#GivingTuesday: Fund Intangible Moments That Last A Lifetime

 

Today is #GivingTuesday. 

BlackFriday, SmallBusinessSaturday, and CyberMonday are all about getting gifts for others or for ourselves. Over those three days of raucous retailing, we focus so much on having the things -- the tangibles. #GivingTuesday is all about, what my mother calls, the intangibles. Giving for the sake of giving, enriching someone else's life because you can. Enjoying small moments of joy with one another.

For instance, I watched my mother experience an intangible moment with her grandchildren on Thanksgiving. The three of them were playing a game, my creative Mom created, which involved putting everyday objects in old breadcrumb cans, and trying to identify the objects in the can without opening them. There was no cost to this adventure. Just whatever was laying around the house, and a bunch of giggles and guesses. Yes, we were in a warm house, after a big meal, and all of that costs money, but the unbridled joy that all three of them had in those moments together are something that will be remembered for the rest of their lives. 

At CCA, we create similar opportunities for individuals and families through our Annual Retreat and Educational Symposium. The Retreat, much like our thanksgiving feast, costs money, but the opportunities for moments, for memories that last a lifetime, are immeasurable. Running around the ballroom with a bunch of new friends that you will grow old with. Tittering in the corner of teen night with new girlfriends about the cute boy across the dance floor. Sharing a meal and an adventure out in the new city CCA descends on every year. These experiences are not quantifiable. Neither are the bonds created that endure across states, countries, and continents. You are never alone again. Never again! 

Friends and family frequently ask what I do for CCA, what is it, and why am I so passionate. I have my usual elevator pitch and personal story, but I thought it would far more meaningful to hear from others in the community this time around. Read and really look for those intangibles. 

"People should donate to CCA because people from all walks of life come together to find support and camaraderie in having a facial difference."

"Having a facial difference, you live every day in a world where you don't know how people will react to you. Nor how you feel about your appearance. Being a part of CCA, you discover the good to having a facial difference. If you never had the opportunity to experience life with a facial difference, then you wouldn't have had the chance to meet all these amazing people that are a part of CCA."

"CCA is such a blessing for me. Life hasn't always treated me well, but CCA is just so wonderful."

People should donate to CCA because it's a safe haven for so many families affected by facial differences. It provides us with a lifelong, ever-growing family that loves and supports one another through life's successes and challenges, especially those unique to living with a facial difference. Also, it's so important to donate to CCA so the organization can continue to do the important work of educating the world about differences and the importance of acceptance, kindness, and inclusion. 

Your donor dollars will last longer than any Apple Watch, or gaming system. Your donations represent hope, promise for a brighter tomorrow, and eradication of the dark clouds overhead. Bright skies and welcoming arms await. Children and individuals will be part of a community that will endure for decades to come. A donation today is an invest in inclusion, friendship, unconditional love, laughter, and a community that is simply second to none. Those are some of the greatest intangibles a human may be so lucky to experience. 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

#GivingTuesday 2022: What is it and why do we give?

 

Giving Tuesday is just a day away. My heart seems to grow six times its size when I see many of our families hosting Facebook fundraisers and sharing a bit about why they donate to Children's Craniofacial Association. And who am I kidding, I also love reading reflections by people hosting Facebook funders for other nonprofits that positively impacted their lives. This tradition that began in 2012 galvanized many to give consistently to nonprofits and NGOs around the world each year. 

The effort began at New York City's  92nd Street Y and its Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact. In just 10 years, #GivingTuesday became, "an independent nonprofit and a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity." Their focus for the next 10 years is on radical generosity, hoping we can snuff out suffering through a movement of giving freely to support our communities. 

Ten years ago, when I first read about #GivingTuesday while on the board of another nonprofit, I thought, "Well great! Three days of sin followed by a single day of atonement. One day to support the work we do all year long?" This didn't seem fair in my Catholic mind. It wasn't enough. As the years wore on more and more nonprofits joined the campaign of giving, and what it lacked in the number of days devoted to the cause, GivingTuesday gained with an increase in participation by a rising tide of nonprofits. 

In the world of fundraising high participation is everything. What makes people participate?  Yes, I think offsetting the holiday splurging on our loved ones, and let's face it, ourselves (the deals are just too good!). But it's more... Giving Tuesday is about honoring the impact that these nonprofits have on our lives. An organization like CCA Kids, can take a family or individual from the depths of despair back to a state of hope, wonder, and possibility. Life-giving, life-returning, life-altering narratives flow throughout our community each told by a grateful heart. 

• A trip to a medical center that will help solve the riddles of a medically complex child. 

• A care package sent after the mid-face surgery (the big one for many of our kids). 

• A virtual program that helped support someone's mental health during a particularly difficult time. 

• Or perhaps, a scholarship to our Annual Retreat for a family to be in community with people with shared life experiences

Hope takes many different forms. It's easy to see why so many feel hope is in the realm of the divine. 

Reading about these powerful experiences on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and on other social media platforms is heartening as we all take stock of the year that was 2022. For the staff, board members, volunteers, all charged with carrying forward CCA's mission, we recognize through your photos and stories that we have done our jobs. For members of the CCA Kids community, we cheer each other on and honor one another by starting a Facebook fundraiser, hosting an event, or putting out a jar at our place of work to accept small donations to make sure the hand of CCA is there for the next person in need. For we know all too well that the next person in need could be us or someone we care deeply for in our tight-knit community. 

Do what you can with what you have available to you. As people with facial differences, we improvise in our daily lives with that adage in mind. Don't feel obligated to donate a lump sum of money. Instead, let's keep spreading the word about #GivingTuesday. Even after 10 years of service to a world of nonprofits, someone you know and love may not know about this day to give back to those whom keep us whole and filled with hope. 

Donate today to our community Facebook fundraiser or start your own on Facebook. All donations are processed with no additional fees. All profits go to Children's Craniofacial Association. 

One Last Christmas Wish For CCA Kids! You Can Make It Come True

🌲The tree is trimmed and the stockings are filled,

🎅We hope your holidays are set to thrill! 

🚩There's only one last thing we ask for a reason,

🙌 Please consider a donation to CCA Kids as your final to-do this holiday season.

Every single gift you give makes a direct impact on a CCA child or family. We invite you to make a gift in honor of the first person who introduced you to CCA or the craniofacial community ... this gift will be "paid forward," and will bless other families now and in the New Year. 

You can still make a tax deductible gift for 2021 through December 31 online. 
Thank you and Merry Christmas!

DONATE TODAY!

Happy #GivingTuesday Everyone!

 It's November and that means, three things turkey, gratitude, and #GivingTuesday

And while the turkey has been eaten, and the gratitude always abounds...one thing remains to check off my list... tomorrow is #GivingTuesday

Each year after Thanksgiving, we begin Christmas shopping on Black Friday and continue on Cyber Monday. After those two days, we have #GivingTuesday, a day to support our favorite nonprofits. A day where YOU can help US.

You can contribute in a number of ways. Share an #unselfie telling us why you love CCA so much. Add the hashtags #GivingTuesday

You can start a Facebook fundraiser. Every fundraiser that raises $750 or more will also receive a Lasting Smiles lip care kit and limited edition sticker!
Another way to give is through our website. If you donate $100 or more, you will receive a Lasting Smiles lip care kit and a fun, brand-new sticker.

Thank you for being part of our community! As I said, the gratitude abounds with every day thanks to you.

Shop Amazon Smile On The Go **QR Code Inside**

 

AmazonSmile is now available in the Amazon Shopping app on your iPhone. Turn on to start generating donations in the app, at no cost to you.

	Turn AmazonSmile ON now Scan the QR code using your phone's camera and follow the on-screen instructions. It's that easy! Learn more

Thank You Real Food Blends, PLUS A 2020 RECAP From Our Development Director

Today we would like to thank Real Food Blends for placing an advertisement in our most recent newsletter. This newsletter is vital in sharing the impactful stories from our community. New and existing families within our community are very grateful for your help in keeping this program alive. It is a lifeline for all, letting them know they are not alone. We cannot think of a more important message than that one especially during a time when we are being told to stay socially distant from others.


To get a sense of the type of stories we tell in our newsletter, an article capturing our 2020 fundraising achievements written by Development Director, Christine Andler. A typescript version development accomplishments can be found below in order to make this story accessible to all.

Read our whole E-Newsletter by clicking here.

Thank you, again, Real Food Blends. Go to their website to place your order, and learn more about the high-quality, nutritional "100% real food meals for people with feeding tubes."

If you would have told me in January the 2020 Development Letter to you all would shape up anything like this, I would have thought you were on another planet! It was nothing short of heartbreaking to see the cancellation of two CCA golf tournaments, countless family fundraisers, and to have most of our large sponsorships for Retreat pull support as the ripple effects of this pandemic took its toll on us. While this time has been beyond challenging, there are some incredibly beautiful silver linings to this year. The one I want to illuminate is how the pandemic gave us the opportunity to re-imagine (and fast) how we fundraise -- with the help of so many of you!

I am incredibly humbled by the efforts of our CCA community. From our amazing families, staff, board members to new incredible friends who wanted to give and found us during an extreme time of need. I would especially like to extend our thanks to these shining stars:

Early in this year we were able to get in two wonderful in person family fundraisers for CCA.

Lisa Bowers (please check out her feature on page xx to see all of her efforts!) partnered with Madelyn Karchut for her Senior Give Back project: a Spaghetti Dinner Night that raised over $7,000! Also, Liz and Nova Cox did an amazing job at securing CCA as the beneficiary for the 2020 Massachusetts State Breaking Championship, which raised over $5,000!

As the year went on, we saw other socially distanced “events” and fundraisers dreamed up to help us raise money. TheCCA Marketplace became a wonderful tool for us to find friends and families to profit share a portion of their sales back to CCA. Sue Giles led the way with her girlfriends Boon Supply Co. shopping event, Michele Gonzales sold Jayden’s hand drawn sugar skull stickers, Courtney Schmidt offered her One Hope Wine fundraiser, artist Julie Lyles pledged support with her original watercolor paintings, Allie Quinn and Jenny Sollymossy shared their Color Street businesses, Maigan Baker hosted a successful Cards for a Cause party, our Outreach Director, Khadija Moten, crafted vinyl decals and custom Starbucks cups via her Etsy shop, plus other companies are still helping us “shop for a cause” on an ongoing basis.

We’d also like to send a huge shoutout to Patricia Simon for investing in the CCA logo gaiters that we have been able to sell to help stop the spread of germs! We truly thank all of you who purchased from our Marketplace and webstore. Please take a look at our current offerings for great gifting options throughout this holiday season! So far, the CCA Marketplace has brought in nearly $5,000!

While some of us utilized retail therapy, some of you have been working on your “Quarantine Bodies” and got into the fitness craze. We are so thankful for the folks who hosted fitness fundraisers for CCA! URU Yoga in Pensacola, FL, and Tula Yoga, in Aberdeen, NJ both gave benefit yoga classes. Recently, Crystal Kouri taught kickboxing in the park to raise funds in honor of her son, PJ, and they were able to donate over $300 from their high intensity efforts.

Two amazing ladies, our Program Director, Annie Reeves, and Board Member, Kelly Cunha, went the extra mile and dug into their own personal networks to raise incredible amounts on behalf of their birthdays – together they raised almost $10,000!

Speaking of incredible Board Members, Bill Mecklenburg did not let the early effects of the pandemic halt his fundraising efforts one bit. I was blown away how his network, who usually give and participate in the annual Morgan Meck Match Play Invitational (MMI) golf tournament, gave and gave generously even after learning the event was canceled. In all, the 2020 MMI raised $70,271 and continues to see funds come in even as this letter went live. This amazing group of donors are loyal and a true testament of Bill’s love and hard work he does constantly for CCA.

Our board keeps delivering miracles, as Board Member, Steven Weiss, his wife, Petty Weiss, and his mother, Ellen Weiss, campaigned and delivered an incredible CAM fundraiser totaling over $16,000 in just a few weeks from their own network of generous friends and family. This is the type of giving that truly moves the needle for CCA. The Weiss family gathered all of this financial support via a completely zero cost “virtual” fundraiser. Even though we call this fundraiser a “virtual” one, we know that the time invested was real and significant and the work done by Petty and Ellen entailed phone calls, emails, and endless enthusiasm. Thank you, Weiss Family, for this spectacular job!

In addition to all the virtual activities CAM brought this year, we also had some of our CCA community do a special CAM month funder that generated amazing results, too. Thank you to our top fundraisers: Chrissy Clinton, Khadija Moten, Ray Merenstein, Dana Fernando, and Shannon Marie LaBarbera.

Thanks to the connective force of social media, we gained invaluable new friends. Manny Ventura ran with his handsome smile for the entire month of July for Cleft and Craniofacial awareness and raised over $12,000 for five different charities including CCA. He has grown into a big piece of our CCA virtual programming and we are grateful for his friendship. LaDarius Davis, too, became a certified Speakers Bureau member and a huge part of our outreach programming. For CAM, he and his sister, Ceairra Davis Fruster gave 50% back of a custom embroidered CCA facemask to CCA and raised over $400! Another amazing soul we have e-met is Chelsea Buyalos, who has become a beautiful champion of acceptance and has used her talented voice to do virtual benefit concerts on behalf of CCA. Speaking of music, thanks to Instagram we connected with the utterly talented Josh Daniel’s Band (check his feature on page xx) and with his nightly “Couch Tour” and raffle, hosted by 5 Points Realty and Briley Burris, he raised $22,050 for CCA!

A special friend to CCA is Master Gem Cutter, Denny Bradley. We have been the incredibly lucky to be the recipient of his beautiful gemstones and this year he donated an exclusive nearly 30-carat citrine necklace to be a part of our 2020 Ginger Town Holiday Fundraiser that will be up on our site soon! Speaking of Ginger Town, we cannot thank NorthPark Center’s RJ Reissig enough for working so hard to come up with a creative solution to our annual tradition and partnership with NorthPark. More info will be out soon, but RJ’s love for CCA has warmed our hearts up more than a tray of fresh gingerbread, just out of the oven.

Without you, this life-changing work would not be possible. Thank you for all the creative ways you have helped us in such a trying year. As we head into the “Giving Season,” we hope CCA remains at the top of your list to support. We are still feeling the heavy effects of a large dip in donations and the loss of our big fundraisers. Every gift truly counts. Help us end the year with the momentum to continue our amazing programs which so many of you love very much.

Warmly,

Christine Andler
Director of Development

Join Us On IGive, Shop and Give Back: $3 Bonus for CCA Ends Feb. 23rd

Become a new member or refer a friend and give an additional $3 to CCA Kids today through February 23rd. $3 New Member Bonus! Use Tell a Friend to recruit friends to iGive by 2/23.  When you install the iGive Button and keep it for 90 days we'll donate an extra $3!B Install the IGive button by following these instructions.

Shopping is easy. When you go to one of your favorite retailers that is a member of IGive universe, the button you installed on your browser will pop up, prompting you to click it, and begin shopping on for all your favorite goodies!

Baker Family Raises Funds for CCA

By Maigan Baker

When our Daughter, Hannah, was 4 months old we noticed a ridge on the top of her head. We inquired about it at her 4 month visit but no one was concerned. We were clueless to what it could be so just trusted it was all right. At 6 months I pushed again at her check up and they said they would run X-Rays. We did those right after her appointment and the next day we learned about Craniosynostosis for the first time! It was confirmed that her X-Rays looked concerning. We had the choice of seeing someone locally who was a neurosurgeon who did not specialize in kids or to go to University of Michigan, which is two hours away. We immediately said University of Michigan, knowing we would not be satisfied anywhere else. They were able to get us in two weeks later and the surgeons confirmed that she had Craniosynostosis. 

Hannah had surgery on Valentine's Day 2017 (a Wednesday) at 8 months old. While it was terrifying to wait during the surgery and to see her after with her head wrapped and face swollen, we had faith in the surgeons. She ended up needing a blood transfusion during the surgery and shortly after we left the recovery room. Her eyes were swollen shut for a few days after the surgery, too. After all these expected side effects of surgery, things would improve a lot for Hannah. 

When her eyes opened back up on Saturday, this girl was happy and ready to crawl around and be her normal self. While we were overjoyed by her enthusiasm for life, this absolutely terrified us!!! It is crazy how their little bodies bounce back so fast after such a big surgery. She was all smiles after this, except she would get mad at us when we would not let her do stuff. The next two weeks my husband and I took turns working from home, both lucky to have jobs that would allow us a flexible schedule. After those two weeks my Mom came to stay with us for the next two and half months until Hannah was cleared to go back to daycare. We were so lucky to have that help! I do not know what we would have done without Hannah's grandmother.

Fast forward seven months later and you would barely know by looking at Hannah that she had surgery! Her hair mostly covers her scares and she is still a strong little girl who has no clue what she has been through!

While we were in the hospital I signed up to sell Usborne Books & More as a fun side gig as I already work full time. I figured if I did not like it I could just stop, no harm no foul. I knew I loved the books and being social, so I would probably love it. I held my launch party and donated all of the reward books to Motts Children Hospital. They got over $400 worth of books!! We dropped them off during Hannah's three-month check up. 

In June, I held a party where all those rewards went towards Cranio Care Bears, an amazing Organization that sends care packages to kids who are about to have surgery for Craniosynostosis. They received about $200 worth of books. For this fundraiser, my incentive period was up so I could not offer double rewards like I could for my first party. 

Then in September, for Craniofacial Acceptance Month, I knew I wanted to do something for an organization that helped kids like Hannah. So I decided to hold a Cards for a Cause party and donate the funds raised to Children’s Craniofacial Organization. I posted on social media to my friends, family, co-workers and Usborne VIP page that I was selling boxes of cards with 30 cards in them for $30. I told them the proceeds were going to CCA. I ended up selling 20 boxes of cards, netting a $240 donation to CCA!! 

I am super excited to be able to help an organization that helps kiddos with craniofacial abnormalities. Thank you for all you do!

Shop and Give To CCA with the IGive Button!

Help Childrens Craniofacial Association with free donations!

Shop online with iGive.com. Right now, iGive is giving out bonus donations! New members who join by 9/15 can get an extra $3 donation for Childrens Craniofacial Association. The stores make this possible because they want you to like them and shop till you drop. There's over 1,900 socially-responsible stores helping to make donations happen.

I hope you'll give it a try. To learn more or sign up now, use this link: https://www.iGive.com/ymVqd

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Shopping is easy. When you go to one of your favorite retailers that is a member of IGive universe, the button you installed on your browser will pop up, prompting you to click it, and begin shopping on for all your favorite goodies!

#ThankfulThursday: Storm Taekwondo Raises $5,000 for CCA With Kick-A-Thon

Shane Merem of Storm Taekwondo located in Commerce Township, Michigan held a kick-a-thon at his studio with students of all ages and talents, raising over $5,000 for Children's Craniofacial Association. Their efforts will help send Brooklyn Wojtyniak's family, and other families to Annual Retreat and Educational Symposium.

The event was streamed on Facebook. Merem asked the Facebook audience for contributions. Then introduced the kids and adults that would be showcasing their karate kicking skills. Finally, each student had their moment in the limelight as they raised funds with each kick. Prizes were then awarded. Some students even completed a portion of their kicking at home to be sure they made all the karate action happen for their donors.

Merem is a passionate individual. He is very motivated to give the students not only the physical tools for success, but the mental motivation as well. He is force with which to be reckoned. Merem heard about CCA from one of his students, Brooklyn Wojtyniak. The goal was to send her and her family to retreat, but Storm Taekwondo did so much more than that in raising so much awareness and generating so much kindness and helping Brooklyn attain the Retreat Room Reward for netting $5,000.

Generous prize donors offered up incentives for individual and team donors that gave the most money. One team earned the ability to to attend a Red Wings hockey game thanks to Ben Marcum's boss at INTRA Corporation in Westland, Michigan. Looks like these big earners had a great time at the game. 

Top fundraisers at the Storm Taekwando Kick-A-Thon won tickets to the Detroit
Red Wings hockey game. 

Detroit Red Wings

Marcum praises Shane's efforts by saying, "Shane is an amazing Martial Arts Instructor and his school is growing and doing an amazing job developing young kids into champions of life." Marcum also states that Shane recognized how important the Annual Family Retreat and Educational Symposium is to the our families. 

Storm Taekwando Kick-A-Thon Participants

Watch the video of the Kick-A-Thon Live Facebook event by following this link. This is a great model for future fundraisers. If you have a studio, Storm Taekwando is willing to walk you through how to run such a fundraiser.

Storm Kick-A-Thon Participants

A sports or activity-related fundraiser like this allows many people to get involved, give reasonable amounts of money that make sense for them, and can be completed in a number of different venues. It could be any repetitive activity. You could do a dance-a-thon, basketball shot-a-thon, or even a yoga pose--a thon! Each person sponsors a specific number of shots, or length of time that the participant spends completing the activity. People can donate one unit, or more, depending on the metrics you develop.

Excellent job and many, many thanks to Shane Merem, Storm Taekwando, all the kick-a-thon participants, and Ben Marcum for their thoughtfulness and generosity.

Shane (Right) awarding a medal to a student after the
kick-a-thon

By Kara Jackman

DONATE To Brackets for Good...When NonProfits Compete We All Win!

#WonderWednesday: Deal Island, MD Student Donors Send 2 Families to Retreat

Deal Island, Maryland elementary school teacher, Michelle Messick contacted us to share her "Wonder" story. Her class will be sending two families to CCA's Annual Retreat and Educational Symposium Day. She tells us how her students raised the money for CCA and the activities she planned around the book. Messick inspired these students to give back in a big way. Two families will benefit from this small community's hard work. Thank you so very much for all the kindness, love, and gratitude emanating from Maryland. You will have a profound effect on our craniofacial community in June. Thank you!

Ms. Messick writes...

Our class decided to raise the money after reading “Wonder." CCA graciously donated the books last year to our school because I had to borrow a class set every year. This year my students felt led after reading materials from CCA to send a student to the annual retreat. 

Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine raising enough money to send TWO families! Our school, Deal Island Elementary, is located in a small community, Deal Island in Somerset County, Maryland (Eastern Shore of Maryland). The students brought in donations to create a gift basket to raffle with “Wonder," “Auggie and Me," 365 Days of Wonder, a $50 movie gift card and a TShirt we made for our trip to see Wonder on the big screen. What makes this so impressive in my eyes is that all of the money raised was raised by only 16 students in a period of about 7 weeks! We like to use the phrase “small, but mighty” to describe ourselves because even though we are a small school, in a small community, my students are capable of doing mighty things. 

I wish I captured their faces when I told them how much money they raised! One student said, “I have never felt this happy and I didn’t win!” That is what is is all about; feeling good because you did something for someone else. Needless to say, I am one very proud teacher on so many levels!

#ThankfulThursday: IGive ...Do You?

IGive puts the fun back in fundraising! Our wonderful friends at IGive are running a promotion. Log onto our IGive page to raise funds for CCA while you shop.

$5 New Member Bonus!

Use Tell a Friend to recruit friends to iGive by 3/11. 

When they install the iGive Button and keep it through 5/31 we'll donate an extra $5!

Lots of exciting opportunities to buy new things for you and help us in a small way, too. 

Thanks!

#ThankfulThursday: Here's To You!

As we sit back and reflect on the past year, we want to thank all of our tremendous individual and team fundraisers for 2017. We are so impressed with all the work you did over the last year, rising to the occasion with the premiere of "Wonder" in November. 

We would also like to thank you for all the kindness you shared with others. Whether it was just holding a door for the next person, or speaking at a local middle school about the #ChooseKind movement. It is very overwhelming all that has been accomplished this year. Just think of all the children you helped get the medical attention they need, learn about Wonder, or will send to retreat. 

Thank you for making 2017 such a special year. 

Here are a few ideas to help start planning your fundraising efforts for 2018. These ideas can be found at our website, along with other clever ways to give. 

• Lemonade Stand — Mix up some sweet lemonade and bake goodies to sell on your neighborhood street or outside your school. Lemonade stands are very popular and a fun way to spend an afternoon.  

• Denim Days — Coordinate with your human resources office at work to charge $5 or more per person to where jeans on a particular day (typically Friday).

• Friends and Family Letter — Send a fund-raising letter to family, friends and associates.

• Walk-athon, Hop-athon, Cartwheel-athon or Hula-Hoop-athon — Organize children, work associates and/or friends and have them take pledges per mile accured.

• Bike-Parade — Organize children, work associates and/or friends and have them pay an entry fee to take a neighborhood themed ride!

• Kitchen Shutdown — Obtain donations of dinners from seven local restaurants and raffle a week’s worth of meals.

• Craft Fair — Obtain donated space from a school, church, mall or vacant retail space and sell space to local crafters. Sell food, balloons, face painting, etc.

• Car Wash — Ask local merchant to provide space and water.

• Yard Sale — Ask neighbors, friends and/or family to join in a yard sale.

• Motorcycle Run — Ask local Mortorcycle Club to hold a fundraiser for you, or work with local clubs to organize a route, with sponsored stops, and do raffles at each location along the way. Charge a registration fee.

• Dog Parade — Collect entry fees and have a theme. Ask local officials and VIPs to judge and emcee.

• Golf Tournament — Work with a golf course to host this type of fundraiser, which typically brings in a large amount of revenue!

• Fishing Derby — Collect entry fees and give prizes for the most total pounds and largest fish.

• Benefit Concert – locate a venue, book an act, promote and sell tickets for a fun night of music and dancing!

• Chili (Tofu, Crawfish, Lobster) Cook-off — Locate an appropriate space and give prizes for the best, most creative, etc. Charge an entry fee and ask the local VIPs to judge. Get your Radio station involved!

• Sports Tournament — Softball, volleyball, basketball, golf, tennis— Charge an entry fee, get corporate sponsors, give prizes.

• Fashion Show — Ask local designers and boutiques to help you create a stylish evening full of fashion, fun, and networking. Charge boutiques a sponsorship fee and sell tickets to attend.