Fundraising Resources

Not everyone likes the idea of fundraising, partly because getting a fund-raiser off the ground can seem overwhelming. But, with a little organization, a fundraising event can actually be enjoyable—even for the person who has to run it. And fundraising is vital to the success of a NSSLHA chapter. Some NSSLHA chapters have year-long fundraising campaigns with specific goals in mind—for example helping members go to the annual ASHA Convention. These chapters go to the ASHA Convention as a group and are able to pay for the charter bus and discount motel rooms thanks to their advance planning and fund-raising efforts!

In this section, we have provided some general tips to get you started, plus a list of fund-raising events carried out by other NSSLHA chapters to give you some ideas. We've also included a few sample fund-raisers, with an outline of the steps you need to follow to carry them out. We hope that this information helps make your experience enjoyable; after all, you can't spell fundraising without F-U-N!

Ideas to Help You Get Started  

The possibilities for fundraising are limited only by your imagination and creativity. The following are some tried-and-true events, compiled from NSSLHA and from students who have carried them out. Of course, you can always improvise and come up with a new fundraising event on your own, or put a new spin on an old idea.

• 5K Run
• Athletic events (e.g., faculty vs. student volleyball game, etc.)
• Auction
• SendFlowersAmerica/Flower Fund
• Bake sale
• Candy sale
• Car wash
• Class picture sale
• Dances
• Golf tournament
• Holiday theme fund-raisers
• Movies
• Product sales (T-shirts, mugs, stickers, etc.)
• Raffle
• Rock-a-thon
• Talent show
• Walk-a-thon
• Work at the concession stands at athletic events, etc.

Be sure to obtain permission from the school for every event. Think about the permission-seeking process not as a nuisance requirement but as a chance to advertise your event and to invite school officials, faculty, and other student organizations to attend. Some of these events, such as a bake sale, you can carry out with easy preparation and little overhead; you might need nothing more than a folding table. Holding a talent show at your school, though, may require additional funding and access to certain equipment. The following are general steps that you can take to ensure that you are able to conduct your fundraising events in the easiest fashion and with the greatest success.

General Steps For Any Fundraising Event  

• Have the NSSLHA members brainstorm various ideas and come to a consensus on what kind of event it will be and who the organizers and leaders will be for the event.  
• Create a draft outline of the planned event that can then be reviewed as the event is organized, used as a basis for other events, and presented to university officials, if needed.
• Before holding any event on campus grounds, contact the appropriate office or department at your college or university. Most schools will have established guidelines for holding such functions and can lead you in the right direction.
• Contact the office of student affairs or campus activities at your university or college to find out if the NSSLHA chapter can use the nonprofit organization tax exempt number for fund-raising purposes.
• Get in touch with other groups on campus. Chances are you are not the first organization to hold a fund-raiser, and other groups can offer suggestions and tell you how to avoid pitfalls. You may even want to stage a joint event or piggyback on their event; for example, you could offer to run a concession stand at an athletic event, sharing profits with the athletic association.
• Contact a company and offer to sell its product and split the profits from the sale.
• Check with local businesses to see if any are able to donate a product. If you are going to publicize a company name or introduce its product into a new market, they may be willing to work with you. One chapter got a local farm to donate pumpkins, which they sold at Halloween.
• If your fund-raising event, such as a walk-a-thon, is going to take place within a city or a town, you may need to get a permit beforehand. Check with city or town hall to find out the specific rules for your area.
• If you feel your event is sufficiently large-scale, you may want to get the media involved for further publicity. See the section entitled Media Relations for specific instructions on how to contact your local media.

How to Host a NSSLHA Dance: Step-by-Step Instructions

From Michelle Williams, former NSSLHA Regional Councilor, Region VII

• Choose a date and time within the academic calendar that is convenient.
• Choose a location (i.e., a hotel ballroom) and reserve the fall before or even the previous year if possible.
• Choose food from their menu. Two good ideas are chicken and pasta; they are cheaper and the pasta satisfies the vegetarian diners. If funds allow, also choose a dessert.
• Set a ticket price, keeping in mind that you have to cover the cost of food, location rental, transportation, signage, decorations and the DJ or band. It might help to anticipate the potential number of attendees.
• Print up tickets and set a deadline for their sale. For example, two weeks before the dance is usually a good idea because you need to give your location the final numbers.
• Hire a DJ or a band as soon as possible, or you may end up paying more.
• Set up transportation to and from the dance, such as a charter bus or limo service that works with large groups. These can be found in the Yellow Pages.
• Plan to have special events at the dance, like an announcement of the next year's NSSLHA executive board member, the senior speaker for the graduation ceremony, or any other chapter members who have been or will be honored. If any of the honorees are to be elected by the students, be sure to print nomination forms and ballots well before the dance.
• Print fliers and posters advertising the dance.
• Print up forms for students and faculty that they can turn in with their ticket money, and reserve their place at the dance.
• Inform faculty of the event early in the semester so that they can mark their calendars.

How to Fund-Raise Using Product Sales: Step-by-Step Instructions   

• Have your NSSLHA chapter decide on a product that it feels would sell well on the campus—for example, glass mugs or T-shirts.
• Develop a design for the product. You can hold a contest among the chapter members for the best design, and this person could receive the product for free.
• Find a company to make the product.
• Set up a stand where you can sell the items before the product is made. This way, you can give the production company a more exact number of needed items.

Some products will also make great gifts for faculty members and others in the department or field.

How to Hold a Walk-A-Thon (or other "marathon-type" event)  

Marathon-type events can be used for a variety of fund-raising activities. In fact, for the past couple of years, the NSSLHA Executive Council has challenged all NSSLHA chapters to hold a walk-a-thon to raise money for the annual "NSSLHA Loves" campaign. The results have been outstanding, and many chapters have had a wonderful time in the process! A copy of the 1999-2000 "NSSLHA Loves" campaign memo and sample pledge form can be found in Appendix B.

For the sake of simplicity, we will use the walk-a-thon example, but keep in mind that there are many "marathon-type" events that can follow the same general steps. Be creative and have fun!

• Come to a consensus on a worthy cause that the community can rally around. If possible, find a cause that is related to communication disorders to raise community awareness of your NSSLHA chapter and the professions. Perhaps you can find a well-known spokesperson from the community that would be willing to help publicize the event.
• Contact other student organizations on your campus to see if any of them have already organized a similar event. In all likelihood, if they have, they'd be more than willing to "show you the ropes" and help you get started.
• A walk-a-thon is something the whole community can get involved in; therefore, you will want to advertise the event as much as possible. Make up flyers and posters containing all pertinent information, such as the name of your NSSLHA chapter, the date, time, starting location, and where participants can pick up pledge forms. Ask local grocery stores and other high traffic locations if you can post the flyers there. You may also be able to get the local television and/or radio station involved by asking them to provide free public service announcements or advertising (see Media Relations). You could ask one of the media to co-sponsor the event, although that may dissuade competing media sources from covering it. Don't forget to let everyone know the cause for which they'll be raising money!
• You may need to obtain a permit from your university and/or the city or county in which you plan to hold the walk, since the walk-a-thon will be a public event. You can contact the mayor's office and the police department to find out what documents must be acquired and if there are any restrictions that you need to be aware of. They can help you with any potential problem areas, such as a busy intersection. You may also need to get liability insurance to protect the chapter, the participants, and the spectators.
• Distribute the pledge forms. A few ways to do this are to place stacks of forms at local retailers (ask permission first), set up stands on campus, or place them in high-traffic areas, such as the student center, library, lounges, etc.
• Pick a route for the walk. You may want to consider the difficulty factor of the route you decide to choose; you want to attract as many people as possible to participate, so anything too strenuous will eliminate those who have physical restrictions.
• Consider setting up a refreshment stand or two for the participants along the walk route. The stand can have water and juices in case it is a hot day. The stands can be staffed by NSSLHA member students. Also, it is a good idea to provide toilet facilities for both participants and spectators. Contact a local provider (try searching the Internet using the phrase "portable toilets").

Remember, the more organized the event, the more fun it will be, so start recruiting volunteers early!