As we said in the last page, it's not always easy to get directly involved in things that are required to make a difference. Those of us who live in relatively rich countries can also work to make a difference through giving money to different causes.

Kristin (right) of Ballarat works for the Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services in Melbourne. Bluey Day is a focus on raising money for Kids with Cancer. Police and other emergency workers like Kristin have their heads shaved to show empathy for those kids who have lost their hair through chemotherapy. Kristin raised $1450 for the appeal by shaving her head. This was a shock to some of her family!

Why raise money?

Like with direct action, we can contribute money to local projects or to overseas projects. There are also lots of different ways to raise money, some of which can really be quite painless and sometimes lots of fun. The ultimate aim though, is to shift money from the pockets of those who maybe have more than what they need, to the areas where the money is needed to make a difference.

In addition, most fundraising activities come with some education about why the money is being raised. This helps to develop an understanding of the issue as well.

Bluey Day

One activity that has brought a lot of interest in many areas is Bluey Day. This seems to take place in a number of areas and seems to have grown from the desire to "crop a cop" - in other words, to see the heads of police shaved.

It has extended in some areas. At the time of producing this site, the students of Ballarat Secondary College were aiming to raise $500 so the Principal of their school would dye his hair blue.

Other Fundraising:

It seems that fundraising has become a real art. In Australia we have "Jeans for Genes day" (for research into diseases caused by genetic factors), "Daffodil Day" (for research into cancer), "Red Nose Day"(for research into Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) and many more. These are fundraisers organised on a large scale.

On a smaller scale, we can focus on fundraising for local organisations, or for contributions to larger organisations on a global or even natonal scale. The first thing to do is to decide what the project is. This may be local or global.

Some ideas are:

• Free Dress day (this only works in places like Australia where students usually wear uniforms to school).
• Coin Chain: Ask students to bring along their loose change. Put all the coins end to end and see how long a line you can make.
• Sausage sizzle: (is this an Australian thing?) Barbecue sausages, wrap in slices of bread and sell at lunch time.
• Cake and Biscuit stall. Make these in cooking classes and sell them at lunchtime.
• Guess the number of jellybeans in the jar and have the huge jar of jelly beans as a prize.
• Walkathon : get sponsors for the number of times you walk around the school oval. It is also important to let your sponsors know why you are collecting money. The whole process of eucation is an important one

So, there are lots of ways to raise money. You need to think about who you are raising money for - and the group you are aiming to get the money from, in deciding what strategy to use. While your cause may be serious, the spirit of fun that develops can often put people in a better mood for giving. Anyway, the world needs more laughter - so you are helping to make a difference from that angle as well.