Fundraising Resources
If you are interested in fundraising for Corewell Health Foundation West Michigan, including Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, we are here to help. Below are fundraising ideas and tips to get you started and set you up for success.
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Fundraising Ideas
Athletic Event
Register for a race or choose a daily activity that you enjoy and turn it in to a fundraiser.
5k, 10k, Half Marathon, Marathon
Count your steps for the month
Cycling
Hiking
Triathlon
Yoga
Special Occasion
In lieu of gifts for a special day, ask your family and friends to make a gift to Corewell Health Foundation West Michigan, including Helen DeVos Children's Hospital.
Anniversary
Birthday
Graduation
Mother’s Day – celebrate by selling cookies or flowers
Wedding
Other special occasion of your choice
Honor or Memorial
Recognize someone special whose life has been impacted by Corewell Health, including Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, or honor the memory of a loved one whose life was lost too soon.
Honor someone special
Remember a loved one
Create Your Own
Turn your favorite passion, hobby, or unique idea into a fundraiser.
Cooking - Pampered Chef, chili cookoff
Fishing tournament
House party – game night, ice cream social, dinner party, creative cocktails
Restaurant fundraiser and get a portion of the proceeds
Shave your head or beard
Concert
School and Workplace
Coordinate a fun day or week with your peers to boost morale and rally around supporting the cause.
Bake sale
Homemade coffee/lunch – Save money on eating "out" and donate the funds
Dress down days
Matching gifts
Olympics event
Parking space raffle
Sports bracket challenge
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Tips for Fundraising Success
Begin Today
The earlier you begin your fundraising, the more successful you will be in reaching your goal.
Set a Fundraising Goal
Create a goal that you think is achievable or a stretch goal. Reminder, you can always change your goal if needed. Reminder: When you register, you will automatically have a suggested fundraising goal. You can change this in your fundraiser portal if you would like, to better reflect your personal fundraising goal.
Personalize Your Fundraising Page
Fundraisers who customize their fundraising pages raise more than fundraisers who do not. Share your story of why you are raising funds for Corewell Health Foundation West Michigan, including Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, and pull on your donor’s heartstrings. Upload a photo or video to add a visual component to your page.
Kick Off Fundraising by Making a Personal Gift
Show your supporters how excited you are to begin fundraising by making a self-gift. Then, ask friends and family to donate or share your fundraising efforts.
Know Your Networks
Make a list of contacts that you can reach out to – friends, family, coworkers, community members. Use this as your donor list.
Be Ready to Educate
People might have questions. Visit the About Us section of our website for information about Corewell Health Foundation West Michigan, including Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. If you don’t find what you are looking for, reach out to our team at shelby.anderson@corewellhealth.org.
Share on Social
DonorDrive makes it easy to post directly to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and event text messages, right from your fundraiser portal. These tools increase visibility and help bring potential donors back to your fundraising page. A few tips, include photos and videos for more attention, ask your followers to share your fundraiser on their social pages and add your fundraising link to your Instagram and Twitter bios. Sample content can be found in your portal, but feel free to customize this text to include your personal story.
Create a Facebook Fundraiser
Facebook Fundraisers on DonorDrive allows you to create a Facebook Fundraiser directly from your fundraising portal after registration. Every donation you receive on DonorDrive will sync to your Facebook fundraiser, and every donation you receive on Facebook will sync back to your DonorDrive page. On average, Facebook Fundraiser campaigns raise $150 or more. Reminder: Please create your Facebook fundraiser through your portal first, not directly through Facebook.
Go Live
Easily add a stream to your personal fundraising page after registration. Choose your streaming service (YouTube or Twitch), add your username, and add a stream to your page. When donors visit your page, they can see your stream and make a gift without leaving your page or stream.
Get Active for Gifts
Active Impact™ connects fundraising and activity in one place. You can track activities in your DonorDrive fundraising portal and show off your activity accomplishments on your page.
Double Your Donations
Check with your company to see if they match employee gifts.
Make the Ask
It can be hard asking for support, but you will be surprised by how many people are willing to help. Remember that when you are asking someone to support your fundraiser, you are giving them an opportunity to do something good for the Grand Rapids and our surrounding areas of service.
Be Thankful
This is important. Be sure to thank the people who contribute to your fundraiser. Comment on social media, send a hand-written card, or craft a heartfelt email. Tell your supporters what their gift has helped you accomplish, include progress photos if you have them, for a personal touch.