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Send your tax-deductible donations, checks made payable to American Cancer Society to:

Pittsboro Relay for Life

P. O. Box 874

Pittsboro, NC 27312

Fundraising from A to Z

A

	Art Sales: Have preschool or elementary school students produce great art and have a show. Parents and friends buy back their budding artists' masterpieces.
	Ask everyone you meet: Even if you have sent out letters, be sure to carry a sponsor/donation form with you so that when you talk to people about Relay, you can ask them to donate right then. Make sure the top few donations on the form are significant; other people are apt to follow suit. Conversely, if you start with a $2 contribution, others may follow with $2. Don't prejudge whether people will give--just ask!
	Auctions: Hold a live or silent auction for: a prime parking space at work, a half or whole day off from work, team members to work a day for someone, a picnic lunch prepared by your team members, OR other items such as collectibles or sports memorabilia.

B

	Babysitter Service: Babysitters are always a commodity!
	Bake Sale: Host a bake sale at work or a busy place (Lowes, Food Lion, etc.). OR, have a No-Bake Sale, where coworkers pay so they don't have to bake goodies.
	Barbeque Lunches: Prepare and sell barbeque lunches.
	Bank for a Year: Give everyone on your team a bank to put $2 in each week, beginning the week after this year's Relay. In 50 weeks, each team member will have $100!
	Balloon Day: (Great for students!) Sell a Relay balloon with a message attached for $2. Students take orders in advance and deliver the balloon messages at a later date.
	B-I-N-G-O: Host Bingo games. Ask participants to donate their winnings!
	Birthday Party with a Purpose: Send out invitations asking that in lieu of gifts, each guest bring a check made out to the American Cancer Society Relay For Life.
	Block Party: Have a neighborhood block party. Sell food and charge admission.
	Book Sale: Dust those bookshelves and have a sale.
	Boss for a Day: Allow people to bid on being boss for the day. High bid wins!
	Bounce-A-Thon: Give elementary school students a collection envelope to take home in order to collect pledges for bouncing a basketball for one-half hour. Each class in the school takes turns gathering in the school's front hall throughout the day to bounce their basket-balls.
	Bouquet of Flowers: Ask a local florist to donate a bouquet of flowers in January, February and March. Have employees take a chance to win some "springtime" for their desks.
	Brown Bag Lunch Day: Encourage employees to bring in their own lunches and donate the money they would have spent to the team.
	Bosses, Attention! Charge everyone who asks you a question $1 to be donated to the Relay.
	Bowl-A-Thon: Bowlers get pledges for each pin they knock down.
	Buffet Lunch: Everyone on the team brings food, and guests are charged $5 for all you can eat, $5 for a standard take-out container, or $10 for both.
	Bartending by Local Celebrities: Have the mayor or any other important/popular figure tend bar at a local establishment and donate all tips to the team.
	Breakfast with: Organize a Breakfast with Santa or the Easter Bunny. Work with a local restaurant or have your team prepare the food. Sell tickets. Take pictures with special guest.

C

	Candy Bar Sales: Sell candy bars at work or through displays. Purchase box kits from wholesale warehouses or through fundraising companies.
	Car Window Wash: Wash car windows at fast food restaurants or bank drive through windows for donations.
	Car Washes: Good for students and adults, alike.
	Car Bash: Secure an old car, write "CANCER" in large, bold letters across the car. For a donation, participants get to swing a sledgehammer and "Smash Cancer."
	Challenges: Challenge another team to raise more money than yours. Some radio stations may put your challenge on the radio.
	Celebrity Servers: Local celebrities (or y our team) takes a turn at a local restaurant. The restaurant agrees to donate a percentage of the evening (and the servers' tips) to the Relay.
	Change Makes a Lot of Cents: (Great for bank and credit union teams.) Donate the cents from your deposit to the bank's Relay for Life team. Place a sign at the teller line and drive through window. "We might just find the cure for cancer in your pocket." Indicate that all proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society.
	Coin Drive: (Great for students.) Set up a jar in the cafeteria and have everyone contribute change from lunch. VARIATION: Penny Wars. Drop change in jars to compete against other departments, classes, bank branches. Pennies are worth positive points; silver coins and cash are worth negative points. "Sabotage" the other jars by dropping silver in them.
	Coin Toss: Get permission from the local mall to collect all coins tossed in the fountain for a designated time period. Be sure to have signs stating that coins will be donated to the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life.
	Celebrity Baggers: Local celebrities bag groceries for tips at a supermarket.
	Christmas Tree/Wreaths: Ask a local retailer to donate $1 for every tree and wreath sold to support your Relay team. Or, make your own wreaths to sell as a team.
	Chili Cook Off: Have a HOT-HOT-HOT Chili Cook Off. Sell tickets for samples.
	Challenge by the Boss: Get the boss to agree that if all team members raise their minimum $100, that he will kiss a pig, shave his head, get a pie in the face...
	Craft Fairs: Great for year-round fundraising. Set up a booth at a local festival.
	Concession Stands: Sell concessions at a local sporting event or community event.
	Cookbooks: Collect recipes from employees and have them published. Sell the books.
	Comedy Club: Ask a local comedy club to host an evening in support of Relay for Life and invite all teams to sell tickets. Teams get credit for the tickets they sell.
	County-Wide Yard Sale: Use a large parking lot on a Saturday morning and invite each team to have a booth. Have food and entertainment.
	Cake Walk: (Great to do onsite.) Walkers purchase tickets for the opportunity to participate in the cake walk. Numbers are placed around the track and, when the music stops, participants run to the nearest number. The emcee calls out a number; the individual closest to that number wins a cake.
	Cutest Baby: Have a Cutest Team Member Baby Contest. Either onsite or before the event at work. Place a photo of each team member as a baby on a display board. People donate $1 per vote. Present a creative award to the "Cutest Baby."
	"Cold Turkey" Subs: Encourage sub/pizza shops to donate a set amount ($0.50) from each cold turkey sub sold during Great American Smokeout Week to benefit the Relay.

D

	Dance for a Cure: Students hold a school dance, or adults organize a dance at a local club. Ask a DJ or band to donate services.
	Day Spa: (onsite) Provide hair cuts, manicures, and massages for a fee/donation to Relay.
	Day of Cleaning Raffle: Team members donate a suggested five hours to spring/fall house clean your home, with tickets selling for $5 each.
	Decorating Service: No time to decorate for the holidays? Offer to put holiday decorations up in or on the house for a fee--a job many people would like for someone else to do!
	Dog Walkers: Walk the neighbors' dog for a donation. OR, Dog Sit while pet owners are on vacation.
	Deliver Meals: Your team cooks and delivers breakfast, lunch or dinner to other businesses in town.
	Donut Days: Get donuts donated (or at half-price) from a local bakery and sell at work or school.
	Dress Down Days: Dress down at work for a donation. Also works for parochial schools or other schools that require uniforms (with permission).
	Dedicate your effort to a special person: Choose someone who is a Survivor or someone who lost the battle.
	Deliver Flyers: See what businesses distribute sales flyers in the newspaper and offer for your team to deliver them within the town (at each house) for a set fee. It costs the businesses a lot of money to insert the flyers in the paper; they can save money by letting your team deliver them. This Works! In Washington State, the phone company paid a high school team $2,500 to deliver phone books throughout the community.

E

	E-Mail: E-mail your friends and associates, asking them for donations.
	Envelopes at Restaurant Tables: Teams generate donations by placing a Relay For Life envelope at every table, stating "Please Support Our Relay For Life Team and the American Cancer Society." Waitresses check envelopes after each seating.
	Errand Service: Run an errand service for those who don't have time to do their own.
	Event Parking Spaces: Sell parking spaces for community events held near your facility.

F

	Face Painting: Set up a booth at a local event, fair or festival
	Fashion Show: Work with a new or existing clothing store to hold a fashion show. Offer refreshments. Your team members can be the models.
	Fry Day Friday: On a Friday prior to the Relay, a fast food restaurant agrees to donate a dime from every order of fries sold.
	Fifty/Fifty Drawing: Everyone loves the chance to win cash. Hold these often, and it adds up!
	Flamingo Alert: Place a pink flamingo in someone's yard. It will fly away once a donation is made to the Relay For Life. You may also sell "Flamingo Repellent" to prevent flamingoes from landing in someone's yard.
	Flower Sales: Work with a local florist or wholesaler to sell bouquets, potted flowers, or individual stems at your school or place of work.

G

	Game Night: Everyone comes to your house to play board games, charades, etc. Sell tickets.
	Garage Sales: Work individually or as a team.
	Glow Sticks: Sell glow in the dark sticks at the Relay.
	Go Door to Door: Go door to door and ask for donations. Work as a team to canvas the town.
	Golf Tournament: Have your team put together a golf tournament with the proceeds benefiting your Relay Team goal.

H

	Hat (or Cap) Day: (Great for schools.) For a specified amount, students can wear baseball caps to school for the day.
	Haunted House: For Halloween, organize a haunted house and charge admission.
	Hole-in-One: Set up a portable putting green and, for a donation, let people try to putt it in. Can be done outside or at a community event beforehand.

I

Ice Cream Socials: Plan one at your place or work or for friends, asking for a donation to attend. Sell ice cream for dessert at your place of work.

J

	Jail & Bail: For a donation, employees can be arrested. For an additional donation, they can post their own bail. OR, employees have a bounty posted on the heads of fellow employees, and they are not set free until the entire bounty is raised ($100 or more per inmate)
	Jewelry Sales: Work with a wholesale company to sell jewelry, with your team receiving a portion of the sale. OR, have an Estate Sale, where team members donate jewelry they don't wear (have cleaning donated by a local jeweler) to be sold.

K

Kiss a Pig Contest: Recruit a local celebrity to kiss a swine when a certain amount of money has been raised. Also can do this as a contest, where faces of teachers or employees are placed on jars. Whoever raises the most money must kiss the pig.

L

	Lawn Service: Mow lawns for donations
	Letter Writing: Send letters to friends and family explaining what you are doing and why. Tell them your personal goal and ask for help. Write a letter from your pet to your friend's pet.
	Longenberger Basket Bingo: Work with a Longenberger Basket Representative to hold a bingo party. Sell tickets ahead of time, $15-20 per ticket for 20 games. Each game winner is awarded a Longenberger Basket.
	Lunch with the CEO: Auction or raffle off lunch, or maybe a round of golf, with the CEO or President of your company.

M

	Matching Gifts: Ask your company to match what you raise.
	Money Jars: Place jars where you work, on store counters, restaurant tables, etc.
	Movie Night: Invite your friends over for a night at the movies. Charge admission. Provide popcorn and soda. OR, have a movie each day during lunch at work for a week. Charge admission and invite employees to eat their lunch while they watch.
	Monday Night Football Party with a Purpose: Provide refreshments and charge admission to the game. Borrow a big-screen television (or rent at a reduced rate).
	Mystery Eggs: Sell eggs filled with candy. Some eggs have prizes in them (gift certificates).

N

	NASCAR Raffle: Gather a variety of NASCAR promotional items, especially if you can get an autographed item from a driver, and hold a raffle.
	Nonalcoholic Cocktail Party: Hold a nonalcoholic cocktail party at the Relay and ask for donations. Or have a moving party, where each team has different appetizers and drinks available, so people go from tent to tent. Be sure to have your donation cans near the refreshments.

O

Odd Jobs: Ask to do odd jobs for neighbors for a donation.

P

	Pancake Breakfasts: Hold a pancake breakfast at work, or at a church or social hall.
	Payroll Deduction: Employees can make their own contributions by having them deducted directly from their paychecks. A little each week can grow into a large amount!
	Percentage of Sales: Designate a percentage of one day's sales or proceeds and let the public know so that they will buy more.
	Personal Bake Sale: Bake some extra-delicious, extra-gooey brownies and sell them for $1 apiece (large slices). Bake a different dessert each week for your coworkers.
	Pet Fashion Show: Everyone's pet has a chance to flaunt its favorite outfit! Charge admission and vote for the best outfit, matching outfits (owner and pet), wildest outfit, etc.
	Photos with Celebrities: Take photos with a celebrity (or a realistic cardboard stand in) for a donation to the Relay for Life. Do this at work or at a local fair or festival.
	Pie Sales/Auctions: Great for the holidays! Sell for a specified price, or have a live auction. Display pies before church and have the auction after church. Be sure to get famous "pie bakers" involved.
	Pizza Sales: Work with a local pizza parlor to give you a percentage of the pies that you sell. Take orders and deliver them. You can also work with a wholesaler to get pizzas at a reduced price.
	Party with a Purpose: (aka Neighborhood Parties) Teams can throw a neighborhood party and put the money towards their teams.
	Pot Luck Lunches: Designate every Wednesday as Relay for Life Pot Luck Day, where team members take turns bringing food to offer to employees at a set prices or donation.
	Poker Run: With four-wheelers. $10 entry fee per vehicle. Riders stop at five different hospitality stops and playing cards are given out. At the end of the trip, the person with the best poker hand is the winner.
	Program Ad Sales: May receive partial credit for ad sales in the local Relay program.

Q

Quilts: Sell quilt squares in honor and memory of people with cancer; squares of 4x4 for $5; 8x8 for $15; 12x12 for $25. Have employees make the quilts themselves. ALSO, raffle off a handmade quilt, made by someone on your team or donated to the team.

R

	Raffles: Just like auctions, raffles can accommodate many items. Theme baskets: Summer basket - sun screen, paperback book, sunglasses, bottled water, magazines, etc.; Easter basket - candy, chocolate bunnies, stuffed animals, etc.; Night out package - gift certificates to a movie, play, sports event, and a restaurant gift certificate. Also, donated items from local businesses, or hot toy items.
	Recycle: Collect items that can be turned in for money.
	Roll Those Pennies: And, while you're at it, roll all those coins that have been collecting.
	Romance: Cater a romantic dinner for two.
	Relay Friday: Employees pay to wear their Relay clothing to work.

S

	Shoe Shines: Pick a spot populated by men (and women) in need of shoe shines.
	Shave Your Head: Someone agrees to shave his/her head if a certain amount is raised.
	Sports Tournaments: Organize sports tournaments, charging an entry fee.
	Steak Dinners: Pre-sell steak dinner tickets at $15 each. Cook steaks in the company parking lot, so that employees can pick them up as they leave work. Also works well with whole chickens and Boston Butt.
	Shutter Bug Mania: Take candid photos around work or school and sell them. Or, take photos at a wedding, birthday party, etc. and donate any money you receive.
	Sign Your Relay T-Shirt: For a donation of $5 (you designate amount), a contributor can sign the name of a cancer patient to honor on your Relay T-shirt. You will walk/run representing all cancer patients whose names are on the shirt.
	Skunk Them: Similar to the Flamingo Alert, a stuffed skunk is placed on desks at work. For a donation, the skunk will go away; also, people can pay for anti-skunk insurance.
	Story Time Reading: Invite employees to bring their children (for a donation). Can also be done onsite.
	Student/Faculty Basketball Game: Charge admission; sell concessions.
	Super Bowl Party, Indy 500 Party, NCAA Championship Party, Masters Final Round: Charge admission, provide refreshments. Borrow/rent a big-screen TV.
	Spaghetti Sauce Contest: Sell the noodles and let people taste and judge different sauces.

T

	Turkey Raffle: Sell $1 chances for a Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey
	Tacky Day: Wear your tackiest clothes and pay for the privilege!
	Tupperware Party: Donate the proceeds from the party to your team.

U

Ugly Bartender Contest: Encourage all bartenders in town to participate. $1 per vote. The winner receives a prize, and is asked to be an honorary member of your team.

V

	Video Sale: Sell those videos that you have watched a hundred times!
	Vacation Day Drawing: Get your company to agree to let you raffle a day off with pay, with the money raised going to the Relay team.
	Vending Machines: Coordinate with your vendor to add 5 cents to the price of a snack or drink, with the extra nickels going to your team.
	Vendors: Solicit your vendors for items to raffle or auction off.

W

	Wait Tables: Work with a restaurant that will let you designate a particular night to benefit your Relay team. Team members serve as waiters, collecting tips and a percentage of the evening's proceeds. Pizza parlors are great for this!
	Wine Tasting: Team members bring bottles of wine (or get them donated). Provide cheese and crackers. Be aware of liquor liability laws.
	Wrap Presents: During holiday time, get permission to wrap presents for donations in the mall or a busy department store. Have team members donate paper, tape, bows, etc.

X

Xylophone Concert: Hold a music concert or recital. Pass refreshments and a donation can, or sell tickets in advance.

Y

	Yard Displays: Flamingos, wooden cows, even pink and purple potties! Place them in the front yards of unsuspecting donors. Request a donation to have them removed and, for an additional donation, place them in a yard requested by the donor. Also offer insurance!
	Yard Sales: Individually or as a team, turn your trash into someone else's treasure.

Z

Zoot Suit Party: Take advantage of the popularity of Swing Music. Hold a dance and give awards for the best Zoot Suit there.