a community of practitioners

Fundraising Help

I am doing a thesis for the massage program I am in, and I'm going to be working on a person who lives in a different state than I do. I'm planning on having a fund raiser to help offset the costs of this project. I have never done this, and I have a few ideas. I was wondering if anyone here has done any fundraisers, and how you go about it, and some fun suggestions for how to raise money and get people to come.

Thanks!!

Ginger Stamper

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Laura Allen on June 2, 2011 at 4:15am

First a word of advice to check the practice act in your state and to clarify with your board if it is okay to do so. In my state, students (and anyone who doesn't yet have their license) are prohibited from accepting ANY compensation, even if it is going to be used for charitable purposes.

If it turns out that it is okay for you to receive it: if this person has some condition that is unusual enough that you are going to another state to work on them instead of choosing someone in your area, you might approach a non-profit (almost every condition in the world has one--like the Scleroderma Foundation, for example). If they don't have an extremely unusual condition, people are more apt to support something or somebody that is in their own community.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ginger Stamper on June 2, 2011 at 10:37am

Laura,

Thank you for your reply. I guess I should have been more clear. I am a Certified Massage Therapist, and I am an apprentice in an ecclectic shiatsu program (to keep the description simple). My final project is this thesis, and I am working with an old friend who was severely injured in a car accident a few years ago. I'm going to be using several components of the modality to assist this friend with his healing. I worked with him a little when I was on vacation there, and am looking forward to continuing.

Thanks,

Ginger

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Laura Allen on June 2, 2011 at 7:06pm

Woops! I'm about to start a case study myself on a friend who got his arm chewed up in a piece of factory machinery. Fortunately he can come to me. But in years gone by, I received a community service grant from my state chapter of AMTA to offset travel expenses. I was working with people in comas and persistent vegetative states--who obviously couldn't come to me. I applied for the grant and got it. If you are a member of AMTA, you could apply for one. I belong to both AMTA and ABMP.

It might be the best strategy to hold the fundraiser in his neck of the woods where people know him. One thing that always works good around here is the old-fashioned benefit, usually held in a community building or church fellowship hall, with food and music. People donate the food, volunteers cook it, and musicians volunteer to play. I usually participate in several in a year's time. The food tend to have a theme---the Poor Man's Supper is pinto beans, cornbread, turnip greens, onions, chow-chow, and potatoes of some variety. And homemade desserts. They'll sell the plates for $7 or donations. People donate desserts. A couple of months ago I played at one that was burgers and hot dogs, chips and homemade desserts, all donated and no set price for it, just donations, and we raised over $2,000. People love food and music!

Another thing that I have done in the past when I was fundraising for our homeless shelter is to raffle off a year's worth of massage (12). Sell the tickets for a dollar or six for five dollars. The clencher to that one is that I donate my massage (or pay my staff members to do it) and I give the money to the shelter as my own donation, so that would obligate you to give the winner the massage, but you could raise a lot of money that way. I have.