Host a Malaria No More Event

We encourage you to unleash your creative energy and make your fundraiser your own.  Please do not feel compelled to limit yourself to the examples below.  These fundraisers are not limited to the months below - please feel free to hold your fundraiser during the time of year that works best for you.  Email ideas@malarianomore.org for more information.

Ready to put an event on? Please register your event with us here so we can help you make the most of it!

 

Fundraising and Awareness Events Ideas

 January

  • Host a dinner party and ask each guest to donate $10
  • Organize a basketball tournament and charge a team participation fee and sell tickets
  • Host a Super Bowl party with food and refreshments and ask for donations
  • Organize a themed dance party on your campus and charge admission

February

  • Host a Sadie Hawkins dance at your school and sell tickets for $10 each
  • Sell kisses - host a kissing booth or sell Hershey's hugs and kisses
  • Partner with a local wine shop and host a wine tasting
  • Organize a Battle of the Bands on your college campus; charge bands an entrance fee, sell tickets, sell t-shirts, and sell refreshments
  • Set up a Date Auction with campus clubs/fraternities/sororities and invite students to bid on a dinner date for 2, with gift certificates donated by local restaurants

March

  • Host a pancake breakfast or ask a local diner to "guest-serve" on a weekend morning with tips and a portion of profits to benefit Malaria No More
  • Ask a local bar to host a happy hour with an admission price of $10
  • Organize a Powder Puff tournament for high school juniors and seniors or college sororities; charge entrance fee and admission cost
  • Host a relevant film screening at a local gallery with donated wines, refreshments, and snacks
  • Host a St. Patrick's Day party to benefit Malaria No More

April

  • Celebrate World Malaria Day with an art/photo exhibit at a local gallery or coffee shop
  • Organize and promote an expert seminar or webinar with public health officials, doctors, and professors who can help your audience understand malaria
  • Work with your local library and community groups and host a used book/CD/DVD sale
  • Organize a 24-hour dance marathon
  • Hold a Spring Fling celebration to benefit Malaria No More

May

  • Organize a softball tournament with an individual entry fee of $10
  • Host a spaghetti dinner in your school's cafeteria
  • Work with your local pubs to set up Quiz-o nights and charge to play
  • Hold a golf tournament and ask local businesses/clubs to sponsor a hole on the course at $100/hole
  • Donate a $10 bed net in honor of your mother for Mother's Day

June

  • Organize a benefit walk or run with an entry fee of $10 per individual
  • Organize a car wash
  • Contact a local venue to organize a Las Vegas themed Casino Night fundraiser
  • Work with your local carnivals/fairs and organize a dunk-tank fundraiser
  • Have a hot dog eating contest and charge $10 per participant; ask your local grocers to donate the supplies

July

  • Organize an outdoor benefit concert in the park with local musicians and bands
  • Organize and host a Bingo fundraiser - print cards online and charge admission
  • Organize a bake sale at your church and ask for members to donate baked goods for the event
  • Set up a lemonade stand
  • Host an Independence Day BBQ/cookout fundraiser and ask local grocers to donate food and supplies

August

  • Host a dessert party with homemade treats and donated wines
  • Ask your local community pool to host a Pool Party fundraiser with $10 admission; sell refreshments and snacks
  • Contact local businesses to partner up and organize a Drive-In movie night and sell tickets
  • Ask your employer to sponsor Dress Down Days - employees pay $5 to dress down on Fridays and proceeds benefit Malaria No More

September

  • Organize a silent auction and ask local businesses to donate items, a venue, and food
  • Organize a Carnival Night and sell refreshments and provide entertainment
  • Purchase Malaria No More gear online and sell it in your student union, cafeteria, etc
  • Sell discount fast-food cards (available from most fast-food chains) in your community or on your campus
  • Organize a homeroom or campus fundraising competition such as a penny war and award the winning room/group with an ice-cream party, pizza party, etc, using donated supplies

October

  • Ask a local grocer/eco-friendly store to donate reusable grocery bags and sell them at your school/on your campus
  • Organize a pumpkin carving contest with a $10 entry fee and ask local businesses to donate prizes for the winner
  • Organize a Campus Olympics tournament with an entry fee and donated prizes
  • Get your sports teams involved and ask players and/or coaches to pledge to shave their heads if xxx is raised at a sporting event for Malaria No More
  • Host a Halloween costume party

November

  • Organize a talent show at your school, publicize, and charge admission
  • Organize a corporate pledge drive or event
  • Set up an informational table at your student union with a collection canister
  • Arrange a "celebrity bartending" night with your local pub and college group
  • Battle of the Sexes - have campus men's groups compete against campus women's groups in contests such as cooking, changing a tire, finger nail painting, etc.  Charge each participant $10 to participate

December

  • Organize a student vs. faculty dodge ball tournament or sporting event
  • Ask a local karaoke bar to host a karaoke evening and charge admission
  • Contact local retailers and ask to set up a gift wrapping station
  • Involve your campus men's sports/club teams and organize a beard/mustache growing contest, using student judges and charging a participation fee of $10/person
  • Invite campus organizations to participate in a cook-off with donated supplies.  Voting is done by attendees who donate money to a collection canister at the event
  • Organize a New Year's Eve celebration party to benefit Malaria No More

 

Year-round

Donate your birthday, graduation, Bar Mitzvah, or whatever you choose to Malaria No More!  Generate support on the internet.  Use your existing network and encourage friends to donate through Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, etc.  The possibilities are limited only to your creativity!

 

'How To' on Event Planning

 

  • Generate the Idea: As shown, there are endless creative possibilities for fundraising events. Play to your strengths. A good idea that takes into consideration your target audience, your resources, and a realistic budget is fundamental to success.

 

  • Education: In addition to raising funds, your event should also raise awareness. It is important to inform your audience about malaria and how their money will be utilized to help protect families in Africa. Educating your audience helps foster long-term interest and helps create new leaders for the movement.

 

  • Build a Team: By encouraging active participation in the planning process, you create a solid base of active and engaged participants. Having a team will also increase your capacity and thus your fundraising potential. Different team members take on distinct roles in the planning and execution, thus lessening your own burden and generating a better event.

 

  • Target Audience: Understanding your target audience should inform the event idea, planning, and execution. Most event concepts can be tailored to the interests of different groups be they: faith-based, schools, corporations, etc. Knowing your audience will help you create an event that generates initial interest and sustained engagement in the fight against malaria.

 

  • Fundraising Target: Setting a reasoned fundraising goal can help to motivate both organizers and potential donors. A solid, firmly stated fundraising target can help to shape donor expectations and giving. The target should be generated from an understanding of your audiences' general financial standing, an informed projection of event attendance, and based on a number which is bold but attainable. Donors will want to be a part of a successful fundraiser, and reaching the goal will help to keep them positively engaged for future fundraisers.

 

  • Save the Date: Get the word out early to ensure you give your proposed audience enough time to schedule in the event. This process should help you gauge interest and inform your budgeting. Remember to think about a strategic date that does not conflict with other local functions. Your may wish to "piggy-back" on an existing event. Make sure to allocate enough time for proper planning.

 

  • Budget/Price: The goal is to keep your costs down, and to maximize the money that will go directly to funding mosquito net acquisition and distribution. Make sure that you are honest with your audience about the break-down of how their money will be spent. Ideally, your costs should not exceed 35% of what you raise.

 

  • Evaluation: Take stock of what it took to organize and execute the event. Also, pay close attention to the audience response (in some cases you may wish to conduct informal or formal surveys to help you improve future events). We encourage you to share with us your event and some of the key points you took away from the experience.

 

  • Follow Up: Be sure to thank everyone involved and to let them know the amount of money that was raised. Get a sense from both your team and the audience about the interest in future malaria-related fundraising events, and take down contact information. Submit your photos, stories, and communications to ideas@malarianomore.org so that we can highlight your great work!