BECOME A FUNDRAISER
VOLUNTEER
FUNDRAISING TOOLKIT
You, your organization, school, or company can help fund research and save lives!
We’re excited that you want to join us in the fight against breast cancer! There are so many creative ways you can support our mission as an individual, company, or group.
Read on for ideas and tips, and when you’re ready, complete our Fundraising Request Form.
If you’d like help brainstorming ideas or have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at (205) 413-4600 or [email protected].
Fundraiser Ideas
- Ask your local fire department to participate in our annual Pink Ribbon Project. Each year, the BCRFA designs and prints t-shirts for fire departments across Alabama to purchase, wear and sell in their communities during October (Breast Cancer Awareness Month). All proceeds support breast cancer research.
- Get your local schools to “Go Pink” in October by raising money for the BCRFA and breast cancer research! Talk to your high school’s SGA, National Honor Society, or Athletics Team about coordinating a Pink-Out Game during football or basketball season, do a coin drive for research and send us a check at the end of the month, sell pink t-shirts to raise money and awareness. Encourage your fraternity and sorority to coordinate a car wash or a corn-hole or disc golf tournament. These are just a few ways to get schools and students involved! Get the conversation started to find the best fit for your school and community.
- Ask your church, synagogue, mosque, or local place of worship to host a Pink Sunday/Pink Saturday, special offering, or donation drive in October to honor survivors, remember those who have been lost, and raise money to support breast cancer research in Alabama through a donation to the BCRFA.
- Host a dinner or holiday party at your home or office. Ask guests to make a donation to support breast cancer research.
- Set up an online crowdfunding page to collect donations for the BCRFA from friends, family, and coworkers. You set the goal, we’ll create the page and send you the link!
- Request donations in lieu of gifts (for wedding, anniversary, birthday, bat/bar mitzvah, etc.)
- Coordinate a workplace fundraiser. For example, you could have a casual day for research and ask employees to give a $10 donation and to wear blue jeans and pink shirts or donate a percentage of sales on a designated day to the BCRFA.
- Host a “Non-Event.” Send invitations to friends, family, and colleagues to not attend your event. On the invitation, remind them of the money they will save by not purchasing new clothes and shoes, hiring a sitter, etc. and encourage them to make a donation to the BCRFA online (bcrfa.org) or via mail.
Tips for Success
- Define your purpose and goal. The purpose is to raise money for breast cancer research in Alabama, but you need to have a fundraising goal too. Share it with your friends, family, and colleagues. They want to help you reach your fundraising goal!
- Select your event type. Whether you go with one of our ideas or come up with your own, be creative and make it meaningful and entertaining.
- Recruit volunteers and committees. Ask your family, friends, and colleagues to help you with your fundraiser and assign them a particular project or job. Most will accept the challenge. Invite groups or clubs of which you are a member to get involved. This expands your reach and engages the community. Ask all of your volunteers/committee members to share their contacts with you as well.
- Choose a location. Whether at your home, business, or elsewhere, this should be one of your first tasks as you begin planning.
- Prepare a budget. If you have out-of-pocket expenses, take this into consideration when deciding what to charge attendees. Some hosts prefer to donate the actual costs of hosting the event. Your goal should be to donate all of the proceeds from your event to support breast cancer research. This makes guests feel more comfortable when donating.
- Secure sponsor(s) to underwrite the event. Reach out to local businesses and ask them to pay for any rentals, food, or entertainment, if needed. Put together a solid budget and present it to the businesses you are soliciting.
- Promote your event. Use social media to help get the word out and have friends share your posts. Tag @BCRFAlabama on social media and we will share too! Ask local media(newspaper, radio, tv) to share your event info (if it is open to the entire community).
- Thank your supporters. As soon as possible or after the event, send thank you notes to your attendees and donors. Everyone appreciates a “thank you” and they will remember your event. If your donors or sponsors would like to receive a thank you from the BCRFA, please email us a spreadsheet with donor contact info and gift amount. We will mail letters on BCRFA letterhead for individual donations of $25 or more.
Ready to fundraise? Let us know!
Once we have reviewed your Fundraising Request Form, we will provide a BCRFA logo and/or link to a crowdfunding page if requested for use during your promotion.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us at (205) 413-4600 or [email protected].
Click here to download and print the Fundraising Request Form instead of completing it online.
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