Fundraising Ideas

Many have asked us for ideas they can use to raise funds for the orphanage in Haiti.

We are prepared to coach you with whatever idea you have for a fundraiser and in some cases we could put you in touch with someone who has used a similar idea. This list cannot be exhaustive, if you have a good idea please send it to us and we will add it when you have tried it out.

 IDEAS, no particular order.

• A bottle-drive through your community on a Saturday. Many youth groups use this to raise funds for their activities and typically raise 500 to 1000 dollars per time. They usually print up fliers for mailboxes a few days in advance so residents are prepared. Here is a poster  you can print out and use.
  

• Collect bottles and other recyclables from a business on a weekly or regular basis and return them for deposit at your eco station. This takes a commitment to be there every week, the returns can be huge! One family in Saskatoon has a deal with a restaurant to collect their bottles every week and they send GLA thousands of dollars every year! What an idea! May their tribe increase!

• Dinner for Two. See the poster and invitation you can use. The idea is to invite another couple or two over for dinner and a movie so they can learn about our ministry in Haiti. Register in advance by emailing jthamer@telus.net so we can mail you a dvd “adoption story” and a dvd describing our work at GLA. Each one is just about 20 minutes long. You cook dinner, watch the dvds, and the guests pay what a dinner out in a restaurant is worth ($100) and send it to GLA Canada.

• The 10/10/10 idea. Talk to ten of your friends, ask them to donate $10 a month for ten months, that adds up to a thousand dollars!

• Hold a CONCERT in support of GLA at your church. If you know of a choir, a gifted singer, or some musical group, you could organize a concert some evening in support of GLA. Sundays seem to work best although Edmonton has used Saturdays. You will need to advertise this in some way to get people out, you may want to have an adoptive parent or two or someone who has volunteered at GLA talk about their experiences, if you need a dvd to show you just have to ask us. So far this idea has worked better in smaller communities because advertising is easier there. Income has ranged from $2600 to over $17000.

• Organize a Motorcycle Ride. There are lots of riders out there and they are pretty good at raising money for various charities. In 2009 the Deb Grey Ride of Hope for Haiti ran from Okotoks and Edmonton, meeting in Sylvan Lake for lunch before returning. It took the whole day, each rider had to raise at least $100 plus the $25 cost for registration and lunch. Over lunch we showed a dvd about the work in Haiti, each rider had a photo of a child attached to their bike, and we raised over $6500. This takes some organization, you need to plan the route well etc but we don’t have to tell you motorcycle folk this, you know what it takes.

• Silent Auction. A number of silent auction evenings over the last 6 years have proven their worth for GLA. Typically, the organizer has brought a number of items of Haitian art, paintings, carvings, metal pieces etc and supplemented these with donations from local businesses. The idea is to have folk bid on items with a definite closing time. The purchaser does not get a tax receipt because they purchased something, but it is a lot of fun and people have really enjoyed these. Typically they have been held during a meal, even a Haitian meal if you are brave enough to try this, followed by an evening program. The program can feature someone from the orphanage as guest speaker, some adoptive parents talking about their experiences, or volunteers who have recently returned from GLA. These take a dedicated group of people to put on but can be VERY rewarding. If you want to try this there is help available from those who have done one.

• A Ladies TEA. There is no male equivalent to this event because men aren’t capable enough to pull it off! Several groups have raised large amounts of money for GLA by having a “tea” and program describing the work of GLA. Go for it ladies, you put the men to shame!