Fundraising Project for the Community of Flint, Michigan

Fundraisers are projects used to help raise money for a special person, event, or cause. Fundraisers are usually done out of kindness and a desire to help others who have found themselves in unfortunate circumstances. There have been hugely successful nonprofit organizations, some of which include the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Human Rights Campaign, Doctors Without Borders, the American Red Cross, and many others. Although they may all specialize in different things and donate to different causes, they all ultimately have one goal in common: to help others by reducing their suffering. The fundraiser I have thought to implement would be on a much smaller scale than the ones previously stated, but I still believe it could be successful.

For my hypothetical fundraising project, I propose a bake sale to help raise money for the community that is now suffering in Flint, Michigan, Although not a natural disaster, it is a man-made crisis that has had devastating consequences on its population. The town of Flint primarily obtains its water supply from the nearby Flint River, which has become filthy and polluted throughout the years. That, in addition to corroded lead pipelines, has caused the town's water supplies to become contaminated. It is unfit for both drinking and bathing, essentially.

The justification for this fundraising project arises from the need to help Flint’s community, especially its children. Contaminated water such as Flint’s can cause a variety of health concerns, such as developmental delays, mental disabilities, rashes on the skin, and much more. The real problem lies with Michigan’s corrupt politicians and their decisions to cut corners, which therefore lead to this horrific outcome. With that being said, we can help alleviate the town’s suffering, even if only temporarily.

The objectives of this fundraiser are clear: to raise money for the people in Flint, Michigan, and to donate water bottles to them. By buying water bottles in bulk and donating them. To the community, we are giving them a safe water supply source that will not further aggravate any mental or physical side effects that their own water supply has inflicted upon them. I also think it would be a good idea to donate money directly to the community so that they can decide what to do with it themselves. Who else would be better at deciding what to do with the money than the people actually having to endure the circumstances? Of course, the money would go to an organized group representing the people of Flint, Michigan, as a whole. From there, the committee could use the money to buy medical supplies and anything else they would need to help care for their ailing community.

The actual bake sale would be funded personally by anyone who was willing to help out. Those contributing to the fundraising table where the sweets are going to be displayed would not have to spend more than five dollars either buying or baking the treats. In order to make the bake sale special, I would personally encourage those donating treats to buy or make cupcakes specifically in different flavors. That way, there would be a variety to choose from, ranging from chocolate to vanilla to red velvet. By doing so, I’m hoping that the variety of cupcakes will attract those walking by because anyone would be able to find a flavor they would enjoy.

To advertise the fundraising event, I propose a variety of options. We live in a modern world of technology, so we should use it to our advantage. Everyone involved in the fundraiser should talk about it on their social media platforms, some of which include Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Doing this would allow their friends and followers to know the time, date, and reason for the bake sale. There would also be a specific Facebook event page made for the fundraiser so that people could be specifically invitedth. There are three options one could check in response to an event invitation: going, not going, and maybe going. With this Facebook page, the organizers could see how many people would be in attendance as well as a tentative number of people who may or may not show up.

In addition to social media awareness, I would propose the traditional route of making posters and flyers to hang up around the school. Posters can be seen by anyone passing by, which therefore widens the audience that knows about the fundraiser. The day of the bake sale would be planned during a larger event. For example, The bake sale could be organized during a school’s football game or carnival. By doing so, there would automatically be more foot traffic around the table. Hopefully, this would attract more customers. The actual table(s) would be set up very neatly. One table would be filled with all of the different cupcakes, organized by their flavors.

The next table over would be a miscellaneous table of desserts that were donated but were not cupcakes. The cupcakes would cost $1.50, and smaller items would cost 50 cents to a dollar, depending on their size. Throughout the duration of the fundraiser, there would be upbeat, popular music playing from speakers. If the volunteers look friendly and there is a congenial atmosphere, I think people would be more likely to approach the table. If not enough treats were sold by the end of the event, I would advertise a discount in hopes of garnering more donations and customers.

The discount would be something similar to a buy one, get one free deal. Sales usually attract more attention and more purchases. The cost of the fundraiser should be no more than forty dollars. If you split forty dollars amongst whoever is donating, that could easily mean there would only need to be eight donors, each spending about five dollars each. If more people decide to help, the individual cost would be even less than that. Foldable chairs and tables can be easily borrowed from friends or family, so no one would have to pay for them. I am positive that speakers or even an old-fashioned boombox could be used for the music during the event as well.

Essentially, the only cost would be from the desserts. Implementation of the bake sale would be through volunteers and friends. Flint, Michigan, has been a very controversial topic during 2016, so I would hope enough people would care about their fellow citizens in the United States to help them out. It would only take a few hours from their day to do so, and I would also have to contact the school beforehand to make sure they would be okay with the fundraiser being held on school grounds. I would also suggest setting mini-goals throughout the duration of the fundraiser. For example, during baking, I would ask for at least 12 cupcakes of each flavor, and if that goal could be met, the whole team would have a special dinner or celebration together. Likewise, during the actual sale, if $300 were raised, I would let the person who donated the last portion of the goal raise take an additional three extra desserts as a thank you. I think that these goals would help organize and motivate everyone.

Fundraisers are a great way to help others. I myself have been involved and attended many this past year. By using my experiences, I hope that I have created a unique and interesting fundraiser that would hypothetically help the community in Flint.

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