Fundraising Tips

Fundraising Like a Champion!
by Kevin Horio, April 2012

Fundraising can seem daunting.  A lot of people simply aren't comfortable asking for money.  Perhaps a change in perspective may help... 

What if you think of fundraising simply as sharing your passion for a cause and including people you care about on your journey, share your story.  Let them decide how they can help.  They may join the cause and participate in your event, they may provide moral support, or they may provide financial support.  Any of those outcomes is great, and at the very least they become aware of your cause and your efforts.

Here are some tips to help your fundraising efforts:

1. Fundraising Page
   Setup your Tour de Cure fundraising page with your personal story, why you do the Tour, you'd be amazed at how much your story helps.  People want to know about you and why your ride int he Tour. 
   
    
2. Communicate
   Send messages to all your friends, family, and co-workers - tell them your story and ask that they support your efforts and however much they can contribute is greatly appreciated.  Use the Tour Center that the ADA provides, it makes it easy import your email list to send emails in bulk.
   
   If belong to any online social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.), use the ADA's plugins for these and let everyone know what you're doing.    Send messages to everyone on your social networks and post your efforts on your wall.  A lot of people pay more attention to these social network updates than regular emails.
   
   
   
3. Appreciate
   Thank everyone promptly when they donate to your ride.  Send an email directly to them.  Even if you will see them and you will thank them directly, send the email - there's something about showing your appreciation in writing that has impact.  The ADA Tour Center will notify you when you get donations and you can go in there and see who you should acknowledge.
   
    
4. Follow Up
   Send an update to everyone on your contact list a couple weeks before the Tour - include those that  have donated and those that haven't donated yet.  Within that update, thank everyone who has helped so far and note how much you have raised and where you are in relation to your overall goal - it'll let folks see that you are on a committed journey and they are all part of it. 
   
   
   
5. Final Update
   Send an update to everyone on your contact list after the ride.  Thank everyone and let know how much you raised, how the ride went, how you did on the ride, and other accomplishments you want to highlight.  People like closure and they'll like to see how your efforts ended up.  They'll feel like they've been on this journey with you - it's compelling.
   
   
   

And always remember that even though someone may not have donated, it doesn't mean they don't support your efforts - they simply may not be able to help in this way right now, or they may have given in another way, or they may be helping other charities.  Whatever the case may be, they still support you as a friend.  Continue to include them on your efforts, continue to share your story - at the very least it raises awareness about your cause.


Share some of your own tips!

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