Fundraising ideas
Some ideas to get started to raise money for your charity event. Fundraising is not just to find sponsors, but also to generate awareness. Enjoy organizing your event!
Plan your fundraising and start now
Plan your fundraising just like you plan your training, planning how you’re going to raise funds will make it a lot easier. And the sooner you start the more money you can raise.
The sponsor form
Carry your sponsor form with you at all times - you never know when and where you’ll find people wanting to sponsor you.
Set a target
Donors will ask you how much you’re planning to raise. If you set an ambitious target, it will stimulate them to give more. It will also remind them what a worthwhile task you’re undertaking.
Target potential sponsors
Make a list of your family members, friends and colleagues you want to approach and how you want to approach them. Start your sponsor form with those you think will give the most generous donation, this will encourage others to follow.
Make it personal
Be passionate about the charity you’re supporting, talk about it in casual conversations and don’t feel shy to ask for sponsorship. It’s not for yourself, but for the elephants! Finding sponsors face to face is more effective than by email or direct mail.
Create your team page on our website
Introduce your sport event, announce your fundraising activities, track your fundraising efforts, thank donors and get online donations. Send links to your page to all your contacts.
Encourage your employer to match your fundraising.
For every baht you raise, your employer sponsors a baht too. Ask your colleagues to start sponsoring. Arrange an article in your companies magazine or intranet.
Sell merchandising
Get some Bike for Elephants merchandising (with BTEH logo) produced: T shirts, pencils, caps, key chains, bags, stickers. Ask restaurants, shops, friends, your social club to buy / sell the merchandising.
Charity dinner, party, concert, movie night, karaoke competition
Organize a charity party: make nice food or cocktails, sell tickets, promote the Bike for Elephants event and have a great evening. Maybe you can even ask a popular band or singer to perform for free and ask the venue to host the event for free. Advertise, sell tickets and raise a lot of money for the elephants!
Fundraiser at school
Talk about elephants with the children, organize an elephant art class with different materials, invite parents for the auction. Let the children make cookies, snacks, drinks etc to sell during the auction. Or organize a sponsor sport event at school: run around the school and let the children find sponsors for each round they will run.
Donation box
Do you or your friends own a guesthouse, bar, restaurant or another social club? Set up a team on the name of the company, put up some posters, leaflets and a donation box. Ask visitors to join your team or donate!
Organize a booth, a lawn or garage sale
Get your team a booth at some public event: collect stuff to sell and have a donation box. Ask your community to donate items they are willing to let your team sell, for example books they are done reading. Pick a central location to hold your fundraising lawn sale. Publicize this event well in advance and many times.
Have a bake sale
Bake some cookies, pies or cakes and sell them on the street / at a party / at the office / at school.
Have an auction
Try to get many collectible items such as celebrity signed items. Most celebrities are willing to do this, if they support the cause (who won’t support Thai elephants?). Consider an online auction for some of the more lucrative items that were donated.
Have a raffle night
Ask companies in your neighborhood to donate something for the raffle: free massage, vegetarian dinner for two, books, CD’s, entrance of a tourist attraction, etc. Ask a suitable venue to help organizing the event. Sell tickets in advance for the raffle to get the donations. Give away the items donated from the local businesses and be sure to give them recognition as well. Good publicity and networking will make your raffle night fundraiser a success.
Online fundraising
Promote your team page through your own network. Make a banner for your event and ask other websites to support you. Donors can easily donate online on your personal BTEH page through the online donation tool or directly to our bank account with a reference of your team. Email all your contacts to tell them what you are doing, why you are doing it and how they can support you!
Street fundraising
Make a donation box, bring flyers and your sponsor form, walk around busy areas and just ask people to donate. Ask the singer of the band to announce the charity event or get on stage yourself.
Be proud
You are doing something that will make a difference for Thai elephants! Persistence really does bring results, so don’t give in!
