Highs and Lows of September

Posted on October 3, 2014 by blogqueendiane

September’s been sort of a crazy, busy month. And it sure went by fast!

Good things

1) Have been spending a lot of time at work planning and coordinating about 14 different Combined Federal Campaign (annual government charity drive) fundraising events for this year’s campaign. Have never done it before, but got tired of writing articles for the employee newsletter and blog posts about the same events year after year. So this year we’re doing to do different activities! Not sure yet whether they’ll be a bust or “the best!”

The woman who is in charge of the campaign (and who I volunteered to help) wrote me an email at 3 p.m. the other afternoon and said she’d be out of town for training for 3 weeks starting the next day and she was going to tell everyone who needed help with the campaign to call me. Yikes!

It was fun to talk to people about fundraising ideas. Everyone I spoke to had a great idea to add extra elements to the basic ideas to make each event better,  so that was great.

We had a paper plane contest today and people seemed to really enjoy it. Played “Off We Go Into the Wild Blue Yonder” as the people launched their planes.

We also had the opening “Ice Bucket Challenge” outside today. That was interesting!

And we set up ping pong tables in the atrium for people to play at lunch time for a fee. That went well, too. Two wonderful employees volunteered to let us use two regulation size tables instead of the dinky little table I’d brought from home — the day before open ping pong play started!

Continue reading →

Posted in car, fundraising ideas, life, thoughts tips and tales | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Sixteen Super Fun Fundraising Ideas

Posted on October 2, 2014 by blogqueendiane

 

Sixteen Super Fun Fundraising IdeasIf you have a work-related charity drive and want to sponsor activities to raise funds, improve morale and entertain employees, here are some ideas. We’ve held these events where I work, and I volunteered to run most of them. They were all fun!

  1. **NEW – BONUS** Super-Fun Eclipse Fundraiser; see details
  2. **NEW** Compliment Event. Give people genuine compliments  for $1, or have compliments delivered to co-workers/students/teachers for $2. Everyone loves this event! See Super Fun Fundraising Compliment Event.
  3.  Paper Airplane Contest – for accuracy. Make and fly paper planes from the second story of a building to try to land them on the company’s logo on a big drawing of an object below (we used an aircraft carrier). All planes must be constructed from standard 8 1/2 x 11 copy paper, with no added parts. $1 per plane entry fee.
  4. Ping Pong Ball Toss. Write names on ping pong balls (buy one for $1) and toss them over the edge of a 2nd floor balcony into a kiddie pool filled with water– with a bucket inside it — with a cup inside the bucket — to try to land the ball in the cup. (You can buy a gross of ping pong balls for this on Ebay for $9.01 including shipping.)
  5. Golf Chipping Contest. Chip golf balls from a grass-like mat into a bucket weighted with water. See who can get the most “holes in one” in ten chips.
  6. Paper Plane Distance Contest. See who can throw their plane the furthest from the starting point.
  7. Golf Putting Contest. Set up a putting green, give person a supply of golf balls and see how many balls they can putt into the cup in one minute.
  8. Football Toss. Pass footballs into the middle of a tire for  30 seconds to determine who gets the most through.
  9. Basketball Free Throw Contest. See how many hoops contestants can make from the free throw line. Provide them with a hodgepodge of basketballs, rubber balls, volley balls…all kinds of balls.
  10. Corn Hole Contest. Hold a team tournament.
  11. Ping Pong Open Play. Charge $5 a table for half an hour of open play over a period of a month or so, on one or more tables.
  12. Ping Pong Tournament. Hold a tournament after several weeks of open play, which lets participants hone their skills and get interested in competing.
  13. Pet Contest. Submit photos of your pet or a friend or family member’s pet. Employees vote for cutest pet, funniest pet and best-dressed pet. Label the pets by only their names (Fluffy, Fido, etc.) and display the photos; after the voting, reveal which humans belong to each pet.
  14. Used Book Sale. Ask employees to donate unneeded adult books, children’s books, magazines less than three years old, CDs and DVDs for resale. Price the books at $1 for soft covers and $2 for hardbacks.
  15. Theme Baskets. Ask each department or group to assemble a basket with a theme — for example, movie night or chocolate goodies. Photograph the baskets, list the contents and publicize them. Then sell coupons for $1 and have employees write their names on them and deposit them in a jar next to the baskets they like best. Pick a winning coupon for each basket.
  16. Dunk Tank. Rent a dunk tank and ask senior leaders to take a half hour turn being dunked. Employees pay to try to dunk them by throwing a baseball at a target.
  17. **NEW** Donald Trump Impersonator Contest. See Super Fun Fundraising Idea Inspired by “The Donald”

Related blog posts:

9 More Super Fun Fundraising Ideas to Raise Big Bucks

Super Fun Fundraising: Make Money with a 2017 Eclipse Fundraiser

Fun Fundraiser: Container Garden Contest and Silent Auction

Great Fundraising Idea: Community Yard Sale

Super Fun Fundraising Idea Inspired by “The Donald”

Super Fun Fundraising Compliment Event: Raise Money and Boost Morale

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.


—————————————————————————————————————————————

 


Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Posted in carnival ideas, charity event, charity fundraising ideas, fundraising ideas, raising money for charity | Tagged , , , , , | 22 Comments

Winner in the “Name my New Car” Contest

Posted on October 1, 2014 by blogqueendiane

Winner of Name My New Car ContestLast week, I offered a $10 Amazon gift card to the person who submitted the best name for my new silver car. Thanks to everyone who entered my first blog contest — you had some great ideas and it was a fun experience! Continue reading →

Posted in car, contest, thoughts tips and tales | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Swearing in Blog Posts Doesn’t Make you Look like a Rebel — It Makes You Look Trashy

Posted on September 30, 2014 by blogqueendiane

Swearing in blog posts doesn't make you look like a rebel - it makes you look trashyBloggers, if you use swear words in public posts — especially the f-word, c-word, or g-d-word  —  or even “freakin'” — when we all know what you’re thinking — I beg you to reconsider. Someday, I think you’ll be sorry you chose to express yourself that way.

You may feel that taking advantage of your freedom to use any words you like makes you a rebel, a free spirit or a trend-setter, but I believe it brands you as a trashy person — even if you’re a kind person with high morals and a contender for Mother or Father of the Year.

Writing peppered with swear words offends some people and makes them cringe. Some readers will stop in their tracks, and won’t finish reading what you wrote. Is that what you want? Continue reading →

Posted in blogging, cursing, cussing, swearing, thoughts tips and tales, writing | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Thrift Store Treasures #2: Bare Traps Sandals — Love Them!

Posted on September 29, 2014 by blogqueendiane

Thrift Store Treaures #2: Bare Traps Sandals -- Love Them!**This is not a sponsored blog post. I just love these shoes!**

Have wanted to buy a pair of Bare Traps shoes for years, but they were always more than I wanted to spend, even on sale.

They’re kind of funky looking — but cute — flats – with rounded toes. Just the kind of footwear I like!

I was lucky enough to find two pairs of Bare Traps sandals a few weeks ago, both my size, in a local thrift store. One pair was brown and the other one was navy (just the color sandals I’d been seeking to replace a pair that wore out; navy sandals are tough to find!) Continue reading →

Posted in Bare Traps, bargains, shoes, shopping, thoughts tips and tales, thrift stores | Tagged , , , , | 24 Comments

Easy Pegboard Earring Holder

Posted on September 26, 2014 by blogqueendiane

Easy pegboard earring holder

If your jewelry box is overflowing with earrings and you’d love to display them so it’s easy to pick out a pair every day, here’s a quick and inexpensive earring holder that costs less than $7.

Get a piece of pegboard and cut it to the size of the space on your wall (a closet wall is a good spot). Continue reading →

Posted in diy, do it yourself, earrings, jewelry holder, thoughts tips and tales | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Enter the Contest to Name my New Car; Win a $10 Amazon Gift Card

Posted on September 24, 2014 by blogqueendiane

New silver 2014 Nissan Sentra

I always name my cars, and my new 2014 “bright silver” Nissan Sentra (pictured above and written about previously in the worst new car buying experience ever) needs a cute handle.

Please submit ideas!

I’ll announce the winner next week and email a $10 Amazon.com gift certificate to the person who suggests the best name in a comment on my blog by Mon., Sept. 29. Please spread the word to your friends and family and encourage them to enter the contest, too.

Looking forward to hearing your creative solutions — something fun I can call my car for the next 10 years!

Posted in contest, name my car, new car, Nissan, thoughts tips and tales | Tagged , , , , | 13 Comments

I Lost Everything in Hurricane Hugo 25 Years Ago – The Aftermath

Posted on September 23, 2014 by blogqueendiane
Hurricane Hugo: I Lost Everything 25 Years Ago -- the Aftermath

Amazingly enough, many pieces of our Corelle dinnerware survived the hurricane.

I began the tale of Hurricane Hugo and how it destroyed all my family’s possessions yesterday. Here’s what happened after that.

Since we were only allowed a few hours on the island, we packed our trash bags — mine contained renter’s insurance info and other paperwork from the file cabinet (still intact but waterlogged) — and trudged back to the ferry in shock.

My son and I returned to my parents’ condo, and several weeks later, we rented a furnished house about an hour away from Sullivan’s Island, since all rental property surrounding Charleston was overflowing with displaced residents. Continue reading →

Posted in hurricane, hurricane hugo, thoughts tips and tales | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Hurricane Hugo: I Lost Everything 25 Years Ago – Part 1

Posted on September 22, 2014 by blogqueendiane

Hurricane Hugo: I lost everything 25 years ago


On Sept. 21-22, 1989, Hurricane Hugo — a Category 4 storm with 135 mph sustained winds — devastated Charleston, S.C., and my family lost everything.

We lived a block from the beach in an inexpensive three-room apartment at ground level on Sullivan’s Island, after our  move from “up North” about four years earlier. When the hurricane was predicted to make landfall nearby and the call for evacuation occurred, my ex-husband J, my 18-month old son M and I evacuated to Columbia, S.C., along with J’s parents and sister, who had been visiting.

My ex was convinced the whole evacuation was unnecessary, so he chained his expensive Harley Davidson to a column in the house and we packed one of our two cars with a few suitcases and things we thought we’d need for an overnight trip away from home, not giving much thought to it. I was primarily concerned with bringing clothes and toys for the baby, filling the car with them. I brought only three pairs of shorts and three shirts for myself (it was still 90 degrees in late September). We left plenty of food and water for our two beloved cats — above floor level, although we really thought that was overkill — because we didn’t think we could take them to a hotel.

Right before we left, the landlord called and told us to “roll up a towel” and put it at the bottom of the door facing the ocean. Continue reading →

Posted in hurricane, hurricane hugo, thoughts tips and tales | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

The Most Horrible Car Buying Experience Ever — Conclusion

Posted on September 19, 2014 by blogqueendiane

Most Horrible Car Buying Experience - ConclusionAs detailed on yesterday’s blog post, I bought a new car recently and had the most horrible car buying experience ever.

When I brought the new car home, I parked it in the driveway thinking I might want to go somewhere that afternoon.

About 5:00, I drove it into the garage that I’ve parked in for the past 19 years.

The new car, however, was obviously much wider than the old car — and as I pulled it in for the first time,  the rear-view mirror on the driver’s side scraped the wooden garage door frame with a sickening sound. Then, the entire back of the mirror assembly popped off and flew out of sight! (This was less than five hours after I’d brought the brand new car home from the dealership.)

Most Horrible Car Buying Experience Ever - ConclusionI couldn’t open the car door to see where the piece was because the car was half in and half out — with the mirror wedged against the wood. I was sure that I would run over the part and smash it to pieces, but really had no options.

Slowly backed the car out – amazingly enough – without running over the missing car part, but the wood on the garage door had a gouge in it and when I found the mirror back, it had white paint and scratches on it. Luckily, I popped it on and it seemed to be secure. (Was planning a trip five hours from home that weekend and figured I’d find out for sure if the part blew off on the interstate.)

It was the perfect ending to a horrible experience. Continue reading →

Posted in car, horrible car buying experience, new car, Nissan, thoughts tips and tales, worst car buying experience | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments