HOT IDEAS

HOT IDEAS

Funding of the various programs and activities, in some cases, have become a real challenge. With all the cut backs from federal, state and local money, you have to become real creative to maintain or expand your program. If you have had some luck with the below listed areas and would like to share those ideas, e-mail me your thoughts , so that others may benefit from your ingenuity.
I'll be glad to post your ideas.

BOOTHS AT LOCAL EVENTS

This would fall under booths and fund raisers. At the local fair I have a booth that stands among the best. I have a variety of gifts from the program along with winning essays, photographs, a video tape running of a culmination and a variety of handout material. I also have a donation box. The finance director is the only one with the key to the donation box so any time it's opened, the money is in double custody.(For those of you who's department heads don't like you handling cash.) When someone gives a donation to the program they get a gift from the program. From bumper stickers to basketballs are given out as gifts depending on the donation made. Try it...it works!

OUTINGS FOR THE KIDS

I contacted a local semi-pro hockey team and asked them if they ever did anything for special non-profit groups. The hockey team put me in touch with the proper people and I was able to take 85 students to a hockey game. The students were selected through out the teaching year. Essay winners, at risk students and students that were active in the program were invited to go. So during the culminations, along with the normal activities, various students received a invitation to the game. The school district provided transportation for the 30 mile outing.

FUND RAISERS

Great Idea:
Get local stores to make an offer called " round it up "and what the stores will do is round up the persons subtotal to the nearest dollar and the change can be donated to any kind of chairity. Have fun, Spencer Phillips - Subway

Luckily I only have to raise the funding for two schools. I just had my 6th annual Lake County D.A.R.E Auction. The items at my auction are all donated by local business and concerned citizens. I didn't want to hit the businesses as all other organizations do in our county, so I used this approach instead. The people that donate items get a tax deduction, the people that buy at the auction get goods at fantastic prices, and I make money to run the D.A.R.E Program for another year. Try it, alot of hard work but fun and profitable.
Doug Libby
Lake County Sheriff Department, Michigan

Just a quick note with an idea.
We are currently setting up a fundraiser at a local Batting Cage. We will offer the kids the opportunity to participate in Hitting and Pitching clinics, and will be assisted in this by players from a local AAA Pro baseball team. We will also have speakers from Univ. Notre Dame, that is located in South Bend where we are located. The owner of the business is donating at least half of the $20.00 registration fee to our D.A.R.E. program. The fundraiser will be an all nighter, and there will be many other things for the kids to do. It is open to kids from 9-12 years old. Hope this might be able to help someone.
Good Luck!
Tim Scott

Also, as far as fund rasiers go. I have a large number of new car dealers in my jurisdiction and I approached all the owners and asked them if they would consider donating 10 dollars per car sold on a monthly basis to our DARE program. Most said yes with no problem and the others said they would donate five dollars for each sale. They all advertise this fact in their showrooms and we have even had car buyers match the donation. We don't make killer money from this technique but it is considerable.

Every year the Hanford Police Officers Association hosts a benefit basketball game as a fund raiser for it's members. For the past few years the visiting team has been members of the S.F. 49ers football club. The event is normally a sale-out. I reserve the concessions stand for the DARE program and use some of my 6th grade kids to help me run it. The students are set up into 4 teams, one for each quarter. The rest of the time the kids get to see the game. We have always kept it simple; popcorn, soda and candy. Most of everything we sale has been donated by local grocery stores, so it is a great boost for the program.

Last year I approached our local judges and asked if they would when sentencing people for selling drugs, to have part of their fine monies be designated for our local DARE program which they did. Who better to help fund the program than drug sellers!