Holiday Fundraising Ideas

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The holiday season is in full swing and the year is almost over to boot! Let’s use these last few days of the year to get into a festive fundraising spirit. Giving, both to charity as well as to family and friends, is on everyone’s mind. So, it’s the perfect time to encourage your potential donors to help a good cause, and support family and friends like you! How can you give your fundraising efforts the holiday treatment this year? We have some easy ideas!

A simple trick is just to check out the 3-Day website! We have special holiday card inserts that can help you to ask for donations in lieu of gifts this year. They’re easy to download, for both walkers and crew, making it a snap to mail them out, or leave them by the fireside for Santa to see.

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You can also include these inserts in your holiday cards! It you’re going to be mailing out a family photo, season’s greeting or year-end wrap-up to far off family, add the insert in to your card! Or, make your cards personalized with details of what you raised this year, and your goals for the coming year. Letting this year’s donors know how much their contribution meant will help motivate them to donate again.

If you want to spread the 3-Day spirit through song, go caroling for a cause! Put a twist on traditional canning, and recruit your team to sing door to door for donations. This gives a wonderful personal touch, is a fun team activity, and will surely put a smile on peoples’ faces.

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If you’re in a warmer climate, or just love the chilly winter temperatures, host a holiday training walk! Have donors sponsor different miles or milestones along the walk, then hit the trails! This is also a great activity for a team, and you can dress in your holiday best to really stand out while you step into the holiday season.

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One of the biggest holiday traditions for most families is to partake in lots of feasts and treats this time of year. So, while you’re making your usual holiday cookies, cakes and other sweets, put a 3-Day spin on them! Add touches of pink frosting or sprinkles, and include donation information alongside your treat. Who could say “no” to desserts for a good cause?

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To really end the year on a high note, remind your potential donors of your goals on the last day of the year. December 31^st is historically one of the biggest days of the year for online giving to charities, and it also boasts the highest average donation amount! That makes it the perfect time to ask donors to make one final contribution for the year. It will help you end this amazing year on a high note, and set you up for an even better 2018!

Fundraising Friday for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day: Spooktacular Ideas

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Halloween is around the corner! Do you have your tricks and treats ready? In honor of this spooky holiday, we have some fun and easy fundraising ideas that you can put into action this weekend! Whether you are walking in one of our final 2017 3-Days, or you want to get a jump on your 2018 fundraising goals, these are fun and festive ideas you can put into action.

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Movie Night

There are so many fun spooky movies that the whole family can still enjoy for this holiday! Whether you project one on a screen outside or cuddle up inside for a bit of a scare, getting your team and/or potential donors together for a movie night is a fun and easy way to gather your 3-Day support system around you this season. Hand out mini s’more packs for a takeaway, and put a little reminder about your fundraising goal and link on the pack! You’ll wake up the next morning to a lot of love.

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Pumpkin Party

Carve. Paint. Glitter. Decorate. There is no wrong way to approach your pumpkin décor! Challenge your friends to create the most 3-Day-inspired pumpkin for their homes and create a whole outdoor, 3-Day pumpkin festival at your house as well! Then place a sign, and handouts near your pumpkins to encourage people to donate to your cause.

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Trick or Treat for the Cause

When your kids or friends are trick or treating this year, make use of the night out! While the youngsters pick their candy, hand your neighbors an informational sheet about the 3-Day and let them know you are walking! Remind them that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Encourage them to leave a little Halloween treat on your donation page in honor of sweet Halloween fun.

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Keep it Sweet

If you wait until the day after Halloween, you can get tons of candy for a bargain price! Make little sweet treat packets, and drop them off on November 1^st on the doorsteps of potential donors. It’s a minimal investment on your part, and the sweet reminder to donate will make them smile.

Extra, Extra – Check out this post to see a 3-Dayer’s brilliant trick-or-treat 3-Day costume idea!

What are your favorite fundraising ideas for the season? Tell us in the comments – and have a sweet and safe Halloween

3-Day August Fundraising Calendar

August is going to be a jam-packed month, with the Michigan, Twin Cities and Philadelphia 3-Days all happening, plus training walks and holidays galore! If you’re participating in any of the first 3-Days of the year, it’s your last chance to get a few more donations, so we have fun and simple ideas for you to use this month.

First, make sure you are encouraging your donors to send you mail and sweet treats on event if your 3-Day is this month! They can also come cheer you on along the route! All the needed information can be found in the Spectator Info section on our website, listed here:

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August is National Family Fun and Admit You’re Happy Month, plus there are a lot of weekly celebrations for you to take advantage of:

In honor of Family Fun Month, get your family involved in your fundraising! We’ve got tons of crafts, baking projects, and fundraising party ideas on our Creative Fundraising Pinterest Board that would be much more fun with a few extra helping hands. Your family will love seeing your passion for the 3-Day, and it will give you some quality time together.
National Friendship Week Starts on August 21^st, so bring your friends into the 3-Day family! If you haven’t recruited a pal to walk with you yet, there’s still plenty of time to get registered for our fall 3-Days. If they’re nervous about doing the whole sixty miles, tell them about our one-day, 20-Mile walker option. Then help them start their fundraising efforts!

There are plenty of Walk & Talks, Get Trained Workshops and Training Kick-Offs happening this month. Some of these events are highlighted in the calendar above, but you can find the complete list on our website here. We will also be calling out more local events on our Facebook page, so keep an eye out.

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Other key days this month include:

August 6: Sisters Day and Friendship Day: Have a sister or a friend walking in the 3-Day with you? Challenge each other in honor of the holiday! See who can raise more fundraising money on August 6^th. Whoever “loses” (really everyone is a winner here) must pack a special surprise present for the winner to receive on the 3-Day. Think favorite snacks, a foot massage coupon, or anything else that might make them smile.
August 9: Book Lover’s Day: Clean out your bookshelf and send an extra special fundraising package to potential donors. Make a 3-Day bookmark (we just posted a bunch of ideas to our Pinterest page!) and slip it in the book, along with a fundraising letter. Then drop those books off in potential donors’ mail boxes. It’s a great way to clean out old books, and spread 3-Day joy through the written word.
August 10: Lazy Day: This isn’t really a fundraising tip, but we are giving every 3-Dayer the day off on August 10^th! Take a break from training and fundraising and be lazy for a bit – You deserve it! You can also take the day off for Relaxation Day on August 15^thif you really want to go wild.
August 16^th: Tell a Joke Day: Include humor in your next fundraising letter! Here are some 3-Day jokes that you can add in to make your letters stand out and spread smiles.

We on the 3 Day like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy us.

I have to walk early in the morning for my 3 Day training, before my brain figures out what I’m doing.

Knock, knock.

Who’s there?

Which?

What which?

Grahamwich!

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August 26: National Dog Day: Who could see “no” to a cute pup? Bring your pooch out on the fundraising trail with you today and see the donors line up! You can bring you dog with you canning, have them stand with you at your fundraising table at the grocery store or other local spot.
August 30: Toasted Marshmallow Day: Summer isn’t complete without at least one s’more shared between friends! Make s’mores packs with marshmallows, chocolate, graham crackers and maybe even a cute pink matchbox, then drop them off at potential donors’ homes. Let them know how sweet it would be if they’d support your 3-Day journey!
August 31: Eat Outside Day: This holiday also falls on Trail Mix Day, and you can combine the two by hosting a big picnic for your friends and family! Have easy-to-eat treats like Trail Mix, plus other summer classics like hot dogs and burgers to say thank you for all the love they have shown you so far. Invite people who have already donated, as well as potential donors, and remind them that you’re still accepting donations!

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Also, make sure to join our 3-Day Social Stars! This is an easy-to-join group that’s part of our social media community, where you can earn prizes for interacting with the 3-Day on social media. Talk, connect, and share with us! You can also pick up good fundraising ideas from your fellow 3-Dayers.

Are you walking in any of our August 3-Days? What are your fundraising and training goals for August?