It’s great to know we have the leaders to make it happen, but what about having a fundraiser of your own? What if you want to put together an event for a good cause, have fun doing it but aren’t sure where to start?

Well, I’m glad you asked.

• The first step in organizing a fundraiser is defining your goals. You need to have a purpose that everyone can support. The more specific you are, the better your energy will be spent and the better the results. Ask yourself questions such as “why do you need the money?” or “how much money do you need?” or “who can we help?”

• When deciding your fundraiser event, keep in mind the income level of your community, what events have worked in the past and something that can target a wide ranging age group.

• Next, build your team. Designate a few people to guide the event and then assign ownership of different tasks that need to be done. Don’t fall into the trap of doing everything yourself. Let those guiding the event trust those responsible for getting each task completed, giving them goals and deadlines.

• With your goals defined, event selected and team organized, you can then discuss the all important budget. This will ultimately determine where your event will be and how many people you need to attend. Most importantly, select a prize or prizes that you can give at the end of your event, which is a big “Thank You!” to everyone that participated, making it fun and generating excitement.

It’s recommended the above steps should be completed about 6 months prior to your event. This should give you enough time to build a strong foundation for your fundraiser.

• With the budget determined, you need to then select your event location. It’s best to have at least 5 options and visit each one, thoroughly discussing who we are and what we do, but also their level of sponsorship. Have your fundraiser selected at least two months prior to the event.

• This is also the time to start marketing your fundraiser. With the heavy lifting done regarding budget, team roles, event selection, etc, your team can now focus its energies on spreading the word. This means creating flyers, sending emails to your friends and community (do not spam) and posting the event online. Continue to market until the final day before your fundraiser, even if you exceed your participant goals. Some people may not show up.

Never underestimate the power of online marketing. We almost doubled our total turnout for the bowling fundraiser in the last week by posting a blog and with reminders on Facebook and Twitter at no expense.

Finally, as the fundraiser approaches, assign your team to handle specific tasks during the event, such as checking in your guests, taking pictures, setting up tables and chairs, decorations, etc. If you need more help, make sure to find interested volunteers within your community to participate.

This is a general outline on how to host a fundraiser but there is plenty of good information online as well. Your best resource, however, is Sikhcess. If you have an idea for a fundraiser or want to organize an event, make sure to let us know. We have the experience to help guide you through any event and can help get the word out to make it successful. If you’re interested, we can email you a copy of the outline we used for the Strike for Success Fundraiser a few weeks ago.

We want to see all our regions feel empowered to do what they can for their community, from fundraisers to volunteer services to feeding the homeless. Let us know if there’s anything we can do, to help get you started: to having fun and also giving back!

By Amardeep Singh Rehal

Kevin Saini won the bowling competition so we’d like to give him a big congrats! Overall, everyone had a good time. Pizza was served, strikes were bowled and most of all, everyone got to meet the people behind Sikhcess and those that support it. It was a great way to mix and mingle in a fun atmosphere to raise money for a worthwhile cause.

Following are some of the photos from the event, but to see them all, please visit us on Facebook!

Kevin Hundal reminding us that “you are the change.” Thanks Kevin!

Guests check in and get ready to bowl.

This team is all about team work!

Party time with the neon lights!

After all that bowling, it was time to eat some pizza!

Definitely having a good time!

Amit Singh hanging out with Kevin Hundal

By Amardeep Singh Rehal

]]> http://www.sikhcess.org/strike-for-sikhcess-a-success/feed/ 3 http://www.sikhcess.org/strike-for-sikhcess-bowling-fundraiser-this-saturday/ http://www.sikhcess.org/strike-for-sikhcess-bowling-fundraiser-this-saturday/#comments Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:58:42 +0000 Amardeep http://www.sikhcess.org/?p=1381 Don’t forget, Sikhcess’s Chicago region is hosting a bowling fundraiser this Saturday, February 6! We appreciate everyone who has committed so far, but there’s definitely room for more! If you think any of your friends or family might be interested, please let them know and pass the word!

So come out and join us for a fun night of friends, food, fun and bowling. We can make the world a better place, one pin at a time!

Please stop by here for more details.

Also, we’d like to mention that this event is a great example of our city executives creating a fundraiser working with their community and Sikhcess volunteers. You too should feel empowered to do the same thing in your cities as well! If you need any guidance on how to start a fundraiser or have any questions, please let us know!

By Amardeep Singh Rehal

Volunteers will help prepare the nutritious meals by assembling them into food packages. Packages will contain a Veggie Sandwiches, Peanut-Butter Jelly Sandwiches, Granola Bars, Bananas, Potato Chips and Bottles of Water.

Volunteers will help cut up veggies on Friday night and prepare the packages on Saturday morning. The packages will then be delivered.

How you can help:
• We are looking for volunteers to help out on Friday night at 5:00 PM to help cut the veggies and prepare them for the morning.
• Saturday morning at 8:00 AM we will need volunteers to help prepare the wraps and packages.
• Once the packages are ready, we will need drivers (around 9:30 AM) to help deliver the meals to homeless on the streets and to shelters in the Bay Area.
• If you can not make it to the event, you can always donate at the location or online! For donations on site, please call 909.262.8730. For online donations, please visit www.sikhcess.org/about/donate.

We need YOU to come and volunteer some time!

Project Description: Sikhcess serves thousands of freshly prepared, delicious, and healthy food packages to the needy in cities across the world. Each city is responsible for creating and serving a vegetarian menu that fits their community’s unique needs.

This effort starts with volunteers arriving early in the morning to cook individualized meals. Throughout the day, volunteers help package the tasty and nutritious meals by assembling them into food packages. Packages contain healthy, freshly prepared vegetarian entrees, bottles of water or boxes of fruit juice, granola bars, and other desserts. Once ready, these packages are distributed to the needy on streets and in shelters.

Every month, the homeless and needy take delivery of these food packages. In exchange, Sikhcess™ volunteers receive countless hugs, smiles, and a heart-felt “thank you”, many times over.

I thought about a leader who began a purposeful movement to dissolve racial divides and ensure equal rights and opportunities for all of the world’s citizens. The movement initiated by Martin Luther King Jr. continues today, fueled by the enduring compassion and commitment of leaders in all of our communities.

As a Sikhcess volunteer, I have had the unique privilege to serve alongside some of those leaders who draw from the inspiration of visionaries such as Martin Luther King Jr. and are actively shaping a wave of change that transcends cultural, religious, and economic divides.  During Sacramento’s Feed the Homeless campaign in April 2008, over fifty volunteers from diverse college campuses, congregations, and communities converged at the West Sacramento Sikh Temple.  These leaders (of all ages!) came from all walks of life, but brought with them a shared vision of creating a better world and a shared enthusiasm for serving their community. The result was truly incredible. In just two days, 1,300 meals were prepared and delivered to the Sacramento homeless and hungry.

Since the April Feed the Homeless campaign, Sikhcess volunteers in Sacramento have joined together over and over again to give back to their community—during Operation Backpack in July to provide children in need with backpacks and school supplies, during the Community Clean-up in September to clean and revitalize a community park, and during yet another Feed the Homeless pledge last November.

For me, Sikhcess has become an example of what can be achieved when a group of like-minded individuals come together to make a positive impact on their communities, and I consider myself extraordinarily lucky to be a part of it.

What I have learned from leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and the leaders in my own community is that the ones that have the most impact—the ones that tear down barriers and create social change—are those who immerse themselves in the world. They are the ones who engage themselves in their communities and create lasting bonds with the people whom they serve.  They are the ones who transform differences into an open dialogue of ideas, beliefs, and opportunities. We too can also become these leaders learning from their selfless actions and community commitment.

Please feel free to share your thoughts on community and diversity as we reflect on Martin Luther King Jr.

By Deep K. Jodhka

Sikhcess™ Detroit and RB1 are teaming up to raise school supplies for students from inner-city Detroit, Monday January 18 through to Friday, January 22, 2010.

Please join our cause and help equip Detroit children in need with the tools to succeed.  Every donation counts!

What to Donate:
pens
pencils
crayons
notebooks
folders
backpacks
erasers
markers
organizers
reading books
textbooks

Old reading books / textbooks / backpacks are welcomed

Anyone interested in tutoring with Sikhcess STARS this semester please email us at detroit@sikhcess.org!

You will be helping kids improve basic reading, math, and analytical skills.  If you need community service, this is a way to fill that requirement and you’ll be making a difference in a child’s life!

We work with inner city students across Metro-Detroit, the United States, and have recently gone international, too!

How you can help:
• We are looking for volunteers to be a mentor / role model / teacher to at-risk inner-city youth with poor educational opportunity.
• Volunteers work with one or more students each week to teach basic reading, math, and analytical skills.
• Volunteers also participate in developing and leading exciting lesson plans including science, history, and current events to bring greater visibility and global awareness to students.
• If you cannot make it to the event or volunteer your time, you can always donate online!  For online donations, please visit www.sikhcess.org/about/donate.

We need YOU to come and volunteer some time!

On Sunday, November 22nd, The Detroit Medical Center (DMC) and Detroit Public Schools (DPS) helped serve a wonderful Thanksgiving meal with special-care packages for guests at the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries’ (DRMM) Oasis shelter. Residents from Sinai-Grace Hospital and Adult Education Students put on their aprons, gloves, and hairnets and got down to cooking!

Sikhcess was responsible in bringing this event together for 3rd straight year. Sikhcess has been giving “thanks” to the city of Detroit since the inception of the organization. In 2007, Sikhcess collected over 3,000 clothing items and prepared over 10,000 food packages to give to various shelters and to people who live on the street – providing warmth and healthy, nutritious food to those who are less fortunate. The Detroit Rescue Mission, and other similar shelters have their own challenges, and so historically, Sikhcess has worked to lighten that burden. This has been done this by introducing brand new people to volunteer to work with, and at the shelters, where campaign names like “Bundles of Warmth”, “Packages of Love”, and “Feed the Homeless” are recognized in across the city as being identified with a movement of service called “Sikhcess”.

This past event took on a different outlook as volunteers came together to help shop for, cook up, and serve a warm Thanksgiving meal to the Oasis Shelter residents and guests. The Detroit Medical Center helped donate the supplies as Students from Detroit Public Schools lead the service operations. The Oasis’s regular staff was pleased to see such a huge turnout of nearly 40 volunteers!

In the spirit of thanks, 15 children gathered the night before to organize and assemble 400 ‘Packages of Love’, made up of bars of soap, towels, toothbrushes, toothpaste, hand sanitizer, and a lot of love to distribute to the homeless and needy in the City of Detroit. Taking extra time, they hand-packaged each carefully to make sure that those who were served felt their radiating love inside each bag. The kids felt great to be involved to help people, and had a lot of fun too!

At the end of the day, it felt magical to witness such a remarkable showing of giving. Sikhcess has such a strong connection with the city of Detroit. The reason is that in every instance, our volunteers do their best to help educate the citizens at this, and other shelters – and people recognize and appreciate that. As a resident of the Metro-Detroit area and proud child of the ‘D’, I had always thought of giving back, and Sikhcess offers me, and so many others around the world a chance to do just that in an effortless manner.

Watch the kids in action below!

Written by Kartav Patel.

Can’t wait to see you there!

Agenda:

1 – broad based intro to Sikhcess

2 – value assessment

3 – program information

4 – development initiatives

5 – Sikhcess mentoring

6 – Canadian operations – outreach / marketing / development – expansion of Canada – Hardeep to present building blocks and development of new cities

7 – Q&A

8 – Sikhcess Stars – special two hour training