On December 15th, I was elected to be Litzor BBG’s Spring Term Gizborit, which meant I was responsible for planning the Annual Pickleball Fundraiser. The year prior, our last Gizborit raised about $3,500. I raised over $1,000 more. Here's how I did it.
1. Be Confident in your ideas and decisions
You are the one in charge of this event. If you have an idea that you love, go with it and trust your gut. Confidence is a skill that grows with time and practice, one I’m still working on myself. Some ways to help boost your confidence are to know what you're doing, stop worrying about being right, speak your thoughts clearly, and don’t wait for universal approval. Confidence is key to planning an incredible fundraiser. I had new ideas which helped us raise more.
2. Ask for help when you need it
BBYO is a teen-led organization, but that doesn’t mean that advisors and staff aren't here to support you. Advisors want to and are happy to help! Another way to gain support in a fundraiser is to create committees. We had 4 different sub-committees. Logistics, promotion, tournament, and sponsorship/raffle. Each week, we met to plan the tournament. Other girls on the committees were a big help, too, and were always willing to offer a helping hand.
3. Sponsors
This is how we raised about a third of our funds. While sponsorships might not work for every fundraiser, it worked for ours. Another tip for sponsors is to be realistic and to keep an eye out for businesses that already support the Jewish community. We asked local businesses to sponsor our event for $180 (Chai). We had 5 companies sponsor us, with one making a generous $1,000 donation. Do not be afraid to ask! The worst that can happen is a no.
4. Apply for a grant
This, by far, is what allowed us to increase our profits. BBYO provides grants for events, and all you have to do is apply. We were granted a Jewish Enrichment grant of $600, which covered all event expenses. We were even able to purchase stickers and a banner to display our sponsors. The Grant team was super supportive of our plans and ideas for the tournament. I 100% recommend applying for a grant; it will change your event!
Planning an event, especially a fundraiser, takes a lot of effort. I hope these tips help. I'm positive your fundraiser will be amazing!
Evan Thompson is a BBG from Litzor BBG in Lonestar Region and loves the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
All views expressed on content written for The Shofar represent the opinions and thoughts of the individual authors. The author biography represents the author at the time in which they were in BBYO.
