1. Focus on Fun for Corporate Fundraising Success
By Nancy Cozart, Freelance Writer
Spring is just around the corner…and we are reminded of all of the wonders of the season:
gentle breezes, budding trees, birds chirping, flowers in bloom – and most importantly, the
annual NAMI WALKS in St. Louis! Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 26, 2012 – the day
that hundreds of people in St. Louis put on their walking shoes and take steps to improve the
lives of individuals and families with mental illnesses, in support of NAMI St. Louis.
For the past several years, I’ve had the honor and privilege of serving as the team captain and
lead fundraiser of my corporation’s local NAMI WALKS team. I’m an avid volunteer and have
always been very involved in volunteerism in my children’s schools and in the community. My
company has a strong dedication to giving back to the community, so I am very fortunate to be
able to continue my spirit of volunteerism while at work.
While it’s an honor to serve as the leader/captain of my company’s local walk team, it is always
a challenge to raise funds…especially in this current economic climate. As a leader of my
company’s walk team, I set fundraising goals each year…but I’m always concerned that I may
not be able reach my goals. Fortunately, I’m very creative and I can always find ways to mix
some fun into the ingredients of my fundraising recipes. So what, you may wonder, is the
“secret ingredient” to a successful corporate fundraising event? I think the answer to that
question is to focus on “fun” for corporate fundraising success. Generate excitement, get staff
involved, plan contests, offer prizes, hold raffles, anything you can think of to have fun while
raising funds for a worthy cause.
Year after year, the walk team that I lead has consistently been a top fundraising team for
NAMI Walks in St. Louis. Last year, my walk team led the pack in corporate fundraising teams,
as we surpassed our fundraising goals to reach a total of $8,286.04 for the St. Louis NAMI Walks
in 2011. Due to our fundraising efforts, my company was awarded the “Outstanding Corporate
Citizen” Award at the NAMI Gala on November 19. It was quite an honor to accept the award!
How, you may ask, did my team raise over $8,000 for NAMI last year? First step: requesting a
corporate sponsorship donation. Success: my company agreed to serve as a Corporate Silver
Sponsor of the NAMI Walks in St. Louis last year, donating $2,500 for this worthy cause. Second

2. step: creating a campaign and asking for permission to raise funds for NAMI Walks, including
casual pass sales, a “used book sale”, a “Chevy’s Day”, a coin drive, raffle baskets, sponsorship
donation contests and online and offline donations drives. The theme of my campaign in 2011
was “Spring into Action with NAMI”. Success: my campaign ideas were approved, I put the
action plans into place, advertised and promoted the fundraising events, and enlisted the help
of volunteers. Coupled with the $2,500 corporate Silver Sponsorship donation, our fundraising
totals exceeded $8,000 last year!
I collected used books and held a “used book sale”, which raised $953.00. At the book sale, I
raffled off themed raffle baskets which I created. My husband and I donated a couple of tickets
for a Cardinals themed basket. I also put together several other themed baskets, including
entertainment, Starbucks and Mother’s Day themed baskets. In addition, I sold “casual passes”,
entitling staff to dress casual during the month of May in exchange for a donation of $1 per day,
resulting in $1,942.00 raised. I set up a team home page on the NAMI site and sent out emails
encouraging walkers to sign up and to collect donations online or offline. I held a contest and
gave prizes out to the top five fundraisers. I also set out coin collection buckets in our cafeteria,
with a campaign theme of “Got Change? A Little Change Can Bring Big Changes”.
By far the most fun event in my fundraising campaign was a day out at Chevy’s Restaurant. I
called Chevy’s and made arrangements for the fundraiser. I then sent out flyers to staff inviting
them to go to Chevy’s for a fundraising event on May 11 last year. For every flyer turned in to
Chevy’s in St. Charles on the day of the event, Chevy’s donated 25% of proceeds to NAMI St.
Louis. The fundraiser lasted all day and night, for lunch, dinner, carryout, happy hour and a
Trivia Night that evening with free chips and salsa! My son and I attended the Trivia Night. It
was lots of fun, and my son and I even won some prizes! My husband joined us later that night
for dinner at Chevy’s. There was a great turnout and we raised $209.68 at that event in just one
day – not bad for a day and night of fun, great Chevy’s food, a free trivia night… and margaritas
at happy hour to boot! Who knew fundraising could be so much fun?
It’s that time of year again…and the 2012 NAMI Walks event is just around the corner, so I am
already taking steps to lead my corporate walk team to fundraising victory. I asked for a
sponsorship donation and I just received notification that my company will be serving as a Silver
Sponsor again this year for NAMI Walks 2012, donating $2,500 to this very worthy cause. Mix a
little bit of hard work with a cup of creativity, add a generous scoop of fun, stir, bake, and what
do you have? A successful corporate fundraising walk campaign!
I hope you will join me in raising funds for NAMI Walks in St. Louis again this year. I look
forward to walking with you on May 26 at the NAMI Walks in St. Louis. Why is May 26 an
important day? There are many reasons…it symbolizes a celebration of life, a day to gather
together in support of a worthy cause, a day of remembrance for those with mental illnesses

3. whose lives were lost, and a day of hope and inspiration that individuals with mental illnesses in
our community can live happier and more fulfilling lives, with the help of NAMI St. Louis’
programs and services. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in four adults,
approximately 57.7 million Americans – experience a mental health disorder in a given year.
One in 17 lives with a serious mental illness, and one in 10 children have a serious mental or
emotional disorder. Fewer than one third of adults and half of children with a diagnosed mental
disorder receive any mental health services in a given year. For these reasons, we should all
make mental health services a priority, and we should help support NAMI in their efforts to
offer programs and services to individuals and families affected by mental illnesses. In headline
news, we frequently hear of shootings in our schools and communities and senseless tragedies,
many of which may have been avoided if mental health programs and services were more
readily available to those in need. By supporting NAMI, we can join together to make steps
towards a better world.