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With
heaps of pressing campaigns to deal with, groups often don’t put in
time and resources to fundraise, but money is key to tackling campaigns
effectively. Money helps boost campaigns -be it for booking meeting
spaces, conducting workshops, trying innovative methods of outreach
or celebrating successes!
Here are some simple ways to take care of the regular expenses that
crop up :
Merchandise
: - Merchandising is a great way to raise small funds
for your local group – the biggest challenge with merchandising is to
find a good location, suited to your merchandise. Bring together the
best of fundraising and outreach by selling cupcakes outside a local
theatre, merchandising at a concert, or by setting up a table at an
environment/social cause conference. One could also approach
corporates, asking for room to set up stalls.
Small
Events:
If you have a limited budget to raise funds, small events are a great
way to go! Host a garage sale with items you don’t use anymore,
or spend the weekend selling baked goods at a local street! Small
events help maintain a constant flow of funds with ease. Done right,
one event a month is enough to support outreach expenses for a month.
Grants:
- If
you’ve been doing good work for some time, many organisations are
willing to back your finances. NGOs typically have schemes to fund,
start, or expand your method of outreach. Living Free India itself
has a small
grants scheme that you can apply for, simply by
filling up a form 2 weeks in advance! Other grant giving
organisations include the Pollination
Project and the Veg Fund!
Big Events: While
most events mentioned here need regular recurrence, big events are an
exception. An event like a Vegan Festival can surely mean more time
and effort – but it also implies financial stability that isn’t
offered by any other means on the list. Based on a model of high
effort, high result, the key to big events seems to be planning and
executing ideas well in advance and choosing a place where an
audience is a given.
A
little money can go a long way in providing you that comfortable
cushion to manage outreach better! While there is no ‘one size fits
all’ scheme of fundraising we hope you find in a fit in any one of
these methods!
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