Fundraising Friday: Plan a 3-Day Spring Scavenger Hunt

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It’s Friday, it’s spring, and (hopefully) the sun is shining! It’s the perfect time to get outside and enjoy nature, all while raising money for the 3-Day of course! With April being Earth Month, and Earth Day coming up on April 22^nd, you can take advantage of the Mother Earth-appreciation and host an outdoor Spring Scavenger Hunt this weekend.

If you are part of a team, this is a perfect way to get your teammates together and do something fun, but if you’re a solo walker, you can also reach out to your local coaches and see if you can help plan a larger event for walkers from your area.

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The concept is simple: Meet in a local park or outdoor area, and hand out a list of spring and 3-Day themed items they must find. The catch? They must ask people for help, or ask them for the items directly (no just picking up off the ground!), and every person they talk to must receive a donation form or 3-Day business card.

Letting people know, even strangers, about your local 3-Day and your own personal goals, could result in lots of donations you wouldn’t get otherwise! You never know how someone may have been affected by breast cancer. Also, encourage your participants to stop into local businesses and spots like the library or Town Hall while they’re searching to leave a 3-Day flyer behind. You’ll cover your town in a pretty pink bubble!

How should you go about planning this event?

First, you’ll need to print donation forms where your participants can fill out their information to get donations, but also print out general “Join Me” 3-Day cards that your scavenger hunters can leave at businesses.

Next, come up with your list of spring items! Some of our ideas are:

A pink flower from a local florist
A selfie with your local barista
A piece of pink ribbon or string
A selfie with someone wearing pink
A picture of a school or local track/playground area
A photo with or of local wildlife (you can include pets if you like – and be mindful not to touch or disturb the animals)
A ticket from your local dry cleaners
A map of your town and/or local park
A picture of a pink house,door, or flower pot
A selfie with a local firefighter or policeman

Then print out your list, and start gathering your friends! Again, working with a local coach might help recruit more 3-Day walkers, but you can also use this as a fun family activity. Getting your loved ones involved in your fundraising will help you raise money, but also connect the people in your life to your 3-Day cause.

What items should we add to the scavenger hunt list? What are your spring fundraising plans? Tell us in the comments!

How to Use Social Media in Your Fundraising

Social media is a part of most of our lives, and while we love all the fun connectivity social media allows, it can also be a useful tool. It makes fundraising simple! Use it to kick start, finish or follow up on your fundraising goals with a whole lot of likes ? Here are easy ways to use social media in your fundraising.

Holiday or Event: A great place to start on social media is to ask friends to donate a specific amount by a certain date. Be it for your birthday, another holiday, or even an important date for you, like your first team training walk, setting a deadline creates a sense of urgency. Remember, don’t use the pre-provided Facebook “Donate” button, but instead, link to your own personal fundraising page. This will ensure that all donations go right to you!

Sample Post: My birthday is coming up and I want to celebrate by raising $300 for the 3-Day! I need 10 friends to donate $30 each to hit my goal. Won’t you help me make my birthday, and 3-Day, wish come true?

Use Instagram: Post about your 3-Day goals on your Instagram account. They say a picture’s worth a thousand words, and this is the perfect way to prove it. By showing your training walks, fundraising efforts and even photos from past walks, you will personalize your journey. Then, link to your fundraising page in your bio. If you need post ideas, follow us on Instagram for inspiration!

3-Day Challenge: Have your friends “challenge” their friends to donate. Once one friend donates to you, ask them to update their Facebook status and challenge a few more of your mutual friends to donate as well.

Sample Post: I donated to Lisa’s 3-Day journey, and now I’m challenging Maria, Liz and Sarah to do the same! Let’s make a difference in the fight against breast cancer together!

Facebook App: If you want to really boost your fundraising efforts, add the 3-Day Facebook app to your Facebook page and use it to post regularly. Your posts will automatically include a link directly to your fundraising page! It makes it all so easy.

Time-Based Challenge: Like setting a goal around a holiday, you can make your own social media finish line! Set a challenge for yourself where you will do something crazy/silly/adventurous if your fundraising goal is met by a certain date. You can also get your whole team in on the action!

Sample Ideas: Jumping into your family pool in all your 3-Day gear, doing a trick on the trampoline, making a team human pyramid, or singing a song in your funniest 3-Day garb.

Fundraising Widget: Get a 3-Day fundraising widget at The3Day.org/Widgets and add it to your email signature or personal blog. That way, every time someone gets an email from you, even if it’s not about the 3-Day, they’ll be reminded of your goals.

Facebook Photos: Change your Facebook profile or cover photo to a 3-Day image. Get one at The3Day.org/Logos (make sure you’re logged in) or on the Inspiration Gallery on our blog! Then ask for donations in your status updates, and the caption of your photo.

Tap Your Team: You can also use your team to help you with any and all of these ideas! Do a team challenge to hit a fundraising goal by your first team training walk, take a team photo for your profile or cover photo, or just use them for inspiration for new social media ideas.

How do you use social media in your fundraising efforts? Tell us in the comments!

St. Patrick’s Day Fundraising Ideas

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Top o’ the morning to you, 3-Dayers! St. Patrick’s Day is coming up this weekend, and we want to bring you as much luck as possible for the big day. With that in mind, we have simple fundraising ideas to help you make the most of this holiday! By spreading extra luck and 3-Day love this week, you might just hit your fundraising goal ahead of schedule.

Hold a “Go Green” Bake Sale

Bake sales are always a classic technique, and with the weather getting warmer (hopefully), there are plenty of fun, outdoor spots to hold one! Put a simple twist on favorite treats, like adding green sprinkles to the tops of brownies or dying sugar cookies green. Another fun idea is to dye Rice Krispies treats green and add Lucky Charms to the mix for a little marshmallow fun!

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Use Lucky Local Connections

Work with a local restaurant or coffee shop to have a special on St. Patrick’s Day with proceeds going towards your team! Lots of places will already be running holiday menu items, so capitalize on that to help the 3-Day cause. They might even be willing to re-name a special in the 3-Day’s honor!

Get Social!

Update your Facebook status and ask your friends to send you some “Luck of the Irish” by donating $7 or $70 to you on the holiday. This is perfect for last-minute fundraising efforts, because every donation makes a difference, no matter how small.

Send donation letters with St. Patrick’s Day jokes

Give your normal donation letters an upgrade by adding holiday stickers, writing or printing your letters in green, and opening with a fun St. Paddy’s Day joke! Need some ideas? We have you covered…

What kind of bow can’t be tied? A rainbow!

What do you call a fake rock in Ireland? A sham-rock

Why do frogs like St. Paddy’s Day? Because they’re always wearing green!

Give St. Patrick’s Day themed manicures for donations

Most people have plenty of manicure tools at home that you might not use, but you certainly can put to good use! Buy a few extra polish colors or nail stickers, and invite your friends over for at-home manicures in exchange for a 3-Day donation. They’ll leave with pretty new nails, you’ll be closer to your fundraising goal, and a fun time will be had by all!

Host an “Over the Rainbow” viewing party

Although “The Wizard of Oz” isn’t typically thought of as a St. Patrick’s Day film, you can still use it to take your friends and family over the rainbow with fun. Have them over for a movie night, and start with a “preview” video of photos from last year’s event, and remind them they can still donate to your cause!

Do you have any fun ideas for a little “Luck o’ the Irish” fundraising? Tell us in the comments!

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