It’s almost Feb. 25, the day your Dance Marathon money is due in full. Does the thought of this deadline fill you with dread? Still missing a crucial chunk of the money you need to dance your heart out for 30 hours? Here are some creative ways to get that last bit of cash.
1. Use Your Talents
Can you knit? Offer to make some warm scarves, hats or even gloves if you are really proficient with your needles. People will appreciate your talent as well as how warm they feel despite the 20 degrees below zero wind chill. Good at taking pictures? Set up photo sessions for fellow students. They’ll get an amazing head shot for their next internship application while you can get a little closer to your 30-hour marathon on the dance floor.
2. Post embarrassing pictures of yourself
This one’s a little out of the ordinary but very effective. Everyone has some collection of photos they’d rather not let the world see. But if letting your friends and family laugh at your hardcore High School Musical stage means you can pay your way to Dance Marathon, there should be no stopping you. Just make sure you get the money before you post anything – there are a lot of people who might be happy to see your embarrassing photos for free.
3. Bake cookies/pizza/brownies
Take a leaf out of the the typical fundraising practice, but make it a little more personal. Obviously avoid making your uncle’s labor-intensive macaron recipe or the super-health smoothie with ingredient names you can’t pronounce. Instead, bake those special almond cookies or your grandma’s famous pasta. If you don’t skimp on the servings, many a fellow classmate would be more than happy to pay a premium to enjoy delicious food without having to walk to Evanston.
4. Singing grams
Offer to send singing grams to your friends’ friends. You don’t necessarily to have a voice of gold – if the message is heartfelt, it will ring through. Just practice some of the standards: “Seasons of Love,” or maybe “You are My Sunshine” or even “You Make Me Feel So Young.” Don’t feel the need to get too fancy, and remember, at the very least the sender should get a kick out of the song. Persuade a friend to perform with you if you have anxieties about singing outside of the shower.
5. Make someone’s day
Perhaps the best method of fundraising, this idea does not necessarily require you to have friends or talents. Just think of those silly “coupons” you may have given your mother when you were younger in place of a birthday present. You can bring a busy student some takeout for a reasonable delivery charge or chauffeur someone to a party if you own a car. Volunteer to clean someone’s dishes or do their laundry if you are living in a residential hall.
Should none of these ideas float your boat, put your own creative spin on a fundraising idea! If all else fails, you can always try making a desperate plea to your relatives. Who knows, they might appreciate some of the above ideas for fundraising, even if your friends don’t. Good luck fundraising!