Encouraging In-kind Contributions for Communities Talk to Prevent Alcohol and Other Drug Misuse Activities
Some organizations may be able to offer financial support for your alcohol and other drug misuse prevention activities, while others may be able to contribute "in-kind" support. In-kind contributions add value by expanding your capacity in the form of volunteers, materials, and services. For example, volunteers can help with administrative tasks, local businesses can donate refreshments, and community leaders can contribute as speakers.
Volunteers can:
- Serve on your planning committee.
- Recruit other volunteers and contributions.
- Help set up for the activity.
- Contribute special talents, such as design or computer skills.
- Promote the activity on social media.
Local organizations and businesses can provide help to:
- Secure meeting space.
- Provide refreshments.
- Provide access to office equipment, such as computers, copy machines, and A/V equipment.
- Contribute paper and office supplies.
- Provide access to virtual meeting platforms.
- Support advertising.
Possible donations of services that can lower the cost of your activity include:
- Printing and/or mailing of promotional materials.
- Volunteering to serve as a speaker.
- Performing promotional activities, such as recording the Communities Talk activity for showing on public access TV, posting signs in businesses, and promoting through social media.
How to Ask for Contributions
Here are a few tips on how to ask for in-kind contributions:
- Be enthusiastic about requesting in-kind contributions and share how much they help toward the goal.
- Stress the mutual benefits of in-kind contributions. For example, media coverage of your activity will extend its outreach, and your partner will get noticed too.
- Emphasize to businesses that in-kind contributions to a Communities Talk activity is an investment in the community-which may pay off in attracting and maintaining loyal customers.
- Identify key stakeholders and ways they might help. Schools, for example, benefit from healthy, drug-free students, so they can be a natural location for an in-person Communities Talk activity.
- Consider the strengths of those who sign on and find natural fits for them. Do some have staff who can pitch in or services that align with what you need? Which ones have strong media connections?