Summer Fundraising
Summer Fundraising Challenge
Would you like to do something more with your summer? Join the Summer Fundraising Challenge and use your summer to make a real difference for the people of Darfur.
The Challenge is simple -- just turn your favorite summer activity into a fundraiser for GI-NET. Set a fundraising goal for yourself, then hold a GI-NET barbcue with your friends, a "Strike Out Genocide" backyard wiffleball tournament, or help your kids turn a regular lemonade stand into a "Stand Against Genocide." Read on to find more ideas and read about some of the people who have already joined the Challenge, including high school students who have challenged themselves to raise $100,000 for GI-NET by running 1,300 miles across the country.
The top 25 summer fundraisers will receive a free Darfur Now DVD and SIGNED Darfur Now poster and will have the opportunity to have their story featured on our website!
Join the Summer Fundraising Challenge!
Need help getting started? Read on to find helpful tips and resources for planning your own fundraiser!
Fundraising Success Stories
Summer Fundraising Ideas
Event Materials
Where Does Your Money Go?
Donation Information
Can you match these super-fundraisers?
Never Ignore, Never Forget:
In September, 2007, members of the cross country team at East High School in Wichita, Kansas joked about making an extended run to Washington, DC. On June 2, 2008, nine runners turned this joke into a reality, leaving a heroes' farewell in Wichita to set off on the two-week, 1,300 mile Never Ignore, Never Forget relay run. At the same time they sought to raise awareness of past and on-going genocides and collect as much money for civilian protection in Darfur as possible.
Prior to this start date, the runners solicited the financial support of individual and corporate donors, providing the option of purchasing t-shirts, making donations, or sponsoring the run. They received the sponsorship of a local automotive group and the endorsement of Senator Sam Brownback and State Senator Donald Betts Jr. adding publicity and legitimacy to their run. The run was covered by local and national media outlets including the Wichita Eagle, the Lawrence Journal-World, and MTV. Compiling donations from friends in Wichita, new friends made on their cross-country trek, and admirers who first encountered them through media coverage, the Never Ignore runners collected over $25,000!
Drive for Darfur: On August 2, 2008, The Whisper Campaign of Lansing, MI, is holding a Drive for Darfur Road Rally to raise funds for GI-NET. This fundraiser is similar to a team scavenger hunt -- teams of four people will race around Lansing, collecting clues to point them to their final destination. Teams are encouraged to fundraise in advance of their participation. As an incentive for fundraising, teams that raise $200 or more will have their registration fee waived!
Climb for Darfur: GI-NET member, Jen Silacci, is taking fundraising to a higher level with her Climb for Darfur. This August, Jen will climb 19,340 feet to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise money for GI-NET. Jen writes, "While I expect portions of the climb to be quite grueling, it doesn't begin to compare to what Sudanese people face on a day-to-day basis. Jen has already raised over $2,800 and counting!
Art for Darfur: During the spring of 2007, Maya Smith held a spectacular fundraiser where she auctioned off pieces of artwork at events in New York, Houston, and Berkley. To collect the artwork she would be auctioning off , Maya held an art workshop at a New York Boys and Girls Club and posted an ad on Craigslist soliciting artists to donate works to her project. In addition, Maya created 20 original pieces of artwork herself. To supplemental the funds she would raise at the auctions, Maya contacted corporations regarding fund-matching, eventually obtaining a $5,000 matching grant from the Bridgeway Foundation. All told, Maya raised over $11,000 for GI-NET through her auctions and matching grant!
Jog-A-Thon: In March, Maria Sebastian and her friends in Students for Change in Darfur, a student-run advocacy organization at Northwest High School, organized a Jog-A-Thon to benefit GI-NET. They advertised at their high school and among local community groups, resulting in 150 participants and raising $6,300. Maria contacted GI-NET before their event, and bought GI-NET bumperstickers and "I Vote for Darfur" buttons to give out to participants -- a great token to commemorate each runners' efforts. A few weeks later, Students for Change in Darfur held a Hope for Darfur concert, featuring nine high-school bands and raising an additional $800 for GI-NET. On May 2, the group was able to present a check for $7,146 to a GI-NET representative!
Click here to read about other successful GI-NET fundraisers.
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Summer Fundraising Ideas
Turn your favorite summer activity into a GI-NET fundraiser. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Lemonade Stand: STAND against genocide by creating a lemonade stand, fruit stand, or cookie stand. Don't forget to give your customers a Darfur flyer with their lemonade!
Barbeque: No summer is complete without a backyard barbeque with your family and friends. Turn yours into a fundraiser by asking your guests to contribute a set amount for their hamburgers and hot dogs.
Wiffleball Tournament: Have a big backyard, or park in your neighborhood? "Strike out genocide" with a wiffleball tournament. You can either charge an entrance fee for each team, or have teams find local businesses to sponsor them.
Movie on the Lawn: Put a summer spin on a film screening by doing it outside! Use a projector to screen a film on the side of your house or in a local outdoor venue. Click here to find information on anti-genocide related movies.
Homerun Derby: Get your friends together to host a Homerun Derby for Darfur. Each participant pays a small entry fee or collects pledges for each homerun they hit. Contact local Little League teams to participate and spread the word about your derby.
Bake Sale: Raise money the old fashioned way by holding a bake sale at your child's soccer game, baseball practice, tennis tournament, or any other venue. Preparing the food in advance with your child is a great way to let them get involved to stop genocide. Be sure to clearly mark that this event benefits the people of Darfur.
Click here for fundraising tips and other event ideas.
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Event Materials
Click here for more information on planning events to raise awareness as well as money for your cause. You may also want to check out our resources section for flyers, handouts, and downloadable multimedia.
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Where Does Your Money Go?
More than half of the money you raise goes directly towards our Civilian Protection Program, a unique program that protects civilians in areas of mass atrocity and genocide from further violence. Our members have raised over $600,000 for our direct protection programs in Darfur, Sudan and we are now able to start expanding to protect civilians in other conflict zones, including Burma. See our complete report on civilian protection for more information.
The remainder of your contribution will support GI-NET's ongoing advocacy and education programs. These are the programs that enable us to provide Americans with the tools they need to prevent and end genocide.
In addition to funding our Civilian Protection Program, our members' fundraising efforts have allowed us to accomplish the following:
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Write and pass the most robust piece of federal legislation on Sudan, the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act.
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Successfully lobby Congress for hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for peacekeepers in Darfur.
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Lead successful divestment campaigns in 25 states, 59 universities, and 18 major cities, inpsiring movements in 15 countries. As a result, 9 major companies have ceased operation in Sudan or significantly changed their behavior.
- Create www.DarfurScores.org which grades members of Congress on actions they have taken to end the Darfur genocide, empowering citizens with the tools and knowledge to more effectively pressure their elected officials
- Launch a toll-free hotline, 1-800-GENOCIDE, which connects callers to their elected officials and provides them with up-to-date talking points on Darfur.
- Organize lobby days and phone-in days enabling thousands of activists to meet or speak with their elected officials.
Click here for more successes made possible by your fundraising efforts.
Donation Information
The Genocide Intervention Network is a registered non-profit organization, and all donations are tax deductible. Our tax ID ID number is: 20-2278405.
More than half of the money you raise goes directly towards civilian protection activities in Darfur and mass atrocity zones. See our complete report on funding civilian protection for more information.
All contributions to GI-NET can be made online at http://www.genocideintervention.net/donate. Please include "SFC, [your name]" in the "In Honor Of" section.
Or donate by mailing a check to: Summer Fundraising Challenge, c/o Genocide Intervention Network, 1333 H Street NW, First Floor, Washington, DC 20005. Please make all checks out to GI-NET and include "SFC, [your name]" in the memo line.
The Summer Fundraising Challenge will last from June 12, 2008 through August 20, 2008. Winners will be notified by August 31.