Kids love raising money for charity -- and they're good at it, too. For instance, Kathryn Dorrell is very proud of her daughter, Olivia. The Grade 5 student and her classmates raised $200 in November for a very good cause. They collected bottle caps, decorated them and attached magnets so they could stick on refrigerator doors and other surfaces. They sold their artfully decorated bottle caps for a loonie or twoonie each at a local craft fair, and sent the proceeds to the Canadian Cancer Society.
"We always make an effort to point out to our children examples simple ways people are helping out others, so they realize it's something that they, too, can do," says Kathryn. "But it was wonderful to see that Liv and her friends had come up with this all on their own. Liv was so proud when she received a letter from the organization thanking her and her friends for their donation. We still have the letter up on a bulletin board in our kitchen reminding us, and Liv, of the effort that she made."
In January 2010, Kathryn's daughter and her classmates rallied again to raise funds for the Haiti Relief effort with a bake sale.
Tip: Talking to kids, perhaps watching a documentary or TV coverage, such as tsunami or Haiti relief depending what's current at the time, helps put the fundraising efforts into context for kids.
Recommended for: Community/Neighbourhood Schools.
10. The all-Canadian amateur variety show: This fundraiser is similar to # 3 but requires that your group finds a specific venue, which is why the workplace (think of those large boardrooms or cafeterias) is a good location for this effort. Just think, who wouldn't pay $5 to see the head of accounting do a solo at your office fundraiser? And what a treat to see the president tap-dance in the boardroom for a good cause. We did this in the office with a choral group sing-a-long (with lots of laughs) that also proved to be great at building team spirit.
Tip: Get the staff camera buff to capture photos of the entertainers during rehearsal. Send out a videoclip to all co-workers. You'll be guaranteed to fill the house!
Recommended for: Office/Workplace, which usually has a decent enough space. If an outside venue is required, and if you'd like to host an amateur variety night in your Community/Neighbourhood, consider asking local merchants or community centres to donate space.
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