Get Involved - Fun Ideas

Get Involved - Fun Ideas

Become a Regular Donor – Did you know that many relief organizations function with financial stability because many people become regular donors, giving $10, $25, $50, $100 a month or more? A regular donation is our bread and butter, and helps us plan and keep our budget. Would you consider joining our support team by giving every month? [Become a donor]

Host a Uganda Bead Necklace Sale – It’s simple! We send you a sale kit with everything you need. You host an event at your church, club, youth group, school, office or even your local farmer’s market. You return the remaining inventory with the proceeds when it’s all over. No fuss, no risk. The beaded jewelry practically sells itself because it’s inexpensive, a great gift idea, and people love supporting widows and orphans.

The Nelson twins organized a sale at their local high school and also took necklaces to all the grade school teachers’ lounges. In a week they collected $2,000 in proceeds.

Terry Macy hosted a sale at her church in central Oregon and raised nearly a $1,000 in one sitting. The beads were so popular, she hosted a second event.

Recording artist Jimmy Needham and his wife Kelly sold beaded necklaces on their concert tours. You can too! This is a fun way to get involved.

Alternative Christmas – It wasn’t our idea…One year Phil and Cindy Bruckner of Bozeman, Montana contacted their extended family…fathers, mothers, aunts, cousins, brothers, sisters, grandparents and more. Together they donated all the money they would have spent on Christmas presents that year. The sum total was enough to build an entire orphanage! Many Americans feel they have enough stuff, plenty of toys, and even worry that their kids are getting too many presents at Christmas. Here’s an alternative that might make a very special Christmas!

A Cross-country Bike Ride – In the summer of 2007, Stefanie Marshall and Jim Savage offered to ride their bikes several thousand miles across America’s heartland to raise money and awareness for orphans in Africa. Stefanie had personally traveled to Uganda to see our projects. She said, “UOF is making a huge difference in the lives of hundreds of children and we want to do all we can to support their vision. After much thought and soul searching, Jim and I feel led to put our love of cycling and our faith in God to the test in order to spread the word: these children need us!” They successfully gained the support of many sponsors and raised around $10,000 for the fund. They are now Mr. and Mrs. Jim Savage! You too can sponsor a sporting event to raise funds for orphans.

A Restaurant Owner with a Huge Heart – I-ho Pomeroy is a Korean chef and business owner in Bozeman Montana. She decided to use her skill and resources to host a fundraiser lunch one Sunday for UOF. I-ho’s Korean Grill is already a popular restaurant, but that Sunday, a waiting line trailed down the sidewalk outside the Grill. The lunch was free to customers, with the idea that donations could be given to Uganda Orphans Fund. Other businesses got in on the act including radio announcers on three different stations, two grocery stores, a printing shop and several churches. Her servers and cooks worked very hard, and when it was all said and done, they raised $6,039.37!!

Kids Helping Kids – Duncan Hill spoke about the orphan situation to kids in all grades at Manhattan Christian School. Many of these kids struck up a pen-pal relationship with the African kids in Kasozi Village, UOF main orphan project. But the MCS kids wanted to do more than exchange letters. So they started raising money to buy a herd of goats for the orphan village. They went all out and raised $4,000! One seven-year-old boy opened his piggy bank and gave every penny of his hard-earned savings. The funds were ample enough to buy a huge herd of goats with money leftover for fencing. They even bought a cow for milk.

Make up a creative fundraiser of your own
Here’s a few to get you started….

Farmers Market Fundraisers - Sell something homemade at your local market and give some of the proceeds to Uganda Orphans Fund. Make Red Bull popsicles or apricot jam or sell produce from your garden. Our beaded necklaces do very well at this type of market. Get your kids involved to enlarge their worldview and learn the joy of giving.

Work Place Fundraisers - Plan a Brown Bag Lunch Swap – Each employee brings an extra special brown bag lunch. Employees bid on the lunch they want with all proceeds going to the cause. Everyone gets a great lunch!

Have an In-house Auction. Invite employees to donate something personal. For example, First Bank Bozeman (U.S. Bank) did this kind of fundraiser. Each employee and department came up with ideas for ways they could put something in the auction. The staff in the commercial loan department offered to do fall cleanup in anyone’s yard. The vice president of retail loans offered to work anyone’s job for a day. That was a popular item! The bank president offered to row his drift boat, for a day long fishing trip down the Madison River, which included a gourmet lunch. Duncan Hill bid on that one and got it! One teller made a fabulous chocolate cake. A loan officer bought the cake at the auction. Afterwards, 15 tellers pooled their money to buy it back from the officer, and then sold bites of the cake for $1 to customers. All told, that one cake produced several hundred dollars. The auction itself brought a great sense of community among the employees. This bank only had 100 employees, but together they raised $11,000. Would your business or workplace take up a cause like this for our orphans?