Normally on GiveForward we offer our readers tips on how to raise money online, however, one of our users gave us a good offline fundraising tip so we thought we’d pass it along.  GiveForward user Laura Wilson has let us know about another way to fundraise for medical expenses.  Laura Wilson and Chick-fil-A have partnered in order to raise money for Team Nicole.  How it works is, fliers are given to Team Nicole to distribute.  Then you take your flier to the local Chick-fil-A restaurant during a certain time period and 20% of the sales are donated to Team Nicole.   

There are many restaurants out there that are doing similar things for individuals and other non-profit organizations.  Panera Bread offers gift cards to be purchased at a discounted rate and then re-sold.  But if selling gift cards isn’t your thing, there are other options as well.
 
Chipotle, (a favorite spot of a certain second banana here at GiveForward) offers in-restaurant fundraisers similar to that of Chick-fil-A.  If you’re more into pizza than chicken and burritos, Cici’s Pizza will host your fundraiser at one of their restaurants and donate a portion of the proceeds to your cause.  My favorite option however is the FUN-Raiser offered by Sweet Tomatoes, one of the greatest places on earth.  They will donate 20% of the proceeds to your organization and provide you with fliers to pass out to friends and family.
 
Supplementing your online fundraising with hosting one of these events is a great way to get friends and family together for your cause.  It’s also a great way to kick start your online fundraiser and build confidence going forward with your fundraiser.

In previous posts on the GiveForward Fundraising blog, I’ve mentioned the importance of getting off to a good start with your personal fundrasing page.  The reason you want to get off to a good start is because people usually play follow the leader.  In other words, most people will come to your fundraising page, check out how much previous donors gave and then give a similar amount.  So if you start with a bunch of $100 or $200 donations you’ll do a lot better than if your first few donations are for $5 or $10.  As I’ve mentioned before, one way to get off to a good start is ask your 5 closest friends and family to donate a specific amount (say $100) to get the ball rolling.

However, another great way is to simply lead by example.  If you put some skin the game by making the first donation for a significant amount, others are going to follow your lead.  Think about it.  What better way is there to show people how sincere you are about your cause than by leading with your actions!