Bowl for Kids’ Sake
Tips for Success
Be a fearless fundraiser!
- Start with yourself. Lead by example and get things started for your team by making a donation to yourself first! Make it even more interesting by pledging to your friends that you'll match the donations made to your team, or perhaps commit to make a donation when a friend/colleague signs up to bowl.
- Have no fear--all you've got to do is ask! Ask friends, family, and colleagues for donations by using the templates on your Bowl for Kids' Sake fundraising page. Reach out easily to your network through email, text, and social media. Make it personal. Share why you are participating in Bowl for Kids' Sake to support BBBS and watch the donations roll in! Remind them that every dollar donated helps make meaningful mentoring relationships for kids in our community.
- Need more talking points? Here are a few ideas to help you ask for donations:
- "I am participating in Bowl for Kids' Sake to support youth in our community."
- "I want to help BBBS make more Matches."
- "Every $25 donation helps to facilitate a Match Meeting, the first step in the relationship for a new Big and Little."
- BBBS has nearly 200 kids waiting to be matched. Your donation will help recruit new Bigs for Littles on the waitlist."
Recruit other people to join your team or create their own team
- Make sure your friends, family, and colleagues sign up! You can use your fundraising page to invite them to join, or they can tag you in their registration form (there is a field to identify who referred them).
- Ask the folks you recruit to give an additional donation at the time they register.
- Do you have another business in your office building, vendors you work with, or clients who like to give back? Invite them to join in on the fun, and maybe even set up a friendly competition! It's a great chance to connect out of the office by doing some good in the community.
Post on social media
- Pick a day during the week to take some fun team photos or videos of you and your team. Create a post on your Facebook or Instagram highlighting your involvement in Bowl for Kids' Sake, and have your teammates share it.
- Facebook Fundraisers can sync with your fundraising page, so donations made through Facebook can automatically populate on your fundraising page. Plus, Facebook passes 100% donations to BBBS with no cost to us.
- Tag friends on social media and challenge them to make a donation. Even more fun? After a friend makes a donation to your page, tag them with a personalized GIF that reminds you of them. It'll draw attention to your posts (and probably get a few laughs).
Fundraise at the office with your colleagues
- Create mini-competitions WITHIN your company. Set funny stakes, like a pie in the face, and see which department/branch can outraise the others!
- Have a Jeans Day, Hat Day, Badger Fan Day, etc., where you request a $5 donation from everyone who wants to participate. Collect the money and enter it as an offline donation for your team (offline donations can be turned in at your BFKS night, dropped off at the BBBS office, or picked up by one of our staff members).
- Get you customers/clients involved! Put out a tip jar, ask customers to round-up their purchases, run a Penny War between branches/locations, ask for customers to donate for a chance at a prize, etc. Bowl for Kids' Sake is a great way to show your clients that you're committed to giving back in the community, so take pride in sharing your involvement!
- Use your company's gift matching program, or ask if you can get one started. If your company offers a match, make sure you know the process so you can get your gift matched, AND tell your colleagues how to secure a match when they make THEIR gift! If your company doesn't have a gift matching program, see if there's an opportunity to get some corporate support behind your employee engagement.
- Have a Costume Contest at the office. Pick a fun theme and have your colleagues vote for Best Dressed with $1 per vote. All donations go to your team fundraising (don't forget to post photos of videos of the winner on your social media for points!).
Do you have some great ideas for BIG fundraising? Share them with us to inspire other bowlers! The more successful EVERY person is, the more resources we have at Big Brothers Big Sisters to make meaningful mentoring relationships for kids in our community. So spread the wealth, share your tips, and let’s make a difference for our Littles!