Fundraising Toolkit

Did you know that it can cost as little as $240 to provide a surgery for a waiting child? And that surgery can take as little as 45 minutes? That means you can raise $240 to help give a child a whole new life. Or, any amount of money you raise will be used to help a waiting child. So what is your fundraising goal?

One smile. Two smiles. Three or more?

Our Community Volunteer Fundraising Toolkit will provide you with the information, ideas, guidelines and forms so that you can raise funds on behalf of Operation Smile.

Fundraising Checklist:

• Set your fundraising goal
  • How many smiles will you provide?
    
    
• Gather your team
  • Get your friends and family involved. As a team, identify talents and skills that can help your fundraising efforts.
    
    
• Determine how you are going to raise funds
  • Know a chef? Have a bake sale. Know an artist? Hold an art auction. We have more ideas - see our fundraising ideas.
    
    
• Create a plan
  • With your team, set a date for your fundraiser - then create a detailed list of tasks and a timeline. Identify how you will “advertise” your event. Include a budget and list of materials. Assign tasks and due dates.
  • Will you collect all donations online? Create an Operation Smile OneSmile fundraising web page to document, promote and track your fundraising efforts.
    
    
• We can help!
  • Alert our Donor Relations Team of your plans.
  • Review our fundraising guidelines.
  • Some fundraising activities may require a Volunteer Fundraising Agreement.
  • Call 888-677-6453, Monday - Saturday 8:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. EST, Sunday 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST for assistance.
    
    
• Get started
  • Take care of your tasks, then follow up and support your team. 
  • Use the resources in the About Us section of our website, particularly the FAQ’s about cleft lip and cleft palate and our fact sheet.
  • Want to use our logo? Permission is required. You’ll need a Volunteer Fundraising Agreement – Please contact us to arrange this.
  • Take advantage of free websites such as evite.com to promote your activities and invite people to your event.
  • Share what you are doing on your social networks or blog, and ping Operation Smile on Twitter and/or Facebook to let us know about your event so we can help you promote it. 
    
    
• Track contributions
  • Use our Community Fundraiser Tracking Form to follow progress towards your goal.
  • Make sure you follow our fundraising guidelines when fundraising on behalf of Operation Smile so you and your donors receive tax receipts and acknowledgements.
    
    
• Double your donation
  • Reach out to local businesses and sponsors who may match your contributions to double your fundraising efforts.
    
    
• Send your contributions to Operation Smile
  • Submit your donation with a community fundraiser revenue form.
    
    
• Share your success
  • Thank your donors, volunteers and sponsors.
  • Share your story with us – we want to hear about your activities.
  • Share photos and the story of your fundraiser – you could be featured in a future donor story on our website.
  • Share your success on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or your blog.

Still have questions? Please contact us online or call 888-677-6453, Monday - Saturday 8:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. EST, Sunday 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST.