My local school district had recently suffered an unimaginable tragedy. One of the sixth graders had been eating in the school cafeteria and had choked on a sandwich. Despite repeated attempts to revive him, the teachers and medical staff were unsuccessful. Although he had prior health issues, this news came as an incredible shock. What was even more shocking was the cost of medical care and funeral arrangements that the family mentioned they had to pay. A few teachers and I began to think that we should help out the boy’s family who desperately needed the money.
We decided to raise money by having a revolutionary auction on eBay. Since I was fairly computer-savvy, I set up and eBay account, and the staff asked for donations for anything that could be sold. Everything was sold for 100% profit due to generous donations. Descriptions on the items indicated what the auctions were for, and we received several substantial donations as well. In the end, we raised over $5,000. This money was donated entirely to the family to help offset the costs that they had to pay.
The most important thing that I learned while doing this fundraiser is to be willing to ask for help. Selling the items on eBay was easy; however, I needed countless volunteers to package and ship the items. Also, I learned not to be afraid to ask people for donations. Once I did, many generous eBay bidders did so.
In the end, our fundraiser was a huge success. Because of the generosity of others, the family’s grief was reduced.