25 things you can do to celebrate!
Pull up a seat for yourself, for other women
October 2006

In this 25th anniversary year, you can contribute to WAND’s campaign to Give Women a Seat at the Table of Power in many ways. Here are just 25!

We hope you can find one that seems fun and fits with your friends, family or co-workers. Every effort is important, however big or small – just use your creativity and share your enthusiasm, commitment and passion with everyone you know.

Thanks for all you do, every day! It's our members who make WAND possible, and give life to our ideas and campaigns.

1. Host a party to celebrate Women at the Tables of Power.
Invite friends and colleagues to pull up a chair and have their say on the resources and life experiences women bring to the tables of power. We hope these parties are fun, energizing, and educational! See our kit for planning a party.

Your goal for the dinner can be to educate, to empower, to entertain -- or to raise money. You can ask guests to buy a ticket, or you can pass out envelopes after dinner requesting donations equal or greater to the cost of dinner at their favorite restaurant.

2. Celebrate Mother’s Day for Peace – Years ago, WAND reintroduced Julia Ward Howe’s larger vision and broader definition of Mother’s Day for Peace. Since then, WAND and its chapters, members and partners have sponsored and organized Mother’s Day actions and special events to raise public awareness on nuclear issues and wasteful military spending. Mother’s Day for Peace offers innumerable outreach and fundraising opportunities.

3. Web-raising: Friends Asking Friends - The internet and email have made it easy to send everyone you know a short message about your pledge goal with a link to WAND Education Funds site:www.wand.org/edfund/support_our_work. Send updates and reminders keeping your list informed of your progress and success.

4. Change the World – Ask 25 women to join you in saving all their change for 3 months. You’ll be amazed how quickly you can raise $250 - $500. Get creative and provide small boxes or containers with WAND logos and imagery to inspire those pitching in.

5. Internet Shopping – Ask others to try IGIVE.com. Tell them it’s free, simple, and a great way to help you meet your goal. It’s easy – they sign on, indicate WAND Education Fund as their cause--then start their shopping. Every time someone makes a purchase from one of the stores in the "mall," a percentage goes to the WAND Education Fund.

6. State Legislators “Meet and Greet” Brunch - Invite your state legislators to schedule a ‘meet and greet” where they share with other women their journey and experience as an elected official. Promote to all local clubs and organizations, churches. Let your local media know about it and publicize.

7. Slice the Pie Workshop – Use WAND Education Fund’s terrific Action Guides and Fact Sheets to create an interesting and fun event that raises awareness, gets publicity and raises money - www.wand.org/edfund/factsheets.htm. Feature coffee, tea and a variety of pies attract a crowd. Who gets the biggest slice? The Pentagon - 53% of the discretionary federal budget pie! It's too much. Get a discussion going on the need to value people and the environment more than the massive military machine.

8. Spa Time-out – Service providers donate massages, manicures, pedicures and facials. Participants pay for the services and the service providers get free advertising. Can be after hours at a business, at a house, or community center for larger crowds.

9. Group Garage Sale – Have a garage sale for your whole neighborhood or building. Tell your neighbors that you will sell their items if they will donate half or all of the proceeds to your goal. Provide small stickers for them to initial and price their stuff and remind them that you’ll do the rest. Most people welcome the chance to clear out a few things if they don’t have to sit with it for a morning and sell it.

10. Women Owned Businesses – Contact local merchants and women entrepreneurs. Ask them to donate goods or services to be auctioned off help you achieve your goal.

11. Consignment Night – Get as many women as possible to go through their closets and old jewelry knowing they’ll meet up with others for munchies, refreshments and a fun evening of exchange and purchase of items with others. Half or all of guests fund are donated to your WAND project.

12. Restaurant Round-up – Ask favorite restaurants especially those owned by women to donate a number of meals or “serve at cost” a group you rave to about their restaurant. Owners love “work of mouth” publicity and guests write you a check in lieu of paying for their meal.

13. Gift Certificate Raffle – Find local businesses and services willing to donate a gift certificate then sell as many raffle tickets as possible to those interested in helping you reach your goal in exchange for the chance to win gift certificates to favorite restaurants, stores and local health & fitness organizations.

14. Used Book Sale – Just about everyone has old books hanging around? Ask friends, family and neighbors to donate and host a book sale with big signs letting people know the money is going to your goal of supporting WAND’s 25th fund drive.

15. Worst Gift You Ever Got – Invite lots of women over for a “pass the hat” soup, salad & desert buffet. Ask everyone to wrap up or bag the worst gift they ever got for a Yankee Swap. Pass the hat after everyone has enjoyed the hilarity of getting numbers, opening and swapping gifts. Women can be very generous when they’ve enjoyed a good laugh.

16. Movie Ticket donation – Movie theatres often prove to be a generous source of donated tickets. You can sell them and put the money towards your pledge or invite friends to join you to catch a movie knowing the price of their movie pass is going to a great cause.

17. On the Go Breakfast – Weekends are a busy time for all so inviting friends to a “drop by” breakfast on a Saturday or Sunday morning in support of your fundraiser makes it easy for friends, family and neighbors. You can note on the invitation that you’ll have a TIP JAR available to assist your fundraising goal. Set up a simple continental breakfast buffet and at the end of the line place your tip jar and WAND brochures and action guides.

18. House Tour – It is remarkable how much people will pay these days to check out the inside of other people’s homes. In Boston the average fundraising ticket is $50 to $100 and the tours usually sell out. Find out the going rate for your area and search for six homes with variety that you know others will appreciate for their style, collections, unique décor or architecture. Charge a fee and be sure to appreciate your house hosts with a thank you note and small gift of appreciation.

19. Garden Tour - Who do you know with a green thumb or passion for gardening? Chances are they have a beautiful garden and might agree to share the beauty with others as a stopover on a larger tour. Promote the event with local newspapers, e-invites, and mailers to friends, neighbors and co-workers.

20. Creative & Musical Friends – Know any creative or musical friends wanting to promote their talents? Maybe a jewelry maker or a piano player. Chances are they’d be delighted to showcase their talents at no charge or in exchange for a small percentage of the proceeds raised.

21. Oscar Party – Throw a potluck, give guests a ballot and collect a donation. The winner keeps half of the pot. The remaining money is a donation to your WAND 25th Anniversary goal.

22. Game Night – Pick a favorite game, and invite friends for food, fun and games for a suggested donation. People love to help other people reach their goals if you just let them know an easy way they can be of support while having a novel time with others.

23. Holiday Gift Wrapping – Get a group of friends to commit an hour to helping you wrap, pick a day and central location, then post a flyer all over town, in every gym and church bulletin board that you will be offering extra affordable gift wrapping as part of a fundraiser for WAND’s 25th birthday.

24. Answering Machine Message – Tag your phone message letting everyone know you’re up to something special trying and looking for sponsors from $2.50 to $250. The less detail the better and you’ll be amazed how many want to ask you about it or pitch-in when you talk.

25. Free Business Cards – Vista Print offers 250 free business cards at www.vistaprint.com. There are hundreds of designs to choose from. Just add your name and a catchy message asking for their support with the link to WAND Education Fund’s donation page: www.wand.org/edfund/support_our_work.

WAND is the only national peace and security organization helping diverse elected and activist women to bring their valuable perspectives into debates around nuclear arms control, federal policy and budget. But this work requires substantial financial resources to ensure WAND’s one-of-a-kind educational, political and legislative programs remain strong and prosper in the challenging years ahead.