50 Fundraising Ideas


1. Online Fundraising - This is a quick and easy way to fundraise! Set up your account and send “sponsor me e-mails” to your list of potential sponsors. If you need help you can ask any Walk MS coordinator!

2. Fundraising Kit - Use our pre-written letters, or create one of your own, and send them to all of your friends, family and co-workers.  

3. Corporate Matching Gift - Ask your company to match the amount of pledges you receive from your fellow co-workers.

4. Additional Matching Gifts - Ask all of your sponsors if they can investigate getting their companies to match pledges.

5. Corporate Sponsorship - Identify one or several large companies and contact them directly (they may be willing to sponsor you completely). Contact any Walk coordinator for help.

6. Walk MS Paper Sneakers - Sell paper sneakers for Walk MS. Take them to your local stores, restaurants, banks, etc., and see if they will sell them for a week or two. All money raised goes towards your fundraising!

7. Fundraising dinner at your local favorite restaurant - Ask your favorite local restaurant to host a fundraising dinner for you. Have them donate a certain percentage of the night’s total proceeds. Use posters to advertise this night. Make sure your team, friends and family know about it.

8. Dress Down Day - Ask your company if they will allow those who donate to wear jeans on a designated day (usually Fridays). Send out an e-mail to your staff notifying them. Have everyone pay $5 to dress down and put all of the money towards your fundraising.

9. Desk Drop - Get a box of assorted cookies (usually 36 bags per box from Costco or BJ’s). Make up little business cards with your team information on it and directions on how to sponsor you. Attach the card to the cookies and drop one on each desk of your co-workers that you want to sponsor you. It is even better when you see them personally so you can tell about your efforts and what you are doing!

10. Website - Create your own personal page about your journey. Send an e-mail to everyone on your contact list and invite them to visit the website. You can do this by registering online or asking a Walk MS coordinator to set up an online account for you.

11. Garage Sale - Know all that stuff that’s been hanging out in your garage...in your attic….in your basement? Gather it up and ask your friends to do the same.  Put it in your front yard and sell, sell, sell! Put all the money raised toward your fundraising total.

12. Bake Sale - Become Julia Child (and ask your friends to do the same) and host a bake sale.  You can even have it in conjunction with your garage sale. It’s a fact that people will buy more stuff on a full stomach!

13. House Party - This is a sure-fire way to fundraise. The Walk MS Staff will be happy to give you some tips.

14. Change boxes - Create these little boxes for your friends and family and have them place it on their dressers. At the end of the day, they can drop that spare change in the box.

15. Start Your Own Extra Change Box - Keep a jar near your door and put all your extra coins in it everyday. It adds up. Or put it on your desk at work - others will join you.

16. Office Fundraising Challenge - Speak with everyone in your office and get them to challenge each other to raise the highest amount. Give the "winner" a prize.  Some suggestions: movie passes, gift certificate to dinner or perhaps a day off.

17. Answering Machine Message - Change the message on your cell phone or answering machine to mention your fundraising campaign and participation in the Walk MS event. Let them know you need their help!

18. Return Address Labels - Create return mailing address labels that read, “I’m raising donations to fight MS in this year's Walk MS Event. Will you join me in the fight against MS?”

19. Bag Groceries - Ask a local store if you can bag people's groceries for donations (you can have your kids, nieces or nephews do it for you). Let everyone know that donations benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

20. Have Tips Donated - Ask your local bartender to donate a portion of one day's tips. Same goes for the waiters and waitresses. Ask them to donate tips from one night. You can create a sign for the bartender to place on the bar stating that "All tips collected tonight will go directly to the National MS Society". If the patrons see the sign they may be willing to dip a little deeper in their pockets!

21. Carry Copies of Your Fundraising Letter - Have one with you at all times and pass them along to people you meet.

22. Money Jars at Restaurants - Check with the restaurant manager. They may be willing to place the jar in a high traffic area so lots of patrons can see it.

23. Happy Hour Party - Invite all of your friends (and their friends) to a happy hour party. You can charge per head or just hold a raffle. (It can be cheap raffle items, bottles of wine, movie tickets, etc.)

24. Theme Party/Dinner - Hold a theme party for 10 (or more) of your friends. Donation: $50 per person.  Spend no more than $20 per person on the food and you’ll have $300 (or more) in pledges by the end of the night.

25. Movie Ticket Donation - Ask your local movie house to donate several movie tickets. Sell them (or use them for raffle items) and put the money toward your fundraising.

26. Local Entertainment Companies Donate Tickets - Raffle donated tickets to an upcoming event, such as a concert or play.

27. Birthday Gift Pledge - This is a very simple way to raise money, and it'll be a lot easier for your friends and family to write you a check instead of spending hours trying to shop for you!

28. Delegate - Give 10 of your friends 10 pledge forms each and ask them to help raise money for you.

29. Creative Friends - Find a local artist or ask a creative friend and see if he/she would donate a piece of art or some jewelry that you can auction off.

30. House Warming Party - Are you moving soon? If so, ask your friends to make a pledge instead of purchasing a gift for your new place.

31. Color Pledge Forms - These can be very eye catching. Send them in colored envelopes, too. These will stand out among your friends' bills and other mail.

32. Signature Lines - Change the signature line of your outgoing e-mails to mention your involvement in Walk MS.
 
33. Travel Agency - Do you always make your travel plans through the same agency? Ask them to donate a travel voucher. You can auction it off at one of your parties.

34. Doctor/Therapist/Dentist/Insurance Agent - Ask him/her to make a check out for you instead of the other way around!

35. Collect Spare Change at a Business - See if a local grocery store (or another high traffic area) will allow you to set up outside for a few hours. Hang a poster or sign and have a donation jar. This is a sure way to attract attention!

36. Penny Wars - Put out a jar for each department at your office. For every penny that is in there, you have to subtract one point. For all silver coins, you get one point. Do this for a week or so and reward the department with the highest total. Put all of the money toward your fundraising.

37. Chinese Auction - Ask friends and local businesses to donate items. Save them all and have one big Chinese auction. You can do this at a party that you hold or at your work.

38. Radio Station - Call your favorite radio station and ask them to make an announcement on the air (they may even interview you).  Pledges can be sent directly to our office.

39. Gym - Ask your gym to place a pledge jar at the front desk! Leave a stack of pledge forms at the counter, too.

40. Spinning Class - Have a stack of pledge forms with you and ask your spinning instructor to make an announcement in class.

41. Hair Salon - Ask your barber or hairdresser to donate $2 from every haircut they complete over one weekend.

42. Picnics - National holiday picnics are a great place to raise some pledges!

43. Donate Your Services - Get your kids involved in this weekend activity. Have them perform a free service for donations, such as raking leaves or mowing lawns.

44. Neighbor - Write to all your neighbors on your block (or in your building). Attach a letter stating your participation in the Walk MS event and ask them to make a donation.

45. Good Karma Tipping Jar - Ask local businesses to put one of those jars near the register or on their front counter. Tape a picture of yourself on the jar and a short explanation of why you’re raising money.

46. Car Wash - Hold a themed car wash and ask businesses to donate items. Get family and friends involved.

47. Meet the Press - Does your company distribute a newsletter? Does your company have interoffice e-mail?  Take advantage of these! It’s a perfect way to get the word out.

48. Babysitting - Offer up your services and let your friends have a nice, quiet night out of the house!

49. House Sit - Friends going out of town for awhile? Maybe they need a warm body to stay in their place!

50. Ebay.com - Remember the garage sale idea? How about rounding up the goods from your friends and putting it all on Ebay.com to be auctioned off?