Fundraising Tip of the Week: Casual Friday Collection

Once you've begun to fundraise and email responses start to slow down, it's time to get creative! A fun, easy way to rake in the donations at work would be to sponsor Casual Fridays. Speak with your boss first, and ask if you can organize a Casual Dress Friday where jeans are fair game...at the small price of a donation. We recommend you start off by asking people to donate $20 (aim high!) if they want to wear jeans to work. This way, they get to be more comfortable and feel extra good about contributing to your fundraising for the Audi Best Buddies Challenge.

Make sure you publicize your event well, particularly if your company already "celebrates" casual Fridays. Pass around and post flyers, containing the suggested donation amount, and where the money is going. Make sure to include the URL to your MY HQ page too! Send an office-wide email with the same information on Thursday as a reminder. Look to our website if you need any help with the language, or want a breakdown of how each donation will help a Best Buddies program.

When you show up to collect on Friday, be ready to answer questions about your fundraising and training to date (You did a 20 mile ride last weekend! You will surpass your fundraising goal with the donations from Casual Friday!). Bringing candy or homemade baked goods to give to each of your Levis-clad donors might be a nice "thank you" gesture.

We also recommend sending a big thank you email to your office for helping you get closer to your goal! If your Casual Friday is a success, maybe you do it every Friday for a whole month. It's fun and easy, and a great way to connect with your comfortable co-workers.

If you have tried this, or have any other fundraising stories, send them to HCcoach@bestbuddies.org! Happy Fundraising!