Host Your Own Fundraiser Kit

Here’s what the money you raise can do for our students:

$25 $50

Gives one student a music lesson every week for an entire year!

Provides ten sets of drumsticks to a classroom!

$100

Puts a new guitar in the hands of a student!

$500

Sends a PA system and a microphone to a classroom!

$2,500

Provides a year of music lessons to 100 students!

$5,000

Trains 30 public school teachers to lead engaging music programs!

HELLO! Thank you for your interest in Little Kids Rock! We are excited to work with you in planning a great fundraising event. Funds raised from third party events have helped over 10,000 students in the past year receive the gift of music! Little Kids Rock transforms lives by restoring, expanding, and innovating music education in our schools. That is the mission of Little Kids Rock, and since 2002, we have given more than 500,000 under-served schoolchildren across the U.S. access to fun, engaging, Modern Band music classes and brand new instruments at no cost to the students, teachers, or school districts. Little Kids Rock trains public school teachers and donates all of the instruments, curricular resources and support they need to ensure that their kids receive the right to rock! What makes Little Kids Rock different is that they do more than just donate instruments like guitars, drums and keyboards; they build lasting music programs that focus on teaching kids to perform, improvise and compose the popular music genres that they already know and love, like rock, pop, blues, hip-hop, country, reggae and R&B. We accomplish this by: • • •

Restoring weekly music education classes to K-12 students in public schools that have been stripped of their music programs. Expanding music programs delivered to students by training teachers to offer classes utilizing our Modern Band methods and materials. Innovating teaching methods that are rooted in children’s knowledge of popular music forms such as rock, pop, blues, hip-hop, country, reggae and R&B.

Here's some materials to help you get started: • • • • •

A one page list of donation statistics from Little Kids Rock A link to our online application for third party events A list of interesting ideas for your fundraiser Tips for running an event A form to request additional items to use at your fundraiser

Should you have any questions, please contact Caitlin Christensen, Events Coordinator at [email protected], 973-746-8248, ext. 170. We are happy to help. Thank you again for your support, you rock! Your Fans, The Little Kids Rock Team

CREATIVE IDEAS FOR YOUR FUNDRAISER Need some inspiration? We collaborate with a variety of groups every year. One great example is our recent event with WFUV, a local radio station that holds an annual membership drive. Here's what their organizer had to say about her experience partnering with Little Kids Rock:

"We love partnering with Little Kids Rock for our year end campaign. Our donors are music lovers so the mission of Little Kids Rock really resonates with them. Most people happily added an extra $5 for the program. And LKR is a pleasure to work with, they provide plenty of info, images and video to help us tell the story." - Cara Tobin, WFUV Check out this list of some entertaining ways you can help raise funds for Little Kids Rock! 1. Mini Band Camp - Get together some people who love to play music and have them help others learn to play! Create groups to sign up for lessons, games, and more. 2. Battle of the Bands/Other Benefit Concert/Karaoke Night - Find groups with a passion for music and put on a show! 3. Songwriting Competition - Challenge people to be creative, write their own songs and perform! 4. BBQ/Picnic/Cook-off competition - Food brings people together and is always a great time. 5. Music (or other) Trivia Nights - Everyone loves games, host a trivia night and offer some cool prizes! 6. Walkathon/Charity Run - Sign up for a walk or a 5k run, or start your own event! List Little Kids Rock as your charity of choice, and invite others to join. 7. Guided Hike - Research local nature areas and arrange for a knowledgeable guide to lead a hike and request a suggested donation to participate! 8. Carnival - Set up fun games, have live music, and invite everyone for an exciting event. Passionate about an activity or event not listed here? Let us know!

TIPS TO MAKE YOUR EVENT A SUCCESS Planning an event can be a big task. Don’t worry, we’re here to help! Here are some tips we use when planning our events for Little Kids Rock. Research • • •

Think from the perspective as if you were attending an event. What activities/events do you love? What about your friends & family? Take time to consider what you are passionate about! Research events going on in your community. What was successful/unsuccessful about them? What types of events are they? Learning from others can help you prepare for your own fundraiser. Remember to keep in mind the feasability of this event. Be sure to include budget, time of year, and available resources.

Get the Word Out • • •

Using social media/technology is a great way to reach out to your community. We can provide you with some Little Kids Rock pictures and video to help you get started! The more the merrier! Reach out to friends and family to help spread the word and prepare for your event. Dividing up the workload will make things much easier. Create flyers or websites to generate interest. We kindly request any designs be sent to Kat Kelly, Marketing and Communications Manager at [email protected] for approval.

Budget • • •

Plan a reasonable budget when developing ideas for your fundraiser. Having a budget early in the process will help inform making decisions down the road. Fundraisers usually try to stick to a 3:1 spending ratio. For example, if you want to raise $900 you should try to keep costs for your event around $300. Determine how you will collect donations at your event. (cash only, credit cards, checks, etc.)

Timing is Everything • •

Give yourself plenty of time to plan your event. We recommend you begin planning for your event at least three months ahead. Create deadlines for certain tasks to be completed (finding an event space, sending out invitations, etc.) Here’s a sample of an event timeline.

After Your Event • • • •

Send a check of total donations collected to Little Kids Rock within 30 days of your event. Make sure to thank your supporters and anyone who helped you during the process. Send us a summary of the event, along with any great photos you collected. Fill out our post event survey. We’ll send you a link after your fundrasier has concluded.

ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES CHECKLIST Please check off what you would like to receive along with the quantity. Send list to [email protected] at least 3 weeks prior to your event. Donation cards Qty: _____ Little Kids Rock stickers Qty: _____ (Max 50) Little Kids Rock guitar picks Qty: _____ (Max 100) Postcards (digital file) Talking points info sheet FAQ info sheet How to Donate instruction sheet 'Join Our Fans' list sign up sheet Other___________________________ Here are a few basic supplies we encourage you to have on hand for your fundraiser: Pens Tape (Scotch tape, painters tape, packing tape) Scissors Markers (multiple colors) Paper clips Jar for donations Cash box (to keep your donations secure at the end of your event) As a nonprofit organization, we try to invest as much funding as possible back into our programs. If you have any unused Little Kids Rock supplies from your event, we kindly ask that they be mailed back to our office. Let us know what you have and we will provide you with a return label for shipping.