My dear readers, I need to pick your brain, please.
I hope my comments are not as short as this post!
Labels: ideas
At 12:34 AM, 
At 12:04 AM,
At 3:51 PM,
Wa alaikum salaam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakaatuh,
Oh sister... I am so imaginationless (but at least I can invent words!)... I am useless with this kind of thing. :/ Most of the fundraising things for my children's current school and previous schools have involved things like selling cakes, doing charity bazaars with cakes, henna painting etc, coffee mornings and sponsored *insert activity here*
Insha'Allah some other bright sparks will come up with better stuff than that!
At 12:45 PM,
At 2:35 PM,
Asalaamualaikum sis Farhana,
I hope, InshaAllah, that the following may be useful to you or others who are into fundraising:
Taken from : http://www.aicr.org.uk/Ideas.stm
........................
Ideas
There are a huge number of tried and tested means of raising money in the community. With a little time and thought your idea can be converted into a new, exciting and up-to-date event.
Fundraising Ideas
The list that follows is not exhaustive but is designed to stimulate your imagination.
# Non Uniform Day - Give a donation to attend school / college in your own clothes.
# Job Swaps - We all feel at times we can do better than the boss. Auction the MD's / Head of Department's / Cleaner's job for an afternoon.
# Fancy Dress - Pay to come to work in fancy dress. (H&S permitting)
# Guess the Baby competition - photos of the staff / colleagues as babies.
# Fashion Show
# Concert / Play / Musical Evening
# Trivia Quiz - Pop / Sport / General Knowledge / etc.
Fete
# Car Boot Sale
# It's a Knock Out
# Sponsored Silence
# Sponsored Haircut
# Five / seven a side football / rugby / hockey / etc.
# Sponsored Walk
The list is endless and we have not yet mentioned the "Thon" family, MaraTHON, WalkaTHON, SlimaTHON.
The Way Ahead
Once you have chosen your event there are many areas that you must cover to make it a success.
The keyword is PLANNING - allow plenty of time to look at the various aspects of the challenge that lies before you.
# Discuss with friends, colleagues, and management how easily the event can be organised.
# Do we have the people to make all parts of the project run smoothly?
# Will the event cost us anything to get off the ground?
# Arrange a date.
# What resources do we need?
# How do we publicise the event?
# What can go wrong?
# Can we get a celebrity? ( There are generally tame celeb's in your local area, or people who may give their time)
# Publicising the event
Your event must be well publicised if it is to be a success.
At work:
# Work notice boards
# Company magazine
# Announced at briefings
# Word of mouth
At home:
# Leaflets to families
# Leaflets to local suppliers
# Announced on local radio
# Advertisement in local paper
# Notices placed in public places in the community, for example, surgeries, libraries, local shops
# The media
If you are able to get the support of your local Radio and TV station your event's profile is taken onto another level. You will find it invaluable when approaching people in the local business community. If they think that they might be able to get some good (and cheap) local PR, they are more likely to help.
The person to get in touch with in the local paper is the news editor. If you know a reporter use the personal contact as this always works better than the cold contact. Find out the paper's deadlines for copy and photographs. They must always know:
What the event is
Who is involved?
Why the event is taking place
When, where and what time?
Contact name for further information
When you are planning your event, always try and think like a newspaper reporter. Think what is newsworthy. Try to create a publicity stunt / have a local dignitary / local celebrity / and always have a photo opportunity.
Handy hints when seeking sponsors
* Set your sponsorship target - aim high!
* Seek help from your friends - network, friends of friends - you will collect more than you thought possible, but you need to work at it.
* Think about organising small events, a coffee morning, disco, jumble sale or a car boot sale - whatever you feel comfortable with. The only limit is your imagination!
* Start your sponsorship early - well in advance of the event.
* When you approach people for sponsorship, ask them if they would mind giving you the money NOW - offer a receipt (we can provide you with a book if you need it). It is easier to give money back should you have to pull out of the event, as opposed to trying to collect after the event - people lose interest quickly, and often find excuses for not giving you the money.
* Always maintain a record of your sponsors and ensure that your list reflects those who have paid and those who have still to give you their contribution.
* If you belong to a club or association, get them involved either as a sponsor, by organising a fundraising event, or by 'matching' the funds you raise.
* Ask local companies or firms to sponsor you in return for wearing their logo on your T-shirt.
Sponsorship ideas that have worked
Approach companies for corporate sponsorship (companies have donated between £100 and £350 for their logo on a shirt). Approach the Public Relations department or Community Development department
Put a note through all your neighbours' doors telling them who you are, what AICR is and what the event is. On the note, put a time when you will come back to collect the money or pledge
* Get a friend or colleague to organise your fundraising while you train
* Get the press involved as much as possible. Try to get your photo or a story about your fundraising in the local paper as much as possible
* Do something different - pull a car along a stretch of road, get a Mohican haircut (if your boss allows it) etc.
* Organise a plush dinner with guest speakers
* Photocopy the sponsorship forms and pass them out to friends and family who live in different parts of the country
* Organise a raffle with prizes from local shops
* Do bucket collections round the local pubs and clubs (get permission from the owners first)
..........................
At 9:43 AM, 
Sketched Soul
Wa'alaykum as-salaam wa Rahmatu Llahi wa Barakatuhu my dearest sisters and brothers,
Wow.. this is what happens when I miss a few days of 'blogging'.
Linus, jazak'Allahu khair for taking the time to visit my page, I appreciate it, and glad you like my blog, alhumduliLlah.
Adikbongsu, haha.. yes, I think we've done more of less the 'usual' fundraisers. Insha'Allah if you come up with anything, I'd still love to hear it.
Mona, no worries, thank you for still visiting me :D
Oh umm Ibrahim, I know by now that you are definitely not imaginationless :D tabarak'Allah. Hey, the sponsored activity thing I haven't done (yet), great idea! Jazaki'Allahu khair.
Umm Umar, always wonderful to hear from you. Haha.. I hear that.. me and you both! Hence the post :D
Dubai Guy, haha.. trust me, if you 'didn't have a brain' I wouldn't be a regular reader of your blog! Jazak'Allahu khair, I really, really like the calendar thing! Humm.. it's wonderful actually, now I just need to see if I can get things done in such a short time span.
Serendipitous life, wow..wow! Jazaki'Allahu khair. Of course some of them I wouldn't do "Do bucket collections round the local pubs and clubs"..haha but lots of ideas to work with. Appreciate the list.
Nakia, this site looks great! And it's one I've never come across. Jazaki'Allah khair for sending it my way, insha'Allah I shall look through it thoroughly today.
Jazakum'Allahu khair everything for all your feedback, I appreciate it very much.
Wa'alaykum as-salaam
Love Farhana
At 10:52 PM,
As salaamualaikum wa rahmatullahi sister
Well people like us come to YOUR blog for ideas Masha Allah!!
Okay - here's one recently seen.
http://southernmuslimah.blogspot.com/2008/09/food-box-update.html
Another one...
1) In this campaign - subscribers pay a fixed amount for a ONE MONTH subscription. This amount is paid in advance when signing up for the campaign.
2) The campaign works like this - At the beginning of every work-week, each subscriber gets a little goodie-package. Bakers & crafters can help prepare & pack the sweet treats for free - themes could be 'COOKIE MONTH', 'CHOCOLATE MONTH', 'COFFE MONTH' or anything that people would LIKE to recieve at the beginning of the week.
3) The message - the treats Insha Allah help you drive away the SUNDAY BLUES and ALL the money you donate as subscription goes to FEED those affected by the Hunger Crises across the world (since the baking / cooking / packing / distribution is done as goodwill Insha Allah)
The total would be just 4 packages per person - spread out over one month.
Oh and make sure to pick easy recipes that dont MELT when transported, etc...
Another one - the 'SAME OL' STUFF' campaign.
Get people to DONATE their old items that they were anyway going to throw away. These could be handbags, jewellery, knick-knacks, pens, keychains, even clothes!
1) The 'seller' in this case sets the 'price' that he/she would like to recieve for his/her item.
2) 50% of the recieved money goes to your charity box. Seller takes home the remaining 50%.
3) On a set day every week - subscribers have to come by THE BOX to drop their items. The catch - for every item them DROP, then have to PICK UP another item. This way you're not left with unwanted items at the end.
You could also set a 'Subscription fee' for entry that could go to charity as well.
may Allah guide us all, purify our intentions and accept efforts Insha Allah.
At 5:42 PM,
People above have said it all, I can't think of much to add further to that- I jsut want to say, that ENJOY while you do this.Often enough, charity brings more than just financial gain, spiritual calmness and smiles all around for the volunteers and people giving is also an act of charity.
Good luck with your venture.
May Allah keep your hearts pure and intentions clean.
Ameen.
x
At 5:48 AM, Zamzam Design
At 6:01 PM, Hajar Alwi
Wa'alaykum as-salaam wa Rahmatu Llahi wa Barakatuhu my dearest sisters - and my dear anonymous (who I'm going to assume is a sister),
I am obviously failing at keeping up with my comments.. sorry :( *I can't even blame it on having a life..haha*
Anonymous, jazak'Allahu khair for the lovely suggestions and dua' (Ameen). Some of the things you've mentioned I've never heard of, which is awesome!! - really gets me thinking!
Ah yes, and my dear Southern Muslimah has some wonderful ideas too, thank you.
Hmf, (Ameen) you are absolutely correct! Charity does bring more than people can imagine. - some even suggest people who are depressed should give more 9ie> in charity), there is something you get out of it that can't really be explained. Thank you so much for the comment.
Audrey, you're too sweet.. tabarak'Allah. I really appreciate the offer to help, jazaki'Allahu khair. Insha'Allah I shall keep in touch :D
Hajar!.. haha what do you mean which one I'll execute FIRST?.. Well, actually very good question, insha'Allah someone has an answer for you soon..haha Yes, alhumduliLlah, I do have tons of ideas to work with. I posted this when I was desperate to get some funds to the Muslims in St. Lucia and Dominica :D (May Allah make it easy for them. Ameen). - and now I might get somewhere!
Jazakum'Allahu khair everyone who has commented, I appreciate it.. and insha'Allah any good that does come out of this, you will be part of (ie. rewarded for).
Wa'alaykum as-salaam
Love Farhana
At 1:56 AM, Hajar Alwi
Assalamualaikum Sister Farhana,
Oh dear, hope you didn't take it the other way. To be frank, if I had that many ideas sitting in, I wouldn't know which one to carry out first let alone knowing whether I have the capabilities to do so. It really amazes me the determination you have for your causes. Insya'Allah, I pray that Allah S.W.T shall make it easy for you and the receivers. :)
W'salam,
Hajar
Wa'alaykum as-salaam wa Rahmatu Llahi wa Barakatuhu my dearest Hajar,
Haha.. no, I didn't take it the wrong way, no worries :D
To be honest, usually I start where a door opens.. and then things just kind of fall into place, alhumduliLlah. And I'll give you an example, just yesterday I was informed someone else is holding a bazaar (this month), where I can go raise some funds, insha'Allah.. so for now I'll work with that.
Jazaki'Allahu khair for stopping by, and for the lovely duaa'. (Ameen)
As-salaamu'alaykum
Love Farhana
I like your blog! May Allah reward you abundantly.