Scroll down for a list of tips you can use now in helping you reach your fundraising goals (or click the button below to download this list). If you still have questions or need more ideas on promoting Against the Tide in your community, please contact Cheryl Osimo, Executive Director, at 508-246-3047 or cherylosimo@comcast.net.
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Tips to help you Go for the Gold!
- Set a fundraising goal. Challenge yourself and aim high – $1,000 or more.
- Create a pledge page through MBCC’s First Giving website, allowing your supporters to safely donate online. You can add photos and a personal message, and track your fundraising progress.
- Email a fundraising letter to everyone in your address book and on your e-mail list. Explain why you are participating and state your fundraising goal. If you’ve participated before, be sure to thank donors for their past support and explain why you are participating again
- Mail a copy of your fundraising appeal to those who do not use email. Consider including a self-addressed stamped envelope to make it easier to send back a donation.
- Post a fundraising message on Facebook or other social media platforms that you use.
- Include in all of your fundraising requests a link to your FirstGiving page for online donations.
- Ask one person a day to sponsor you, and don’t be shy about it! People like to help out and are usually supportive and very generous.
- Request a pledge of at least $20. Most people will be able to give that much or more. If they can’t, they’ll let you know. Every donation, large or small, counts.
- Contact local businesses that you frequent for a donation. They may want to sponsor you! Or, ask if you can leave a poster and a small donations jar at the cash register.
- Coordinate a bake sale, yard sale, car wash, or other events in your neighborhood, at work or at school with the proceeds designated to benefit the MBCC.
- Record a message about the event on your answering machine or voicemail.
- Display your pledge sheet up along with a poster in a visible area at work, school, community center, or house of worship. Your colleagues will see it and make a pledge.
- Provide photos of the event or describe it in words to help potential donors visualize what the event will be like.
- Send a reminder to your contacts one to two weeks before the event. It’s natural for donors to procrastinate, and they will appreciate a gentle nudge to contribute before the event.
- Double your pledges! Find out if your company has a matching gift program by contacting your Human Resources Department. Also mention this to your sponsors – their employers may also have a matching gift program to increase your pledges.
- Encourage someone you know who enjoys fitness activities to participate as a Designated Swimmer/Walker and help her/him raise money.
- Establish a friendly competition among friends or departments at school or work to see who can raise the most money. Offer a fun prize or an incentive for winners.
- Remember to pledge yourself! And, be sure to send out a follow-up email or letter after the event to let everyone know how it all went. People who forgot to contribute before the event may be inspired to donate after the event. MBCC welcomes donations at all times!