What could be better than knowing you're helping a great cause while sipping on tea or biting into a pastry? Hosting an afternoon tea or a bake sale to raise funds for multiple myeloma is a light-hearted way to make a serious difference. Not sure where to start? Read more to learn about how to host your own afternoon tea or bake sale.

• Find the right location.
  For an afternoon tea, look for venues that can accommodate the number of people you expect or that has the amenities you desire. Examples of a good location for an afternoon tea are a local hotel or restaurant. For a bake sale, somewhere central to the community or with high traffic are recommended.

• Create a committee you can count on.
  Organizing a fundraiser alone is far too overwhelming. To make your afternoon tea or bake sale a success, designate people to certain jobs. To ensure every person on the committee stays on task, hold meetings to check on each team member’s progress.

• Add some dimension to your afternoon tea or bake sale.
  For the afternoon tea, do you want there to be musical entertainment or a guest speaker? And for the bake sale, do you want there to be a raffle people can enter? Adding variety to your fundraiser will be more fun and will encourage more people to donate.

• Make sure your event is well known.
  Post flyers in places everybody will see in your local area. Send out invitations for your afternoon tea. Make calls to people to tell them about your fundraiser and why you are having it. Also, work with the International Myeloma Foundation to create a website with the fundraiser’s details.

• Sponsors may be a good idea.
  Sponsors may help raise more money for your afternoon tea or bake sale. In addition, sponsors may be able to connect you with resources to improve the quality or efficiency of your event. Sponsors may also fund additional advertising.

• Know your audience.
  When planning your event, consider individuals who may have certain audio-visual needs. Even if you are having a bake sale, make sure everything is marked in a way that is easy to see or understand.

• Use the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) to help guide you.
  The IMF is more than happy to assist you in hosting your afternoon tea or bake sale. Whether it be helping pay for postage, picking out a menu, having educational materials about multiple myeloma at the event, or many other factors, the IMF will lend a hand. If you have questions or need support for your fundraiser, contact Suzanne Battaglia, the IMF’s Director of Member Events. 

When you host a bake sale or afternoon tea to raise funds for multiple myeloma research and awareness, you make a big impact. We thank you for taking the time to do something amazing, by fundraising with something sweet.