At a recent fundraiser for our Avon Walk, we had more than one person ask us how she could walk, or how she could get involved with Avon as a volunteer for the walk. All we were able to do was to tell people the website address for the walk, so I’ve been brainstorming on ways to easily share that information if we’re asked at our next fundraiser. I think I’ve got it…

I’m contemplating ordering business cards from VistaPrint that will provide people with the URL for this blog. I think the end result would be more traffic (duh) and it’s always a way to engage people who are interested in learning more about our cause. Why VistaPrint? They did my business cards for my other blog last fall, and I was super pleased with my order and the price. They do business cards, checks, baby announcements, invitations, and even car magnets. Ooh, that’s another idea! A big pink car magnet for the side of my SUV with 3DayMom.com printed across it - that would definitely get us some attention! There are definitely a lot of well priced options at VistaPrint for shameless self promotion. Hey, it’s all for a good cause, right?

There are 158 days to go until the Avon Walk in New York City, and I’ve raised $425 of the required $1800 in donations. Not too shabby, but I can’t stop now! I have another fundraiser scheduled in a few weeks which will be another “begging for change in front of the grocery store event”. After that, I’ll take stock and see how many more fundraisers we need to schedule and work as a team.

The Positively Pink Team (not my team!) has already raised almost $30,000! And one walker has raised almost $12,000. Holy cow - those are some over achievers!

This weekend I (along with a few members of my walking team!) will be at a local store to beg for spare change. It’s weighing your wallet down, and we’re happy to take it off your hands. If you’re in the Tampa, FL area, come out and see us!

Publix at Hollybrook Plaza
Corner of SR. 54 and Bruce B. Downs
Wesley Chapel, FL

We’ll be in front of the store from 10am until about 3pm, or sooner if we die of exhaustion. Raising money is hard work, you know!

1. Put the word out! Put an ad in the paper that lets everyone know the sale is for CHARITY. Send press releases to your local paper. They’ll usually publish your info on the event calendar section of the paper for free since your profits go to charity.

2. Good signage! We had 5 or so signs out in all directions so that our sale was easy to find.

3. More signs! We had signs at the sale letting people know all of the $$ was for charity, and what charity we were supporting.

4. Word of mouth! We told everyone who walked up that the sale was for charity, and if they wanted to know more, we did a little song and dance about the Avon walk. (Not a real song and dance, but you know what I mean.)

5. Donation buckets! We had a donation bucket (and a sign) on the table and people dropped money in it more than once.

6. No hagglers! Early in the sale, when people tried to haggle, we wouldn’t. I guilted more than one person into paying full price since it was all for charity. Later in the day, when we tried to move more items, we made great deals.

7. The buddy system! Doing this with a friend made it 100% easier - don’t go it alone!

I’ve now met 10% of my Avon Walk goal. My overall goal is $1800, and I’m at $180 right now. Our team goal, with 6 members, is $10,800.00 (wow!) and we’ve raised $650.00 of that. Of course, I wouldn’t be sharing all of these facts and figures without asking you to consider making a donation to me! We need every bit of help, and while I can’t help you on this year’s tax return, your donation is tax deductible for next year.

Our next group event (for our Florida team members) will be at a local grocery store on 4/19. Traditionally, a few hours out in front of the grocery store nets us at least $500, so I’m hoping we can see that success again. It will make a big dent in my goal. My sister also committed to a $200 donation, since she’s not walking this year. I look forward to that being deposited!

Our garage sale for the Avon Walk this weekend was a big success!

I walked away with $100 in profit, and my friend ended up with over $200. We were busy all day and got rid of a ton of stuff, and even snagged a few donations from benevolent shoppers. When all was said and done, I packed up what I had left and hauled it to Goodwill where I made a big donation.

Our next fund raiser will be a stand out and beg day in front of a local grocery store. That’s always good for big donations!

We’ve got our first group fund raising (is it fund raising, or fundraising?) event set for April. Now, I hope some of the group can assist me that day, or it’ll be me and Catherine collecting all of the cash for my own account. If you’ve got money to raise, give your local grocery store a call - most will allow to stand out front and solicit donations if you can prove you’re collecting for a real charity. We’ve got a whole system - I’ve got a card table, chairs, and a pink table cloth I bring. We’ve got a poster that briefly explains who we are and what we’re doing, and we’ve got big industrial sized mayo containers (plastic) with handles to collect the cash. We’ve been using the same supplies for 3 years and it makes getting ready for these events super easy.

The date for my 2008 charity garage sale has been set, and it’s less than a month away!

Last year, I did the whole thing on my own, at my house. This year, I’m teaming up with a friend and fellow walker to share the work. She’s got a garage full of stuff to price and sell from a recent move, so I’m hoping that our efforts allow her to really give her fundraising a boost.

The sale will be on Saturday, March 15th, so I’ve got only a short amount of time to draft the press releases and get the ad copy for the classifieds. Since all of our profits are donated to charity, getting this into the newspaper as news or a community event shouldn’t be a problem. I simply need to write up all of the details and email it to the appropriate people - doing it got us a ton of traffic last year!

If you’re in the Tampa area and would like to donate clean, workable items to our sale, let me know! We also happily accept cash - and you can donate online!

With the Christmas season came the need to do a bit of rearranging in our garage. Decorations needed to be pulled down, and we needed to make space for the presents we needed to hide as well. As we did all of this, the thought occurred to me that once again, we have a lot of junk to get rid of. I was in this position lat year and ended up having a yard sale to benefit my 3-day walk. I know that at least ONE of my team members is in the same position, having seen her garage with my own two eyes. I think I’m going to look into planning a garage sale, maybe in March, to once again kick start my walk fundraising.

Next month, I’m taking an active role in not one, but two charity events. As you all know, I’m walking 60 miles in the 3-Day for Breast Cancer. However, 2 weeks prior to that event, I’m walking in the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk. Now, I’m well aware that not everyone is physically able to get out and walk a few miles to support a great charity. Some would rather donate via their checkbook. I’m also aware that each month, my friends invite me to various “home parties” where I’m encouraged to buy things from a catalog. Just this weekend I spent $60 on jewelry at a home party at a friends house. How about having a fundraising party instead, to encourage your friends to donate to a worthy cause? World Alzheimer’s Day is on September 21st, so this is a great time to throw a Purple Party and invite your friends, family, and coworkers over to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association.

Your very own Purple Party can take any shape or form, and you can combine it with another event. How about throwing yourself a Purple birthday party and asking for donations instead of presents? What about a Purple garage sale, with the profits being donated to the Alzheimer’s Association? Or just invite people over for a night of fun and fellowship at your house, and serve all purple foods! (Grapes, grape soda, grape Jello…)

If the idea of raising money for a good cause is still a bit daunting, you can get some free help in the form of a free World Alzheimer’s Day party kit, as long as you’re one of the first 500 people to register online to throw your Purple Party! The free party kit includes A DVD of Alzheimer’s celebrity champions, speaking points donation forms, cocktail napkins, and even thank you cards. The site will assist you in setting up a page for your party, emailing, and reminding guests, and it will even allow guests to donate online if they can’t attend your party.

One more HUGE reason to participate is that all donations in September will be matched dollar for dollar by The Harrah’s Foundation. Even if you just raise $150, those funds will be doubled when the donation is made!