Connecting Schools With Great Fundraising Ideas.

Maybe my thumbs are too slow. Or too big. But, for the life of me, I have never been able to become proficient at text-messaging on a cell phone. It takes me a half an hour just to enter in a new contact.

I realize that this makes me incredibly lame, but even though I’m pretty awful at this activity, it’s not that I don’t appreciate it. Because I do. I’m quite impressed by the folks who excel at this. Back in April of 2007, a 13 year-old girl named Morgan Pozgar became the first-ever National Texting Champion and won $25,000 for being able to send a 151 character message in 42 seconds. Amazing. After winning the prize, Morgan reported that she sends over 4,000 text messages per month! That works out to over eight messages every waking hour of the month.

Anyway, the point is, texting has arrived.

So, I was understandably intrigued when I recently learned about an upcoming fundraiser to be held in New Jersey that was using cell phone text messaging as the main hook for raising $100,000. The one-day event is scheduled for February 28, 2008. (There is a great article on the plan here.) The beneficiary for this event is a brain trauma center, not a school, but I think the steps could easily be transferred to a school setting.

The event is called “Text for 10”, and it works like this: The group has recruited 1,000 teens and ‘tweens to form 100 teams of 10 people each. Each individual has promised to be responsible for getting 10 pledges of at least $10. Basically it is 1,000 people getting $100 for a total of $100,000. Possibly more.

At exactly 6:00pm on February 28, all the 1,000 team members will simultaneously text in the pledges they received for donations. Then on “Bank Day”, which is March 5, the captains of each team will deliver the money to a secure bank location.

The organizer of the event realizes that this is basically a variation on the old walk-a-thon event, but she is updating it for today’s youth, for many of whom texting is a part of everyday life. She is using the hook of text messaging as a way to access a segment of the population who might not otherwise get involved for a fundraising event.

She is also using the novelty of the event to her advantage with public relations. There have been teams of recruits form, just because they heard about it locally.

As of this post, there are still a few weeks until the texting party begins. I’m guessing that teams have already been formed and are now busy lining up support. Sometime after the conclusion of this fundraiser, I will re-visit this event and share with you how they did.

Stay tuned!

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