Fundraising Ideas

Benefit Concert

How about a benefit concert in the name of spreading Ishmael? The profits can go to the Friends of Ishmael Society to be redistributed to local groups for Ishmael advertising. In addition, it would be great publicity and gain momentum for the movement. Concerts can be organized at a local or international level, depending on time, money, and manpower constraints.

Local Benefit Concert: Local bands often agree with Ishmael's message since they are trapped in the system, forced to go through major record labels to become known, who in turn take a large portion of the profits and tell them what to produce. Local independent bands may be delighted to play for a benefit concerts, and it's great publicity for them.

International Benefit Concert: We could bring people together from throughout the globe to participate in something new, exciting, meaningful, and fun! Let's get bands together such as Dave Matthews Band, Alanis Morissette, Pearl Jam, Rusted Root, and on and on. Think of how many mainstream bands support causes such as Ishmael!

If you are interested in organizing such an event, we will support you as much as possible with money, materials, manpower, and publicity.

Industry and Government Grants

Write a proposal on behalf of your local Ishmael organization or the Friends of Ishmael Society to any business, school, or government organization. There are millions of dollars set aside for organizations such as The Friends of Ishmael Society, yet very few people know about them or take the initiative to apply. Look into these avenues and feel free to contact us for assistance.

Start a Recognized Campus Organization

Become a recognized organization at your college, and receive yearly funds. Most colleges support recognized organizations by giving funds on a yearly basis. Just work with the administration to draft a proposed budget, broken down by expected expenses. You may have to appear in person to answer questions about the budget. Based on your proposal and available funds, they will agree upon a budget. Then spend away, saving all receipts on money spent according to this proposal and the college will reimburse you up to the specified amount. Contact us if you need help filling out paperwork required to be a recognized organization.

Write a College Bill

You may not be aware of this procedure, but most colleges set aside money (thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars!) to support campus organizations throughout the year. Active organizations create a better campus which is more appealing to prospective students, ultimately benefitting the university, so you don't have to feel like you're begging for money. This process sounds more intimidating than it actually is! Just talk your student organization administration to learn more about writing a bill. The process usually involves completing a "bill", or a short form asking how much you need, broken down by item, and why you need it. Once submitted, you may be asked to say a few things about the bill in front of student congress and they vote on it. Once approved, spend the money as proposed, keep all receipts, and your school will reimburse you! Contact us if you need help writing the bill.

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