Fundraising: Weighing the Options
(reprinted from NAPVI's Awareness magazine, all rights reserved.)

"The darkest hour in any man's life is when he sits down to plan how to get money, without earning it.", Horace Greeley wrote, and most of us believe strongly in this work-oriented ethic. We have been raised to work hard in order to provide the necessities of life for our families--"creative fund raising" is rarely a part of our vocabulary.

But once a while some even comes along that we would really love to attend, perhaps a concert, or a distant meeting. In our minds we range swiftly over our budget and loan obligations and realize that there's just no way we can participate.

In just this way many parents throughout the country have read about the upcoming National Family Conference, scanned their budgets and have decided they will never make it to Louisville, Kentucky in August of 2005. Without some outside help, there's just no way.

We at NAPVI are urging parents to go to civic groups in their communities to ask for funds to this conference. And yet, like Greeley, we somehow think it's demeaning to ask for funds for ourselves, that someone might think we're asking for funds for a "vacation". As parents, we should know this conference is an important   learning experience. Ask any doctor, teacher, or other professional who regularly attends such conferences. They will describe to you the long hours sitting in sessions, visiting with colleagues, hurring out for a meal only to re-convene in an hour's time, of stop-and-go travel to and from the convention city.

Another important consideration is the tremendous benefit your attendance is going to be to your community. We fully believe that those parents who attend this conference are going to return to their homes with added determination to reach out in support to other parents of children with visual impairments. We belive this conference is going to "ripple out" to many parents because of the enthusiasm of those who are able to attend. That is APH's, Hadley's, and NAPVI's full purpose in hosting this conference.

As a parent, you may be hesitant about asking anybody for money, even if it is a "group" of professional or civic leaders. If so, find a professional (your child's teacher or principal) who will submit your proposal to attend the conference to the group you have chosen. Many hours have been spent on the phone talking with agency officials throughout the nation, urging them to "sponsor" a parent to come to this year's conference. A teacher or a principal can put a word in the right ear to a member of a local group and these funds can be made available, especially when everyone is made to realize what a tremendous boost it's going to be to the parents of children with visual impairments in that particular community to have a representative at this conference.

A Sample Proposal
So now that you've decided to either approach a local group yourself or have asked a professional to take your cause to that group, what needs to be in your "proposal"? (The following responses are examples only, not meant to be followed rigidly.)

1. A Summary Statement
" I am asking for your financial assistance to providing travel and convention funding necessary so that I may attend the National Family Conference in Louisville, Kentucky August 12-14, 2005."

2. A Statement of the Questions to be Addressed
Why is it beneficial for me to attend this meeting? How much will it cost? How much can I contribute to the costs?

3. A Statement of Your Goals in Attending the Conference
"By my attendance at this conference, I hope to gain valuable information in order to enrich my relationship with my child with visual impairments, and to find ways to help other parents of children with visual impairments in my community."

4. Procedures of the Conference
"The National Family Conference will last three days. Sessions will be geared to coping skills of parents, educational laws, technology, advocacy, and social skills."

5. An Evaluative Assessment
" I will be collecting conference materials and taking notes during the sessions. I would be pleased to speak to your group following the Conference with a description of it and to share information about children with visual impairments in general. I also hope to gather other parents in the community following the convention so that I can share the knowledge that I learned at the conference."

6. A Detailed Budget
"My plane ticket via America Airlines will cost _____. Registration for the Conference will be $_____, as I plan to pre-register in order to benefit from the lower registration cost. My hotel bill will be $_____ per night. Taxi fare to and from the airport (round trip) will be $_____.  Meal cost to cover the meals not provided at the conference will be $_____.

One final note. Your proposal should have a neat appearence. If you are going to submit it handwritten,
make sure you have printed legibly. After all, you are dealing with business and professinal people and
you are asking for a
portion of their money.

To Name but a Few
Here is a sampler of groups that you might approach in your creative fund raising efforts:

Schools for the Blind, Agencies for the Blind, Civic Organization such as Lions, Elks, Masons,
Knights of Columbus, Jaycees, Rotary, Kiwanis, Local Organizations such as area women's clubs,
PTA, Teacher's Organizations, Business and Employee's associations such as the Chamber of
Commerce, Business and Professional Women, Religous groups, Urban League, NAACP, and
college, university alumni groups.

Ingenuity Puts Pennies in the Till
We know of several groups around the country who are already hard at work having bake
sales and brainstorming on other ways to help send some of the parent members to the
conference. To make those coffers swell, you might try one or more of the following moneymakers:

Each of the events listed above can be profitable to organizations of any size. Many of them
take manpower and some money. Remember, however, that donations can also be obtained
for these, too. Don't hesitate to solicit help from other organizations to make your fund raising
event a success. When considering any fund raising event, be sure you know the local laws
and taxes which apply to such events and comply totally. Use and sale of alcoholic beverages
is usually prohibited at public events.  Special permits may be required, sales tax may be
required, etc. Check with your local authorities to make sure that you are operating within the law.

Another Fund Raising Option for Parents
Another idea for a possible fund raising source for parents is through your local State Special Education Departments. Every year, an amount of money is set aside in the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) budget to support parent involvment. This money is used for parents who have children with disabilities with special needs and can be used as stipends to attend conferences. Write a letter to your local Director of Special Education (for those school districts that do not have one, write to your Superintendent) asking them to sponsor your attendance to the conference as a parent through IDEA funds. Mention that you are a member of the National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments (NAPVI). Include a copy of the conference registration and agenda, and make sure to save a copy of the letter for your records.