How to raise money for worthy causes

Sunset, Dec, 1987

How to raise money for worthy causes

In "Gifts of time and talent' in our December 1986 issue, we talked about the letters we received from Sunset readers all across the West on their involvement in a great variety of volunteer projects.

Many spoke of the innovative ways to raise funds that their groups had devised --ideas that go well beyond the popular (and often very effective) bake sales, chili feeds, raffles, car washes, bazaars, and designer showcases.

Here's a sampling. Let's begin in Oahu:

Racing beds in Honolulu

In a wild scene on April 11, 101 beds laden with pajamaed or negligeed "patients' were rushed gleefully through the streets of Honolulu as part of a two-day annual event that attracts contestants from Australia, Canada, England, Fiji, Japan, and other countries--and an estimated 80,000 onlookers.

This is The International Carole Kai Bed Race, one of the world's most unlikely fund-raisers. From its modest beginnings in 1974 with 24 sponsors, it has ballooned to become one of the most talked-about events in Hawaii.

It's also one of the most successful: at a $700 entry fee per bed, plus revenues from vigorous hat-passing, it raised close to $100,000 this year to benefit disabled children and a host of other groups.

Saving a theater in New Mexico

In 1982, a Save the Lyceum group in Clovis, New Mexico, bought the Old Lyceum Theatre, dating from 1920, to preserve part of the city's heritage. But before it could be opened to the public, it needed extensive restoration.

To earn the funds ($150,000 spent thus far), volunteers from Old Lyceum Theatre, Inc., "sold' the theater seats, individualized tiles for the front sidewalk, and brass plaques for the foyer wall. While the theater is still only half-completed, code requirements have been met, and Clovis (pop. 38,000) now has a usable "Mini Convention/Performing Arts Center.'

"The seats went the best,' says manager-director Bob Lockwood. "Donors paid $20 to $300 for a seat with a brass plaque giving their name. That way they have a lasting reminder of their generosity. The tiles we sold too cheap, but they gave us cash flow. Now we're setting up a Pioneers' Row of portraits, at $3,000 each. Who's pioneer? Anyone with $3,000.'

In Clovis, seats. In Sebastopol . . .

Selling a piece of the floor

In California's Russian River area, the Sebastopol Community Center, under the direction of Karen Ter Sarkissoff, desperately needed a wooden floor for karate classes and jazzercise. At the same time, the local Optimist Club had a member whose former roller-skating rink no longer needed its wooden floor.

So Optimists and others sold pieces of the floor to local businesses, groups, and individuals at $30 to $90 per piece. Under the theme "Join the Floor Show,' it took only four months to reach the $11,000 goal. Club members installed the floor, and the community center staff thanked the donors with a gala floor-warming party.

The houselights dim, the money rolls in . . .

We heard of a number of stage productions that bring show-biz pizazz to fund-raising. They make use of the love of the limelight that lurks within many otherwise sedate individuals. The result can be a lot of fun--and profitable, too.

For example, in San Carlos, south of San Francisco, an uninhibited group of PTA members puts on an outrageous--and always sold out--Chickens Ball every two years (next date: March 1988). In songs, skits, and mini-melodramas, it brings to life the notorious Barbary Coast era. An immense amount of work, all by amateurs, goes into the fully staged presentation. The take is also sizable: last year's show netted $43,000 for local schools.

Here's another show-biz story. When Joel E. Ferris High School in Spokane opened 24 years ago, parents and staff realized that the school district could not provide all the items they thought necessary for the school to function well. As a result, Ham on Regal came into being. It currently earns $10,000 yearly for the school.

Ham on Regal is the ongoing name of the changing group of parents and staff who write, produce, direct, costume, and perform an original musical stage show every year. Past titles include Hamalot, Bali Hoo, A Shriek from Araby, and Juan Amor Time. Scripting for the next show begins within a month of closing night, with the show ready to rehearse the following January for February opening.

"We pour our hearts into these shows,' says Cheryl Ferguson. "But it's such a joy to see how well they're received. Five shows this year--five sellouts!'

The annual blasts have purchased sound equipment for school choirs, uniforms for the marching band and flag corps, computers for English and math students, and VCR equipment for sports teams and English and debate departments.

What's it worth? Bring it in

Some museums host appraisal days. Few do it with the success of Sacramento's grand old Crocker Art Museum.

The last Saturday in April, the appraisal day here brings upward of a thousand people lugging everything from mantel clocks to faded prints, all to be evaluated by a phalanx of antique dealers and specialists who volunteer their expertise. The cost is $5 per item evaluated or $40 for an insurance appraisal; proceeds (around $5,000 last year) go to museum projects.