YAC Spotlight: Pine Bluff YAC

Want a great reason to stay connected to YAC’s across Arkansas? 

Two words: Fundraising Ideas! 

Last year the Pine Bluff YAC members decided to shake things up a bit for their fundraising campaign.  They held a talent show of Youth Acting Crazy to help build their funds for the year.  “The talent in the room was immense!” recalls Bren Hipp, a YAC member of Pine Bluff.  “We had singers, dancers, poets and even a full band.”  Bren is heading up the planning committee for this year’s talent show and his fellow YAC members are super pumped to start working! 

So Bren, what did you guys do to get the word out about the show?

“We advertised through schools, local dance studios, Facebook and word of mouth.  One of our members created some outstanding fliers for distribution.”

How did you get all of the materials to host this kind of event?

“The Arts and Science Center of Pine Bluff loaned their facility to us free of charge and the Trophy House of Pine Bluff donated trophies to support our cause!  We charged an entry fee for guests and we collected donations [some of this money helped offset the cost of posters and fliers] but we didn’t have to pay out of pocket very much at all.”

How successful would you say the show was?

“We raised approximately $500 from the show and had about 50 people from the community come to support us!”

What are you guys planning to do this year to make the talent show even better?

“This year we plan to start earlier advertisement and organization for the show to attract more performers.  We've spoken with the Arts Center director and she is letting us use the facility free of charge again this year! Our talent show is geared toward raising money to issue grants to better our community. It's a great feeling to have help and interest from other organizations as well as the support from our advisors Chris Castoro and Mattie Collins.”

There you have it.  All it takes to put on a spectacular performance is planning in advance and a pumped up crew to help get things rolling for a great cause!  (And maybe a few donations from local businesses- but how easy is it to get those things?! Ask and you shall receive my friends.) Want more details or still have questions?  Comment on this post or e-mail us at yac@arcf.org.  We’ll get you on track.

Put the “Fun” back in “Fundraising!”

Tips to Remember when Fundraising:

-          Set a goal: Fundraising is most successful when you have a concrete goal to work toward.

-          Appreciate small as well as large gifts!  Offer a range for giving (for example: $5-$100) so that anyone can give to your cause. Let them know that their contribution is important no matter what they give. 

-          Ask as many people as possible – the more you ask, the more “YES” answers you’ll get!

-          Thank everyone who gives.  People like to know that they are appreciated.  They gave their money/time; give them some love! (An example of “giving love”: Keep a list of each donor and send thank you cards or make a personal call to thank them.)           

Creative ideas to get you going:

An A-Z list of ideas:

http://www.fundraiserinsight.org/ideas/

You don’t have to hunt for loose change under the couch for these ideas:

http://www.ehow.com/info_8085784_inexpensive-creative-fundraising-ideas.html

A few of our favorites:

Sponsored Shaving

Break out the shaving cream!  Ask people to fundraise you to go through with shaving yourself!  You can shave heads, beards, backs or legs— the possibilities are endless… well, we wouldn’t suggest shaving eyebrows, but it’s your call.

Dog walk

Get some exercise and raise money at the same time. Offer your services as a dog walker and charge per dog or per walk.  Don’t forget the doggy bag.

Aerobic-a-thon

Break out the leotard, sweats bands and the 80’s aerobic video your mom has stashed in her closet!  It’s time to get physical. Get sponsored for every five minutes of aerobics you can manage.