Two weeks ago we talked about anything-a-thons. Last week it was birthdays and weddings. Now facial hair? Where am I going with all of this?!
Non-events, that’s where. It’s very easy, as I said last week, to get stuck on the idea of walkathons and polar plunges as the only ways to catalyze your fundraising efforts. In reality, though, anything can be your "excuse" to raise money. In fact, you don’t even need an excuse!
One of our (in the office) favorite examples of an alterna-event is Fund-a-stache, which turns May into grow-a-mustache-for-charity month for anyone who might choose to participate. Last year our very own Thos grew a ’stache and raised cash for ABC No Rio. Now that May has arrived we’re waiting to see if he decides to grow another charitable mustache….and if any of the other men on staff decide to join him.
Don’t want facial hair? No problem. You don’t have to jump on this particular bandwagon, but look at it as inspiration. You could grow the hair on your head really long and then donate it to Locks of Love, like Erin and Nikki are doing, and raise money at the same time.
The idea here is to think outside the proverbial box. Writing your college thesis? Make a fundraising page! Tell your friends and family that they can show their support and encouragement by making donations to your charity of choice while you’re slaving away in the library for many months. At the end, you’ll have not only your beautifully bound masterpiece (and your hard-earned degree), you’ll also have the great satisfaction of knowing that a check is being sent off to your favorite nonprofit.
Have people sponsor your studying for the bar exam, or for the MCAT. Finally decided to write your first book? Awesome. Use it as an excuse to raise money. Anytime you’re doing anything big or momentous or just fun, you can use that as your "event," just the way you’d use a marathon.
In fact, you don’t have to do anything at all except care about a cause. When I started working here I figured I should make my own fundraising page. I didn’t have any "reason" or event, really, but that didn’t stop me! I’ve put together a page to benefit a tiny nonprofit company run by people I know, just because. By simply putting the link in my email signature I’ve already begun to collect funds, and so this little company is getting help simply from me deciding that I could spend five minutes of my time to make a page.
My goal? To always have an active fundraising page for one of the many nonprofit companies whose welfare I care about. That way I’ll always be doing something – even if it’s a very small something – to help.
Tell us about your "non-events." Send us your mustache-growing photos. Talk to us about what you’re doing and what we can do to make it easier! And, as always, keep on doing the good you do. (We’re just here to help.)
