Fundraising can sometimes seem a little tricky or not so “fun.” However, with some fresh ideas and a good attitude, you’re sure to raise money in no time! Here are some ideas from 4K alumni to help you out!
I invited friends over for a “Cuts for Cancer” party. I charged them $20 if they wouldn’t let me cut their hair or $10 if they would. It was great because 8 or so people did let me cut their hair! I made around $300 in all. -Sasha, Team San Francisco 2013
I held two pasta nights at my house. People paid $30 for a buffet of food – pasta, bread, salad etc. For one of the dinners, my aunts and uncles provided desserts; it was fun because they went way overboard! At the dinners, I was able to talk to people in person about 4K rather than just through email or social media. Around 60 people came between the two and we made around $2,000. -Jen, Team Baltimore 2017
Holidays are a great time for fundraising. One 4K teammate offered to put up and take down holiday lights in exchange for donations. You could also mow laws, rake leaves, or shovel snow. If you have stuff sitting around then you might consider having a yard sale. I think it’s important to consider your talents when thinking about fundraising. My brother sold paintings while I baked and sold cupcakes. -Ashley, Team Portland 2014
Consider Your Talents. Find something you like to do and then charge people in exchange for the goods or services: Selling jewelry, babysitting, pet sitting, or painting their fence.
Almost all of my fundraising was done through Facebook. Use your donors to get other donors. When someone donated to my fund, I would put on an outfit that reminded me of them (like a Hawaiian shirt if they were from Hawaii or a certain hat), take a picture/thank them on FB, and write that I was dedicating a training run to that person. I would then wear the outfit for the run. People started to request that I ran in certain funny outfits. When you make a post make sure to put your fundraising link and tag the donor so that their friends see it too. You could also include Venmo so that your donors can easily pay and then you can transfer the money to your fundraising page or post “like this post and I’ll charge you $1 on Venmo to support young adults with cancer.” -Maeve, Team Baltimore 2013
When I was first fundraising, I was abroad so I focused on making a donor database and I emailed all of them. Your donor database should include every person you know: High school teachers, college professors, family, friends, neighbors, teammates, people in your clubs/organization/from church, everyone! I also sold 50+ t-shirts on Booster.com. They said “Every mile matters” and had a bike on them. I made $750 for my campaign. One of my teammates offered to bike in a unicorn onesie if a certain amount of money was raised – it was – she did! -Sophia, Team San Francisco 2017
I posted on Facebook and my friends and family really responded. -Lauriann, Team Baltimore 2013
Emailing people really worked for me. I also was able to set up an interview with a local radio station to get the word out about what I was doing. Another thing I did was reach out to my college’s marketing department – they made posters! Going to a small college was great like that. -Matt, Team San Diego 2014
I hope these ideas inspire you! When fundraising gets tough, remember why you are doing it: Together we can make sure no one faces cancer alone!
-Becca Eddy, 4K Program Coordinator