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Host a Fundraiser
Dysautonomia International works with local suport groups and individual volunteers around the globe to raise funds for research on autonomic disorders. Without these people, we would not be able to fund important research. Anyone can host a fundraiser, young or old; no experience is needed.
If you would like to host an event where some or all of the proceeds will be donated to Dysautonomia International, please contact our Fundraising Coordinator at fundraising@dysautonomiainternational.org. We would be happy to assist you with your event and help you make it an outstanding success. We can provide you with written materials like brochures and donation forms, and provide tips on planning a great event, large or small.
Be creative. What kind of fundraising event would you want to donate to? Remember that keeping the FUN in FUNdraiser is the key to success. Be really positive and your enthusiasm will be contagious.
Here are some examples of things people have done to raise money for research:
-Car Wash
-Bake Sale
-Chicken BBQ
-Luau Party
-Harvest Festival (pumpkin carving/hayrides, apple picking)
-Costume Party (great around Halloween, and you can give out small prizes for best costume, best couple's costume, scariest costume, etc.)
-5K run/bike race
-Charity Baseball or Softball Game (or any sport you fancy)
-Chinese Auctions
-50/50 Raffles
-Prize Raffles
-Casino Night
-Jewelry Party
-Community Yard/Tag Sales
-Craft Fairs
-Farm to Table Dinner (have a local chef cook a fancy dinner made with ingredients from all around your geographic region)
-Wine Tasting
-Movie Under the Stars - sell tickets to Movie Night in a local park under the night sky. You can sell ice pops, cotton candy, popcorn, soda and glo sticks at the event. Often, you can get a local business to sponsor the movie screen rental if you advertise they are the sponsor around town.
-Dysautonomia Danceathon - see who can dance the longest without stopping. Check in with your dance studios to find great local dancers who would love to show off their moves at your event.
-Dysautonomia Dance Off - a dance competition to see which individual or team is the crowd favorite. You can make the event free to attend and sall raffle tickets for people to "vote" for their favorite dancer, and they can buy as many "votes" as they want. Usually a local theatre or school will let you borrow their stage/audotorium, or you can see if your local town has a portable stage if you want to hold the competition outside.
-Hometown "Idol" Style Competition - this is similar to the Dance Off, but instead of dancing, it is a singing competition. If you live in Smithville, you call the event Smithville Idol. Ask the music teachers in your local schools to send you their most talented kids, from different age groups. You can make the event free to attend and sall raffle tickets for people to "vote" for their favorite dancer, and they can buy as many "votes" as they want. Usually a local theatre or school will let you borrow their stage/audotorium, or you can see if your local town has a portable stage if you want to hold the competition outside.
-Battle of the Bands - get local bands to play a show to compete for title of "Best Band in the County" or something like that. Collect the cover at the door for the fundraiser and sell raffle tickets for people to "vote" for their favorite band. 1 raffle ticket equals one vote.
-Sell coupons for a local business with their permission. For example, ask your local pizza place if you can sell 100 coupons for buy one get one free pizzas for $5 (or whatever you can get for them, that is less than the normal cost of the second pizza). The pizza place will get free advertising out of this, and maybe some new customers. You will get to keep the money from all of the coupons your sell, which you can then donate for dysautonomia research. You can send out a press release thanking the pizza place for its help - more free advertising for the pizza place.
-Work with a local restaurant to donate a % of the receipts from one day at the restaurant towards your fundraiser (fast food chains will often agree to do this, or a local restaurant may do it on a normally slow night, like a Tuesday).
-Hold a cardboard and duct tape boat race in the local lake, river or bay. Charge a small entry fee for each cardboard boat. Give out silly prizes for best boat design, best costumes, fastest boat, biggest boat, best captain, etc.
-Old Fashioned Lemonade Stands - great if little kids want to help
-For those of you who are really brave, tell your friends that if they can help you raise $1000 (or whatever amount you decide), you will shave your head. If you are a kid, you should make sure your parents are OK with this first. Sometimes this is even more fun if you can convince a popular local teacher, coach, or another well known person in town to do it. The more well known the person is, the higher you should set the dollar amount. How much money would you pay to see your high school principal shave his head for a good cause?
-Hold a spare change collection and call it something like Pennies for POTS, Nickels for NCS or Dimes for Dysautonomia
-Potluck Dinners - ask everyone to bring a dish or a donation. Here's cute name idea from our San Diego affiliate - "POTSluck Dinner."
-Host a fancy dinner at a nice restaurant or a more informal dinner at a local diner. Get the restaurant to agree to the price per person, and then charge for tickets above that amount. For example, the local diner may agree to provide soup, salad, entree, coffee, tea and soda for $15 per person. You can charge $25 per person for tickets to the event, and donate the extra money for dysautonomia research.
-Adults can ask a local night club or pub to donate a portion of the door cover charge or the drink receipts for the night, and you can advertise the event and get all of your friends and neighbors to go, so you will get a larger donation and the bar owner will get some new customers.
-Adults can host a beer pong or dart tournament at a local pub. You can set an entry fee of $10 per person or maybe more, and then offer a prize of $100 to the winning team. So long as you have more than 10 people enter, you will make enough to donate for dysautonomia research. This is a very popular event type of event in college towns.
These are just a few of the ways everyday people can raise money for a good cause. Whether it is your first time trying to raise money for a charity, or if you have been doing it for years, we promise that it will be a rewarding experience and you will feel really good about helping.
Before launching your event, please contact us at fundraising@dysautonomiainternational.org. We will do everything we can to help you have a successful event.
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