May is a great month to do a fundraiser for your favorite cause. Whether you choose to do a garage sale, play fundraising games, hold a storefront fundraiser or a walk, there are many worthwhile May awareness month causes you can support. Here’s a list of May awareness month causes and some tips on how to raise money for the one that means the most to you:
May awareness month cause #1: Arthritis
Represented by the dark blue ribbon, arthritis awareness is a cause that, unfortunately, touches many people’s lives. While arthritis isn’t fatal, it can greatly impact the quality of one’s life by limiting movement and causing great physical pain. If you would like to raise money for arthritis awareness, why not try a storefront fundraiser? Get permission from your local supermarket or Walmart and set up a table with a dark blue tablecloth and dark blue ribbon balloons tied to the ends. Set up a jar for donations and give away dark blue silicone bracelets to every person who contributes. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much money you can raise this way! Be sure to let people passing by know that you are collecting money for arthritis awareness and that May is arthritis awareness month. Don’t be shy about sharing why this cause means something to you; other people are bound to relate and will be more likely to make a donation.
May awareness month cause #2: Brain Cancer
The National Brain Tumor Society offers many brain cancer walks that you can participate in. When you walk for brain cancer awareness, be sure to wear a gray ribbon. If you have lost someone to this disease, you can wear a gray ribbon photo pin with their picture to show the reason for your walking. To raise money, ask people to donate and tell them you will wear a gray ribbon photo pin with their loved one’s picture inside during the walk, then give them the pin at the end.
May awareness month cause #3: Asthma
Asthma cases are on the rise, so it’s likely that you will meet many people whose lives have been touched by this disease. Anyone who has had an asthma attack knows how frightening it can be, and would certainly support your fundraising efforts to eradicate this potentially deadly disease. To raise money for asthma awareness and research, try holding a gray ribbon jewelry fundraising party at your home. You can do this easily by ordering a gray ribbon jewelry sampler kit, so your friends and co-workers can see and touch the gray ribbon pins and gray ribbon bracelets for sale. You set the price of the jewelry, so once you cover your cost, you donate the rest to asthma awareness.
The purple ribbon stands for cystic fibrosis awareness. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation holds lots of fundraising efforts during the month of May to combat this devastating disease. Holding a purple ribbon garage sale in your neighborhood is a great way for you to raise money for cystic fibrosis. Hang a purple ribbon banner above your garage door and tie purple ribbon balloons to light posts and telephone poles leading up to your house to create interest and lead the way. Wear a purple ribbon hat and give out purple ribbon stickers to everyone who comes to browse. When people make a purchase, remind them that you are donating all the proceeds from the garage sale to cystic fibrosis awareness; many people will pay a little more, or make an additional donation.
May awareness month ribbon cause #5: Melanoma
Melanoma is a form of skin cancer that is all too common. Sunny May is a good time to remind people of the dangers of melanoma by wearing a black ribbon. The National Melanoma Awareness Project teaches kids in middle school and high school about the signs of melanoma and ways to prevent this disease. Doing a school fundraiser is a great way to raise awareness and funds for this cause. You can sell black ribbon bracelets or black ribbon teddy bears, both popular items with this age group, that will be enjoyed and will serve as a reminder to wear sun block. With tanning in the news and fashionable, it’s important to help young people understand the risks involved. You can do all of this and more with your black ribbon fundraiser from melanoma awareness.
May awareness month ribbon cause #6: Cerebral Palsy
One of the many ways that you can help people with cerebral palsy is to raise awareness and money to find a cure during May, Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. This is an ideal time to get outside and bring your fundraising efforts to the local park. There are many fundraising games that you can play to raise your money. Since cerebral palsy is symbolized by the green ribbon, why not do a green ribbon balloon pop game? Write prizes on small pieces of paper, then fold them up and stuff them inside of green ribbon balloons. Blow them up, then tape them to a green backdrop and let people throw darts on them, to try to break the balloons. If one pops, they get the prize written on the piece of paper – green ribbon lanyards and green ribbon magnets make great prizes! You can also fill a kiddie pool with green ribbon balloons and have people pop them for prizes for a kid-friendly fundraiser.
There are so many good causes, and so many good ways to raise money for your favorites. Best of luck with your May awareness month fundraising!
