Early in 2017, the Rochester Area Blind Athletes, Inc. established itself in the Greater Rochester area of New York State. The aim was to work with individuals in the community who are blind in support of sporting and recreational opportunities. Like others, this dynamic group wanted to offer their programs, but needed to begin by raising funds to develop their activities.
As Kirstyn Smith from the organization told us they received lots of mail and information from other fundraisers right after they established themselves. However, the group decided to do a shoe drive fundraiser with Funds2Orgs. That’s the parent company of Shoes With Heart. Moreover, they knew they could create a win/win situation. And, as a sporting and recreational group, they were in the business of creating wins.
Kirstyn said, “When we first started collecting, I felt like a “foot fairy.” Every day, I would find donations dropped off on my front porch, seemingly out of nowhere. People saw my posts on Facebook and couldn’t wait to get rid of their shoes, particularly because it benefited our local team and people in need in other countries. It was also a way for all the members of our team and organization to take part in fundraising. Not many of us know people with deep pockets who could give directly and in large dollar amounts to our cause. But they were happy to give us their shoes.”
Ask, and You Shall Receive
As Kirstyn shared, each member of the Rochester Area Blind Athletes participated in this unique type of fundraiser. They loved it because no one had to sell anything or donate money. All people had to do was give their gently worn, used and new shoes. They also knew the winning formula was to collect as many shoes as possible to get a fundraising check.
They called all hands on deck. So, their team reached out to their families, friends, local places of worship, and employers. In this type of fundraiser, there’s no need to donate money. Remember, the shoes are the currency. Most families have ten to fifteen pairs of shoes lying around their homes which they no longer use. Collecting shoes was easier for people. The reality is that giving away shoes was an opportunity for families to clear out their closets, storage areas, and garages of shoes.
But, the Rochester Area Blind Athletes didn’t stop there! They asked local gyms, libraries, and even their Starbucks coffee shops to partner with them on collecting footwear for their shoe drive fundraising event. In fact, a local tuxedo shop gave a “huge number of shoes” because they needed to make room for inventory. In the end, over 20 area businesses, schools, churches participated in this creative fundraiser.
Community Involvement Helped Them Succeed in Their Fundraiser
One woman who so believed in the work that the newly established group was setting out to do in the community went door-to-door in her neighborhood with a bag for collecting shoes and little promotional slips asking for gently worn, used and new shoes.
The group also partnered with students from a local Catholic school, and the kids helped them sort the shoes and bags so they could earn community service hours. The reality is that because the athletes are blind, it was difficult for them to sort the shoes and make sure that pairs were together. But, the students were willing to help, and they made all the difference.
The shoe drive fundraiser was a “three-way win for the group.”
- Families and individuals in the local community could discard footwear they no longer wanted or needed in a socially responsible way.
- The Rochester Area Blind Athletes raised money for their programs in a fun and creative fundraiser.
- The footwear collected got shipped to developing nations worldwide to provide economic opportunities to micro-entrepreneurs (small business owners) in need of business and work opportunities.
The next time you’re thinking about a fundraiser, you might want to see what collecting gently worn, used and new shoes can do for your group or organization.
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