Let us proceed.
Raising money is much like eating an elephant - a subject with which Tantrikas should be intimately familiar. Having first established that you don't have to work as hard as you originally thought (based on the - don't do more than you have to principle) despite the joys of the tax break, you're still confronted with a mighty target. When approaching the Drala Jong project I had not the slightest experience of raising funds (unless you count bob-a-job week - the first time round in the early 1980s). At first I thought we had to raise the whole £500,000 in one hit.
And I was wrong wrong wrong. The most important thing about being wrong, is recognising that you're wrong. In most circumstances everyone will see it pretty quickly, so you can always ask the opinion of others. . .
. . . anyway, I digress. The best way to raise a large sum of money, is to start. Why? Well, because if you wait for a big donor to come along you'll be waiting a long time. Like many things in life, it's better to pitch for little, and often. As a Management Consultant colleague once advised me (stay awake, this bit will be over quickly) 'Waiting is not an activity. . .'
If you're not used to fund raising, you should start small - simply because if you set achievable goals you set yourself up in a pattern of succeeding. Once you've got some success under your belt you can go for something grander. And remember, nothing sucks seeds like a parrot. . .
So, here are some simple suggestions you might like to consider
1) Sell your old junk
- two donors have been selling unwanted CDs and DVDs on Amazon and e-bay, and raised £170 in 6 months
- in a variant on this, another volunteer has gather together other people's unwanted stuff, and sold it on e-bay on their behalf, raising £240
2) Sell your skills
- table top, garage and street-front sales of home grown plants and home made cakes have raised £500 in the last few months
- you could even donate the prize money from your successes in a local horticultural show, if you fancy it
3) Go without something that you won't really miss
- one supporter is putting 1/3rd of their restaurant tips towards the appeal
- one supporter is going without their daily Starbucks hit, and putting the money aside in a jar for the project
don't go too far unless you're pretty confident of the outcome
4) And there are always sponsored events (although again set yourself an achievable target)
I'd welcome hearing of other fundraising ideas that people have put to good effect, and we can flag them here for others to learn from - not just for this project, but for any charitable cause that folk wish to support.
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