If you are reading this blog, you probably know that Prajnya is in the middle of its annual fundraising drive. We're trying to raise Rs. 300,000/- towards this year's 16 Days Campaign against Gender Violence.
Trying to raise money is a serious affair. It's serious because money is a key instrument that enables people to do what they wish to do. It's serious because our work is serious. It's serious because one is driven by need and held back by inhibition. It's serious because asking for money is not pleasant. I read somewhere about cold-calling being hard. I think asking the same people again and again is also hard. Asking for money is hard, period. For some of us, who grew up in a time when nice girls did not learn how to talk about or negotiate money, it has taken effort to be able to ask on someone else's behalf, but it's still unpleasant. And while our greatest need is for fundraising help, volunteers will come in and say, looking at their toes, "Just don't ask me to ask people for money."
But money makes the world go 'round, doesn't it? It makes programmes and events possible. It makes it possible to purchase electricity, Internet and water. It makes it possible to anchor talent in work they might believe in passionately but not be able to do for want of a livelihood. So, someone has to raise funds.
It has to be done, but why can't it be fun?
I am sure others have read those (mostly American) comics where children and adolescents sold lemonade and washed cars to raise funds. We're in a context where children do that to feed their families, so let's return to the drawing board. In India, we see a lot of fundraising concerts. The main performers may volunteer their talent, but there are dozens of related costs that cannot be wished away. The return to the organization is minimal, and honestly, does not seem worth the effort. I prefer what we have done; used the art of the performer to try and communicate our message in a different language, and made the experience available to whoever is interested. Events during Joy of Giving Week are an attempt to make giving fun and attractive.
We have had people try to raise funds while doing something that was enjoyable--ideally, for them and for others. So last year, through the year, we had Hollaback! Fridays at Vivanta by Taj Connemara which offered us an outreach opportunity but also got us a small percentage of the proceeds of those evenings. During the fundraising campaign, Neela Thamara from Kurnool sold a special collection of shopping bags and shared the proceeds with us. The year before that PERCH contributed a percentage from the sale of the soundtrack CDs of their production, Miss Meena.
But how do you make fundraising fun for individuals? What are ways in which a group of friends can undertake fun projects that can also be fundraisers? I turned to the Internet to look for the lists of ideas I was sure were out there. Here are some lists I found, in no particular order:
2. World Land Trust lists "20 Easy Ways to Fundraise."
I really like some of these.
"1. Get Active Choose something challenging, maybe walking 5 miles, swimming 100
lengths or even eating 50 doughnuts and get sponsored to do it." This is something that could be adapted, but finding that sponsor is not easy. It would work for bored children being challenged to do something constructive and parents who want to create a good incentive for them.
"6. Go Without Give up something you would really miss, like sweets, TV or your mobile, & get people to sponsor you for each day that you manage to go without." This would work in our culture. The idea of giving up something as a mannat or after a life-changing event is very much part of our culture. Imagine if someone were to pay you for each day of abstinence? Especially, if they wanted you to give it up in the first place.
"19. Be Creative For those talented artists out there; design a Christmas card or other craft that is easy to make lots of, and sell them to your family & friends." This is also a great idea if you have kids at home. For the price of paper and felt pens, you could have busy kids, a full new set of custom-made stationery that they can sell to friends and family in order to donate the proceeds.
3. This Pinterest board has one idea that caught my eye; it's from another website.
And what I now want is a way to highlight the "fun" in fundraising. I want people to feel like they like us and like our work, and fundraising for us would be a fun thing to do. I want whatever they do to also be a meaningful process--so I particularly like the idea of the movie night where they think about sexist language or something like that. The actual amount raised doesn't matter as much to me as that process, but yes, the process of raising funds should not be so expensive as to absorb most of the gains of the exercise.
Do share your ideas! Let's make fundraising a fun adventure rather than an onerous undertaking--because that's when it can become a community effort rather than the weary petitions of anxious non-profit managers.
Trying to raise money is a serious affair. It's serious because money is a key instrument that enables people to do what they wish to do. It's serious because our work is serious. It's serious because one is driven by need and held back by inhibition. It's serious because asking for money is not pleasant. I read somewhere about cold-calling being hard. I think asking the same people again and again is also hard. Asking for money is hard, period. For some of us, who grew up in a time when nice girls did not learn how to talk about or negotiate money, it has taken effort to be able to ask on someone else's behalf, but it's still unpleasant. And while our greatest need is for fundraising help, volunteers will come in and say, looking at their toes, "Just don't ask me to ask people for money."
But money makes the world go 'round, doesn't it? It makes programmes and events possible. It makes it possible to purchase electricity, Internet and water. It makes it possible to anchor talent in work they might believe in passionately but not be able to do for want of a livelihood. So, someone has to raise funds.
It has to be done, but why can't it be fun?
I am sure others have read those (mostly American) comics where children and adolescents sold lemonade and washed cars to raise funds. We're in a context where children do that to feed their families, so let's return to the drawing board. In India, we see a lot of fundraising concerts. The main performers may volunteer their talent, but there are dozens of related costs that cannot be wished away. The return to the organization is minimal, and honestly, does not seem worth the effort. I prefer what we have done; used the art of the performer to try and communicate our message in a different language, and made the experience available to whoever is interested. Events during Joy of Giving Week are an attempt to make giving fun and attractive.
We have had people try to raise funds while doing something that was enjoyable--ideally, for them and for others. So last year, through the year, we had Hollaback! Fridays at Vivanta by Taj Connemara which offered us an outreach opportunity but also got us a small percentage of the proceeds of those evenings. During the fundraising campaign, Neela Thamara from Kurnool sold a special collection of shopping bags and shared the proceeds with us. The year before that PERCH contributed a percentage from the sale of the soundtrack CDs of their production, Miss Meena.
But how do you make fundraising fun for individuals? What are ways in which a group of friends can undertake fun projects that can also be fundraisers? I turned to the Internet to look for the lists of ideas I was sure were out there. Here are some lists I found, in no particular order:
1. Signup Genius has this list of 50 Fundraising Ideas.
Some might work in India, like:- "9. Buy a Meal – Volunteers donate homemade meals to sell." This could work in the large IT/ITES companies where hundreds of young people live away from home and eat in food courts. It could work as a meal served in a home and also as a special 'canteen' on a specific day.
- "40. Spa Night – Offer to have female volunteers give manis, pedis and 5 minute massages at a Women’s Night Out for donations." Why female volunteers and why only for women? So, moving on!
2. World Land Trust lists "20 Easy Ways to Fundraise."
I really like some of these.
"6. Go Without Give up something you would really miss, like sweets, TV or your mobile, & get people to sponsor you for each day that you manage to go without." This would work in our culture. The idea of giving up something as a mannat or after a life-changing event is very much part of our culture. Imagine if someone were to pay you for each day of abstinence? Especially, if they wanted you to give it up in the first place.
"19. Be Creative For those talented artists out there; design a Christmas card or other craft that is easy to make lots of, and sell them to your family & friends." This is also a great idea if you have kids at home. For the price of paper and felt pens, you could have busy kids, a full new set of custom-made stationery that they can sell to friends and family in order to donate the proceeds.
3. This Pinterest board has one idea that caught my eye; it's from another website.
This is a "made for India" idea. And yes, we may adapt it for Prajnya. All of us above a certain age hoard glass and plastic bottles and containers and we habitually re-use them. If the team could collect bottles, we could put Prajnya stickers on and people could simply collect their loose change and then donate the collection to us. But you know what, this could also be a project that our friends could start for us! It doesn't need more from us than the logo .jpg? Anyone who has scrimped and saved and gathered their coins for real use will tell you they do quickly add up.
4. SheKnows has a list of 101 "Fun Ways to Raise Money."
A list that has 101 items is surely a list with an Indian soul. I like several of these ideas; they're meant for those who are running marathons to raise funds for breast cancer, but will work in other contexts.- "45. Movie Party: Host a movie party at your house. Every time the word "walk" is said in the movie, everyone antes up 1 dollar in a donation bowl. Have pizza donated and ask for a suggested donation at the door." How can this not work? Adapt away--a Tamil film with a donation for every "punch dialogue" or even better, to raise awareness, Rs. 100 for every sexist phrase used in a film in any language. That should quickly raise a few thousand rupees and start some very interesting conversations. "54. Movie/TV Marathon" is similar but a marathon of many films/episodes.
- "46. Theme Dinner: Hold a theme dinner party for at least 10 of your friends; donation 50 dollar a person. Spend just 20 dollar per person on food and you've raised 300 dollar in donations. Better yet, have all of the food donated!" There must be gifted cooks out there and hospitable friends who can make this work.
- "57. Game Night: Host a game night; Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, Scrabble, Poker, Bridge, Bingo. Serve donated food and drinks. Ask for a suggested donation at the door." A possibility!
- "74. "Loose Change Day": Ask your child's school to have a "Loose Change Day." Make a flyer
encouraging each child to bring in loose change from their house to be donated. Encourage the
math classes to assist with counting, predicting and rolling the change. This is a great way to
involve the entire school. You can hold this event multiple times; every week or every month." This could be a class project or a club project. - "77. Dress Down Friday: Ask your boss if you can host a "Dress Down Friday." Employees buy a button and get to dress down on an assigned day." Lots of companies already have casual Fridays but maybe that could be tweaked to be a "Wear Red" day or something like that.
And what I now want is a way to highlight the "fun" in fundraising. I want people to feel like they like us and like our work, and fundraising for us would be a fun thing to do. I want whatever they do to also be a meaningful process--so I particularly like the idea of the movie night where they think about sexist language or something like that. The actual amount raised doesn't matter as much to me as that process, but yes, the process of raising funds should not be so expensive as to absorb most of the gains of the exercise.
Do share your ideas! Let's make fundraising a fun adventure rather than an onerous undertaking--because that's when it can become a community effort rather than the weary petitions of anxious non-profit managers.
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