How to Raise $1,500 in Just Six Weeks

Week 1

• Start by sponsoring yourself = $25.
• Send out at least 25 letters and emails to friends and family (ask for a minimum donation of $26) = $650.

Week 2

• Follow up on your fundraising letters and emails.
• Ask three additional family members (minimum donation of $26 each) = $78.
• Ask five friends to sponsor you (minimum donation of $26 each) = $130.
• Ask two co-workers to sponsor you (minimum of $26 each) = $52.
• Check with your company's human resource department to see if they offer matching gifts.

Week 3

• Ask three additional co-workers to sponsor you (minimum donation of $26 each) = $78.
• Plan a fundraising party with at least 25 people (e.g. 50% of split cover charge of $20 for a happy hour) = $250.

Week 4

• Ask five neighbors to sponsor you (minimum donation of $15 each) = $75

Week 5

• Ask your boss for a company contribution = $50

Week 6

• Ask three businesses you frequent for a donation (e.g. doctor, dentist, dry cleaners, etc., $37 each) = $111

Grand Total $1,500

Fundraising is even easier now with online fundraising.  When you registered for Team In Training, you received an online fundraising guide to setting up your personal Web site to personalize and update as you continue to train and fundraise. 

15 Simple Ways to Fundraise

1. Create and sell your very own TNT charm bracelets.
2. Are you a July baby?  Request birthday party donations instead of gifts.
3. Dessert-a-Thon.  Make a bunch of desserts, and charge $26.20 at the door for an all you can eat dessert-a-thon. A past participant raised $2000.00 doing this!
4. Sell items not available in the office (cans of soda, candy bars, etc.) to your coworkers.
5. Go casual!  Request to have a Dress-Down-Day at work or school; everyone gives a donation for the privilege.
6. Start a piggy bank. Be sure to feed the pig! Every time you go into a store always break a dollar for change, even if you have those three pennies in your pocket. 
7. Ask local restaurants to place a coin box at the front of the restaurant.  Be sure to ask the manager, they may even put it in a high traffic area where many patrons will see it!
8. Have a car wash!  Get together with some teammates and host a car wash.
9. Host a BBQ or Cocktail Party and charge admission.
10. Throw Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, Party Lite, Tupperware or Home Interior parties.  Keep 10-15% of sales for your fundraising efforts.
11. Are you a pet person?   Have a pet bake sale (make dog biscuits) and sell them outside of a pet store or at a park.
12. Host a company breakfast or lunch in the office.  Get donations from local places or just cook the meals yourself and charge fellow employees per plate.
13. Sell Joe Corbi's Pizza Kits or Grandma Corbi's Home-made Cookie Dough.  Check out www.joecorbi.com.
14. Clean out your closets and find things worth selling at yard sales, flea markets or on www.missionfish.com!
15. Non-Event.  Make invitations for a "non-event."  Imagine the money your guests might spend on a black tie party, including clothing, hair, make-up, transportation, etc. and ask them to pledge that money to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, instead of going thorough all the cost and trouble.