Fundraising Ideas for Patients

1. Start in your hometown. Check with your local library and any local foundations or agencies that pertain to your specific kind of medical needs for fundraising how to information. A cancer patient may want to contact the local chapter of the American Cancer Society.
   
   
2. Check with your local hospital's Department of Social Services for fund raising information and opportunities.
   
   
3. Local retailers have also been known to help people who want to hold raffles for cars or televisions and to support placement of the containers with pictures placed next to counters suggesting donations. You should contact the human resource departments or administrative offices of these organizations to see if they participate. Your local Retailers Association may also be a good place to contact a group of local retailers to explain your needs and ask for support.
   
   
4. Your local churches are also a good place to start as they already have the support of the community.
   
   
5. Who helps you implement your fundraising? Friends and family. Friends and family should be encouraged to assist as well as local fraternities and charities that often help with marathons and other events involved with fundraising.
   
   
6. Get the media involved! Human-interest stories are always needed by the media and nothing completes one better than a community pulling together to help people in crisis. Make sure that a newspaper or reporter knows about any of your fundraising events and has your information regarding your financial needs in your struggle to get medical care.
   
   
7. What events work for fundraising? The answer is simple...Any that you can get your community supporting. Get local entertainers to donate their services and have local celebrities such as the mayor, state or national senators, House of Representatives members, local heroes/community leaders to speak. Stage a "special location" - one that everyone loves in your area. Invite the media. Provide fact sheet to them in advance about your case. Get the TV stations to bring their cameras and put the interview on the nightly news! Then send lots of thank you letters to the editors of the papers that covered your event and to radio and TV station management.

1. Date
   
2. Time
   
3. Place
   
4. Price
   
5. Your organization's name
   
6. Deadline for ticket purchase
   
7. Name of event
   
8. Event chairperson
   
9. Phone number for more information
   
10. How to respond
    
11. Who to make checks payable to
    
12. Brief description of cause
    
13. Brief description of program for the event
    
14. What to wear
    
15. Tax deductibility status
    
16. Opportunity to volunteer

1. What's the goal - how much do we want to make on this event?
   
2. What would be a reasonable turnout size for our community?
   
3. What is the economic nature of our target audience?
   
4. How much are our participants used to paying for events?
   
5. What extras does our event have that would make people want to come?
   
6. What else will it cost people to attend: babysitting, tuxedo rental, etc?
   
7. What other ways can we generate revenue at the event?
   
8. What effect will a high price have on our image?
   
9. How quickly do we need revenue?
   
10. What are our break-even costs for the event?