Make money for Relay the EASY way with the Ibotta Ap!

 What if I told you that you could make $10 to put towards your Relay fundraising the next time you go to the grocery store or your favorite convenience store buying what you would already be buying?  I know, I know- it sounds too good to be true!  But you guys- you know me.  I don't bologna sandwich around raising money to cure cancer.

After listening to friends rave about it, hearing it advertised on the radio, and seeing post after post on Facebook; I FINALLY broke down and downloaded the free Ibotta ap when I made a New Years resolution to save more money on grocery shopping in 2017.  And, admittedly, I was skeptical, but very pleasantly surprised at how fast and easy it was to use to save money (enough to help me contribute more to my OKC Relay team fundraising total!) As you can see in the screen shot below, from January 3rd to January 31st, I got $93.75 back from buying things that I already buy anyway (here's the part where I silently kick myself for not doing this sooner)

Now, in the spirit of full disclosure, it is important to know that everyone in my family has Celiac disease, so our grocery bill is a lot higher than your average grocery store trip- BUT if we COULD have wheat products, I think we would have saved even more (Eggo waffle rebate, I'm looking at you!) 

OK, enough with all of the fluff- here is how Ibotta works!  I think of the entire program like coupons you redeem after you shop- except instead of getting money off of your grocery total, you get cold hard cash.  You can use regular manufacturer coupons when you shop as well, which really makes things dirt cheap (I bought carpet cleaner this week for a whole 47 cents)  Here's the skinny...

Sign up for Ibotta - it's quick and free! 

-Choose one of the Preferred Partners (think Target, Walmart, Walgreens, United, Homeland etc)

 -Unlock Rebates. Before you shop, unlock cash back rewards on great products by completing simple tasks like watching a short video or answering a question.

 -Go shopping like usual.

-When you get home, open the ap and scan your rebate items and your receipt.

 -Get cash back in 24 hours.

 AND to make the deal even sweeter, when you use my link and my referral code (which is bkewgrf or https://ibotta.com/r/bkewgrf ) you will get an additional $10 FOR FREE when you submit your first rebate.  That's $10 closer to your fundraising goal!  When you use my link, I also get $5, which I can turn around and put towards my Relay fundraising!  WIN WIN WIN.  If just half of the people who participate in Relay For Life took advantage of this we could raise an additional 20 MILLION dollars for cancer research.  Isn't that insane?  Why wouldn't you want to do this? 

The thing I love about the ap is it has rebates for things I would be buying anyway.  Some of my favorites are any brand of bananas, any brand milk, any brand bread (gluten free bread costs a fortune), and the ever so loved Brawny paper towel rebate.  After you shop it takes a whole 3-5 minutes to complete the rebate submission, and you are done.  If you donated everything you earned from the app (and if you save at the rate I do), that would be enough money to get you to grand club by doing a simple, easy task after you shop!  How cool is that? 

But, you don't take my word for it (I totally stole that from Reading Rainbow.)  Go download the ap and start chipping away at that goal today, and let me know what you think!

XO
Cassi

Relay For Life Wish Bracelets an easy DIY fundraiser! - revisited!

Note: This blog contains Amazon Affiliate links.  Why?  When you make your Amazon purchases through these links, a portion of your purchase comes back to me, and I turn around and donate it to RELAY!!!

This time last year, I posted about a super easy, cheap, and awesome fundraiser.  At the time, I thought I was just sharing a small handy idea, but it went VIRAL!  Since the original post, I have sold over 3,350 bracelets in the form of a DIY kit, so I thought it would be the perfect time to revisit, and repost the instructions!

I have learned since the first batch, that waxed cotton cord works WAY better for staying in place, and is easier to tie knots in- so you will not that change below :)

If you have ever spent time over in the orient, you know about wish bracelets.  The legend says that you tie one on (over in Thailand they are actually red string) and make a wish- when it wears off, your wish comes true!  Now, over the years I had completely forgotten about those cute little bracelets, until I went through some old boxes while organizing and found one!  And, as usual I said...

Oh!  There's a fundraiser in that!

I really do say that out loud in case you are wondering.  True story.

So anyway, I went to work figuring out how to make these little do dads, and it turns out- SUPER easy, and SUPER cheap!  So hey- what kind of Relay friend would I be if I didn't tell you how you can do it to?

Here's what you need (but remember- be creative- if you have something similar in your craft pile or can get it donated- even better!)

- 4 by 6 Cardstock (I chose to order postcards from Overnight Prints - it ended up being better quality than printing them at home)

- A hole punch (I like this one, because it punches small holes and looks really professional!)

- Scissors (UH PURPLE ONES!  Fiskars are my favorite, they last forever, and can handle being sharpened)

- 8mm round beads with a 1mm hole (I use purple cat's eye, but have found many people like multi colored ones)

- 1mm waxed cotton cord (the purple stuff in the photo above)
**note** if you are buying your stuff at a local craft store, hemp works well to!


OK, here we go.

This is so easy you are going to want to kiss me.

                                                     Thread both strings through your bead. 

Tie a simple knot on the right side of the bead (make sure it is centered)

 It will look like this when you pull it tight.

 Then tie another simple knot on the left side of the bead.

 Punch holes to string the bracelet through on your card.

String the bracelet through the holes you just punched.  Tie left over string in a bow in the back.

Now flip it back over and admire your handy work.  Isn't that the easiest thing ever!?!?

Not only are these awesome to sell as an easy fundraiser, but they would make great survivor gifts for your events (I have seen a few titled "A Survivors Wish").  And, if you don't have the time to make them yourself, I have a bulk pack listed on Etsy that you can buy for super cheap!  Happy crafting loves!

                        What little amount I make from the kits gets donated to Relay For Life!

Find the purple kit here!

 Find the multi-color kit here!

Find the pink kit here!

                  

Fundraising With Noah's Art Workshop

This morning someone posted on Facebook that there were only 59 days left until Christmas.

WHOA!

I haven't even started THINKING about Christmas yet- even though Hobby Lobby is tempting me to with the Christmas section already up (ok, maybe I have thought about Christmas a little....)

And that got me thinking.  People are going to spend money at Christmas buying gifts.  Why not offer them gifts that ALSO support our cause of Relay For Life?  We want them to spend that money with us instead of a mass retailer, how can we do that?

Ladies and gentleman, let me introduce you to Noah's Ark Workshop!  It's like Build A Bear, but BETTER.  I'll tell you why in just a minute.

But first- let me tell you where this idea came from, because this genius fundraiser wasn't my idea!  My sister Relay For Life team, Orange Power, has two really smart ladies who already work in direct sales.  Those two ladies are Traci Wile, and Bonny Moulton.  They are the guru's of direct sales- and guess what?  They follow the tried and true Relay advice of doing what you know.  One day, Traci came across this fantastic website, and these two geniuses decided to turn it into a fundraiser.

They called me SO excited with the idea, and I was hooked right away.  I was so interested, in fact, that I called Dina Amico from Noah's Art Workshop to tell her how the girls wanted to make this small idea into a BIG Relay fundraiser.  Turns out, Dina was amazing, and full of amazing ideas herself.  She offered to make a special program JUST for Relay For Life fundraisers- and I was SOLD on sharing the idea with all of you (with Bonny and Traci's permission, of course!)

Here are the details of the program:

As a Relay For Life Team or Individual, we would like to offer the following Fundraising Membership:

·       *  Registration as a Fundraising Member is FREE

·       *  35/40/45% OFF of retail prices on plush animals, outfit and accessories

·       *  40% OFF of promotional priced animals

·       * Free Noah’s Ark replicated website with an e-commerce shopping cart paying 35% commission on 

            all sales

·       * Product catalogs at wholesale prices

·       * Access to our Graphics Art Department for assistance in creating custom fundraising flyers, Facebook Banners and promotional materials

·       * Option for customized teddy t-shirts with your organization logo or fundraising message

·       * Workshop and product training and support

·       *  Free Membership do not come with a Membership Kits   * Fundraising Memberships are eligible to earn additional fundraising dollars through our traditional direct sales downline commission payout.  Simply sponsor a Fundraising Member into Noah’s Ark, and earn additional funds for your organization based on everything your downline team purchases.

GETTING STARTED

Simply call Dina at 1-866-484-6624 to register as a Fundraising Team or Member (**PLEASE SIGN UP UNDER BONNY MOULTON SO YOU ARE IN A RELAY FOR LIFE DOWNLINE**).  You will have immediate access to your membership benefits with immediate website creation. 

Now- why is this better than Build A Bear?
1- Relay For Life gets the profit.
2- It's cheaper.
3- You bring the party TO your donors.
4- You have a website donors can order from so people can stuff them at home.
5- You can earn commission on people who sign up under you.
6- IT'S FREE to sign up!

Here are a few ways to make this fundraiser work for you.Team Orange Power did something really neat with the special edition pink bears.  The decided to pre stuff the bears, and sold them ready to go at our Pink Out games, online, and in local stores.  Here's my favorite part.  They also offered people the option of buying a bear to have delivered to a breast cancer patient.  Great right?  A tangible gift they could love on that also helps fund research for their disease!

Well, I was all over that!  I had just got an email from a friend who had been diagnosed.  I knew EXACTLY what I could send her to make her smile.  So, we called Bonny up and ordered her a bear.  When it arrived, my son, Wes, took extra care with it, hugged it EXTRA hard, and said a little prayer to it to give Deb strength.  It worked.  I cried and cried when she got it in the mail, because it brought her so much HOPE.

·   

You could also host a local party (think of places you could have it that are free- local churches, homes, or town halls!) have people RSVP and pay ahead of time, and order what you need!  Imagine the fun little ones would have stuffing a special friend and taking it home THAT day!  Or for Christmas- making them for a friend or sibling! 

Dina also shared a brilliant idea.  You can purchase little plush stars to put inside the bears.  Use the stars as a fundraiser!  First, choose an animal to stuff for a special person- perhaps a local cancer patient, a survivor, or a child in a local children's hospital.  Sell each star for $5, and have the person buying it say a prayer over the star (or a wish for you non religious types), and have them sign a card.  Then stuff the animal with all of those happy thoughts and prayers, and deliver it to the recipient.  Genius, right?

Hold an online virtual party and promote it on Facebook!  Donors buy from your website!

I know what you are thinking- OHHHHHH!  We should have a Relay bear!  Guess what?  If there is enough interest, Dina can make that happen!  Imagine a cute purple bear with a RFL logo on the foot!? EEK!  I want one!

The opportunities here are virtually endless.  If you have one, please comment below!  It doesn't get better than this ladies and gentleman.  Take a look at Noah's Art Workshop online, and you will be hooked to!  I'm already building my Christmas shopping list! I know I will get a warm fuzzy by buying a gift that also helps my favorite cause :)

With HOPE-
Cassi

Relay For Life - Fundraising for kids, and why you should never underestimate them!

Wes, my son, tells this story time and again when people ask him how he got involved with Relay For Life.

"When I was 5, I was going with my mom to all of the Relay meetings and events ALL.  THE.  TIME.  One day, I asked her- how come there are never any kids doing Relay?  And she said, I don't know.  So I told my mom I wanted to start doing Relay on my own, and I was going to be the top fundraiser."

Guess what?  That next year- he was.  And, he continues to each year.  His fundraising total for this year is currently at $7,681.43.  He is 8 years old.

EIGHT.  YEARS. OLD.

But the truth is, when he originally asked me why aren't other kids Relaying, I really didn't know.  In fact, I had never even considered it.  Sure I included him in my plans, and he helped me all of the time with fundraising projects, but never in a million years would I have expected him to do what he has done!  So why is that?  Why are we forgetting about our future researchers, doctors, volunteers, and advocates?  I learned something very important.  KIDS CAN make a huge impact on your event, and can make a big difference.  Here is the other thing I learned.  If a 5, 6, 7, or 8 year old can do it- what the heck is my excuse?

I spend a lot of time writing about fundraiser that are great for kids.  You can read those here, and here.   Today I am going to share a few new ones we added this year that worked really well for us. 

All Fired Up!  For Relay For Life.

 Wes loves making stuff to sell to people.  From warm fuzzies to cookies, he is all over it.  But this year, Wes really wanted to do something that everyone could do together, and have fun at the same time.  While at a local paint your own pottery shop All Fired Up! I got to talking to the owner about any ideas she had (she regularly holds kids creativity camps at her store.) And then the most amazing thing happened, she offered to let the kids come paint pottery at her shop. I was so excited that day when I picked Wes up from school, that I couldn't even wait until we got to the car to tell him what Kelly had offered.  His eyes lit up, "EVERYONE can come?"  we went straight home and Wes went to work planning the event. 

Then something crazy happened.  So crazy that I still can't believe it!  Wes saw a commercial for Disney Friends For Change one afternoon, and came into the office. "We should be Friends For Change mom.  Those kids are doing good stuff like we are."  After a quick little Google search, I found a Disney Friends For Change grant program ran by Youth Service America that happened to coincide with our event- during Global Youth Service Day.  I told Wes he could apply for it, but it was very unlikely we would get picked, because SO many people apply for them.  Guess what?  He was awarded the grant to use for his project!

The cost to attend the creativity camp was only $5 per person, thanks to Kelly's generosity.  She provided everything from the pottery to the paint.  She also offered to make up the bid sheets, and let us start the auction at her location so we could get bids before Relay For Life.  Literally, all we had to do was show up the day of, and invite other kids to do the same! Kelly took the time to explain to the kids how to make their art come out extra special, and also asked each child why they Relayed.  She used that information for the bid sheets!

 

You know that Picasso quote that says, "Every child is an artist." - well, it's true.  What they made was amazing, and they had a blast!

 

We were very pleasantly surprised how well the auction went Relay night!  We were a bit worried only the parents would be bidding on their child's art, but that was not the case at all!

 Did I mention the we grown ups couldn't resist and painted items to?  You can see my husbands Cancer Man raccoon, and my tie dye plate below :)

 

I hope this is sparking some ideas for you.  You don't have to do pottery, you could do paintings on canvas, bird houses, ribbons, you name it!  In fact, if you have ever been to my house you know that one of my most prized possessions (and actually, it belongs to Wes not me) is a painting one of Wesley's best friends made of Cancer Man (forgive this picture- this was a picture of the Relay wall while I was getting ready to put up new awards!)

 

Speaking of painting.  In the fall we did something really cool and different.  We painted and sold pink pumpkins for breast cancer awareness!  A local farmer donated the pumpkins after he had pulled all of the ones he could sell- he had plenty of extras that would have just been plowed back into the field :)  Wes and I went to a local Sherwin Williams, and they donated the pink paint!

 

Next up is an oldie but a goodie.  What kid doesn't LOVE to sell lemonade?  I mean, you would think it would have been the first thing that popped into my mind for a fundraiser, but it wasn't!  We had the honor of getting to go help out a new Relay friend with one this year.  The kids had a blast! This stand was set up at a craft show (which also benefited Relay For Life) but the boys are planning on taking this act on the road this summer to 4th of July festivals, and Main Street, Weatherford :)

Not to get too off track, but there is another benefit to having your kids join Relay For Life, ESPECIALLY if they have lost someone they love to cancer.  Kids who have been there are really really good about supporting other kids who have been through the same thing.

 

Now, when all else fails, and your kiddo wakes up one Saturday morning and declares, "I'm going to hit my $6,000 somehow today."  You can always pull this trick out of the bag (let's face it- it's hard to say no to an adorable kid!)

 

The moral of the story?  While you are making plans for your next Relay, don't leave out your littlest Relayers!  They can make a huge impact on your event, and may even be able to teach you a thing or two, or $22,015.

Coming up next- I didn't forget about your tweens and teens!  I know of an ENTIRE Relay ran by youth-subscribe to get notified so I can tell you all about it!