Bowling for Haiti is a fundraiser idea the Lord gave me to raise awareness and additional donations for the relief efforts in Haiti. I wanted to share this idea and samples of all of the files I used for the event so that we can be the voice of the people in Haiti. Through fundraisers such as Bowling for Haiti, we can continue to tell their story, raise awareness, and raise hope for those that are waiting for food, shelter, and clothing to come over the horizon. This past weekend, I had the pleasure of running a Bowling for Haiti fundraiser at our local bowling center. As a military member, there were some procedures I had to adhere to in order to run this event, but it was a great success. At the bowling center, we reserved 10 lanes for 5 hours. With open bowling, we provided three ways for people to give: $.10 per pin knocked down; $1 per strike; or a general donation. As an unofficial count (we're still waiting on a few donations to come in), we've raised almost $2500. The money we raised (100% of it) will go to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund.

The Lord gave me the idea of Bowling for Haiti about a week after the earthquake which left many people dead, displaced, and without the basic necessities for survival. Being in the military, it's not as feasible for me to be able to pack a bag and head out on the next plane to Haiti. I wanted to help, but I was unsure how beyond donating to a number of organizations. Yet, I still wanted to do more...and a week a later, the words, 'Bowling for Haiti' came. Below is a .zip file with the templates I used to run the event - including the font for the posters. You are free to use these files for your event. The font, Tiza, was not created by me, but was downloaded for free from http://www.dafont.com/tiza.font.

Download Bowling for Haiti files... (click image below) - 5.66MB

Lastly, I'd like to share a few pointers that may help you organize this event. Though there's not a lot of manpower going into it, these key items may help you in the long run.

1. Have a sponsor, organization, or something 'official' backing you.

Though this may be your idea, there's a BIG different in saying 'this is an event, I'm running' as opposed to 'this event is being sponsored by _______ organization.' You want to have a reputable organization that is willing to sponsor your fundraiser, unless you're a prominent personality that would be able to run such an event without an specific organization behind you. Even if you are, I still recommend having some type of church or business as the lead sponsor. The purpose of this is to bring credibility to what you are doing. The last thing you want is for someone to question you on an event that's meant to bless others. You don't want that kind of attention.

2. Take your time in planning the event.

There's no need to try to plan the event within the next few days. For any fundraiser, you want maximum participation and running something in a few days may not do it for you. You want to publicize, advertise, and get the word out as far as possible. There's no rush. When you set a date, give yourself at least two weeks of solid advertising before the day of the event - this is AFTER you've scheduled the date with the bowling center.

3. Get support.

Once you schedule the day, time, and lanes to be used. Find out what organizations would be willing to support you with the fundraiser. The bowling center may give you a discount for each person sponsoring your event. (Ours gave us $1 off each game played.) You may receive free advertising from a local paper (we did) and some other groups may help along the way as well. You never know what support you'll receive until you ask.

4. Advertise.

Use as much free advertising as you possibly can. Twitter, Facebook, local newspapers, radio, e-mail, flyers in local restaurants, etc. can give you the added 'voice' you need to get the word out. You don't have to pay a bunch of money to advertise. Exhaust the free methods before jumping to the paid advertisements. What you'll find (as I did) is that you don't have to spend a lot of money to get the word around town.

5. You don't need a large volunteer base.

I didn't have a lot of volunteers on the day of the event - I had five (including me). Prior to the event, I had a few other people helping to get the radio interview scheduled and newspaper advertising. The main help needed on the day of the event was directing people to open lanes. So, in all, there were less than 10 people actively supporting the fundraiser, but the people we reached out to in helping organize the event were well over 20.

6. Be recognizable.

We purchased t-shirts for each of the volunteers - 12 to be exact. We gave out six and for a donation of any amount, we 'sold' the other shirts.

7. Make sure everyone pays.

I had to reimburse the bowling center $36 to cover lanes that were not paid. I'm hoping this wasn't done intentionally, but I wanted to ensure the bowling center was covered. I wanted to ensure all things were done with excellence so I paid the balance without question. Now, when running your event, you can take the names down for each person on each lane; have them pay for their games upfront (our bowling center charges at the end); or you collect the money and pay the bowling center at the end. Whatever you do, try to make sure you're not the one left paying any leftovers.

8. Have fun.

Though there were a couple hiccups, I found that everyone participating showed a lot of patience and kindness. They were willing to share lanes, accommodate others, and enjoy themselves with people they didn't know before. It was a great sight of what can be done when people gather for a cause greater than any one person. There were so many people that came out to support Bowling for Haiti that the bowling center had to open four additional lanes! Having too many people was a great problem! It was awesome!

Whether or not you choose to run a Bowling for Haiti event in your area, I pray you will continue to think of (and serve) those that are in need around your local area and around the world, for what you do for the least of them, you do for Jesus (Matthew 25:31-40).