Monday, March 28, 2011
Fundraising Idea of the Week
We will try to share with you each week up until Relay a fundraising idea for you to use so that you can raise more money to fight cancer. This week's idea was shared at the last Team Captain's Meeting on March 22, 2011 and comes from Vicki Maggard who is the Team Captain from Doug's Deputies (Jessamine County Circuit Clerk's Office). If you would like to find notes from that meeting, please go to www.relayforlife.org/jessamine. Grab Bags Vicki has her team members bring in items that they don't want anymore. Maybe they received it for Christmas and didn't like it or bought it and never used it. She then puts all of the items randomly in brown bags and sells them for $5.00 each. Several years in a row, an individual brought in an item that was pretty popular. Once that bag was purchased and opened and someone else saw what they got in the brown bag then were ready to purchase their own. It really made people excited about donating to Relay. Thanks for the idea from Doug's Deputies. Good luck with your Grab Bag fundraiser this year! Hope everyone is planning lots of fun fundraisers! Good luck and happy "fun"raising!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Letter Writing-The Lost Art of Fundraising
Individual fundraising can be very intimidating for some people. Often times it is uncomfortable to ask for money from people you know. But when you are soliciting money for a great cause like Relay For Life, you should find it a little easier!
A great way to make the ask for a donation is to write letters to friends and family. Many Relayers don't take the time to write letters and they are missing out on an opportunity to raise more money to fight cancer. Here are some tips when tackling your letter writing campaign.
1. Know your audience-It is important to know who you are sending your communication to. If you are sending it to friends and family then the direction of your letter will be much different then if you are sending it to co-workers (unless they are also your family/friends).
Most importantly, remember to take into consideration why type of letter to send to them-an email, a letter sent in the mail, a hand written note, or a Facebook message. If someone in your family doesn't check their email frequently then don't send them an emaill; try contacting them with a typed letter or handwritten note. On the other hand, if a person on your list is constantly on Facebook, why not send them a Facebook message or write on your wall. When creating your letter, make it so that it can easily be transferred to the different types of contacts. This will allow you to address all of your different audience
2. Tell the about Relay-A lot of individuals really don't know what Relay For Life is so make sure to tell them what it is and where the money goes to. This will help them to understand the importance of donating. Plus they might just decide to join your team!
3. Give payment options-When sending letters, whether by email or regular snail mail, give the option to pay online. You will need to set up and register online before you can fundraise online. It is well worth the five minutes you will take to register online at www.relayforlife.org/jessamine. The option to donate by credit card or debit card is very appealing to many individuals. They automatically have the paper trail and don't have to worry about keeping up with a receipt.
4. Give them a deadline-Most people are procrastinators....but not all. Give them a deadline and then follow up with them a couple days before the deadline. The sense of urgency will help them to go ahead and make the donation instead of a promise that is never fulfilled.
5. Follow Up with a Thank You-Don't forget to thank everyone that makes a donation and let them know about whether you met your goal or how Relay went overall for you. I am sure they will appreciate the follow up. There is nothing worse than donating money to something and never even getting a response from the person you donated to.
Just a few tips for you as you begin your fundraising for Relay For Life. Happy "fun"raising!
A great way to make the ask for a donation is to write letters to friends and family. Many Relayers don't take the time to write letters and they are missing out on an opportunity to raise more money to fight cancer. Here are some tips when tackling your letter writing campaign.
1. Know your audience-It is important to know who you are sending your communication to. If you are sending it to friends and family then the direction of your letter will be much different then if you are sending it to co-workers (unless they are also your family/friends).
Most importantly, remember to take into consideration why type of letter to send to them-an email, a letter sent in the mail, a hand written note, or a Facebook message. If someone in your family doesn't check their email frequently then don't send them an emaill; try contacting them with a typed letter or handwritten note. On the other hand, if a person on your list is constantly on Facebook, why not send them a Facebook message or write on your wall. When creating your letter, make it so that it can easily be transferred to the different types of contacts. This will allow you to address all of your different audience
2. Tell the about Relay-A lot of individuals really don't know what Relay For Life is so make sure to tell them what it is and where the money goes to. This will help them to understand the importance of donating. Plus they might just decide to join your team!
3. Give payment options-When sending letters, whether by email or regular snail mail, give the option to pay online. You will need to set up and register online before you can fundraise online. It is well worth the five minutes you will take to register online at www.relayforlife.org/jessamine. The option to donate by credit card or debit card is very appealing to many individuals. They automatically have the paper trail and don't have to worry about keeping up with a receipt.
4. Give them a deadline-Most people are procrastinators....but not all. Give them a deadline and then follow up with them a couple days before the deadline. The sense of urgency will help them to go ahead and make the donation instead of a promise that is never fulfilled.
5. Follow Up with a Thank You-Don't forget to thank everyone that makes a donation and let them know about whether you met your goal or how Relay went overall for you. I am sure they will appreciate the follow up. There is nothing worse than donating money to something and never even getting a response from the person you donated to.
Just a few tips for you as you begin your fundraising for Relay For Life. Happy "fun"raising!
Monday, March 7, 2011
10 Easy Ways to Raise $100.00
This was taken from the Relay For Life website www.relayforlife.org/relay/fundraisingideas and is a great way to get your personal fundraising going.
1. Donate $20 and ask 4 friends to each donate $20.00.
2. Ask 20 friends for $5.00 each.
3. Ask 10 friends for $10.00 each.
4. Send a letter to family and friends (could also be an email) explaining what Relay and asking for a donation.
5. Send a letter from your pet to family and friends and ask for a donation. Don't forget to send it to your veterinarian!
6. Take a walk around your neighborhood. Knock on your neighbors' doors and ask for their support.
7. Arrange a dress down day at work. Anyone dressing down will have to pay. Be sure to have a sign that says "Please excuse our appearance today, we are dressing down to benefit the American Cancer Society Relay For Life". You could charge anywhere from $1.00 to $5.00 to dress down. You could arrange these on a weekly or monthly basis.
8. Arrange with the principal of a local school to have a baseball cap day. Usually caps are not allowed, however for $1.00, once a month a student could wear a baseball cap to school. Be sure to have signs ready that say "Caps for a Cure, you will see students sporting baseball caps today as a fundraiser to benefit the American Cancer Society Relay For Life".
9. Hold a can or bottle drive.
10. Sell Relay For Life Suns and Moons (or footprints). These are available through Julie Harvey julie.harvey@cancer.org
These are all great ideas to give your fundraising a kick start. Happy "fun"raising!
1. Donate $20 and ask 4 friends to each donate $20.00.
2. Ask 20 friends for $5.00 each.
3. Ask 10 friends for $10.00 each.
4. Send a letter to family and friends (could also be an email) explaining what Relay and asking for a donation.
5. Send a letter from your pet to family and friends and ask for a donation. Don't forget to send it to your veterinarian!
6. Take a walk around your neighborhood. Knock on your neighbors' doors and ask for their support.
7. Arrange a dress down day at work. Anyone dressing down will have to pay. Be sure to have a sign that says "Please excuse our appearance today, we are dressing down to benefit the American Cancer Society Relay For Life". You could charge anywhere from $1.00 to $5.00 to dress down. You could arrange these on a weekly or monthly basis.
8. Arrange with the principal of a local school to have a baseball cap day. Usually caps are not allowed, however for $1.00, once a month a student could wear a baseball cap to school. Be sure to have signs ready that say "Caps for a Cure, you will see students sporting baseball caps today as a fundraiser to benefit the American Cancer Society Relay For Life".
9. Hold a can or bottle drive.
10. Sell Relay For Life Suns and Moons (or footprints). These are available through Julie Harvey julie.harvey@cancer.org
These are all great ideas to give your fundraising a kick start. Happy "fun"raising!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
First Team Captain Meeting
It was so good to see our Team Captains and team member out at the first Team Captain meeting last Thursday. This year we want to encourage team captains and team members to attend meetings not only to learn about Relay but to also learn about each other. Cancer is so personal to each of us and it is nice to share the reasons we all Relay.
The Team Captain Meeting Notes for the February 24th meeting can be found on our website at www.relayforlife.org/jessamine . If you were unable to attend the meeting, take some time to look over the notes before our next meeting on Tuesday, March 22nd. This meeting will be 6:30-7:30 pm at Central Bank on Main Street. We hope to see another big crowd for this meeting.
Also, if you have a fundraiser that you would like us to promote, please let me know at alissafsmith@gmail.com. We will promote it through our Facebook page, Twitter, our website, this blog, and our monthly newsletter.
The Team Captain Meeting Notes for the February 24th meeting can be found on our website at www.relayforlife.org/jessamine . If you were unable to attend the meeting, take some time to look over the notes before our next meeting on Tuesday, March 22nd. This meeting will be 6:30-7:30 pm at Central Bank on Main Street. We hope to see another big crowd for this meeting.
Also, if you have a fundraiser that you would like us to promote, please let me know at alissafsmith@gmail.com. We will promote it through our Facebook page, Twitter, our website, this blog, and our monthly newsletter.
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