If you had to raise a million dollars in less than a year, how would you do it?

[Nan in Mass]

I need fundraising ideas.

 

Nan

[DawnM]

Depends on what it is for.  A worthy cause?  Personal use?

[Nan in Mass]

Worthy cause. Save the life of a child and some others.

[Meriwether]

If I had to, and I mean had to (if for example, one of my kids were sick and needed lifesaving care that insurance wouldn't cover), my parents would sell their farm and my sister would mortgage her home and we would pull the equity out of our home. That would get us somewhere close. But I don't think that is the kind of situation you are talking about. I can't imagine trying to raise $1,000,000 without pooling all the assets of my nearest and dearest.

 

ETA: I see that it is saving the life of a child. If it were my child, I would do the above. If it were another child, I would look at community fundraisers.

 

Edited June 4, 2017 by Meriwether

[Carol in Cal.]

I would look for foundation grants.  I'd network around children's issues, specific syndrome issues, etc.

[Guest]

Well, it would depend on a lot of things. First, would every bit help, or can it literally only work if there is $1 million? Because it's really daunting to think it has to be a million. Second, how much heart-string validity does this have to other people? Because if it's something like a child will die if he or she cannot be flown to Johns Hopkins and have life-saving treatments, then I would think any fundraiser would have a good chance. Go Fund Me, for instance. I also remember once when friends put on a carnival for a young man who had lost his legs in an accident. We did contribute in both time assiting with the carnival and money.

[Melissa B]

If it was through a not-for-profit charity I would go door-to-door through town hitting every large corporation. 

 

For individual fundraisers, golf tournaments with a silent auction have proved best in my opinion, they can secure around $10,000+ though they take quite a few man hours to prepare.

 

I agree with looking for grants, too.

[J-rap]

I think you need to involve other people and businesses, and as someone else suggested, look to foundations, etc. too.  Involve a celebrity who would take on the cause.  Possibly the right business would take it on as a kind of sponsor, or would agree to donate a % of their sales on a particular item, or with matching fundraising.  Try and get it on some national TV program.

[Moonhawk]

I'd set up an official charity, so that organizations feel comfortable contributing (people too), assuming the laws make it relatively easy to do and wouldn't lock the money away from practical use of its intention.

 

- contact kid's favorite radio station, ask if they would be willing to help with a charity drive, or at least contribute to the fund.

- block party at local park (assuming tight knit community where kid is well known), with food, jumping castle, party games. things you can buy cheap and charge a dollar more than cost. need volunteer help and lots of man hours on this.

- if part of a church, ask if you can take up a collection or if the church has funds set aside for these cases

- lunch fundraiser. go to local businesses, offer to 'cater' lunch for $5-10 per person for a day.  either the business cn pay or individual workers can order. helpful to have a friend in the office make the pitch. like up a bunch of businesses for the same day, stagger deliver time. make HUGE amount of food (Mexican has worked well for this) and put into styrofoam to-go clams, deliver to businesses. this is a drop and go idea, not set up a buffet. you need people to help make food (ask church to use their kitchen as a meeting place if they have one, even if people are making the food at their house, the larger room to serve and set up is helpful) and probably a few drivers. organization is essential. if you offer 'menu options' make them easy to mark on clam top so delivery is easy at businesses.

- ask local businesses if they would be willing to let you fundraise outside business with table. need a good clear banner on this one, some communities are wary of tables outside doors. (eta: also, maybe they'd be willing to have a coin jar on their counter)

- can the kid make a craft? give as thank you gifts and/or 'sell' for small amount.

- charity auction, gift baskets or certificates to local businesses donated or at low cost from local businesses (the 'local' Carl's Jr, etc., counts). you can also auction off personal items that you would normally sell to raise money. Grandma's china may get more money this way, hopefully. 

- eBay and Amazon your stuff. 

- be active on FB and social media and give update on kid and condition and costs. this is a drag, see if you have a friend or family member that takes on this job whole heartedly. It isn't meant to bring in money on its own (but have a link to donation page), but more to make contributors feel connected to the cause and alleviates keeping all of these people individually updated. and makes it more shareable in the community.

 

 

Edited June 4, 2017 by Moonhawk

[Nan in Mass]

A charity group has been set up and has managed to come up with 200k already via shoelaces, bake sales, a running race, and things like that. The town has really come out for this child, but we are guessing that there is only so much that a small New England town will give. We are guessing that we need to reach wider. One million is not an exact number but we know of a similar therapy was developed in the past that took about that much. My husband is working on ways to cut down the amount to something more manageable. It involves a child in my clan but the therapy would have wider applications (which is why doctors are donating a certain amount of time). It has plenty of heartstrings appeal and we have managed to some local publicity. The child is still is going to school, so she is out and about in public, which is helpful. She is getting weaker and weaker though. Every time I see her she can do less. The million part of the equation may not be exact but the year part probably is.

 

Thank you so much for the suggestions!!

 

Nan

[chiguirre]

My first step would be to see if the child can access less expensive treatment. Could they do something like St. Jude's or Shriners? Could they qualify for Medicaid or CHIP if their family depletes their assets? Is the treatment common enough that they could have it in a lower cost country?

 

(To give you an idea how much lower cost medical care can be in other countries, my MIL is finishing up treatment for uterine cancer in Venezuela. All in it's cost about $15000 including chemo, surgery and radiation. At M.D. Andersen Cancer Center in Houston, we would have to put down a $150 K deposit. They warned us that care would probably cost double or triple that but they couldn't give us a firm number. Obviously I wouldn't pick Venezuela, but Colombia or Mexico might be good choices. We had to buy the chemo meds in Colombia. One med cost $40/vial there vs. $500/vial in the US. That's the order of magnitude of cost difference that we're talking about.)

 

ETA: Just saw your new post. These ideas won't work. Is there a way that you can get a TV or radio station interested enough to publicize a GoFundMe? That's probably the best way to reach more people.

Edited June 4, 2017 by chiguirre

[Seasider]

You need national level PR. Seek out the best local media representative to try to get your story to go viral. You need a compelling video blanketing social media. Being featuring on a major morning news show would also help.

 

For a need of $1M, I'm guessing insurance coverage is a problem? If so, with healthcare reform in the news, a reporter might take the story based on that angle.

 

Good luck!

[Nan in Mass]

If it was through a not-for-profit charity I would go door-to-door through town hitting every large corporation.

 

For individual fundraisers, golf tournaments with a silent auction have proved best in my opinion, they can secure around $10,000+ though they take quite a few man hours to prepare.

 

I agree with looking for grants, too.

I am pretty sure someone is working on finding grants. A golf tournament might well be a way to widen our reach. Thank you.

[Nan in Mass]

I think you need to involve other people and businesses, and as someone else suggested, look to foundations, etc. too. Involve a celebrity who would take on the cause. Possibly the right business would take it on as a kind of sponsor, or would agree to donate a % of their sales on a particular item, or with matching fundraising. Try and get it on some national TV program.

How does one go about finding a celebrity?

 

Talking to businesses in surrounding towns is a good idea. Maybe we could get someone to do an icecream flavor or something.

[Carol in Cal.]

Ecuador has very inexpensive and good medical care and a low cost of living.  It has become a retirement haven for that reason.  If this need is for a finite set of treatments, rather than a chronic ongoing issue, that might be a reasonable option for the family to consider.

 

Also, Parents Helping Parents forms online support organizations around rare syndromes effecting children.  Networking there would be a great way to make connections that might reduce the cost of care, or identify grants or research projects that would be helpful.  They may know of financial assistance mechanisms also.

[Nan in Mass]

I'd set up an official charity, so that organizations feel comfortable contributing (people too), assuming the laws make it relatively easy to do and wouldn't lock the money away from practical use of its intention.

 

- contact kid's favorite radio station, ask if they would be willing to help with a charity drive, or at least contribute to the fund.

- block party at local park (assuming tight knit community where kid is well known), with food, jumping castle, party games. things you can buy cheap and charge a dollar more than cost. need volunteer help and lots of man hours on this.

- if part of a church, ask if you can take up a collection or if the church has funds set aside for these cases

- lunch fundraiser. go to local businesses, offer to 'cater' lunch for $5-10 per person for a day. either the business cn pay or individual workers can order. helpful to have a friend in the office make the pitch. like up a bunch of businesses for the same day, stagger deliver time. make HUGE amount of food (Mexican has worked well for this) and put into styrofoam to-go clams, deliver to businesses. this is a drop and go idea, not set up a buffet. you need people to help make food (ask church to use their kitchen as a meeting place if they have one, even if people are making the food at their house, the larger room to serve and set up is helpful) and probably a few drivers. organization is essential. if you offer 'menu options' make them easy to mark on clam top so delivery is easy at businesses.

- ask local businesses if they would be willing to let you fundraise outside business with table. need a good clear banner on this one, some communities are wary of tables outside doors. (eta: also, maybe they'd be willing to have a coin jar on their counter)

- can the kid make a craft? give as thank you gifts and/or 'sell' for small amount.

- charity auction, gift baskets or certificates to local businesses donated or at low cost from local businesses (the 'local' Carl's Jr, etc., counts). you can also auction off personal items that you would normally sell to raise money. Grandma's china may get more money this way, hopefully.

- eBay and Amazon your stuff.

- be active on FB and social media and give update on kid and condition and costs. this is a drag, see if you have a friend or family member that takes on this job whole heartedly. It isn't meant to bring in money on its own (but have a link to donation page), but more to make contributors feel connected to the cause and alleviates keeping all of these people individually updated. and makes it more shareable in the community.

Thank you very much for typing all that out. Some of this has been done already (like figuring out the legalities of fundraising-ug-complicated) but some has not. More things to try. : ) Thank you!

[Pam in CT]

Does the disease or condition have an existing research foundation / parent advocacy group (even a small one)?  Does the hospital or treatment center have research / best practices sharing with other doctors working with other patients with the condition?  Does the pharmaceutical company or biotech developing the treatment have a foundation / marketing & publicity?  Is there a big name university associated with the work in some way?

 

It sounds like you need to find a publicity path from the small town lens of the child, to a bigger network of more exposure and deeper pockets.  As you say it is immensely difficulty for small town fish fries / baking sales to get to that kind of target.  But I've been to benefits that have cleared $500,000 in one night at spiffy glam deeper-pocket events, with $100-500 per person tickets, corporate-hosted tables, donated entertainment and venue time, and silent auctions etc.  Such things are formidable to organize but the bigger point is that you have folks with deep pockets attend.

[Nan in Mass]

Ecuador has very inexpensive and good medical care and a low cost of living. It has become a retirement haven for that reason. If this need is for a finite set of treatments, rather than a chronic ongoing issue, that might be a reasonable option for the family to consider.

 

Also, Parents Helping Parents forms online support organizations around rare syndromes effecting children. Networking there would be a great way to make connections that might reduce the cost of care, or identify grants or research projects that would be helpful. They may know of financial assistance mechanisms also.

Thank you. This involves finishing the development of a treatment and then administering it. The plan is that this child would be part of the clinical trial. The Ecuador suggestion might be helpful if clinical trials are easier to carry out there? We will have to investigate that. Thank you.

 

And I will check out Parents Helping Parents. "Rare" is a good description of the situation. This is an ultra rare genetic disease.

[Caroline]

Contact our boardie Lucy Stoner. She used to do this for a living. She might be able to point you to some resources.

[Guest]

For your home town folks, instead of pancake breakfasts, etc how about building or flipping houses? I don't know what your market is,or how big your team is.but here there are many foreclosures, so that's what people.are doing.

[Nan in Mass]

The progress so far has been funded by things more on the order of bake sales and an NIH grant. The problem is getting it farther. The therapy is for a specific ultra rate disease but the science developed in the process would be applicable to many other diseases. Just the funding is missing.

[Pam in CT]

Thank you. This involves finishing the development of a treatment and then administering it. The plan is that this child would be part of the clinical trial. The Ecuador suggestion might be helpful if clinical trials are easier to carry out there? We will have to investigate that. Thank you.

 

And I will check out Parents Helping Parents. "Rare" is a good description of the situation. This is an ultra rare genetic disease.

 

If a pharma or biotech is running a clinical trial, there is an organized network of participating doctors and other patients in that trial, and a company behind the drug under development that is simultaneously hoping for good results AND paving the business plan for the next round with the FDA and corporate finance... so they have interest in (the right kind) of publicity.

 

Try the NIH's GARD (Genetic and Rare Diseases) website as a starting point to sort through orphan disease resource networks.  They can put you in contact with a specialist to help you sort out what may be out there.

[Janeway]

Why do you need one million dollars?

 

I would make a little pin for my cause. And get Kate Middleton to wear it and sell it for $5 a pin. That would easily make $5.

[Janeway]

Also, you can establish a legal charity to do this.

[catz]

Get the media involved.  Try to get viral online. 

[J-rap]

Funding medical research through traditional foundations, in my limited experience, is difficult, especially if it is for something very rare.  My brother, who is a research doctor, has gotten some of his best funding from private individuals who have a real interest in the project -- usually for a personal reason -- and are independently wealthy, or who have a network of supporters who are.  As an example, for his last research project, the majority of his funding came from a mix of a private (and very wealthy) individual who had a personal interest in it, a well-known business, and a magazine who agreed to cover it and co-sponsor it.

[zaichiki]

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2017/02/22/devin-suau-why-not-devin-cancer-brain-stem-tumor-whynotdevin/

 

Have you been following what's happening with Devin? Perhaps there are some ideas you can use there?

[Guest]

If you wanted to find a celebrity, a lot of them have pet causes that they attach themselves to, so you might try googling the disease + celebrity (the the word celebrity, not an actual name).  Also, if you have a favorite celebrity, you might try reaching out to them on instagram or twitter and asking them to retweet/report the info for your cause.  Sometimes that works.

[momacacia]

Celebrity...what about your state Miss America or Miss USA qualifier. They might come speak at a fundraising event.

[SarahW]

Besides golf benefit, is there a Yacht club or similar country club in the area?

 

I knew a small-ish yacht club that did a fundraiser during their annual Regatta. The club and the participants used it as a massive tax write off. But nonetheless, they raised around 80k in one day for a girl who had leukemia.

 

Charitable non-profit with a little girl needing medical care - call every fancy place in the area and ask if you can tag along with one of their events as a tax-deductible fundraiser. All you'll need to provide, probably, is a quality poster board with the girl's picture and a brief bio of her needs. They'll do the rest.

[ElizabethB]

Silent auction is biggest local thing you can do. We had one when I was in Texas for a well supported cause and it made tens of thousands in a fairly small city. It was a lot of prep but also good $. There was live auction bidding on cakes and about a dozen high dollar donations and a silent auction on smaller items, it was a dinner and a bit of profit was made on tickets, too. People went to a lot of the local businesses for donations, there were also donations of a coupon for things like "free lesson at the gymnastics gym" or "free hour at spa." You need good publicity for attendence and a lot of help searching out donations and planning and running the event.

Edited June 4, 2017 by ElizabethB

[Crimson Wife]

Look into the "compassionate use" exception to the normal clinical trials requirements. 

[Nan in Mass]

Good ideas.  Thank you, everyone.  Especially the yacht club idea.  There are yacht clubs in the neighboring towns.

 

Crimson Wife - My husband is pushing for going the compassionate use route but there are a few hitches with that, one of which is that her older sister might have this as well.  They haven't done the genetic testing to find out.  It is one of those things that can manifest itself at any time.  It would certainly be much cheaper.

 

Nan

Edited June 5, 2017 by Nan in Mass

[Scarlett]

Well since I have close friends who are trying to raise 55k to get their son a surgery that will give him quality of life vs his current home bound hell....and seeing how hard that is....I don't think raising a million is realistic.