First of all, congrats on getting your fundraising started! Raising support for a worthy cause can be super rewarding.
One route you might want to consider is setting up a homepage for your group on a fundraising website.
Raising support online is much simpler and more tidy than raising funds via cash or check (most sites can link donations straight to your bank account through a merchant processor). And having a group page gives you a central place to post information, photos and let people know what you do - this helps you promote your cause to friends, family and whoever else you want.
There are plenty of sites these days that help groups meet their goals - here are some good options:
First Giving (www.firstgiving.com) is a solid one. They charge about 5% on donations raised and have a simple structure to set up your page (though you may have to be a certified non-profit to register with them).
If that's the case, another option is Empowered (www.empowered.org). They process about 3.5% on donations raised, offer lots of tools to help organize/fundraise, and I know they support all small groups, regardless of non-profit status.
And you could always try to send up your own PayPal account to link to you directly, but this is a little trickier and a bit inflexible.
Good luck getting your fundraising going, I hope this helps!