There have been salon-a-thons held before, but this is the first time we have attempted to raise funds for our GIFT program (Giving Inspiration, Fighting Together) by hosting this type of event.
The results were phenomenal! I can't believe how willing the salons were to participate. Yes, there is a bit of legwork involved pre-event and you have to spend some money (but not much, if you are careful) to host this type of event and promote it well, but it is well worth the effort.
I approached the salon I use monthly early last year. Every year I had seen their sign for Cut for a Cure in October; last year there was no sign. I asked my stylist what had happened and she told me that the woman at the salon who organized it could not do it, based on personal reasons. I presented a proposal to the owner and he told me that he and his partners would agree to host the day, if I discussed it with Sharon, the woman who ran the program in the past, and got her approval.
I then met Sharon, a bright, vibrant, dynamic lady and we hit it off immediately. She is as passionate about breast cancer advocacy as I am and she had a wealth of contacts. We are both of the same mind - get as much donated as possible, so that we don't spend a lot of money on overhead. GIFT is run entirely by volunteers, so we do not have any salaries to pay, no rent, no overhead - just the materials we buy for our programs.
The plan for Cut for a Cure includes the following: we supply a large, outdoor banner for each salon, posters and flyers for inside the salon and to hand out to customers. We had tee shirts designed for the staff. Each salon received a stack of raffle tickets, for prizes which they would get donated. (Generally, the vendor for the salon's product line is willing to donate a basket of hair care products to raffle off). We supplied the letters for the salons to get the raffle donations. The salons then asked their towel service and coffee service to donate their services for the day. We visited local restaurants and asked them to donate the food for the day. Each event runs from 12 noon to 4 PM. The staff of the salon donates their time, supplies and even their tips! We had a balloon designer donate the balloons.
