How can we raise money to build a recreation center for adults with dev.disabilities at our nonprofit daycare?

Question

We need to raise money for the construction of a recreation center to add on to our growing Adult daycare for adults with developmental disabilities. We are a nonprofit agency on a very small budget. We need more space because we are the only adult daycare of this type in OKC.

Answer 1

As well as the usual fundraisers try approaching the local businesses for a donation. I would write a letter in the first instance and then follow up with a phone call about a week later, youhave to be committed to get the money. I would also enlist the help of the local paper and see what donations you get froma story written in the local paper, especially mentioning that you are enlisting the help of local businesses :-) good luck!

Answer 2

If you are already a nonprofit, then you should be eligible to receive foundation funding. I suggest you first contact the United Way that serves your area.

There are thousands of public and private foundations across the country. Many of them provide funding to nonprofits that serve people with developmental (and other kinds of) disabilities. Select libraries across the country have these huge books that list foundations by the kinds of projects they fund. I would suggest you try to find a library near you that has those books, then search by topic. You can then call or write to them and ask what they require in order to apply for funding.

If you're in OKC, though, there should be a United Way that serves your area.

Answer 3

One thing our center did was to frame some of the painting, drawing and other artwork the children had done and then hung it gallery-style. You might ask a local bank or grocery store to display some of it for you. You would be amazed at how good the artwork looks when properly matted! There are also a number of companies that wholesale candy and novelty items in bulk: these could easily be sold at profit in a yard-type sale. How about having parents donate things to make baskets and then raffle them off? You might print a list to distribute to them of items wanted after you've decided on some basket "themes" eg. barbecue, spa, toy/game, liquor, pet stuff, gadgets, tools, bath, etc. You'll need a permit to run a raffle, check with your town/city government. Maybe local merchants could donate items or gift certificates and they could be named on bricks or paving tiles at the new center. Best of luck to you!

Answer 4

My mother was a good person to find ways to raise money. When her church needed to raise money for repairs on the building they asked the members to come up with an idea. My mom had bought material from a discount store for a little of nothing. she made aprons without a pattern. She sold $2000.00 worth in a week. Then she had a yard sale where she sold baby items, clothing for children to adults with small prices from 35 cents to 1.00. She raised 1500.00 in a day. She crocheted pillows and sold them at 12.00 dollars to 15.00 per set and raised alot of money without spending alot of money. These are just a few ideas that might be useful.

Answer 5

You've had some great responses already, so I'm going to try not to repeat any and just touch on things I don't think were mentioned. It would be easier to offer suggestion if I knew what kind of marketing leverage you had, what kind of donor community you have built up already, etc.

In general and in addition to other ideas mentioned, I would suggest that you consider a cause marketing opportunity. Simply put, cause marketing is "for profit" meets nonprofit. Since you mentioned construction, what types of companies in your area would be involved in various aspects of construction. It is likely that one or more of these would be interested in a cause marketing arrangement. For example, they offer to donate XX% of sales of items to your organization in a given period of time. This often appeals to companies because being able to advertise such helps them increase sales, and of course, your organization benefits too. If you find a large enough company that will do this, consider a press release. XX and XX team up to XXXXX.

I don't see this mentioned often in forums like this and it is where my experience comes from, but I tend to suggest eBay's Giving Works program. Registering your organization with MissionFish (see http://givingworks.ebay.com or www.missionfish.org) allows eBay sellers to support your organization with their sales. It also allows you to sell items too. So, if you have a donor base/community and you can't get enough by asking them to donate, invite them to sell their unused items around the house and donate the proceeds to you. Sometimes it's hard to get money but getting people to contribute "things" is easier.