With the half money deadline already behind us, it’s easy to say that DM season at Northwestern has officially begun. Things are being sold across campus, Evanston is littered with canning students on the weekends, and Facebook statuses offering desperate pleas for the last few dollars abound. Fundraising the minimum $400 required in order to enter the tent when Dance Marathon officially begins is a challenge undertaken by over 1,000 Northwestern students each year so they can check DM off their “bucket list,” support two phenomenal beneficiaries, and feel part of something much larger than themselves. Here are some tips to help collegiettes struggling to raise their funds to make the $400 mark and contribute their part to the final total:
- Offer manicures to your friends for a low price. By offering to do your friends’ nails for only $5 or so, you’re saving them money they’d be spending at the salon and can easily rack up $20-$30 in a short period of time .
- Make food and sell it! Everyone wants homemade cookies or brownies, so why not put those dorm kitchens to use and make some money from your friends’ cravings!
- Brave the cold and can. It’s winter quarter and it’s freezing, but canning is an easy and fun way to make a huge amount of money—sometimes even close to $100 an hour. Check out that yellow bib and grab a can at Norris and head out onto the streets for designated canning at basketball games, in Evanston, and in Skokie! Upcoming dates include 2/9 and 3/2 in Evanston, 2/16 in Skokie, and 2/23 in Chicago!
- Write letters. Parents, families, and friends from home tend to get excited about DM because it’s fairly well-known and something that sounds like a huge undertaking. Use the template at www.nudm.org/dancers/fundraising, or write your own letter and send it out. By pulling at their heartstrings and talking about how long thirty hours really is, you’re sure to rack in at least a few donations by the deadline.
- Use your skills! Make friendship bracelets, knit scarves, offer to do or fold people’s laundry, and charge them a nominal fee. Suddenly, a $3 load of laundry will turn into several, and the donations will start to pour in.
With these simple tips (and more found at the URL above), fundraising $400 will be a piece of cake. Good luck, dancers!