Autism is a misunderstood condition. It’s fairly common for people to believe that autistic people cannot live happy, fulfilling lives. This is not true, however. More research does need to go into autism and effective treatments for it, though. Raising money and then donating it to charities dedicated to autism research is a good way to ensure that our understanding of the condition advances. It can be difficult to fundraise for any cause if you have never had to before. This post will explore this topic in more detail, offering a few tips you can use to fundraise for autistic causes.
Learning About Autism
As mentioned in the introduction to this post, autism is a condition that’s commonly misunderstood. There is a spectrum, meaning some people are more negatively affected by the condition than others. Something else worth noting is that autism is not an illness or disease. Being autistic simply means that a person’s brain works differently from other people’s. Keeping up with articles in the latest autism magazines is one way to learn about the condition. You could also follow blogs written by autistic authors, volunteer for autism awareness charities, or join forums frequented by autistic people. Learning more about the condition can make fundraising for it much easier since you’ll be able to explain autism to people more effectively and get them to understand why money needs to be raised to further research into it.
Explaining Your Case
If you want to start fundraising for autism, you are going to have to explain to donors why you think they should part with their money. Because of this, taking time to learn as much about autism as you possibly can is a very good idea. Some people recommend taking courses. Others simply advise reading magazines, like the type mentioned above. Make sure that you work out a fundraising plan, i.e., come up with a target amount, then find a charity to give the money to. You will most likely need the charity’s approval if you are fundraising in their name. Most charities will be more than happy to partner with fundraisers, giving them all the support they need to earn money.
Formal Fundraising
As mentioned above, you will probably need a charity’s permission to fundraise in their name. With that said, you do not necessarily need to fundraise in anybody’s name. As long as you are committed to raising money for autism awareness and you have a charity you want to donate the money to, you don’t need anybody’s permission to fundraise. When your fundraiser has concluded, you can reach out to the charity of your choosing and explain to them what you have done and offer the money to them. Partnering with charities is only worth doing if you want more exposure since the charity you partner with will be able to advertise your fundraiser on their social media accounts.
Fundraising Ideas
Bake Sales
Some fundraising ideas are better than others. Bake sales can be particularly effective. You can earn a lot of money from bake sales by asking participants to donate their cakes to you. By getting people to donate their cakes to you, you don’t have to worry about buying them and selling them on. Instead, everything will be profit. Make sure that you compensate involved bakers for their time. One way of compensating people is to take them out for dinner or formally recognize their contributions by giving them a plaque or medal. If you work for an educational institution like a school or college, try to get autistic students involved in fundraising.
Read-A-Thons
Read-a-thons can also be profitable. They are when a group of people compete to see who can read the most books in a fixed period of time. Typically, read-a-thons are held online. You don’t usually have people reading in the same room. Make sure that you quiz the people involved in the book-a-thon on the books they have read just so that you can be sure they are reading as much as they say they are. People can then sponsor readers. Usually, a person’s family and friends will sponsor them. Advertise your read-a-thon online so you can attract as much interest as possible. Dance-a-thons are worth looking into as well.
Sponsored Runs
Sponsored runs can also be a great way for you to earn money for autism. If you are involved in an educational institution, involving students is a very good idea. However, everybody should be allowed to get active, not just students. You can post applications on your website, then people can fill them out and send them to you via email. If you are going to hold a run, make sure that you have people standing along the route runners will take with bottles of water. Offering bottles of water will prevent dehydration and heat-related illness.
Dinner Parties
Dinner parties are great fundraisers. However, they can also be very expensive. It’ll be up to you to provide the food and drinks and arrange the venue. If you are interested in holding a dinner party, make sure that you put a team of event planners together. Arranging a dinner party can be very complicated. You will need to find caterers, equipment, food, and staff. Assembling a team of people is the best way to ensure that your event goes to plan. The more people you have helping you, the easier it is going to be to plan your party.
Book Sales
Finally, consider book sales. Book sales can either be held online or in person. Make sure that you focus on marketing your fundraiser. If you don’t properly advertise it, nobody is going to know it is even taking place. Get active in your local community and let people know what you are raising money for and how they can help. A good way to get people involved is to distribute flyers. Consider also getting in touch with community groups and asking them to get involved. The assistance of an established community group (i.e., a town council or resident association) can be very helpful.
If research into autism is something you are passionate about, why not fundraise for it? Fundraising has never been easier, thanks to social media and the internet. You can hold exclusively online fundraisers if you want to. Wherever you hold your fundraiser, make sure you think it through, plan it, and advertise it online. The more awareness you bring to your fundraiser, the more money you can earn for autism research.