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Hello UNL Dancers! Thank you so much for
registering for UNL’s Miracle Network Dance
Marathon. We can’t wait for you to join us
in our celebration of our fundraising efforts
for the Children’s Hospital and Medical
Center in Omaha. We would love for you to
continue fundraising toward your goal to
help support some truly amazing kids! We
have put together this guide to make your
fundraising experience as easy, fun, and
stress-free as possible. You will find tips,
templates, ideas, and suggestions that will
make your Dance Marathon experience even
more rewarding. Thanks in advance for all
your hard work. FTK!
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4 Fundraising ideas
10 Generic letter writing campaign
12 Individual letter example
14 Who to ask
16 Fundraising tips for dummies
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ASKING FRIENDS AND FAMILY
+ USING SOCIAL MEDIA
Letters: Send out letters via snail mail. Since e-mails
get lost among the junk, make sure everyone on
your mailing list gets something tangible from you.
Use something that stands out and is personal so
that people know it is from you.
E-mail: Use e-mail to get the word out, just don't
make that your only way of contacting people.
E-mail is still great for reminders and for reaching
people you may not have a physical address for.
Internet: Use your Facebook, Twitter, blogs, or
whatever to get the word out.
Holiday Giving: ask relatives at family gatherings
around the holidays to invest in the giving spirit and
donate to a good cause.
Present reroute: ask family and friends to donate
to your cause instead of buying Christmas/birthday
presents.
Create a Facebook Event: Use your Facebook to
create an event and invite and go invite all of your
friends!
Facebook Messaging: Personally message 200 of
your Facebook friends asking them for $1 with a link
to your donor drive.
Insta video: post a video on instagram telling your
followers why you’re raising money and provide a
link to your donor drive.
Matching: ask local businesses, family, friends, etc
to match whatever you donate to the cause.
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THINGS TO SELL
Yankee Candle: hold a sale through their
fundraising program and you earn 40% for your
charity. This one is good for local sales.
Give an Awareness Item in Exchange for a
Donation: This link sells items such as ribbons,
bracelets, pins, etc. so you can offer an item in
exchange for a minimum donation. The company
I work for often gives us a pin for a $5 donation
to a cause. The pins cost less than $1 on this site
and allow the donor to show their pride in their
donation.
Bake Sale: Host a bake sale and ask friends or
family to help by contributing their favorite
goodies. Hold it in conjunction with another event
such as a neighborhood garage sale, sporting
event, etc.
Garage Sale: Host a garage sale and get rid of the
stuff lying around your house.
Hugs for Sale: Go to your local mall and give a hug
for a donation! Everyone will have a great time
for a great cause. For those that are not to keen
on a physical hug, give them the option to get a
Hershey's candy hug instead.
Gold Party: Host a gold party, one where the
guests bring their old pieces of gold to sell and the
host charity receives a percentage.
50/50 Raffle: Half of the proceeds go to your
fundraising goals and the winner of the drawing
receives the other half. Use this in addition to
another event you have to increase revenue. Good
places to host 50/50s are at restaurant events,
ball games, gift wrapping stations, or other charity
events.
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Midnight Snack: Sell late night food (pizza, candy,
etc) in the dorms at night.
Crafts: Sell homemade crafts- locally or on Etsy
Clothing Recycle: Sell your old clothes to Plato’s
Closet (or something similar) and donate the
money.
Ebay: Gather up your unused/old things and sell
them on Ebay and donate the money.
THINGS TO DO
Phones: Research places that recycle phones
for cash. There are a number of them out there.
Find the one that works well for you and comes
recommended.
Printer Cartridges: There are numerous places
that pay for used printer cartridges. Some limit the
types of printer cartridges they will take. One of
my favorites is Empties4Cash but they only take
certain inkjet cartridges. Staples will give you up to
$3 in store credit for up to 10 printer cartridges a
month.
Jeans Day: Ask your employer if they will host a
jeans or casual work day where people get to dress
casually in exchange for a donation to your cause.
Drawing for Gift Cards: Ask local businesses for gift
card donations, then use the gift cards in a drawing
for those who donate money to your cause.
Collect Coins: Instead of using your spare change
when you pay cash, take that change and place it
in a bucket.
Restaurants: Check around at pay-at-the-counter
restaurants and ask if you can place a spare change
jar in their store.
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Your Job: Put a spare change jar at your desk at
work.
Wrap Gifts for Donations: Many bookstores, malls,
and other retail establishments allow you to wrap
gifts for donations during holidays. Some even
provide the paper and all the tools you need in
exchange for your time volunteering. Check with
your local bookstore or mall and ask if they have a
program.
Offer to Pass Out Flyers for Donations: Many small
local businesses are in need of marketing help.
Check out food places you frequent, particularly
ones owned by local owners, and ask if you can
hang door hangers or pass out flyers in exchange
for a donation to your charity.
oops
!
Embarrass yourself! Find people to donate a
certain amount of money to see you do something
embarrassing (such as dressing up funny, shaving/
cutting your hair or beard, singing, dancing, etc..)
Truth or Donate: Make cards with embarrassing
tasks on them and give them to people with the
option to do the dare on the card or donate a dollar
or two to get out of it.
Puppies for a price: If you have a friendly pet, take
him/her (if they would be okay with it) to campus
or a well traveled area and allow people to play or
pet your animal in exchange for a donation.
Randos: ask 100 random people around campus for
a dollar.
Run for donations: run a 5k or a halfsy and find
people to pledge each mile you run
DD for a night: offer to be a personal chauffeur for
a night…for a donation of course!
Music over speakers: Play the same song in your
dorm, work break room, etc over speakers and only
turn it off when you hit a certain donation amount
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Facebook "Likes" Donations: Ask as local business
if you can help them increase their Facebook
following. In exchange for bringing more "likes" to
their page, you receive a donation to your charity
in return.
Jellybean count: Fill a jar with jellybeans and have
people pay to guess how many there are in the jar.
Perform a free service for donations: Rake leaves,
shovel snow, take care of a pet, etc. When offering
your service, ask the person who benefited from
your actions for a donation toward your cause.
Beat the Goalie: Pick the best hockey or soccer
goalie you know (this may work well in your home
town) and invite people to try to score a goal for a
prize. Every participant has to pay to take a shot.
International Dinner: Have people from various
ethnic origins cook traditional foods, and then
charge admission to an international dinner.
Guess the age of your teacher: Organize an event
in which students pay to guess the age of your
professor. Obtain approval from your teacher first!
Clearing the Snow: Make a pact with a neighbor/
local business to shovel snow in the winter months
in exchange for a donation.
Babysitting evening: Promote this as a great way
for parents to have some alone time!
Expert Challenge: Challenge an ‘expert’ (or selfproclaimed one that is well known) to their expert
activity. Have people ‘vote’ for who they bet will
win/or want to win with a donation
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Letter writing campaigns can be one of the most
profitable fundraising strategies. The average letter
brings in $30 dollars. Handwritten letters tend to
be the most personable and effective. If email is
more your style, you can send letters straight from
your DonorDrive page. Here are a few tips to make
your campaigns successful:
Use a personalized greeting
Explain what dance marathon is
Include the overall goal ($200,000) and your personal goal all donations go directly to Children’s Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha.
Make it personal: Why do YOU dance??
This is the part where you pull on heartstrings and inspire others to feel the same way you do about the organization.
Say when the event is/what it is
It is a celebration of the successful fundraising events throughout the year, as well as a final push to reach our goals.
The Miracle families are invited and they are the real stars of the event.
It is on Saturday February 27, 2016.
Include your donor drive link/information
Ask for any amount, whether it be $1 or $100. Any and all amounts help!
Thank them for their support
Write them a thank-you and follow up of the event/money raised/where it went after
the event if they donated.
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Dear friends and neighbors,
Every spring the University of Nebraska-Lincoln hosts an event called Dance Marathon. Miracle
Network Dance Marathon is a student-run, nationwide, and non-profit organization dedicated
to supporting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Through this organization, students gain
invaluable leadership experience and life skills while they raise funds and interact with the
Children’s Hospital and Medical Center patients and families. The year concludes in a 12-hour
event in which students stay on their feet the entire time. They dance, play games with Miracle
children, and celebrate the total amount of money raised that year through various events and
individual fundraising efforts. Each event is entirely student-run, and 100% of the funds raised
goes directly to Children’s Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha.
Sixty-two children enter a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital for treatment every minute; that’s about one child every second. Miracle Network Dance Marathon raises money to
help save and improve the lives of as many children as possible. We dance for those who
can’t. This year I will be participating as a ___________ and I have pledged to raise at least
________. Any contribution you can make will provide essential services to Children’s Miracle
Network Hospital families.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Dance Marathon will host their next fundraising event on
February 27th, 2016. Please consider making a monetary donation to help reach our goal of
$200,000. Every dollar is for the kids! Thank you in advance for your support in making this
year’s Dance Marathon a great success!
For The Kids,
(Signature)
-------------------------- Please print below and return this slip with your donation by February 1
--------------------------Student Information:
Name:
Email Address:
Organization:
Phone Number:
Donor Information:
Name:____________________________
Email Address:_________________________
Donation Amount: (Please make checks payable to “UNL Dance Marathon”)
$25$50$100Other Amount________
(Circle One)
Donations can be mailed to: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Dance Marathon
200 Nebraska Union Lincoln, NE 68588
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Don’t forget
to ask:
Your family
Your church family
Your Minister
Your friends
Your parents’ and siblings’ friends
Your doctor
Your dentist
Your chiropractor
Your orthodontist
Your physical therapist
Your hairstylist/barber
Your insurance agent
Your lawyer
Your neighbors
Your extended family’s neighbors
Your old teachers
Your current teachers
Your boss
Your coworkers
Your old coaches
Your current coaches
Your siblings’ coaches
Your hometown’s businesses
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Use the tools we offer! On our website, we have
downloadable flyers and brochures, email and letter templates, and more to help you be successful
in raising awareness of this amazing cause!
TALK ABOUT DM. Talk about our impact locally at
Omaha’s Children’s Hospital, meeting the miracle
families, the events we host, and what the money
we raised goes to! Make it a habit to talk about DM!
Explain DM. If people haven’t heard about DM,
explain it! Take a look at the language on our flyers, brochure, or website and see what an elevator speech might look like! After all, it is FOR THE
KIDS!
Post about it on social media! Show your friends
and family what a difference you are making in our
community and spread awareness of DM!
Show off your swag! Where your DM shirt around
campus, share our flyers, and our graphics on your
social media!
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Email or send letters for the less tech-savvy
Offer incentives in exchange for donations! Bake
cookies, rake some leaves, or even make a craft, in
exchange for a donation!
Be persistent! Even if you get turned down, that
doesn’t mean the next person will say no! Ask
someone for their spare change, to volunteer, or
even to share our message with their friends!
Ask again! Be sure your message is getting out
through email, letters, and social media!
Be clear, concise, credible, and most importantly,
DO IT FOR THE KIDS!
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dm.unl.edu