not a bad idea!  But...a lot of teams have little things they like to sell...what about a Relay Day....where the focus is on selling "stuff".  If you could find a space, say a church basement, you could sell spots.  Teams or individuals could rent that space to sell stuff to raise money for their team.  I had mentioned in the past participating in a craft fair, this would be more like hosting one, but it would not be limited to crafts.  I have a team member who is selling purple doggie bandanas, I am selling Relay walking pins, maybe you are having a Silpada party and want to sell that.....You get the idea.  Your job and the way you or your team would earn money would be to sell the spots and a very importantly, you would need to advertise your event!!! 

Maybe, just maybe winter is OVER and Spring will be here soon.....that makes me think of Fund Raising Idea #36......the winter has left a lot of people with a lot of Spring clean up to be done in their yards.  Offer to help a friend or a neighbor clean up their beds, pick up the sticks that have blown all over the yard, and get their beds ready to plant!  Ask for a donation to your Relay efforts.  You know, you can always have someone go onto your website and make a credit card donation.....or they can write you a check or give you cash.  Those are entered onto your site as an offline donation.  You can go back through this blog and I walk you step by step through entering an offline donation.  So, grab your rakes and have some fun working for a CURE.....

Fund Raising Idea #35.....A No Talent Show...ok, I got the idea for that name online - but it is good, right?  It is actually a Karaoke contest, tournament, whatever you choose to call it.  Again, you can do it small at your house, or larger if you have a place.  Don't have a machine?  If you are having a fairly large party you can rent a machine, with a monitor for the words and 12 Karaoke CD's from Taylor Rental in Monroe, CT for $85.  You charge people to enter your contest, or to just come to your party.  But....you can ask around, someone may have one you can just borrow.  Prizes?  Of course....even if it is a certificate that they won.  Age groups?  That is up to you....you could even do a kids one - a teen one - only adults!  You can also let people enter on their own, or in groups.  Just remember, it is a Fund Raiser and even if they enter in a group. each person pays an entree fee!  Happy bad singing.....

Time to start thinking about decorating - one of my FAVORITE topics....It is great, great fun to decorate your tent.  The theme this year is BIRTHDAYS.....what could be easier?  You do not have to decorate within the theme of course, but it is fun!!!  Think color.....pick one or pick a lot!  Balloons are always a great way to decorate....they do not cost a lot and that is something to think about.  You don't want to spend a lot of money to decorate, but trust me....you can decorate on a budget.  Hit the dollar store, make your decorations....be creative!  Find the person on your team that likes this type of creativity and put them in charge!!! 

Well, I can finally get online - I have been in Rhode Island and have had very on and off internet access....I was going to suggest Fund Raising Idea #34 be selling umbrellas, but the sun is out today and I read about a great idea for the actual Fund Raising Idea #34...

I know I have mentioned a bake sale before, but this has a spin....

Selling baked goods at work......

People are always looking for something yummy to eat at work.....be sure and let them know that you are selling this to benefit Relay for Life.

Another idea....a friend of mine who makes great Quiches, actually took pre-orders for them, baked them and brought them in to work that people could take home and re-heat.  She sold them for $20 each and they cost her about $5.00 to make.....

If you make a great pie, or amazing brownies you could take orders in advance for those as well.  As I have said before, every little bit of money helps and it all adds up!

Question....what is Fund Raising Idea #33?????  A Trivia Contest......all kinds of ways to do this - you could even have a party just using the Trivial Pursuit Games, of which there are sooo many.  And, if you poke around online and search trivia fund raising ideas, you will come up with web sites that give you ideas on how to structure an event like this and even get questions.  You charge people to enter your contest and that is how you make your money for Relay.  You can do prizes a lot of different ways, and again as I have stressed before....this is an event that should be for YOU to raise money for Relay for Life.  People, hopefully will not be expecting big prizes for winning.....Their prize is the satisfaction of knowing they had fun while contributing to a GREAT cause!!!!

Fund Raising Idea #32....How about a Photo Contest....You could have it be photos of anything or everything!  You could even hold a Relay photo contest with pictures from year's past....charge an entry fee, pick some fun judges, or maybe have your team be the judges.  You can decide what people win, but remember...this is for Relay....let them win a certificate or a ribbon.  Or just the satisfaction that they WON.....Hey - I will post the winning picture on my world famous blog - there you go!!!  You could have people submit photos to you by email, or however you like.  As with all fund raisers, it will take some planning, but I think it is an idea that you could do without a big investment of money ahead of time.  You will earn your money, by charging people to enter your contest.....

It all adds up.....Fund Raising Idea #31....At the April 15th Relay meeting, enter Walking for a Silver Lining's Cake Decorating Contest!!!  Check out the details on the main Relay page (link above).  You pay to enter your cake, but then....you get to split the vote money 50/50 and you could earn some bucks!!!  Remember, not every thing you do has to raise BIG bucks - if you heard me talk at the meeting I talked about how to earn $100 dollars in 10 days.  If you missed it, that is Fund Raising Idea #17.  This could be one of your days you raise $10.00 or MORE....and it all goes towards a cure....so Happy Baking!!!

I love this one....Fund Raising Idea #30.....Host a Murder Mystery Dinner!!!  There is a web site I found that you can visit and learn a lot about how to do this.  You can actually "order" the event, what to do, who the characters are etc...  You can also just use it to gain ideas.  The website is, www.dinnerandamurder.com. Here are some other ideas:

1. Figure out the logistics of the party you’ll be holding. How many people would you expect? Where will you hold it? In someone’s home, in a rental hall, a restaurant, etc.? Will the meal be catered or prepared by volunteers in your organization?

2. Decide on a theme for your party. Which theme would your guests most enjoy? Would your guests enjoy a costume party? Or a theme that didn’t necessarily require a costume?

Here are a few of the games available from Dinner and a Murder:

Murder at the Four Deuces
A rip roaring 1920’s gangster murder mystery party game with lots of murder, bribery and back stabbing to be had. Some of the guests will include infamous gangsters, politicians, singers and gamblers. - a roaring 20’s gangster murder mystery that takes place at the Four Deuces speakeasy.

Murder at the Four Deuces (Teen Version)
a fun 1920’s gangster murder mystery game designed for teens.

Remember - this could be an event with 5 people or 50.  You earn your money by charging your guests for an amazing evening.  I may have to give this a try!!!

Fund Raising Idea....#29....Participate in our Online Auction.  Relay for Life of Newtown raised over fifteen thousand dollars last year with this auction.  If you go to our main Relay Page (link at the top of this blog) you will see, on the left hand side, the On Line Auction.  Click and off you go - this will tell you how and what to do and what the parameters are.  Now...no, this money will not go directly on YOUR site, you will however receive Relay Bucks for what your item sells for, and for every five items you or your team lists, your team will receive $250 Relay Bucks.  AND....Relay for Life earns money towards a CURE and that is our ultimate goal.  So....next time you are getting your hair done, your oil changed, eating at your favorite restaurant....ask for a donation. 

Fund Raising Idea #28......FACEBOOK.....If you log into your personal Relay web page, and go to your participant center, at the bottom of the page you will see the Facebook Logo and you can click on it and it will tell you how to put a link to your Relay page on your Facebook page.  What could be easier than that?  And...you could also use Facebook to "create an event" and invite people to Relay or invite them to your page to make an online donation.  It is a great way, along with email to reach a lot of your friends.

Fund Raising Idea #27......How about hosting a talent show?  You could do a large one, or a small one.  It could be a serious one, or a more fun one....with silly entries.  Find a location, set a date, and first promote it to people that you think would like to be in the talent show.  Once you get enough people signed up, sell tickets!  Promote, promote, promote.  You can charge a participation fee, an admission charge and sell refreshments.  Talk to local businesses and see if they would donate prizes....And, maybe even talk to some local "celebrities" like teachers, policemen, business owners to be your judges.

Teams of eight can fund raise at the monthly Relay meetings....but remember, it does not mean you HAVE to have something to sell.  Promote, promote, promote any fund raisers you have coming up.....print up some fliers and hand them out!  Get the word out.....and the meetings are a great place to do this.  Don't have your 8 people yet?  Start with that, so you can take full advantage of this opportunity!!!  See you tonight!

LET'S GET READY TO RELAY......

Fund Raising Idea #26.....Babysitting for Bucks.....simple plan.....Babysit and donate your hard earned money to your Relay efforts.  Now, something worth a try.  Tell the parents of the child what you are planning to do - to donate the money you earn to Relay for Life....they might just throw in a little extra.

CAKE WALK!!!  Be sure and be ready to participate in the Cake Walk at Thursday's meeting.....It will be so much fun!  And remember, teams of EIGHT will be eligible to win $500 Relay Bucks.  See you there....

 

Wow - up to Fund Raising Idea #25.....and I like this one...use your imagination!!!  Have a Raffle.....Or a "Chance to Win"......call it whatever you like.  Here is how it works - you can try and get an item donated, something that you think most people would like to have or would use.  Another idea, if you can't get something donated - you can pool your money and buy something.  You will know the cost of the item either way, then set your price and sell your raffle tickets.  If you have to purchase the item first, you will know at what point you earn your money back and then the rest will go to your team.  Some ideas.....a big Easter basket, a great piece of jewelry, movie tickets, dinner for two.....the sky's the limit.  You will need to figure out  your ticket system and how to do that....there is a lot of information on the internet.....Good luck....and happy selling!!!

What's wrong with this picture?  There are only six people at this team meeting.  Remember...you need 8 people to form a team.  So, be working on getting your team of eight formed.  What is not wrong with this picture?  These team members are planning.....they are coming up with ways to fund raise, probably from reading the team idea blog :)....they are deciding if they would like their team to participate in the entertainment for the night of Relay....maybe host a Limbo Lap.....And...they are thinking about what they will sell the night of Relay.  The most important thing they are all doing is working together for a very good cause......a world with more birthdays.....

Fund Raising Idea #24......Host a Spaghetti Dinner!  Like most good and profitable fund raisers, this will take some planning and some good publicity!  First, a location such as your church basement, meeting room etc....Then, you would need to figure out how many tickets you can sell and find a person with a good math brain!!!  How much it would cost you to make a plate of spaghetti, a salad, and garlic bread....that will give you an idea of what to sell your tickets for.  And....water, tea, coffee, lemonade - something inexpensive to drink.  Then, once you figure these things out - sell, sell, sell tickets.  You can also do more things at your Spaghetti Dinner to raise money.  Don't overlook just putting out a big jug asking for additional donations....put your website on paper place mats for everyone to see....have a raffle at the dinner!  The possibilities are endless.....You must, must have a good commitment from your team to cook and serve the food.  You might even want to team up with another team for an event of this size.  If you plan this, be sure and publicize it at the Relay meetings and on the Relay web site.  Details on how to list your fundraisers are on the site!

Fund Raising Idea #23.....Have your team host a Restaurant Night.  How this works...contact a local restaurant in the area.  Explain that you are raising money for Relay for Life.  Offer to promote a certain night (the restaurant will pick this day) and for everyone that you send in, they will give a percentage of the bill.  Couple of things to remember......a lot of restaurants in the area are donating to Relay, so be understanding if they say they can't because they are helping in another area.  However, it also does bring business into their establishment, usually on a night that would be slower than most.  If it is a restaurant that offers take-out, such as pizza, find out if this would count as well. Then decided how to designate to the restaurant who these people are.  You could just make sure they say "I am here for the Relay for Life Fund Raiser", or perhaps they need to present a flier.  You can make small "tickets" with the information on it to hand out and get people in.  That is your main job - promote this night!!!  Send it into Relay to get it listed as a fund raiser, tell people about it at a meeting, put up fliers where you work and best of all - YOU go and have a BIG dinner knowing you are raising money for your team!!!