We do a competition with schools to raise food for the food bank. We partner with a local business and have an annual Food Drive. Each school is given the opportunity to be included. We run it for 3 or 4 weeks.... kids bring donations to the school. At the end of the competition, the sponsor (ours is a Real Estate company) collects and counts each item donated and transports it to the food bank. The school that collects the most items wins a cash prize from our sponsor. There are 3 divisions (Elementary, Secondary, and Rural) The each division winner, wins $500. This cash is provided by the sponsor and the station does the promoting. Has become a great friendly competition with the schools and a GREAT PR for both the station and the sponsor.
We also sell little sponsorships where businesses can promote for the community to take thier donations to a specific school.
We have run a promotion for 20 years called "Kamp for Kids" at Christmas. We invite businesses to donate to the food shelf in return we invite them to sit in for 5 minutes on the morning show and talk about what they are doing to help the food shelf. Also we get 10 businesses to donate cash to have plastic bags (red) printed for distribution in the local newspaper and shopper. The bag lists the items needed by the food shelf. We pick a Saturday and have volunteers drive around the community and pickup the bags. Normally we collect between 5000 and 8000 pounds of food. This promotion will work at any time of year, the boy scouts repeat this in May with similar
results. We have businesses donate rolls and coffee to the drivers. It is important to have young people who act as runners to take the bags from stoops.Dave
Try teaming up with local cub scout and boyscout groups, in our home town they do a "Scouting For Food" program where they go through neighborhoods hanging bags on doors for people to put non-perishables in and pick the bags up the following week.
Get local business to support it and maybe find a business that supplies custom food bags for the scouts!
Shane Knowles
We have been working with a local food bank. Each month we hold a Poker Tournament (texas hold em) at a local bar. We sale 8 table sponsors. Total of 64 players. We ask that the business's that by a table sponsor also play in the tournament. They become the bounty. We have people register to play on our web site page and we promote this all over both our stations asking for sponsors to get involved in the community as well as players. Each player must pay $10.00 and bring a non-persharable food item. All food items are given to the food bank as well as the money. We have been able to give the food bank between 640 & 800 for each event that we hold and a ton of food. A special note on this. We have also gone to pet stores, feed stores and stores you might not think would get involved but food banks also give out cat and dog food because families have pets and its important to also feed them.
The bar or establishement pays $1500 for the promotion (2 weeks out)
Table sponsors pay $300.00 plus a $50.00 gift card. The gift card is given to the player who knocks out the bounty. Most of the winners donate the gift card back to the food bank. Not all but some.
We go around and ask other businesses to donate prizes for the event. We promote all that are involved as good neighbors of our community. No individual receives commercials. It is all promotional. Our jocks also play in the tournament which creates excitement. Most people want to come and meet the talent as well as see how well they play.
Our events have gone very well and so far we have done 3 of them.
It has been a great way to involve everyone and create awareness to a much needed community service.
Hope this helps and works as well for you.
