So you want to host a diaper drive?
Here are ideas to make it happen!
• Break out your e-mail address contacts, Facebook contacts, Twitter contacts and let everyone know you are hosting a drive. Then, ask them to forward to their friends, family and contacts as appropriate.
• Hosting a virtual drive might mean using an Amazon wish list or collecting money to buy diapers yourself.
• Make sure your bin is colorful, eye-catching and clearly explains the how, when, and why of your diaper drive.
• If you are collecting at a specific location (school, work, church, community group), consider a kick-off event to show off your bin, and explain the critical need for diapers in your area.
Cool ideas to motivate your donors:
Teachers, Administrators, Parents, Child-Care Providers, Scouts Leaders:
• Competition! This is a great way for classes, grades, teachers & students, departments, to compete for Most Diapers Collected.
• Teachers: this is a great idea for Service Learning credit! This is also a great opportunity to incorporate real-life, real-time lessons about poverty, working poor, and driving home the concept that everything we do impacts other people in our communities.
• Parents: kids learn how to organize themselves and others; they figure out logistics; they set goals and then learn how to negotiate getting rides, making pick-ups and deliveries and maybe even getting local businesses to give discounts and donations.
• Winners can have a party or be recognized at regular school awards ceremonies
Companies, Volunteers, Churches, Community Groups, Playgroups:
• Competition! Departments, neighborhoods, managers & employees compete for Most Diapers Collected.
• Your company might match donations or provide incentives for donating such as free trial memberships, gift cards for donors, or a discount coupon on the day of donation.
• If you have a kick-off event, get a local restaurant to donate snacks in return for the cross- promotion of their business.
• Use your newsletter and bulletin board to get the word out.
• Ask businesses in your community to keep donation drive flyers in a conspicuous area.
More creative ideas for everyone:
• Throw a baby shower for a homeless baby. Invite the girls over for brunch and ask them to bring diapers. Make it fun with baby shower games.
• Host a bake sale. This is a great idea to involve lots of people for little cost, with a great pay-off. Use the money to buy diapers!
• Collect loose change. At work you can do this over a period of time. Community groups might choose one month to dedicate to this. Go to Coinstar and redeem 100% of the money for an Amazon.com gift certificate to buy things from wish lists.
• Ask people to go shopping in their own closets. Maybe kids have outgrown a diaper size? Organizations will take individual diapers from an opened package.
• Parties: lots of people are coming together already, why not ask everyone to bring diapers? This is a great idea for baby showers, bridal showers, and kids’ birthday parties.
• Special Events: Get the organizer to cross-promote your diaper drive. Maybe attendees can receive a discount on the entrance fee (or a free drink!) if they bring diapers.
• Promote your drive with a flyer in goodie bags.
• Host a “Bring Your Left Over Gift Cards” party. Everyone has gift cards with a few dollars on it. Ask friends to bring their gift cards to a party, and then you can then use them to purchase diapers.
• Are you an artist or do you know someone who is? Consider auctioning original photographs or art and use the money to buy diapers.