External Fund-raising Ideas

Here are a few really fun, easy ways to help make wishes come true:

Employee Donations

• Dress Down Day: Ever feel like wearing jeans to work? Pay to wear casual clothes for a day – or a week!
• Coffee/Soda Machine: Does your company provide coffee or soda free of charge? If so, consider collecting a donation of 25 cents by placing a contribution basket next to the coffeepot. You’d be surprised how quickly those quarters add up!
• Payday Collection: Each payday, collect a donation from everyone and send the money to the Make-A-Wish Foundation®. Or consider a payroll deduction program.

Employee Sales

• Cloud cut outs: Provided by the Make-A-Wish office, each cut-out has the story of a child whose wish can come true on the back. The front features clouds, a rainbow and room for the donating person's name. Some companies use these as ornaments on Christmas trees during the holidays.
• Homemade Crafts: Tap the creative talents of your fellow workers for a pre-holiday craft show and sale.
• Bake Sale: Every Friday a different department or team brings in homemade baked goods to sell at lunch.
• Employee Cookbook: The favorite recipe of each employee is compiled into a cookbook. Sell to friends and co-workers.
• Covered Dish Lunch Day: One department or team prepares lunch for the entire office and charges for each lunch. Consider salads or deli trays as well.
• Candy Sale: Many fund-raising companies specialize in candy sales specifically for charitable organizations. Your human resource manager or Make-A-Wish representative can put you in touch with an organization like this.
• Book sale - everyone contributes a few books that they've already read. They're re-sold to co-workers at reduced rates.

Other Great Ideas

• Company Picnic Day: Turn your annual picnic in to a fund raiser.
• Baby Picture Contest: Hold a contest to identify your fellow employees using their baby pictures. Try to include pictures from a wide group of employees or consider gathering baby pictures of the senior management team. Sell chances to guess which baby is which!
• Weigh-A-Ton: After all the bake sales and candy sales, this idea will be popular and healthy! Each dieter contributes weekly, and the winner (or in this case, the biggest loser) splits the money with the Foundation.
• Theme Dance: Plan a company wide dance. Oldies, big band and Western themes are popular.

Auctions

Secure donated items through solicitations. This can be done in person, by phone or through the mail. We will provide you with a letter to use to announce your fund raiser and ask for support.

• Silent Auction: Display all the donated items in the office. Next to each item, place a “bid sheet” where those interested can write their name and the amount they are willing to pay. At the designated closing time for all bids, the person who has made the highest bid for any particular item pays that amount and wins the item.
• Chinese Auction: Display all donated items, placing an empty container or basket next to each item. Sell tickets for a set price and ask the buyer to write his or her name on each ticket. People “bid” for the item by placing one of the pre-purchased tickets in the container or basket next to the item. At the end of the auction, each prize is awarded to the person whose ticket is drawn from the container.

Raffles

• 50/50: This is the easiest and most popular way to get your fund raising started. Choose a raffle ticket price. Decide, for example, that each ticket will cost $1. Then 50% or 50 cents of each dollar is awarded to the winning ticket holder, and the other 50 cents goes to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
• Item/Gift Certificates: Raffle off a gift certificate, which has been solicited from a local restaurant, hotel, or business for lunch, dinner, lodging, or special services such as a facial or car detailing. We will provide you with a letter to use to announce your fund raiser and ask for support.
• Theme Baskets: Baskets of cheer, baskets for golfers and gardeners, or beauty and bath packages have all been successful. Choose a theme and ask employees to donate one item. Them combine all the items to make a spectacularly full gift basket. These baskets can be raffled off through purchased tickets. If you work for a mid- to large-size company, consider having each employee team or department donate a theme basket for the raffle. Display the baskets in a central location or lobby.
• Bonus Vacation Day: Raffle off an extra day of vacation.
• Free Parking: Sell chances for free parking in the President’s spot for one week.
• Free Lunch: Raffle free lunch coupons for a week at the employee cafeteria. Purchase an item to raffle -- great items like a big screen TV or a trip for two make attractive raffle items. Sometimes items will be donated if you write a letter and indicate you are holding the raffle for charity.

Sports Activities

• Golf or Tennis Outing: Arrange for a group outing at a golf course or tennis court. Charge a small amount over the price per player to participate and donate the amount.
• Fitness Challenge: Charge an entry fee to participate in a day of fun filed events. Form teams, collect pledges from friends and family and compete against each other in events such as an obstacle course, sack race or tug-of-war contest.
• Bowl-A-Thon: Have a contest between different departments at your local bowling alley. Another idea is to take pledges for each pin knocked over.
• Softball Game: If you don’t have a regular team, put together a special team to challenge another group or division. Consider approaching a local radio station, many of which have their own softball teams and will play for charity.
• Running/Biking: Take pledges for fellow employees when they run a local or regional race or marathon.

Holiday Ideas

• Holiday Gift Wrap: Wrap holiday presents for fellow employees – this is great for those last minute shoppers.
• Star Trees: If you have a lot of visitors to your office at a holiday time, this is a great way to get your office tree decorated. Fashion stars out of colorful paper and sell the stars for $1. The buyer writes his or her name on the star and hangs it on the tree.
• Holiday Candy Sales: Before holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Easter or Halloween, contact a candy company and arrange to purchase candy from them. Take orders from your friend and family and sell the candy at a profit.
• Easter Bonnet Parade: You provide the materials: basic straw hats, cardboard, even paper plates, plus artificial flowers, feathers, construction paper, scissors, ribbons and glue. Everyone pays a fee to enter. Award prizes (cash or donated items) for the prettiest, funniest or most original.
• Halloween Party: Employees can decorate a room with fake cobwebs, bats and pumpkins. Serve cupcakes or cider and doughnuts. Everyone pays admission. Include a costume contest.
• Holiday Arrangement or Centerpiece Raffle: Purchase a magnificent holiday centerpiece, or let your most artistic employee create one. Put it in a prominent place as an office decoration prior to the holidays, and have the employees buy raffle tickets for it. On the day before the holiday break, pick a winner.