Here are some Awareness and Fundraising suggestions
Battle of the Bands, Drama Presentation, Dance, or Pub Night
These events are a great way to Lend your Voice to Orphaned and Abandoned Children, and they are fun no matter what. Use these events as a way to share the importance of orphan issues with others. Why not charge people a few extra dollars and raise money for a great cause? Be sure to make an announcement at your event sharing what the money will be used for, and what makes this event so important. Be sure to use our downloadable resources - the orphan facts sheet, WOW Brochures, and a donation log will come in handy for this kind of event.
Silent Auction
This is a great way to get local businesses involved! Tell them about your WOW group and about World Orphan Week, then, ask them for donated items you can auction off. Offer them a ‘thank you’ certificate so they can benefit from a good reputation for their community support. This will also raise awareness for your event, and the work your group is doing! Be sure to mention your local business sponsors in your press release (we can help you with this) – and mention to them that you will do so – it might make them a little more generous! Perhaps also ask donating businesses to consider collecting donations for WOW by displaying a World Orphan Week donation can (you can download a label for these as well) and some WOW information flyers. If they seem especially interested in WOW, share our contact information at the SOS Children’s Villages Office and we’d love to help them get more involved! As always, use our downloadable resources, or contact us for a fundraising package.
Fundraise as a Sports Team
Do you play on a sports team? This is a great option for school, recreational or competitive sports teams. Talk to your coach or captain and let them know you want to fundraise for World Orphan Week. Not only will you generate funds and awareness which will benefit the world’s most vulnerable demographic – orphaned and abandoned children – your generosity also reflects very well on your team! Perhaps consider asking family, friends or faculty to donate a certain amount of money for each goal or point your team scores during World Orphan Week. Each point you score is a plus for your team, and for orphaned kids – that’ll get the crowd cheering for you! (You can download sponsorship forms from our website). You can also get the rest of your community cheering for your sports team by writing to your local newspaper about your team’s mission to help orphaned children. Check out our downloadable resources for more helpful materials.
Get creative, you don’t need to use our ideas, if you want to try a different awareness or fundraising angle—go for it! And if you think we might be able to help, contact us and we’ll do all we can to support you!