<p>If you have any easy, great, fun ideas for a way to raise funds for Haiti, to be completed at a University, please post.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Who’s the audience? Students? Employees? Faculty? Alums? Donors?</p>
<p>The first thing that comes to my mind is a “We [heart] Haiti” campaign leading up to Valentine’s Day. Print up some valentines and sell them all over campus. Ask the buyers to display them prominently or give them away to their Valentines.</p>
<p>^^^ I love that idea!</p>
<p>How about Root Bear Floats for $1-2. Buy the big old tubs of vanilla, root beer and some cups (or see if the cafeteria can donate some along with straws) set up a table and go!</p>
<p>AUDIENCE:
Definitely students, though, open too all faculty and employees.</p>
<p>V-day idea is great.
Can also “purchase” Valentine hearts and buyer writes on them, adds decorations if they want… and the kids running the fundraiser can deliver them.</p>
<p>Keep the ideas coming…</p>
<p>we are having a few concerts to raise money in my neighborhood.</p>
<p>These 5th graders are making bracelets
[Fifth-grader</a> makes bracelets for Haiti relief - 1/18/10 - Chicago News - abc7chicago.com](<a href=“http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=7225646]Fifth-grader”>http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=7225646)</p>
<p>You could sell bracelets or ribbons with the colors of the Haitian flag. Mardi Gras is coming up; one idea that I’ve heard around my school is buying beads in bulk (absurdly cheap) and selling them one by one.</p>
<p>Get stores to set out “keep the change” buckets. Fairly painless for everyone.</p>
<p>Valentine’s theme: My middle school would sell red and pink carnations. Very cheap, sell for markup. Also, they’d sell ready made Valentine’s msgs, some silly and some serious. I remember one was:</p>
<p>“I love you, I love you, I love you so well
If I had a peanut I’d give you the shell.”</p>
<p>I can’t believe I remember that 35 years later.</p>
<p>A rummage sale has the advantage that there’s no cost invested in the goods sold.</p>
<p>On campus, you need a secure room to serve as a drop-place; perhaps the university can offer that.
Announce drop-off hours and ask volunteer to sit there to receive and pile cardboard boxes(can read a book). </p>
<p>Give everyone a few days to walk through their own dorm rooms with a cardboard box, purging all the stuff they don’t need, from shoes and books to hand-knit scarves from ex-girlfriends. It will help them clean out their rooms. </p>
<p>For appliances and gadgets, note on the flier that they should be in working order to donate. “All donated items should be clean and in working order” is a catch-all phrase. You don’t want anyone’s dirty laundry, but cleaned used clothing is accepted. </p>
<p>They bring their box to the drop-location. Volunteers gather the day and night before to sort stuff and lay out on tables. Tables require some thinking; work with college on that to drop and pick up using college custodial staff and tables, for example, from cafeteria. Or line up desks. Things sell at eye-level, not from the ground out of boxes, so tables are important. </p>
<p>On day-of-sale, volunteers handle the cash-sales. Let people bargain and get good deals; word will spread. Don’t hold onto things for higher prices tomorrow; you’re not a store. There is no tomorrow; it’s a one-day sale. Tell volunteers, just “move it, move it.” and sell as many items as possible. Protect the cash box constantly. </p>
<p>In the final hour, announce a “fill the grocery bag for $5” which will pretty much clear out anything left on the tables. Whatever is left, take in cars to Salvation Army or trash it. </p>
<p>Volunteers should pledge to sort and sell stuff; not to cherry-pick the best items for themselves. Say it kindly this way, “When people donated stuff, they dod it to raise money for Haiti, not to see us volunteers wearing it tomorrow.” Or you can let volunteers set aside a bag, but pay well for it. </p>
<p>The real advantage of this fundraiser is it has no start-up costs, plus has environmental merit (reuse, recycle).</p>
<p>^ I like the sustainable trading theme.
with the valentines day theme- you could also have an live auction for dates.
You would need an auctioneer, but someone who was planning to be in the media might already have the skils</p>
<p>This could be really fun- both men and women could dress up to play up their “desirability”, ( I am being tongue in cheek- I am thinking more in drag or costumes than soulmate dates - look for people who are already known on campus to donate their time first- favorite profs- favorite cafeteria staff etc).</p>
<p>The date could be held on or around Valentines Day, with the dinner to be held on campus- but open to others as well.</p>
<p>Performing Arts Benefit Concert: If you already have known, popular groups on campus, comedy/bands/a-capella singers…ask them to donate their time (or pay them token) and sell tickets to their variety show as a fundraiser. Your models there are BillyCrystal/Whoopi Goldberg/ Willie Nelson/ Bono… when they did “Farm Aid” and “Live Aid.” on TV.</p>
<p>My favorite fund raiser is the pickle jar with a sign on it, “Please donate cash for Haitian relief”</p>
<p>While touring the Duke campus a few years ago they were running a very clever fund raiser. They were making pancakes and putting them in a pile. These pancakes were not for eating, but for $5 you could guess how many pancakes would be in the pile when it reached the height of the center on the basketball team (Brian Zoubek, 7 ft 2"). I don’t even remember what prize went to the winner. I was notified by email that I had been close, but not close enough. :D</p>
<p>“Give a Latte”–donate the amount you would spend buying a fancy coffee for a day.</p>