WAHM Forums

Hey y'all! OK, there is a local little boy who has been diagnosed with brain stem cancer. He and his family are in TN at St. Judes for an unknown time. I want to donate 25% of all my sales through fundraising parties for the family. I've contacted the little boy's mom and gotten her approval and everything. Here's my problem, I can't for the life of me get parties booked for it and I'm just really surprised that people aren't hopping on board. I've posted it twice to my myspace, our cousin posted it to hers as well. I've called a few prior hostesses and talked to them about it. They don't want to do it but will ask around and of course, nothing has come of that. I'm flat broke because of unexpected events in the last couple of weeks so I can't affordto place a display ad in the local paper on it. My goal was to raise $1000 by the end of the month and it's just not looking that great right now.

Any help on how to raise interest in such a worthwhile cause would be greatly appreciated!!! TIA!

Is there a local coffee shop with high enough traffic that would be generous enough to donate asmall area for you to set up a display and have a benefit show? Let the owner in on the hostess benefits and have them invite everyone they know. Make up posters and place them around town and at the shop. Make note on the flyers that proceeds will be donated to the sick childs family.

Good luck and I hope you get some better ideas here.

Lisa

I'm going to be honest.

Ithink the way people look at it may have something to do with it. Even if your intentions are pure, it's one thing to book parties (which you benefit from) and donate the sales to help someone, or to just say any party this month, even those booked, will benefit this child. This is benefiting you more then that child, you not only make $1000 if you are splitting your profit 50/50 (you earn 50%), that also helps your sales. KWIM?

This is one reason many schools will not do fundraisers with parents.

You are much better doing a benefit vendor show where you charge $50 -$100 per table, ask each person to donate an item, and do a silent auction where 100% of the profits benefit the family. Then if they want to sell food (have a youth group do it or some volunteers), and do a bake sale. Have the media sponsor it, and make a huge deal out of it, with invites to their family and friends. Sell 20 tables at $50 and you have $1000. You still benefit, but it's a group effort.

I know you just want to help, and best of luck to you,

Debbe

Hi there,

You said yourself that you can't afford to pay to place an ad. I would check with your local newspaper office, sometimes they are willing to run the ad for free if it is to benefit a child with an illness. Wouldn't hurt to ask! I would also ask them about free printing on some flyers to hang around town to help this child!

Good luck to you!

Tammy

Yeah I get what you're saying Debbie. I've tried to do vendor fair type things before and get looked at like I'm stupid because of how rural we are. I think I'd be getting the same reception trying to do that as I'm getting now. I don't know, I'm so discouraged. It's really and truly not about the sales credit or the money for me. This family's story touched my heart. Maybe because I have a little boy now. I can't imagine the expense involved when both parents are taking off work to be with the child plus the medical expenses on top of it and eating out or buying groceries to cook in the room. It would be a huge mountain for us to climb but we'd file bankruptcy to do it. I just want to help them and doing shows is the only way I have extra money to give. I guess people now days just are too skeptical to trust someone in my industry and believe that it's about the family, not about me. Kinda makes me sad.

Maybe do a food drive for them, or call a local hotel and see if they will doante a room for the family. Or call around to the restaurants and ask for gift certificates or for them to donate one night a week to feed the family.


Though we can use our direct sales business for a lot of good, sometimes we have to think outside of waht we know.


Best of luck to you!


Debbie

I did something similar for a local boy with leukemia, I just held my own parties and asked everyone I knew to order something with all the profits going to the little boy. Then I made a nice basket with the hostess gifts for the boy's Mom. Worked out very well.

((((Krystal)))) what a beautiful thought.

Have you thought about just having a giant catalog party....like post a link online for a week where everyone that you know everywhere (here, myspace, etc) can order? Maybe a certain item 100% of the proceeds go to or something?

Maybe your local newspaper would do an article - human interest kind of thing - and add at the end that you're doing a fundraiser? OUr paper does things like that all the time.

With so many scams for fake charities etc out there people are very skeptacle about dontating to an individual on behalf of someone else.
Iwould partner up with your local bank or cancer society office and be the party rep but let thembe the one's donating. KWIM?

People will look at the cancer society or a bank as being reputable vs someone they do not know from eve. Its not like the days past where people trusted strangers any more.

Maybe the bank or cancer society would match the money raised.