"It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference." -Tom Brokaw
Fundraising efforts contribute to our local affiliate through house sponsorship, Habitat for Humanity International through tithe, and to our chapter through various events. Such efforts make it possible for Habitat for Humanity to house more families in need. The following is a list of various fundraising events we are hoping to conduct this year. If you or someone you know is interested in assisting the planning of these events, please contact MSUHabitatforHumanity@gmail.com. If your organization would like to sponsor one of these events, please e-mail our Treasurer at Trigg111@missouristate.edu. Finally, if your company or place of business would like to contribute to Habitat for Humanity, please click here.
- Letter Campaigns- Members are strongly encouraged to send fundraising letters to family and friends, asking for donations to MSU Habitat. Letters sent out will count towards consideration for Volunteer of the Month. Members interested in helping in our letter campaign should follow these simple steps:
- Download and edit the fundraising letter.
- Address an envelope and put the letter in it. Please do not seal the envelope.
- Submit the addressed, unsealed, and unstamped letter to the MSU Habitat office (basement of the House at 602 S. Florence).
- We'll review and send it off! It's that simple!
- Grant Applications- Our chapter is continuously applying for grants to help assist build projects. Currently, we are looking into applying for the following grants: Public Affairs, SOFAC, State Farm, Bike & Build, and Lions Club.
- One Hit Wonder- For this event, we set up a table in a high traffic area, asking visitors if they would like to pay X amount of money to try and drive a nail through on one hit. It's a lot of fun and really easy to man!
- Cans For Habitat- We are really hoping to set up this program this year! The idea is that we will place recycling bins at various locations in our community and on campus, collecting aluminum cans. The cans are then recycled and Habitat receives monetary donations for the cans. More information on this program can be found here. E-mail MSUHabitatforHumanity@gmail.com if your business/organization would like our chapter to place a bin near you!
- Sign-A-Stud- On Saturday, September 5, 2009 we will host this lumber drive event. We simply sit outside of Lowe's and Wal-Mart off Independence St. and ask people if they would like to buy and/or sign a stud. The studs will be build into our Habitat home. Spare change can also be donated to purchase nails.
- Swipe-A-Meal- This event is scheduled for Wednesday, September 16 and Thursday, September 17. For this event, students with meal plans on campus are encouraged to swipe their meal cards, but not eat a meal (and eat elsewhere instead). Sodexho agrees to contribute a portion of the money instead to Habitat. So, students are "swiping a meal" for poverty.
- Concession Stand- We are currently contacting Ozarks Food Services and Ovations Food for Funds Program to set up dates and times to work concession stand events. We'll need volunteers to help man these events!
- Inflatable Event- We are currently contacting Amberg Entertainment to set up a date to staff an inflatable event.
- Applebee's Pancake Breakfast- We are setting up a date in late October/early November for a pancake breakfast at Applebee's. We sell $5 tickets for the breakfast and we earn at least $3 from each ticket sold. We will also do a promotional night (usually Tuesdays), where we distribute fliers for Applebee's, earning 10% of the sales from tables who mention Habitat to their server.
- Panera Night- This is a great, yet easy, fundraiser! We simply make fliers and publicize the date scheduled for our Habitat night at Panera. Panera is gracious enough to then give our organization x% of the sales made between 5-8 p.m. on that day.
- Phone Calling Campaign- Our chapter has a list of local companies, groups, individuals, etc. to contact for material and monetary donations. There a lot of caring people in Springfield, and this is a great way to improve your communication and organizational skills!
- Slam the Door on Poverty Housing Auction- This is a fun and creative event to get involved with! We use recycled, reused doors from Habitat's ReStore and get individuals/groups to paint on the doors and then hosting a gallery viewing and silent auction for the doors.
- Tool Belts and Bow Ties- For this event, groups design and build a playhouse for a live auction at the Tool Belts & Bow Ties benefit, helping to support Habitat in an unique and innovative way. Past examples and guidelines can be found here.
- Rake-A-Thon- This fundraiser takes place at the beginning of the Holiday season. Members volunteer to rake lawns of homeowners in our surrounding area. Homeowners make monetary donations as a result of having their lawns raked by hardworking and energetic volunteers like you!
- Tricks or Tools- This event takes place around Halloween. Our members would go to a neighborhood the week before Halloween and flyer the neighborhood, asking for donations of money or tools. The next week, we would go back and collect the donations.
- Birdhouse auction- Similar to Tool Belts and Bow Ties, but a smaller scale, this event would entail groups/members building birdhouses and then hosting a silent auction to raise funds for Habitat.
- www.H4H.org- This is web site a local individual put together for us to better market directly to companies requesting donations for our events. We are hoping to set up something similar again this year.
- Time Capsule- People would pay to put various things in a time capsule that would be buried in the front yard of a Habitat home. This way, supporters are forever with the family.
- Gift to Family- During the dedication ceremony of homes, Habitat typically offers the family a gift. These are usually appliances that don't accompany the regulations of Habitat homes (e.g. a dishwasher). We are always looking for assistance in acquiring these items.