Ideas for Raising Money for Cancer Patients

Increasing cancer awareness can help to boost donations.
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Cancer is a devastating disease that takes its toll on patients and their families. There is always a need to raise money to help cancer patients, whether to pay for further research, to help patients pay for treatment or to help families with the expenses related to caring for an ill family member. While many organizations exist to provide services, the best way to make sure the money goes to the people or the organization you prefer is to raise the funds yourself and donate them appropriately.

Silent Auction

A silent auction has the potential to raise a lot of money and is relatively easy to hold. Well in advance of the event, collect items to be auctioned off from local merchants, individuals and organizations. Hold the event in an area where there is enough room to display them all, such as a meeting room at a hotel, or even your home if you have the space, and provide drinks and snacks for the attendees. Bidders submit slips of paper with bids written on them for any items they want, and at the end of the evening the highest bid wins. Keeping the event fun can encourage people to participate, as well as increasing the likelihood that they will come to your next event.

Candy Sales

Selling candy is an easy and inexpensive way to raise money, requiring only a small investment to get started. It also works well for people who would like to contribute to the cause but are short on cash, since fundraiser candy bars are inexpensive for people to buy and often have a coupon from a local sponsor printed on the label. Enlisting the aid of a group within the community, such as a scouting group or a church youth group, can help to increase sales, and giving the sellers prizes can help to motivate them to sell as much candy as possible.

Golf Tournament

A charity golf tournament can be a fun and exciting way to raise a substantial amount of money for cancer patients. Line up sponsors for the event in advance, and offer different levels of sponsorship based on the donation amount. The higher the donation, the more visible the sponsor is as part of the event. Sell food and beverages during the tournament, and offer contests where players compete with one another for a small fee or allow golfers to hire a pro to make shots for them. Hold a raffle during the event, and partner the tournament with a silent auction to raise even more funds.

Car Raffle

Secure a vehicle to raffle off. You may be able to find a dealership that will supply one in exchange for an extended period of advertising as a raffle sponsor, or you may be able to get one at cost, though this greatly reduces how much money you can raise. Sell raffle tickets throughout the area, involving as many businesses and community organizations as you can. Display the car at different locations and have people on hand to sell raffle tickets the entire time the car is there. This can be a big fundraiser but it requires a lot of time and planning to sell enough tickets to make it profitable.

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