5 Lung Cancer Fundraising Tips & Suggestions

I have learned from experience that lung cancer fundraisers are not always easy. It is important to keep in mind that you are not promoting the most desirable cancer. Lung cancer has funding issues in part from the smoking stigma, so many survivors and co-surviving friends and family members can feel easily labeled and retreat. And many uneducated people of the public tend to harshly categorize lung cancer. However, if you are up for the fight you may find ample satisfaction in standing up for what others may fear.
The following are some basic tips, suggestions, and examples of how you may have a successful lung cancer fundraiser.

1. Organized planning:

     a. Declare your event. LUNGevity Foundation is the largest lung cancer grassroots non-profit, and is always looking for new and energized people. Click here to view their events page. By choosing LUNGevity to sponsor your event, you are virtually connected to endless resources. Diana Fusco, director of grassroots, should be contacted at dfusco@lungevity.org.
     b. Keep it simple. The possibilities are endless, but you should keep it to a minimum for your first event. For example, have one main event (walk/run, pizza party, ice skating, formal dinner). You may want to have a speaker (registered nurse, survivor, oncologist) at your fundraiser, which is wonderful. Depending on the size of your event, you may want to have 1-5 speakers. Lastly, you may want to have entertainment (DJ, radio host, trivia game, auction).


2. Keep the guests happy and busy:

     a. Consider having a Chinese Auction. For a small auction of 5-10 items, I suggest $1 per ticket; medium to large 15-40+ items, I suggest $5 for an arms length or $5 for 10. If you are expecting many people and do not have many volunteers helping, I suggest counting out tickets to be sold $5 for 10 before your event begins. Auctions are very popular, but you do not want to leave your guests waiting. I suggest 2-3 volunteers for per 35-50 guests. Learn more about Chinese Auctions here.
    b. Consider having a Silent Auction. Silent auctions are great for big items such as signed MLB or NFL merchandise, vacation getaways, expensive jewlrey, etc. A Silent Auction will typically not have as many items as a Chinese Auction. It is also best to pick one of the two auctions. Learn more about Silent Auctions here.
    c. Consider having a 50/50 raffle. A 50/50 raffle is best for events indoors or with all guests in a confined area. Everyone loves 50/50 raffles, and depending on your size of crowd you may consider pricing $5-$20 per ticket. Also, many winners of these raffles will donate the money back to the cause! It is a win-win situation!! Learn more about 50/50 Raffles here.


3. Budgeting:

    a. Low cost to no cost budgeting. You are not hosting this event in order to go broke. Contact local businesses for any donations toward your fundraiser. Donations can be auction items or sponsorships. If you don't ask, you will never know. The most popular items you might ask for are gift cards and gift baskets.


4. Presentation:

    a. First impression counts. Stay organized and look professional. I strongly suggest you write out a press release. Click here for a great 'how to' for writing press releases. A press release can be submitted to your local newspapers, online newspapers, local news and radio stations. You may even consider making your own website, or if time is short, make a Facebook page or Tweet the progress of your event. The more you talk about it the better!
    b. Things will rarely go smoothly. Be prepared for last minute changes, backup plans, and maybe even running the whole show by yourself. I have found that the only reliable person is yourself. As long as you are on point, nothing else matters.


5. Make room for next year:

    a. Collect guests' e-mail addresses. Stay connected with your guests. Make sure they know that next year will be bigger and better. This will be a crucial time, because you do not want to loose the support of first timers.
    b. Do not let this be your last. If things do not go as planned, that's okay. First time events are not usually the ones bringing in thousands of dollars, and making national headlines. Events are something to build upon, so do not get discouraged.

I will be posting more information about fundraising within the coming weeks. Don't forget to submit your e-mail address (top right of blog) to get automatic reminders!