If you’re reading this, you’ve chosen to start your own fundraiser/ service initiative! How exciting. There’s a lot of work, fun and growth in store, but don’t fret! I’ll be here with you every step of the way. First thing’s first, let’s choose the cause you want to focus on.
Reflection:
When choosing what cause you want your service initiative to benefit, think personally. Realistically, starting your own project requires lots of time and energy on your part, so it needs to be something close enough to your heart that you’ll never get tired or uninspired. For example, I lost a cousin to cancer at a young age, so childhood cancer was the obvious choice for my service project. I felt strongly about it, and knew I would always have a passion for helping kids with serious illnesses have a better treatment experience.
Picking a Parent Organization:
Once you’ve identified what community or group of people you’re passionate about serving, consider if you need what I call a parent organization. For example, I started Operation Joy to raise money for Children with cancer, but I didn’t personally have a way of getting that money to the right places, so, I picked an existing organization, The Children’s Cancer Association to donate the money to. When I advertised my service initiative, I would specify 100% of proceeds will benefit the Children’s Cancer Association. Therefore, I had all the autonomy and creativity to create my own fundraising ideas and work on my own time, but sent the money to a reputable place I trusted to use it in the right ways. Having a parent organization may also help with the credibility of your project, because if it’s something other people have heard of before, they may be more likely to donate knowing their funds will end up somewhere trustworthy.
However, if your service initiative is focused on acts of time rather than money, ie. getting people together to clean up trash, start a community garden, etc. then you probably don’t need a parent organization!
You may also have a fundraiser where you feel comfortable handling the money. For example, if people give you money to buy supplies for kids going back to school, or food & blankets for the homeless, etc. In this case, you also probably don’t need a parent organization if you feel comfortable purchasing and distributing products. Just make sure that anytime you go out to distribute these things, you bring another person along for safety’s sake!
Head now to PATH #2, STEP #3: Pick a Skill to Monetize/ Activity to Lead
Joy From Scratch! 