Fundraising is so easy, even a kid can do it

I walked into the room, up to my eyeballs in polar bear facts, when I saw the group of 80 or so pocket-sized, eager-eyed children. When I agreed to give a presentation on polar bears to the students at Kendalwood Montessori in Whitby, Ontario, I was under the impression that the audience would be an average of ten years old. Boy did I have my lion’s crossed (Lion King quote – those kids rub off on you!). These kids were tiny, ranging from two years old to about six.
Right away I cut out my facts about bear metabolism and the complicated Arctic food chain. I was thinking, ‘These kids are adorable, but are they even going to pay attention?’ Well, it seems the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” came back to bite me this cold January morning. The kids ate up my presentation like the rice crispy treats they were actually eating – even the parts I thought they’d find too complicated!  They had countless questions about the bears, their northern home, and what they could do to help. I was blown away by their enthusiasm. They asked the obvious questions like ‘how big is a polar bear?’ and ‘what do they eat?’, but our conversation was mostly focused on how they could make a difference.
I left the kids an hour later than planned with a warm fuzzy feeling, sure that I had instilled some sort of environmental awareness in each of them. Confident that all of them would grow up to be conservationists! Now, maybe that won’t be the case, but I opened my email later to find that the kids were going to hold a bake sale for the polar bears.  And that they did!  These children, young as they were, came up with the idea, baked goodies themselves, and sold them to raise $200 for WWF’s Arctic work.
Why am I telling you this story? Beside the fact that it’s adorable, I found it incredibly motivating that even kindergarteners can raise funds for an issue they care about. If they can do it, can’t anyone? Just find something you’re passionate about (e.g. WWF’s Arctic work) and use your event to raise awareness for the challenges, as well as funds to help support the solutions. A workplace fundraiser is a great way to get your fellow employees engaged in a meaningful way! While you and your coworkers might not be as adorable as “my” kids were, your charm and passion are certain to win you support.

© Paul Nicklen / National Geographic Stock / WWF-Canada
Here are some ideas for a good “polar bear” campaign at work:
Adopt a family of polar bears: Offer up a month’s worth of Jeans Day/Casual Day privileges for a $25 donation. Collect all proceeds to adopt a family of polar bears.
 
Polar Bear Plunge: Challenge your fellow employees to raise a minimum donation and take an icy dip in support of WWF’s work with polar bears.
Keep a Polar Bear Cool: Sell $4 tickets (including popcorn!) to a movie screening in a large conference room. Show a polar-bear inspired film like To the Arctic and direct all proceeds toward one of WWF’s unique virtual gifts.