Fundraising Guide for International Disasters

Overview

The Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI) plays an integral role when an international disaster or crisis occurs. The most important effort is to educate the American public that the appropriate response to an international disaster is to send cash contributions to established relief agencies rather than gifts-in-kind (GIK). Overall, CIDI's mission is to reduce the amount of inappropriate material donations sent to victims of international disasters and to facilitate efforts by professional humanitarian and/or relief agencies.

In recent years it has become clear that the public's generosity, while well-intended, is sometimes misplaced. For example, numerous large-scale efforts have been made by schools and community groups in the United States to collect donations of canned food and used clothing to send to disaster victims. These collections often include items that are inappropriate for the climate or life in a post-disaster environment – heavy winter coats are often found in clothing donations for hurricane victims in tropical climates. Special cultural and religious considerations must be taken into account when sending food. Most donors have no specific recipient in mind, nor do they have the means to transport or distribute these items once they receive the affected country.

By making monetary donations to legitimate, recognized relief agencies, needed relief supplies can be purchased immediately in-country. Cash donations support the local economy and play an important role in generating employment. Cash donations also help to eliminate the costs for international transportation and are available immediately to purchase the items that are most urgently needed. Quite simply, financial contributions are the best way to meet the specific and immediate needs of international victims.  (See CIDI's Guidelines for Contributions)

CIDI is pleased to offer the public Fundraising Guidance for International Disasters. This guide not only assists the general public with ideas and tips for fundraising, but also educates individuals on the do's and don'ts of appropriate donations and answers common questions about why monetary donations are the best form of assistance to victims of an international disaster or crisis situation.
 

Why should I do a fundraiser?
When a disaster strikes or devastation occurs, your financial support to those in need is vitally important. You can help to support victims of an international disaster by holding a fundraiser and donating the proceeds to one of the many charities working in the field. By raising money instead of collecting commodities, you can help to provide needed assistance in record time and at the same time educate your audience on your cause.

What are the advantages of making a monetary donation?
Cash allows professional relief organizations to purchase exactly what is most urgently needed by disaster victims and to pay for the transportation necessary to warehouse and distribute those supplies. Unlike in-kind donations, cash donations entail no transportation cost. In addition, cash donations allow relief supplies to be purchased at locations as near to the disaster site as possible. Supplies, particularly food, can almost always be purchased locally - even in famine situations. This approach has the triple advantage of stimulating local economies (providing employment, generating cash flow), ensuring that supplies arrive as quickly as possible, and reducing transport and storage costs. Cash contributions to established legitimate relief agencies are always considerably more beneficial than the donation of commodities.

What if I have already collected donations?
If you have already gathered donations, there are many ways in which you can be creative and give back to the local community or raise funds for your disaster relief effort of choice. For example, you could hold a yard sale from items you have collected and donate the proceeds to a disaster relief organization or drop them off at your local shelter. Either way, you are appropriately helping someone who needs assistance. Groups and individuals tend to send commodities to victims of disasters because they do not realize the same items can be purchased in-country. Through cash contributions, complications encountered by groups hoping to send commodities abroad are eliminated.

Once funds are collected, who should I contact?
CIDI encourages you to make financial contributions to a well-established, recognized international disaster relief agency. If you have a preferred agency with relief activities underway in the disaster-stricken country, you may choose to work with them. The CIDI Web site also offers useful information that can help you choose a satisfactory organization.

Additional information can be found through the Interaction web site (www.interaction.org), an alliance of U.S.-based international development and humanitarian nongovernmental organizations and the Better Business Bureau's site at www.bbb.com. The Bureau, along with the National Charities Information Bureau and the Council of Better Business Bureau's foundation ant its Philanthropic Advisory Service have joined to form the Giving Alliance, where you can find valuable information on making informed decisions when supporting charities. The Web site is located at www.give.org.

CIDI also encourages you to visit the CIDI/GlobalGiving site at www.globalgiving.com/cb/cidi. This program allows donors to direct cash donations to specific projects on the front lines of disaster relief and reconstruction.

Questions?
If you have any questions of concerns regarding international disasters, emergencies, or fundraising, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) at www.cidi.org or contact CIDI staff at 703-276-1914.

Recruit Plenty of Volunteers to Make Your Fundraiser Stress-Free
Rely on dedicated volunteers to help and make sure to divide all the tasks involved in running the fundraiser. This is also an ideal opportunity to involve community supporters. Make sure to clearly identify the type of help needed and the responsibilities of each person to be involved before you start. Also, keep in mind that fundraising is a great learning experience – individuals get valuable organizational and leadership experience and at the same time receive a valuable education on the crisis and its victims.

Plan an Educational Kick-off Event
Plan a kick-off meeting to get volunteers charged up. Keep the volunteers informed and allow them to participate in the selection of the agency or agencies that you will be donating the proceeds of your fundraiser to. For example, get your volunteers together and show an educational film or invite a guest speaker on the emergency situation. Share the CIDI Guidelines, FAQ and situation reports with the volunteers.

Get Others Involved
Ask family, friends, and co-workers to help support your efforts by asking them to be involved either by volunteering or making a donation. The old adage, "many hands make quick work" is especially true when trying to raise money for victims of disaster. At a minimum, you'll need assistance for advertisement and implementation.

Plan Rewards for Volunteers
Ask local businesses to support your fundraising efforts by donating gift certificates to reward your volunteers. Hold a pizza party at the end of the event or drive – give a  little back to the volunteers for all their effort. Rewards from local businesses are a great opportunity for businesses to support the community and gain recognition, while also helping disaster victims.

Take Advantage of Free Publicity
Local newspapers, news outlets and cable channels will publish or allow you to post group announcements free of charge, so send them a press release about your disaster relief campaign. Be sure to include as much information as possible: the international disaster or crisis funds are being raised for; how people can contact you to donate funds or volunteer.

Use Electronic Media for Promotion
Promote your fundraising efforts on a Web site or through E-newsletters, chat rooms, and message boards. Grandparents, aunts, uncles and close family friends are more than happy to help school children raise money for an international disaster; as well as co-workers and businesses to send e-mails!

Reach Out to the Local Community
Outreach is a perfect way to get the community involved with your cause, as your fundraiser is an excellent opportunity for the community to respond to international disasters with support. Recruit community members to be active participants - it will be rewarding to not only international disaster victims but those in the community.
 

This sheet can help you design and plan a fundraising activity in your community. An example of a Walk for Disaster Victims is used to demonstrate how to develop a fundraiser.

Purpose: Provide details on your fundraiser. Fundraisers help educate your local community about victims impacted by an international disaster. It's a good way to get your family, friends, and member of the community involved in assisting victims of a disaster and at the same time, educating them on the emergency at hand.

Set A Financial Goal: Your group will need to set an over all monetary goal as well as individual goals for all involved. Registration fees are a great way to alleviate pressure from participants going door to door to raise money, as well as a way to reach the financial goal your group has set.

You learned from a relief group working in Sudan, it costs $100 to purchase a shelter (tent) for a family of 5. Your organization would like to assist and decides to raise $500 to support this effort. In order to hit your financial goal, your group decides to charge a $25.00 registration fee, per person; which means at the minimum your group will need only 20 people to register for the walk.

Select the Organization Funds will be Donated: Participants will want assurance the consignee organization is a legitimate, well-recognized charity and it has a successful track record in providing relief in the affected country. Be sure to have written information about the charity available for all participants. Information on how you selected this agency, any research you did and any background you can provide to participants will be particularly beneficial in helping to raise funds.

You pick a well-established, recognized international disaster relief agency and contact them (or download) for handouts and literature on their group, as well as the disaster victims and their needs (as documented in the agency's appeal or from situation reports). You provide this information to individuals when they register for the walk.

 

Set Deadlines: You should set a time period for participants to obtain sponsors, recruit volunteers, and solicit donations from community members (i.e. water from local stores for walkers). Whether your walk is one or two months away, deadlines will keep you on track.

Your group has decided to have a 5K walk and recruit 20 participants. After you set your financial goal, your organization develops a timeline to accomplish the tasks associated with the walk. It is decided that the walk will take place in one month, and during the 1st two weeks of your effort, brochures and volunteer recruitment needs to accomplished, as well as mapping the walk route. A decision is made to hold a working meeting to assess and adjust the timeline originally set.

 

Compile, Double Check, and Assign Tasks: During the planning stages of a walk, there are many tasks at hand. Some of the basic assignments that should be carefully scheduled when organizing your walk are: setting up your planning committee; mapping a walk route; setting the date for the walk; recruiting participants and volunteers; and obtaining the necessary permits and approval from your city/town to hold the event. It always a good idea to speak with someone who has always organized this type of event before you can go over your list of assignments prior to distributing them. Each walk will have a different set of tasks associated with it, however, by compiling and assigning tasks, your walk will run much smoother.

You have been working on a list of assignments and tasks for the walk and then contact a local organization like the Red Cross or Salvation Army, and ask if someone could review your list of assignments prior to your next committee meeting. You meet with the charity representative and add some suggestions for tasks, such as recruiting the local police department as volunteer security along your walk route for safety purposes.

Educate your Audience: One of the most important purposes of your walk is to not only raise funds, but also to educate your audience. Post signs along the walk route with facts about the victims you are tying to help, or even better, recruit a speaker to talk on the issue prior to the start of the walk. An informed donor is a knowledgeable one; you never know who you will be interested in the efforts or cause you are involved. Make sure you have solid information to provide participants and volunteers to, as well as the general public to make your walk a success.

The purpose of your walk is to help people suffering in Darfur, Sudan. You conduct research and find out some interesting facts from UNHCR on what money can buy in Sudan to assist victims: $48.00 can provide a family care package containing 3 blankets, a kitchen set, 3 sleeping mats, 2 jerricans, 1 plastic sheet, and 2 mosquito nets; $62.50 registers 150 exhausted refugees in order to asses their needs and trace their families; $100 can provide a tent to shelter a family; $230 may provide a doctor to immunize children and treat wounds; $300 helps transport three families to a safe place; $472 can provide essential medicines; $625 can sink two wells to provide water for refugees. You decide to create a thermometer that lists how many items can be bought with funds raised. While conducting research, you discover there is a local church group that works with Sudanese refugees, and you contact them to invite a guest speaker to talk prior to the walk. You also decide to provide a taste of Sudanese food at the finish line to reward walkers!

 

Connect Your Audience with the Victims: Another very important thing to remember is to connect your audience to the individuals being impacted by the international disaster or emergency at hand. On the Center for International Disaster Information's Web site, www.cidi.org, links are provided for the countries on the United States Agency for International Development's Disaster Declaration List. If you do not see the country funds are being raised for listed, or the information provided is not applicable to your event, please contact a CIDI staff member.

Your organization is raising funds for Sudanese refugees. Since your fundraiser is a walk, you conduct research on how these refugees fled their homes in fear and provide information to each walker on the average number of miles victims walk to reach Darfur. You provide facts on the number of people without food, water or shelter and conditions of the surrounding region – civil wars, diverse languages, and neighboring countries.

 

Citation: Information taken from the United Nations Human Rights Committee Web site at www.un.org

Now that you have the information to galvanize support for your cause, here is a list of some of the best ways to build awareness, educate the public and generate needed funds for victims of international disasters:

Car Wash
Car washes are easy, fun activities that are guaranteed to raise funds quickly for victims of an international crisis. Some planning is involved and securing volunteers is an important step. Be sure to have volunteers holding signs where passing traffic can see them. You can either charge a certain amount per vehicle or ask for donations. For more information about holding a car wash, check out the following Web sites:

www.carwashguys.com/fundraisers/LAschools.html
www.stepbystepfundraising.com/fundraising/car-wash.htm
www.fundraising-ideas.org/DIY/carwash.htm

Run/Walk for Victims
This is a fun, easy and inexpensive way to raise funds and it is a great way to get your family, friends, and members of the community involved in assisting victims of a disaster. Make sure to set up a planning committee, set a date for the event, map a route, recruit participants and volunteers, and obtain necessary permits and approval from your city/town to hold the event.

Food/Bake Sale
Food and bake sales are one of the most popular ways to raise funds. You will need to select a leader to manage volunteers; recruit volunteers to help with publicity, selling, setting up, collecting donations and baking the goods; and identify a location that is in a high traffic area. It is important to know your audience and identify what items are needed for the sale.

Sports Tournament
Pick a favorite sport (football, soccer, baseball, or event a mini golf tournament) and organize a charity event to get a group involved and raise money for those in crisis. You can also reach out and ask a local sports team to donate proceeds from one of their events to victims of an international disaster! Either way, you are doing your part to help those in need!

Auctions
Auctions are a great way to raise funds and can be a ton of fun! You can plan auctions for older or younger age groups. For older groups, put on an event to auction older brothers, single moms or single dads. You can also engage the help of local celebrities and personalities to serve as bachelors or bachelorettes for the event. For younger age groups, plan a hired hand for a day auction. You simply auction the use of one of your group members to the highest bidder for a few hours of work, usually something simple like raking leaves, mowing the lawn, etc. There can be numerous variations on this theme, so be creative, and consider how best your group could use this type of fundraiser.

Yard Sale
Instead of donating unused items (clothing, appliances, cans of food) to victims of an international disaster, hold a sale and encourage others to sell their recyclables to raise money for organizations working with the international disaster victims. Rummage sales are a great way to get rid of items not being used while stressing cash is the most effective way to provide humanitarian assistance to those in a crisis.

Humanitarian Assistance Wristbands
People all around the world enjoy coming together to help those in crisis – why not have them show their support by wearing wrist bands as a sign of support for disaster victims. You can buy manufactured bands from one of the Web sites listed below or make them yourself out of string. Have a logo or slogan written on your band to remind people of the purpose of the bands. You can even print up cards to include with each band with information on the disaster and its victims. These bands of support care easy to sell at local schools, businesses, or even community functions! Helpful Web sites include:

www.alibaba.com/catalog/10857919/Silicone_Bracelets_Wristbands.html
www.yourwristbands.com/index.html
www.tuffthreads.com/

Recycle Bottle and Can Drive
Another great way to raise funds is to take advantage of local recycling programs and organize a recycle bottle and can drive. This will give people a reason to trade in their empty bottles and cans for 5 or 10 cents per items to raise money to help the less fortunate. Find out if your state participates in a monetary recycling program (some provide a tax break to residents while others allow you to trade in cans for dimes!) and then use this information to plan your collection drive. You can even get more creative by holding a bottle/can contest and awarding a certificate to the recyclable champions. For more information about planning and organizing this type of event, please visit the Web site below:

www.fundraising-ideas.org/DIY/candrive.htm

For more information about planning any of the above fundraising events, please contact CIDI at 703-243-8900 or visit www.cidi.org

Other Fundraising Ideas