Organizing a community walk can be a great way to get the whole neighborhood involved in raising funds for a charity. Everyone bands together for the common goal of helping those who are less fortunate, and it's a great way to meet new neighbors and connect with old ones.
Instructions
Legalities
1. Contact the city or town council and ask if you need any special permits. Make sure your walk is legal; the money you raise should not go to pay off fines.
2. Talk to the local police department about the walk's route. They can help decide about any roadblocks, extra police units or other special considerations for the day.
3. Contact the charity itself and see what rules they have about raising money for their organization.
Business Donations
4. Ask a local clothing store to donate T-shirts or hats for the walkers to wear. They can advertise themselves as well as the cause.
5. Ask local restaurants to donate food and drinks for the participants. They could also set up stands to sell food to the people watching. It's a great opportunity to sponsor the charity and make a profit on the side.
6. Ask other businesses to sponsor the walkers with monetary donations and donate other items to the cause, such as gift baskets, gift certificates or coupons to provide incentives to walkers. Ask the owners for ideas about organization and what they feel they could do to help.
7. Ask around for volunteers to participate in other areas, such as with entertainment. Having a band afterward is a nice way to thank the walkers. Some people could set up booths with balloon animals, face painting or crafts to raise money. Making it a fun, family-friendly day will attract more participants.
Advertising
8. Print out flyers to hang around town. This would be a great donation for the local office supply store to make. Describe the charity or organization that will benefit from the money, along with your contact information and sign up as a walker or sponsor. Include the names of the businesses donating as well as the different activities that are being planned for the day.
9. Talk to the local newspaper about donating some ad space. Include a call for more donations, sponsors and walkers. Make sure the paper has a reporter and photographer available to cover the event.
10. After the walk, send a thank-you note to everyone involved. Let the newspaper know the total amount that was raised and ask if they can include a list of everyone involved. Showing gratitude for the help you got goes a long way toward making it easier to organize another walk.
Tags: everyone involved, Make sure, Talk local
