Decide if you will coordinate your team. If you want to participate but not coordinate, ask around to find someone who has the ability and capacity to coordinate the team.

Reach out to your social network of family, friends, co-workers, fellow students, fellow hobby groups, etc and find people who are willing to engage in team fundraising with you to support the mission of The Dandelion Hive. People who have a connection to recovery, mental health, and/or LGBTQIA+ spaces are usually the most invested in our mission.

Set up a meeting either in person or on Zoom to discuss reasons for team fundraising, team goals, and to narrow down fundraiser ideas. Play to the team’s strengths, abilities, and interests.. Write down everyone’s ideas and then narrow them down until the team reaches a fundraising campaign decision.

Fundraising ideas:

1. Fun or interesting sponsored physical activities like a team mileage walk, bike, or hike. People contribute dollars per mile.

1. One-time non-professional team service activity such as a car wash or dog wash.

2. Selling crafted items made by the team, such as: reusable grocery bags or knitted items, themed items like wreaths or hand-made valentines, and pottery or paintings.

3. Team sales collaboration such as making t-shirts, music, bake goods, plants, jewelry, or other sellable items.

4. Raffles such as 50/50 raffles, gift baskets, or other contributed items.

5. A social event with fun elements such as karaoke, talent show, open mic, game tournament, bingo, crock pot cook-off, etc.

6. A hilarious team action for meeting a fundraising goal such as head shaving, hair dyeing, awkward dancing, pie in the face, eating hot peppers, duct taping team to a wall, etc.

7. Selling unwanted household items online to raise money towards the group goal.

8. Sports bracket buy-in fundraiser such as: March Madness, any NCAA sport, baseball, or Fantasy Football.

9. Business services fundraiser where the business donates all or a portion of funds on a particular day or during an event that utilizes their services or product, such as: haircuts, nails or beauty services, pet grooming, cleaning, yardwork, coffee, appetizers, yoga session, other classes, access to a space, or a simple change round up.

10. “Prank a friend” fundraiser where the team comes up with a legal and safe pay-to-prank idea such as flocking a friend with lawn flamingos

11. Entertaining crafting, baking, or other creative competitions with a “best one wins” or “most votes wins” vote and prize, with each vote raising a few dollars.

12. Holding “Workplace Wars” where coworkers pay to stop or pass on something obnoxious such as: a repetitive song being played, displaying a ridiculous/funny item in your space, wearing a funny item, having to do an extra task, etc.

Set a clear and realistic fundraising goal based off of the team's decision.

Once a fundraising method is selected, choose a start date and plan out any set-up costs or tasks. Does this fundraiser require any upfront cost? Who is covering that cost and how? What tasks need to be completed to set it up?

Identify necessary team roles (coordinator, treasurer, social media, etc) and assign them to team members.

Delegate all tasks towards setting up this fundraiser, such as creating flyers and social media posts to send out to every team member’s network, gathering any materials or equipment needed, reserving a space, etc.

Review information on who and what you are fundraising for. The Dandelion Hive provides a facts sheet and Q&A sheet for fundraising groups to share via the “Support” page on our website.

Ask each team member to share the fundraiser to their networks of people.

Ask each team member’s networks to share with their networks as well.

Post on socials and in the spaces you frequent. Share information about The Dandelion Hive and why you are fundraising for us!

Create some hype around it. Make it fun and engaging!

Start your actual fundraising campaign, whether that is a one time event that you hyped up or an ongoing fundraiser during a set timeframe! Speak passionately about our mission and let people connect with you about it.

Invite people to join in with you on whatever fundraising activity your team chose.

Be vocal and consistent. Keep asking for people in your networks to support and share the fundraiser. Continue sharing the information and fundraiser goals throughout the fundraiser.

Hold midway group check ins throughout the fundraiser set up or fundraising timeframe, depending on length and type of fundraiser.

Do one final push toward the end of your fundraiser campaign!

Share if you met the goal or how close you came to the goal and invite people to close the goal gap if you haven’t hit the goal yet.

Once you hit your goal or close to it, thank everyone who participated and share about the impact this will have.