Matt Faruolo lives in Colorado and has two nephews with Fragile X syndrome. He wanted to do something to raise awareness about Fragile X, so he decided to host a weeklong fundraising event at work.
Matt shared how he did it so we could share it with you!
Matt’s Recipe for a Successful Workplace Fundraiser
Matt works at EN Engineering. When he decided to hold the fundraiser, he had banners made and placed throughout the building, starting with the front entrance lobby. ↓
He also hung banners from the ceiling throughout the office. Placing them nice and high sure makes them hard to miss! ↓
Next, Matt filled NFXF balloons with helium to draw attention to his desk, which also served as the donation station. ↓
In addition to the banners, Matt created a flyer and emailed it to his coworkers to publicize the weeklong event, and to explain what Fragile X syndrome is and why it’s important to help. He also provided everyone with different ways to contribute: online at https://give.fragilex.org/ENE, by check, cash, or via PayPal, Venmo, or Google Pay.
EN Engineering and its Denver Community Involvement Committee also encouraged support of the fundraising drive, which helped generate more buzz and excitement. ↓
Matt also went the extra mile and made a promise to donors that proved too good to pass up. From the flyer:
As a thank you gift for your donation, please help yourself to an ice cream sandwich when you donate $5. If you choose to donate $10 or more, your gift will also include a homemade cookie or Fragile X awareness wristband. There will also be informational brochures on Fragile X syndrome and other merchandise for you to keep.
We bet a lot of donations started with a casual look in the freezer. ↓
Before you ask us where to get a Fragile X cookie cutter: EN is an engineering company, so they created the cookie-cutter themselves using a 3D printer! They even added sprinkles for the different colors of our logo. Sweet. ↓
Everyone had access to informational flyers and other awareness materials, and $10 or more donors could choose between a cookie or Fragile X awareness wristband. ↓
And as a final THANK YOU to donors, and so they could help spread awareness, donors were given “I donated!” stickers. ↓
So, Was it a Success?
As Matt told us (and we wholeheartedly agree!), “Our corporate fundraiser for Fragile X syndrome was a huge success!”
In all they raised more than $1,000—$759 from office donations, and another $250 corporate donation from EN Engineering.
What We Learned About Workplace Fundraisers
Decorate and hang banners everywhere you can (ask first!).
If printed banners aren’t in your plans, ask if it’s OK to use the office printers to print out signs on regular letter or legal size paper.
Set up a donation station.
Place it at or near where you sit or work and call attention to it with balloons like Matt did, or try streamers or other colorful decorations.
Be prepared to answer questions about Fragile X.
Our Fragile X 101 ebook is a great source to keep on hand.
Create an email.
Include all the information and send it out to everyone to announce the fundraiser before it starts and again on the day it starts. You could also send additional reminders during the drive, but use your discretion on the number of emails that will work without becoming annoying.
Set up a fundraising page.
These are easy to set up online, and you can point donors to it for more information and to make a donation for anyone who’d like to use a credit card. Visit Anything for Fragile X to set up your fundraising page.
Print out enough donation forms.
Keep these on hand for check or cash donations. You can access our forms here.
Sell something.
Matt “sold” cookies and ice cream sandwiches. He made it fun for everyone. Note that we’re not suggesting to trade or offer something in exchange for a donation. If that works, great, but in general, donors don’t respond to being rewarded for making a donation. They want to make donations because they care about a cause or issue.
Do something.
Tell your coworkers you’ll do a job that no one likes to for a week. Or tie it to a dollar goal: For every $100, you’ll make the next few (or 10 or 20) coffee runs.
And don’t forget the stickers.
One person walking around with a sticker will be seen by 20 more people. Multiply by that by two, then three …
If you have more ideas, we’d love to hear them!
Thank you Matt for for all your hard work and for sharing your experience with us And thank you to EN Engineering for hosting the fundraiser, and to EN and its employees who chipped in to make Matt’s fundraiser everything he hoped it would be, and for helping the National Fragile X Foundation in our mission to provide unwavering support for every family affected by Fragile X.
For information about how NFXF can assist you with awareness materials, printable logos, or just to brainstorm fundraising ideas, please reach out to Kristin Bogart at kristin@fragilex.org.
