What is the Give BIG Event?

Give Big Event TOOLKIT WWW. YVC. ORG/ VOLUNTEER/ GIVE- BIG- WEEKEND

What is the Give BIG Event? The Give BIG Event is YVC s network-wide fundraising event, and the first step in qualifying for a YVCHQ Summit Grant. YVC programs need support from the entire community. Fundraising gets YVC out in front of people who can help. YVC is celebrating more than 30 years of volunteerism and Summit 2018 is going to be the event of the season you don t want to miss it! Getting to Summit requires raising money for registration, travel, and accommodation. This summer, youth volunteers across the U.S. and Canada will host fundraisers in their local communities. Bake sales, car washes, yard sales, and much more will get out the YVC name and bring in donations to YVC programs. The Give BIG Event was originally known as Give BIG Weekend, where youth volunteers across the U.S. and Canada hosted fundraisers in their local communities on the same weekend. This year, the Give BIG Event allows YVC affiliates to host a youth fundraiser on their own schedule. Your youth fundraising event can take place any time before August 1 st. On August 1 st, eligible affiliates can request funding for the YVCHQ Summit Grant. To be eligible, you must plan and host a youth fundraising event more information on requirements can be found inside this toolkit. WHAT S INSIDE: Important Dates & Summit Grant Information: Write these down and don t miss out on funding! Sample Timeline: What to do and when. Fundraising Ideas: Short on inspiration? We re giving you 15 ideas for HOT summer fundraisers! Social Media Post Ideas: Spread the word we re making it easy with a few suggested posts. Sample Appeal Letter: Double your efforts! Use this template to send letters to family and

friends asking them to donate to your fundraiser. Copy and paste text from the PDF into a word document, customize, and send! Sample Press Release: Start spreading the news we re including a sample press release for you to increase visibility and can even boost event attendance! Summit Cost Calculator Worksheet: Use this worksheet to estimate the cost of attending Summit. Sample Graphics: Include these graphics in social media posts, email blasts, and printed fliers. Right click and save as a jpeg file to use!

Important Dates April 16 th : Give BIG Event is announced! Toolkit is available for use. April May: Meet with youth volunteers to plan your Give BIG Event. May July: Execute the Give BIG Event! August 1 st August 20 th : YVCHQ Summit Grant application is live! September 1 st : YVCHQ Summit Grants are announced. October 8 th : Early Bird Registration Deadline for Summit November 2 nd November 3 rd : Summit in Charleston, SC!

YVCHQ Summit Grant Want funding to attend Summit? YVCHQ s Summit Grant application goes live August 1 st. Here s a sneak peek inside the application: Describe your youth fundraiser. Tell us about your program s need for Summit funding. Tell us about your youth voice/leadership in your fundraising event. Briefly describe your marketing strategies. Tell us about your community partnerships. How much money did you raise? Eligibility Only active YVC affiliates in good standing are eligible for affiliate grants, including the Summit Grant. Affiliates in good standing are current on all fees or dues payments, data collection, or reports for YVC (as applicable). Affiliates must host a youth volunteer-led fundraiser. YVCHQ encourages affiliates to utilize the Give BIG Event toolkit and to participate in this network-wide fundraising promotion; however, any youth-led Summit fundraising event qualifies for Summit Grant funding. Note: There is no required fundraising amount in order to qualify for the Summit Grant.

Sample Timeline Date Task 8 Weeks Out Create a planning committee include youth volunteers! Set fundraising goal (Use the Summit Cost Calculator Worksheet!) Decide on event and date 7 Weeks Out Establish project budget: include the cost of everything, even if you re working on donated dollars and resources Develop action plan: include specific timeframes and responsibilities of who will do what by what date 6 Weeks Out Secure event venue and confirm logistics (Do you need permits to sell food? Is there Wi-Fi/electric capability? Is there parking?) 5 Weeks Out Add event to local community calendars and your own website calendar Create Facebook event Tell key influencers and community partners about event Create and send a press release to local media outlets to secure press coverage 4 Weeks Out Promote on social media Invite potential sponsors and community partners to attend or donate Send email blasts to your mailing list 3 Weeks Out Promote on social media Mail appeal letters to supporters including a save the date for the Give BIG Event 2 Weeks Out Promote on social media Meet with planning committee to assign day-of duties 5 Days Out Promote on social media Confirm final details with venue

Remind friends, family members, teachers, and others to show their support on Give BIG Event Create signs that will help advertise your event and bring in supporters Day Before Promote on social media Create a cashiers box with change for day of donations/registrations Gather supplies for event Review volunteer duties, event schedule, and other final details Designate a photographer to take pictures and post to social media Give BIG Event Arrive early to set up Take lots of pictures and post to social media Have fun! After Send thank you letters to all volunteers, community partners, and sponsors Send thank you letters to donors. Consider purchasing Charleston postcards while at Summit to send donors! Evaluate your event did you meet your fundraising goals? What would you change if you planned this event again? August 1 st August 20 th Summit Grant application is open apply to secure Summit funding!

1. Trivia Night Fundraising Ideas Put your supporters to the test with a trivia night! You can partner with a local restaurant or coffee shop. Not only will it be a great venue to host your event, but the restaurant might be willing to contribute a percentage of the night s funds to your nonprofit. 2. Cook-Off This summer fundraising idea requires that people come hungry. Host a cook-off in your organization s parking lot. Sell tickets for meals, and spice up the event by having participants pay a fee to compete for the best local dish in town. Another option is to gather local restaurants and chefs to compete against each other. Sell tickets for guests to eat and vote for their favorites. 3. Basket Raffle Bingo Basket Raffle Bingo combines the elements of a game of bingo with a raffle, with the prizes being different themed baskets! Attendees can play bingo and participate in different raffles throughout the night. 4. Plant Sale Partner with a greenhouse or local farm to sell tomatoes, peppers, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, or other garden vegetables! 5. Screen on the Green This summer fundraising idea puts a fun spin on movie nights. Host a screening of summer blockbusters in a public park, or work with local businesses to secure a large enough area to host a drive-in. Sell tickets, popcorn, and candy to attendees and ask for a suggested donation at the gate. 6. Dog-and-Car Wash A good old-fashioned car wash is a classic summer fundraising idea with a fun addition. Advertise your event ahead of time on social media to let the local community know what hours your staff and volunteers will be accepting customers. Offer to wash people s pups and cars at the same time, or single car and dog washes. Just make sure the dog washing setup is on grass or a similar surface you don t want any paws burning on blacktop! 7. Farmer s Market Booth Reach out to local farmer s markets for the opportunity to host a booth at one of their events. This popular summer outing increases exposure and give you a chance to engage with your community face-to-face. Sell raffle tickets, distribute materials, and collect donations as you educate shoppers on your programs.

8. Summer Garage Sale Ask supporters to donate items to your organization s garage sale that they d ordinarily give away or sell. Set up shop at your office or a well-trafficked public space, and sell items in exchange for donations. 9. The County Fair Reach out to local fair officials to see how you can get in on the festivities. Could your organization help run one element or event in exchange for recognition and possible donations? For example, the fair might accept entry fees to a specific show or competition on behalf of your organization and ask your staff to volunteer in exchange. 10. Field Olympics Bring back Field Day events and plan traditional games like tug of war, three-legged race, water balloon toss, and any other fun and unique field day games! Charge a small admission fee and sell concessions like food and water bottles. 11. Mr. and Mrs. Incredible Celebrate the release of The Incredibles 2 with a contest to find Mr. and Mrs. Incredible! Contestants pay a small fee to try their luck in obstacle courses and/or skill tests. Record the times of each person who is entered and the winner receives free tickets to the movie! 12. Petting Zoo Day Partner with a local zoo or farmer to set up a child s summer-time dream come true. Sell tickets and have your community come out to see ducklings, lambs, and more. 13. Outdoor Exercise Class Use a public park or beach to arrange an outdoor fitness class, like yoga or a boot camp. Recruit a volunteer to lead the exercise and ask for a requested donation from attendees. 14. Ice Cream Social I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! Gather a bunch of ice cream, paper products, and toppings and set up shop in hot spot in your community! Blast some music and have some fun while educating the community about your program! 15. 5. Lawn Mowing for a Cause Take the burden off of your community and advertise a lawn maintenance and moving service in exchange for donations. Recruit landscapers to volunteer their services.

Sample Social Media Posts Begin promoting your Give BIG Event at least 4 weeks out, and continue posting every week. Post daily the week of your event to draw the biggest crowd possible! Use and adapt these examples to promote your Give BIG Event as much as possible. Include at least one photo/graphic with each post use photos of youth volunteers working at recognizable public locations! Facebook Mark your calendar for YVC of [affiliate name] s Give BIG Event! Join us at [event location] from [time and date of event] and show your support for your local youth volunteers! Has [affiliate name] helped you? Come to [event location] from [time and date of event] for YVC s Give BIG Event and show your support for your local youth volunteers! Here s your chance to give back to an organization that has given so much to [your city]. Join [affiliate name] for Give BIG Event at [event location] from [time and date of event]. Twitter Meet us at [location] on [date/time] for #GiveBIGEvent and give back to these #youth #volunteers that have given so much to [city]! [Affiliate name] can't succeed without your support! #GiveBIGEvent is [date/time] at [location]. #YVC Help [Affiliate name] #youth #volunteers help [city] this [date/time] at [location]. #GiveBIGEvent Instagram How has [affiliate name] helped you? Tell us in the comments and come show your support at [location] at [date/time] for #YVC # GiveBIGEvent! It s # GiveBIGEvent! Come help support and celebrate [affiliate name] at [location] [date/time] See you there! These amazing Youth Volunteers are working to make [city] great! Come support the YVC # GiveBIGEvent this [date/time] at [location].

Date Dear NAME, As you may know, I ve served with my Youth Volunteer Corps (YVC) program for XX years now. I have volunteered XX hours in my community, [mention your favorite projects]. YVC has taught me I have the power to make a difference in my community and has inspired me to take action! I ve met new friends from other schools, learned about the problems facing my community and the world and developed skills that will make it easier for me to get a job down the road. This fall, I want to take my service to another level. I ve been invited to represent my local YVC at the international YVC Summit taking place November 2 nd 3 rd in Charleston, SC. I ll be traveling with other youth volunteers from my community and our program director. We will attend the two-day long leadership conference where I ll have the opportunity to meet youth volunteers from throughout North America and serve alongside them on a volunteer project. We ll also attend workshops throughout the weekend focused on leadership development, community activism, how to leverage our volunteer experience on our resumes and more. I need your help to make this dream happen. I will be raising $XXX to cover travel, lodging and my Summit registration. I will be working hard in the months leading up to the event to raise money through [list fundraisers you re participating in here. Need ideas? Try these]. I m hoping you might consider donating to help me attend this exciting event. Any amount helps and will ensure that I can be a part of this exciting opportunity. Thanks for your consideration! Sincerely,/Love,/Best, SIGN NAME HERE AFTER PRINTING NAME

Youth Volunteer Corps of Your Community Address Contact: Program Director Phone Number Email Website For Immediate Release LOCAL YOUTH RAISE FUNDS TO ATTEND NATIONAL CONFERENCE City, State (Month Date, Year) Fifteen local youth will take part in North America s Youth Volunteer Corps (YVC) Give BIG Event on date. These YVC youth give back to their community throughout the year, but during the Give BIG Event, they will be coming together to raise funds to attend the national YVC Summit; a national conference that will be held in Charleston, SC in November this year. Youth will have the opportunity to meet and serve with fellow volunteers from across North America and take part in educational workshops focused on leadership development, grant writing, leveraging their volunteer experience on resumes and more. Local youth will be (brief description of fundraiser) at (location) at (time). Their goal is to raise $XXX.XX. Ten youth from your community attended the Summit conference in Kansas City, MO in 2017. Attendees met 140 fellow youth volunteers, program directors, board members, and headquarters staff and attended educational workshops and participated in a service event. A youth from your community who attended in 2017 said, quote here regarding the impact of Summit. Alternative paragraph Last year, attendees met 140 fellow youth volunteers, program directors, board members, and headquarter staff and attended educational workshops and participated in a service event. A youth from 2017 said, Summit was incredibly rejuvenating and inspiring. I can t wait to get back in gear and be better than ever! Founded in 1987, Youth Volunteer Corps is a national youth service organization with more than 35 local programs in communities like your community. Since 1987, more than 300,000 youth have volunteered nearly five million hours with YVC, and the Summit conference celebrates all that youth have accomplished through YVC. Youth Volunteer Corps of your community s mission is to create volunteer opportunities to address community needs and to inspire youth for a lifetime commitment to service. The program offers volunteer projects for youth ages 11 to 18 on weekends, after school and during the summer. Hosted by Organization, YVC of your community is one of more than 35 affiliates of Youth Volunteer Corps, headquartered in Kansas City. XXX youth served XXXX hours with YVC of your community during the last program year. Find more information at website. ###

Summit Cost Calculator Worksheet # of Youth Volunteer Registrations x $135 = + # of Adult Registrations x $160 = = Total Cost of Registration (A) # of Hotel Rooms x $218 = (up to 6 per room) ($189+tax+$2 destination fee) x # of Nights = (B) Parking # of Nights x $16 = (C) (Overnight parking fee in City Parking Garage) Total Cost of Accommodations Roundtrip Flight/Bus Fare/Car Expense x # of Passengers = Total Cost of Travel (D) # of Meals for Friday Night x $20 = (E) Other Expenses* = (F) Total Cost of Summit (Lines A+B+C+D+E+F) = $ *Other expenses might include YVC gear, Charleston souvenirs, snacks, and other individual purchases