It doesn't get easier than an email!

For the past two months we have been posting lots of ideas - most of which were pretty silly! Of course that is our motto with Dress Up 2 Cure: "Get Silly, Spread Hope, Cure Rett Syndrome!"
I can't believe that April is actually coming to a close today - where did the time go?

I am sure some of you have been planning all month to get involved and just have not found the time. I am hear to tell you that it is NOT TOO LATE! We have one FINAL idea for you and it is the easiest one yet. (ok - I admit there is nothing silly about this one though!)

All you need to do is personalize this email and send it out to EVERYONE you know!

SAMPLE EMAIL:

As many of you know, our daughter (insert daughter's name) was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome nearly (insert years since diagnosis of Rett) years ago. Since then, some of you have joined us in the fight to educate people about Rett Syndrome and we thank you. We are asking for your help again. And this time, we are asking EVERYONE!

We will keep this short and sweet. We are fundraising so Girl Power 2 Cure can continue to support the ongoing research that will cure Rett Syndrome. If you can donate $5/$15/$25 dollars in honor of (daughters name) that would be amazing! Working with this organization has been such a positive experience for our entire family and it's helped us deal with the diagnosis, so we hope you can help continue their good work!

Please support our team for the 2011 Dress Up 2 Cure Campaign:
https://www.firstgiving.com/dressup2cure (you can link directly to YOUR team page)

We are incredibly grateful for your support and hope we can count on you as we continue our fight against Rett Syndrome!

Sincerely,
(your name)

Auction 4 Anna

Earlier in the campaign, I mentioned a simple online auction that I hosted last year with a couple of donated items to raise money for Team Brooklyn. Well......this year the Bax Family went ALL OUT!

They are hosting an online auction with dozens of donated items! She even had a friend design a web page for her and the auction is being hosted on ebay. Be sure to check it out and share the link with your friends and family! Click HERE to view the auction!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Cookies, Catalogs, & Coffee

This idea is perfect for any woman's group! Contact all your local "vendors" that sell items at home parties (e.g., Longaberger Baskets, Tupperware, Usborne Books, Avon, Tastefully Simple, Home Interior, Fabulous Finds, Pampered Chef, People Fit, Party Lights) Set up a table for each vendor in your church meeting room.
The saleswomen could have some cash-and-carry items, as well as catalogs for items to sell. Each saleswoman can donate her profits from the evening to your team OR provide an item to be raffled off throughout the evening! Provide coffee to your guests for the evening and possibly pair this event with a Cookie Walk!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 please visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Photo Contest!

(Boston, my preemie miracle!)Use photo's of babies, dogs, etc. The basic idea is that people will submit a photo(specify maximum size accepted), and may also submit a 3x5 card with a few sentences as a description to create more interest. Photos are mounted on a display board or inside a sponsoring merchant's window (or at a school or church works great too!)

Each photo is numbered and a jar/bag is numbered for each photo for votes. Votes are made with coins, dollar bills, or checks (made payable to "Girl Power 2 Cure"). The picture with the most "votes" (total money collected) wins a prize.

Prizes can be donated from local businesses!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit www.dressup2cure.org

Rock - A -Thon

Another great idea that could be done with a youth group or other student organization that what to support your DU2C team is a Rock A Thon. Each teen asks for pledges from friends, family and neighbors to see how long they could rock in a rocking chair & playing video games.

The kids had to bring their own rocking chairs or gaming chairs that rocked. They also were allow to bring their own video games and systems to play. The church or school could help supply the TV's and electoral cords.

Set a minimum pledge of $25, so the kids understand it isn't just a free night of video games! Really easy to set up. It was a win/win night.

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit www.dressup2cure.org

Adult Spelling Bee

Spelling bees are what I considered a form of torture as a child, I think any child you ask would agree. Why not consider an adult spelling bee for fundraising and to let the parents see how hard it can be? Most schools hold spelling bees so setting one up should be fairly easy. Each class can select three parents to represent them either individually or as a team. Set an entrance fee per team. The teams are responsible for getting sponsors to pay the fee ($50).

For the entry fee of $50, the sponsor of the entry can be advertised at the event on a name board and also thanked in a letter to the editor of the local newspaper. You can use words found on spelling word websites and also terminology from all areas of expertise represented by the sponsors that gained entry into the competition.

Want some specifics on adult spelling bees? Try the National Spelling Bee site!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Squeegee Day

A friend of mine suggested this idea - they do it for Cystic Fibrosis!

Ask people at a local drive thru (they used the Tim Horton’s) to donate money to have their windshields washed. Have one person at the beginning of the drive thru asking the person if they would like their windshield washed as a donation to Rett Syndrome. If they say yes, the volunteer places a pamphlet under their windshield wiper. Once they get to the front of the drive thru and they have a pamphlet under their wiper, our team of two washes their windshield and thanks them for their donation and gives them their pamphlet. (Your Purple Card would work for this!) They suggest getting the squeegees donated as well as the windshield washer fluid.

They also suggest that the group do two locations from 8am-noon. They generally make between $800 and $1000 dollars. A lot more than if we would have washed the entire car. There’s very little setup (your pail and pamphlets) and it takes a very small amount of people to pull it off. *You can either have a stated donation amount or leave it up to the generosity of the driver.

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

LACK of Talent Show

The past two years the Trine University football team has hosted a "LACK of Talent" Show. It has been a complete blast every year! Each member of the football team participated - either individually or as a group. There were dance numbers, some sang or rapped, we even had a ventriloquist!
This can be pulled off with any group: local college or sports teams, girls or groups, local Lions or Rotary organization - anyone with little or no talent really!! Take donations at the door and then half way through the show take a little break - tell your crowd about Rett Syndrome and pass a bucket for more donations!!!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Funniest idea YET!

We have been listing lots of fun ideas over the past month and a half but that got me thinking....how about the FUNNIEST way to raise money?

How about an amateur comedy night at your local school or church. Of course the jokes and pranks must be clean and family appropriate. Silly needs to be the order of business. Pair that night of laughs with a spaghetti dinner and you have yourself one silly fundraiser that people will talk about and remember for a long time.

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Mini Golf!

Arrange with the owner of a local mini golf course to set an afternoon or evening aside just for your fundraising event. Negotiate either a flat fee for exclusive use of the facility during that time or a percentage of sales (at least 50%) to be donated back to your team. Offer special (lower than standard) rates to draw players to the event. For example, $5.00 for 1 or $16 for a team of 4; children under 3 free; discounts for students or advanced purchases.
OR
Schedule a mini golf - a -thon! Kids (or adults) at your school, church, or just friends and family collect sponsors for their golfing. They can get donations per hole they golf - then they play, play, play as many holes as they can in the time alloted!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Cash from your community

It sounds so simple, so crazy....but it works.

Round up a goup of volunteers to represent your team and have them go door to door in their neighborhoods. Make it a friendly competition to see who can bring back the most money!

Make sure they have information about Rett Syndrome - Purple Cards are perfect for something like this! GP2C t-shirts are great to have them wear too - you want the people they will be visiting to know their friend are raising money for a real cause! This ideas is wonderful because other than rounding up your friends - there is not much organization to it!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Recycle for Rett

(We want to thank our friend Joel at The Dancing Sun LLC for this suggestion!)
There are a few ways to Recycle for Rett:
1. In some states, such as VT, NY, MA etc when you purchase beverages in bottles, cans, etc you pay a 5 cent deposit on the bottle. When you return them (recycle them) you get your nickel back.
2. Almost every state pays per lb. for the cans. Although every state is different, the average pay is 35 cents per lb. To get paid for recycling your cans - get out your phone book and look up your local recycling agencies and give them a call. Take your cans to the company that is offering you the most per lb. or per can.
3. There is a site called Sell Your Cell that will buy your phone from you to recycle and sell to another customer. They pay between $5 and $200 per phone, but they say the average is $25.

No matter which option you might try - Encourage your family friends and co-workers to help you out throughout April (or the entire year!) Recycling helps the environment and we help Rett.....this idea promotes two good causes!!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Church Events

Don't forget to check with the people that love and care for you and your family, like YOUR CHURCH! Most churches are filled with amazing people who would love to support your teams fundraising efforts with dinners, pancake breakfasts, bake sales, bingo nights, etc. Often times you just have to ask!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit www.dressup2cure.org

Bowl-A-Thon

Make arrangements with a bowling alley to rent a group of lanes and start soliciting teams. (Before offering to purchase lanes, ask them if they will donate lanes for your cause.) Charge an entry fee per foursome, for example $80. Have extra fundraising opportunities at your bowling event by adding silent auctions, raffling off donated prizes, selling food items, or running a cash bar.

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit www.dressup2cure.org

Cuts for a Cure

Check with your hair salon to host a special fundraising day. Some salons will ask their staff to donate a portion of their services or tips others will set aside a special day where ALL money that comes into the salon will be donated to Girl Power 2 Cure and your team. Keep in mind that your Salon might also be willing to host a Garden of Hope as well!

To get involves with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit www.dressup2cure.org

Strike a pose!

It doesn't matter what time of year, a fashion show is ALWAYS fun. Who doesn't like to play dress-up? And during Dress Up 2 Cure season , it PERFECT!

It takes some planning for sure: You'll need to have time to line up members, volunteers, and retailers to provide the fashions being displayed. You'll need to sell tickets (or you can charge admission at the door), put up fliers, set the stage, set up dressing areas, play music throughout the show, and help the models during outfit changes. Most significantly, you'll need an emcee to illustrate the clothing as the models stroll the stage.

You can talk to clothing and accessory store owners to see if they want to donate items in exchange for the exposure. You can even have their stores sell tickets for the fashion show. After they've seen the clothes on the runway, they may want to duplicate those looks themselves. To obtain models, you can post a request for volunteers on a local college bulletin board or just ask your friends!

If you decided to go with a baby fashion show route, you can ask fellow parents at school or at your church. There is no shortage of parents who would love to see their babies modelling cute clothes. After everything is planned and put in place for your fashion show fundraiser, don't forget to have fun!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit www.dressup2cure.org

Game Night

Video Game Night might be PERFECT for your kids, but what about you? Let's go back to our childhood when BOARD games were our games of choice. Invite your friends over to riase money for your DU2C team AND have fun challenging each other at some of your favorites: Monopoly, Life, Scrabble, Twister?!?!

Charge each person a $10 entry fee and then let the games begin! Most of your friends will probably join you for this night of fun without the incentive of a prize BUT you could always ask around town - some businesses are willign to donate prizes for events like this!

We have an amazing supporter, Ashley Love (who is Sarah Harding's Aunt) and she has been doing a boardgame fundraiser EVERY month for the past two year! You can check out her page by clicking HERE and be inspired!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Video Game Tournament

Let’s face it; many kids don’t play board games these days. However, a video game tournament speaks their language!
Setting up a video game competition:
Collect the Games. Chances are most of the families in your neighborhood have more electronic games in the house now then they do board games. This should make it easy to collect a few systems and games for the evening. Set a registration fee per - say $10 per person.

Should I Choose 1 or More Game? Many organizers might prefer to stick to one game to keep things simple, but there are no rules that limit the night to just one game! You could have a Nintendo Wii tournament with a whole host of games—that way there is something for everyone.

Tournament Style: You can play round-robin, double elimination, or allow winners of one game to challenge anyone from a list of other game winners.

Gamer Stations: If you do choose to do a larger video game tourney with multiple gaming systems, you will be able to keep more players involved in the tournament. Remember to establish a time per game to keep the competition on schedule and fair for all players.

Snacks:Your players will appreciate drinks and snacks if the tournament is an evening or day-long event. Try to get a local pizza, burger or wings restaurant to sponsor the event for free and then charge for snacks and refreshments—with funds raised going to GP2C and your team!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Cookie Walk

How does a Cookie Walk work? You will need to get friends and family involved in the baking. (Something like this is very successful at a church or school!) Volunteers bake cookies, bars, candies or confections. The goodies will be spread out on tables in your venue of choice. A price "per pound' is set and listed so that your guests know what to expect. ($5.00 is a good suggested price) Be sure to advertise - use facebook, email, the local paper, posters - you name it! The public then 'walks' along the many tables selecting treats*. At the end of the walk, treat containers are weighed to determine how much you pay. Homemade treats are a perfect gift for neighbors, clients, colleagues, and family! *Be sure to have a box of latex gloves for people to wear when choosing their cookies (or a volunteer at each table wearing gloves to put the cookies on the plate for them.) To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit www.dressup2cure.org

DAREoke

*We discovered this idea on Dunktank.
Dareoke Night for Girl Power 2 Cure may be the most amazing fundraising party you will ever see! You simply set a date for your night out, create your fundraising page for people to make their donations and in their comment section they list what song they want YOU to sing on Dareoke night!
It's called Dareoke because they get to pick songs that will entertain them and embarrass you! For those donors who can't make it, be sure to share photos and video of the crowd's favorite performances!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Flowers for Mom

Make corsages for Mother's Day as a fundraising project for your team. Take orders ahead of time and collect the $10 payment in advance. Be sure to get details regarding the recipient's name and delivery address. Work with a local florist who might be willing to donate flowers or at least give you a great deal! Advance orders and collections will allow you to purchase only what you need to make the number of corsages ordered.

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2010 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Best Seats in the House!

First, find a sofa to use. This fundraising idea involves raffling off tickets for a student and two friends to win the best seat in the house. Tickets are sold throughout the week prior to a game. Before a volleyball, basketball, baseball or football game announce the winner. The winner gets to sit on the sofa with two of his or her friends. Make sure the sofa is in an ideal spot to view the game. For halftime, maybe even order pizza and sodas for the winner and guests!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Raffle for Rett

Wednesday night my sister invited 15 ladies over to her place for a Raffle For Rett. It was SO FUN, SO EASY, and SO SUCCESSFUL! We sold tickets: $1 for 1, $10 for 12 and $20 for 25 tickets. Each gal brought either an appetizer, salad, or dessert. (So there was not a ton of cooking for the host!)

Each gal also brought an item (some brought 2 or 3!) for the raffle. These were things like homemade cookies, bottles of wine, scrap books, potted plants, purses, jewelry - ANYTHING GOES! (Again, the host does not have to track down dozens of raffle donations, so no additional work!)

We set up some tables in my sisters dining room for the items, put a plastic cup (lunch bags could be used too) in front of each item with the name listed - this is where your guest put their tickets for the item they want to win.

*Just remember to have your guest write their name on the back of the ticket - that way they do not have to keep track of a bunch of ticket numbers!

*We are able to accept cash, check, OR online payments because we simply pulled up Brooklyn's DU2C page and friends that wanted to use their credit card simply made an online donation for their raffle tickets!

It was a great night of wonderful friends sharing great food, drinks, and laughs -all while raising $535.00 for Team Brooklyn!! I recommend this event to EVERYONE - it was so much fun and little or no money out of pocket to host! If you have ANY questions just email me! kelly@girlpower2cure.org

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2001 visit http://www.girlpower2cure.org/

Pennies for Rett

Pennies add up, that is fure sure! There are LOTS of ways to use these pennies to raise money for your team!

Fundraising Variation 1: A school 'penny war" with the classrooms competing against each other. Jars are placed out side of each classroom at the start of the day and end of the day, with someone monitoring of course. For every penny added to the jar a classroom would receive one point. Every nickel, dime, quarter, added and the class lost points according to the value of the coin. A dollar in the jar and the class lost 100 points. Kids are allowed to place coins and dollars in any jar they want, so they could make a classroom with the most points that day lose points by placing everything but pennies in the jar. Points are posted every day and the money collected in the office at the end of the day where student helpers wrap pennies, nickels, dimes and so forth. At the end of the week, the class with the most points wins a popcorn/movie party. This can be done in elementary schools but for secondary, it works best if the competing classes are all homerooms.

Fundraising Variation 2: A church change war, have the whole congregation bring in their spare change and keep track of it somewhere (maybe 5 gallon water jugs in the back of the sanctuary). Think of a way to get people competing for weight (pennies are better) and/or for amount (dimes are better). Allow people to put in bills, but take them to a bank and get change. Have a huge change counting party. (A goal may be 5 pounds of change per youth, or the ministers weight in change).

Here is a story about Sarah - who used pennies to raise money for her team! The last I checked she and her mom were STILL COUNTING!!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit www.dressup2cure.org

Polar Bear Plunge

Are you willing to “bear” the elements for a good cause? The object of this one is simple. Raise money then plunge into the cold water! The success of these events shows there are plenty of generous (and maybe crazy) people everywhere.

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit www.dressup2cure.org

Pink Flamingo Fundraising!!

Purchase 10 pink plastic flamingos (lawn decorations). Pick 10 yards in your community to be the lucky recipients. Attach cards to the flamingoes' necks with a phone number along with all the pertinent information regarding your DU2C team. State that for a $10 donation, the flamingos will be removed but for $15 they will be moved to the lawn of their choice. Make sure you also place a sign that has a contact name and phone number among the flamingos for those who drive by and would like to have the flamingos placed in a friends yard.

Individuals may also have the opportunity to pay $50 to have the entire flock of 10 flamingos placed in another persons yard! (Also give the option to simply pick up the flamingo gratis, since some people have no sense of fun.) It takes a little organization, but is lots of fun.

An additional fundraising idea is to sell "Pink Flamingo Insurance" for $10 to protect yourself from the invasion of these pink pests.

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit www.dressup2cure.org

Ugly Tie Contest

Allow the children and youth of your church (or could be done in a classroom) to each decorate a man’s neck tie. Use all sorts of tacky things to glue on the ties… buttons, lace, small toys, flowers, etc. Display the ties in a prominent location in your church (or school.) Put a jar, bucket, or box beneath each tie. One quarter equals one vote. The tie which receives the most votes at the end of a month is the winner. The pastor (or teacher/principal) gets to wear the winner.

Bakeless Bake Sale

So, you are thinking of a bake sale to raise money for your team but know that your friends might not have it in them to help you bake enough to really see some profit for your team......then simply send this letter instead: Dear_________, You are invited to NOT bake a cake, pie, cookies, or brownies. You do NOT have to find the recipe. You do NOT have to shop for the ingredients. You do NOT have to mix. You do NOT have to cook. You do NOT have to cut. You do NOT have to wrap. You do NOT have to wash dishes. You do NOT have to clean up your kitchen. You do NOT have to deliver the baked product. You do NOT have to stand in the heat/cold/rain to sell the baked product. You can write a check for $10.00 to Girl Power 2 Cure and stay home and enjoy doing something yourself or with your family! Sincerely, ___________ To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit www.dressup2cure.org

Online Auction

Last year for Team Brooklyn we did an online auction of three items that were donated to us to help us raise funds for Girl Power 2 Cure I did a blog post to tell my readers about our auction and also linked it to our facebook page.

An excerpt from the blog post: Team Brooklyn wants to wrap up our Dress Up 2 Cure fundraiser with a BANG! I have had three amazing individuals donate some items for us to raffle off online to raise money for Team Brooklyn. Below there are three items up for auction: NASCAR tickets, a Lisa Leonard Necklace, and Engraved tiles. They will all be up for auction throughout the next week ~ with the Auction ending on May 4th! Here is how it will work: To bid on an item simply leave a comment underneath the item you would like to bid on that includes your name, email address, and your bid amount!! The person having the highest bid at 3:00PM on Tuesday May 4th wins the item! I will notify the winner via email and payment can be made via the TEAM BROOKLYN page within 24 hours. BUT..... remember to check back because you might get outbid!! GOOD LUCK!

To view the entire blog post and photos of the items click HERE. If you have any questions about hosting an online auction send me an email: kelly@girlpower2cure.org

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2010 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Rollin' For Rett

If you have checked out our Dress Up 2 Cure site then you have probably read about our Rollin' For Rett events! April is the PERFECT month to reach out to your local Roller Derby team because many of them are right in the middle of their season! We have worked with quite a few teams nationwide and have had an absolute BLAST! These ladies are perfect examples of GIRL POWER! We make it easy for you to reach out to your local team:
To find your local team click HERE
For an email you can personalize to send them click HERE
All that is left for you is the FUN and the money that will be raised for your DU2C team!!
If you have any questions send us an email: kelly@girlpower2cure.org
To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Gas Station Attendent

Ask a local gas station to let you pump customers gas and wash their windshields. You can either ask for a donation or a set amount. Since most stations are now self service you will be offering the customers a welcome option. It's a win-win situation. It doesn't cost the station a cent and their customers get premium service. This is a nice fundraiser because you have no upfront cost. The gas stations already have the windshield cleaner, squeegees and paper towels. You just provide warm bodies and elbow grease. It would be great to have your purple cards available to hand out to your donors as well to let them know about Rett Syndrome! We got this fundraising idea from a friend who does this at least twice a year for her child's private school and earns $300 in three hours with just seven people! So, call a few friends, get out there, and raise some money!! To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Donation Containers

This is a straightforward cash collection fundraising at local merchants. Here's what you do: Save old coffee cans and cover them with information about Rett Syndrome as well as the GP2C logo. (we can personalize one of these for you!) Visit your local merchants and ask if you can leave a can at their cash register. For help with personal information for your team email us: kelly@girlpower2cure.org

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Jail-N-Bail

Jail-N-Bail involves a mock jail set up. An off-duty police officer or volunteer “arrests” the unsuspecting participant, serving them with a warrant. He or she is then whisked off to “jail”. When the participants arrive at the jail their "bail" is set by a judge. Telephones and telephone books will be provided to the jailbirds so they can make pledge calls to friends, relatives and co-workers to earn their bail Most incarcerations should be limited to one or two hours as too not take up too much of the jailbirds day! They also can be released early if they choose to pay their fine upfront :) To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Car Bash!!

When someone you know is struggling with Rett Syndrome, it is good to be able to get your aggressions out! What better way than with a Car Bash. Contact a local junk yard, automobile dealer, or auto insurance company to see if they have a car in relatively good condition that they would be willing to donate.
All fluids should be removed from the car as well as other hazardous materials. Allow people to take a swing at the car with a hammer for a donation. Proper safety precautions must be taken such as safety glasses, protective outerwear, and a safe distance maintained by the crowd.
It is always a good idea to have volunteer paramedics on hand in case of emergency and check with your local authorities for permission and other safety tips.

Popcorn Proceeds

Check with your local movie theater to see if they might be willing to donate $1.00 for every popcorn purchase throughout the month of April in honor of Autism Awareness month. Make signs informing customers about the proceeds and Rett Syndrome. We can even personalize fliers for you! Send me and email at kelly@girlpower2cure.org


To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit www.dressup2cure.org

Gold Party!

Hosting a GOLD party is a simple and easy way to raise SERIOUS money for your Dress Up 2 Cure team. At your gold party fundraiser, guests simply bring their old or unwanted jewelry to the party. Professional jewelers will appraise each item and guests receive instant payments. Typically, 10% of all the jewelry purchased will be given to your team at the end of the party! Also, there is the opportunity for your guests to also donate their money back to your team as well! (EVEN BETTER!)
You'll be amazed by how much money you can raise in just one evening by selling old jewelry that guests have had lying around their house for years that they never wear!

50/50 Raffle

Easiest fundraiser EVER is the 50/50 raffle.
You get a roll of raffle tickets from a local party supply shop. (These are the style of tickets that have two sections that both share a unique serial number.)You sell as many tickets to each person as they want, for a fixed fee. Typical fees are $1, $5, or $10 -or some even do "an arms length" for a set price.
You give the participant one half of the ticket and place the other half in a bucket or box. At the end of the event you draw a ticket from the bucket and announce the winner. The prize is the half of the amount collected from ticket sales. Your team would of course receive the other half of the money!
You might even want to see if there is a local sporting event or concert going on that might let you host the 50/50 raffle during their event or check with your office. The options are endless for this one!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Bagger for a day

This easy fundraising idea lets you provide a nice service to your community and raise funds at the same time. Gather up your friends and family then find a busy grocery store that is willing to help your team and pick a busy day of the week.

Print off flyers that explain Rett Syndrome and Girl Power 2 Cure and what you are doing in the store that day. Hand out the flyers to people entering the store. Give your “baggers” a quick lesson on how to properly bag, for example heavy items on the bottom and eggs and bread on the top.

Be sure to have a tip jar at each register. You may want each bagger to wear a name tag with GP2C's name on it or even a GP2C t-shirt! Bag each person’s groceries quickly and with a smile. Offer to push their cart and help to unload them into their car....all proceeds will go directly to your team!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Roller Skating for Rett Syndrome

You have heard of dance-a-thons, walk-a-thons, but here is a REAL fun one....a SKATE-A-THON!

Get in touch with your local roller skating rink and see if they would be willing to stay open a little late one night OR allow you to host your Roller Skating for Rett one Saturday or Sunday all day. Simply get your friends, family, co-workers AND THEIR KIDS to join you! Everyone will get pledges for hours skated. People can donate per each hour you skate or simply make a flat donation to your cause. Either way - it will be your motivation to KEEP ON SKATIN'!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Make your BEST guess!

You will need your best guessing skills for this fundraiser.
This one is very simple to run and requires very little equipment. You will need a large jar or clear box and something to fill it with. (Pick something like jelly beans, gum balls, or m&m's.)
You will also need index cards or slips of paper for name, phone number, and the individuals guess. Set the jar in a public spot (like your local coffee shop) and have someone selling guess slips for a dollar (or maybe any donation amount.) People are welcome to submit as many guesses as they are willing to pay for. Be sure to also have a box for placing guess slips into.
At the end of the month announce the winner and give them the jar of goodies!
*This is also something that can be done in a classroom - where the kiddos get to guess for an opportunity to win!
(JUST REMEMBER TO COUNT THE CANDY AS YOU PUT IT IN THE JAR!!)

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Yard Sale/Garage Sale

Who doesn't have stuff cluttering their attic, basement, or spare room that just isn't used or needed anymore? Clear out the mess and help raise money for Rett Syndrome at the same time......It is time for a GARAGE SALE!!!!
Be sure to post signs letting people know that all proceeds will be donated in honor or your daughter to Girl Power 2 Cure. Maybe even have your Purple cards on hand to share with shoppers - you would not want to waste an excellent education opportunity!
You can even offer simple concessions like cookies and sodas or water for hungry shoppers, and earn a little extra cash!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Workin' at the CAR WASH!

First item of business is to find a place to have the car wash. There needs to be a source of water that you can use. A school, gas station, or church on a busy main road would be a good location. You will need to have all of your own supplies, such as a garden hose, buckets, sponges, towels, and car wash soap.
Pick a date for your car wash, and plan a rain date as well. (Let's face it, a rainy day would completely ruin your car wash.)Make signs for members of your group to hold by the street to bring in the cars. Advertise with flyers, your city’s cable station, and in your local newspapers.
Charge a set amount for a car wash, or simply accept donations. You may earn more by leaving it up to each individual.
Have some small bills on hand in order to make change. Most of all, remember to HAVE FUN......your proceeds will reflect it!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit www.dressup2cure.org

March Madness:Hoops to help!

Every March across the nation our minds turn to one thing MARCH MADNESS!! Basketball fans go nuts rooting for their favorite teams. It's a huge event, right up there with the Super Bowl.
An event like March Madness gives you a theme to work with, and an opportunity to appeal to a group of people who might not otherwise participate in a fund raising event.

Hold a March Madness Party - charge everyone $10 at the door and let the games begin!

Pick a game and have your guests wager on:

• How many three point shots will be made.


• Will there be a technical foul?


• How many times will the cheerleaders be shown on camera?


• Will the team mascots fight during the game?


• Will the coach remove his tie at any point throughout the game


• How may free throws will be made?

You get the idea - make it fun! Encourage each guest to bring their favorite appetizer or dessert to share and that will cut down on cost for you!

Make it a TRUE "Dress Up" event and have everyone come dressed in their "team" colors!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Lia Sophia (or other great products!)

Another great way to raise money if you sell products like Lia Sophia, Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, etc - is to donate your proceeds from a special party to your team - OR ask a friend that might sell products like this to help out your team!


Here is a GREAT example of a party being held by Elizabeth Breden in honor of her daughter Kelly:


April is Autism awareness month and as a mother of a "special" needs child I wanted to honor Kelly in a "special" way. Order any jewelry now until April 15th and I will donate my full commission (30% of all sales) to Girl Power 2 Cure a non profit raising awareness and $ for research to cure Rett Syndrome.

SALE!!! Buy 2 items at full price (the least expensive) and get up to 4 more items at half price (the most expensive piec...es at 1/2 off.) Orders will arrive in time for Mother's Day. What better way to spend that income tax refund then gift giving and helping my beautiful daughter and all those affected by this terrible disorder.

Just go to www.liasophia.com/elizabethbreden click on the words "our jewelry" and type my name (Elizabeth Breden) under hostess info. You can shop until you drop. Email me at bethbreden@yahoo.com with any questions or come by the house on 4/15 to see my sample and have fun and munchies too!

If you'd like to just make a donation in honor Kelly please go to the first giving link at www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/elizabeth-breden Its safe and quick and would make Kelly's heart sing!!



To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Preferred Parking Prize

This is either given by the boss or by someone who has a great parking spot they would donate for a week or longer -- the prize would go to winner of an "essay" competition about why they deserve the spot! (with a $10 entry fee of course!) OR simply auction the space off to the highest bidder!



To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit www.dressup2cure.org

Raffle for Rett

Once a month some friends and I get together for Girls Night Out! For April we are going to make it a Raffle For Rett! Each lady will bring some items to enter in the raffle. Anything goes with an event like this: baked goods, a bottle of wine, gently used items like purses, rings, or dvds, you name it! We raised over $200 for Team Brooklyn last year and had a blast!
The girls buy raffle tickets - $1 each or 10 for $12. Each item has a bag in front of it - the girls simply put their tickets in the bags of the item they are hoping to win and at the end of the night we draw a ticket for each item!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit www.dressup2cure.org

Cup cakes for a cure!

We would like to thank Katie for this GREAT idea!
This is an easy fundraiser to run as part of a larger event, such as a holiday craft sale, or sporting event. You will want to package items individually (single cupcakes) and in larger groups (plates of cupcakes) so that you have something for everyone. Clearly label all items with a price and also mark anything with nuts so you don’t have any allergic reactions.

On the day of the sale, set everything up on a long table. Have a cash box and have at least twenty dollars in small bills and coins for making change. Sell bottled water, soda, or coffee to wash down the yummy goodness!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit www.dressup2cure.org

Lose weight and raise money!

Are you trying to lose weight to benefit your health? Well you might not have heard about such thing as a weight loss fundraiser, but many are using this type of event as the motivation they need to stay on track with their weight loss goals!

You simply set your weight loss goal and your friends, family, and co-workers support your efforts by pledging per pound lost! (ie. they will donate $5 for every pound you lose throughout the month of April)It is a win-win! You lose those unwanted pounds and your team raises money!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Reading For Rett

Another great idea that can be used in schools or with your kiddos at home is "Reading for Rett." A few of my homeschooling friends participated in this last year! The basic idea is that throughout the month of April - each child sets a goal of how many books they will read. They then get people to sponsor them (either per book read or with a flat donation.) All proceeds will go to benefit your team!

For a personalized handout, send me an email kelly@girlpower2cure.org

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Casual For A Cause

We understand that Dressing up silly might not be appropriate for every work place. We do not want anyone to be left out! "Casual For A Cause" might be PERFECT for you! Simply ask your employer to consider hosting a “Jeans Day” or “Casual Day.” All employee’s that participate would make a donation to benefit your DU2C team!
*Click on the photos below to print each flier.


To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/