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Once you become a Vertical Challenge participant, you will hopefully give some thought as to how you are going to reach your fundraising goal. We understand that raising this much money can be a bit intimidating, but you can be successful if you plan ahead, start early, use the resources given to you, be creative and have fun! The No. 1 way of raising money in this program is through a personal solicitation letter. This is a letter that you send to extended family, current and past friends, neighbors, old college roommates, your favorite teacher from fourth grade, and just about anybody else that you can think of. However, just sending out letters does not guarantee that you will reach your fundraising goal. Everybody is a bit different, and you may need to also think of an alternative way to raising money through corporate sponsorships and special events.
The Process
What makes the solicitation letter so successful is how little time it takes to send to a lot of people. Once you get your letter written, copied, placed in the envelope, and sent out - all you have to do is wait about two to three weeks before you see the first of hopefully many donations come in. The donation process is pretty simple. You place your letter, and a return envelope into an envelope. Send it to everyone away!
Start Soon! One of the keys to a successful fundraising campaign is starting early! It is important to get your letters out at the beginning! Keep in mind it usually takes two to three weeks before the donations appear in your mailbox Writing a Good Letter
The key to a successful letter campaign is writing a good letter. Here are some suggestions to writing a successful fundraising letter.
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Make it personal
We all love to get personal letters, so make your letter personal. Let them know why you decided to this and who it ultimately benefits.
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Use humor
Everybody loves to laugh, so use humor where appropriate. A combination of the heartfelt purpose behind the Vertical Challenge and a little homespun humor about your addiction to kayaking is a powerful one-two
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Set a deadline
People are always motivated by deadlines. This way you can assess your fundraising on an ongoing basis and it conveys to donors a sense of urgency.
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9. Be prepared to send a reminder A lot people will get your letter and say, "What a great thing Joe Cool is doing! Sure I'll help out," and then set the letter down - only to forget about it. The best way to send a reminder is to put it in the form of an update. Write to your donors and tell them how many vertical feet youve paddled to date. Let them know that fundraising is going well, but you still have a bit farther to go in order to reach your goal. Ask them nicely if they would consider making a donation in honor of your goal. Often times reminder letters are more successful than original letters when it comes to bringing in the money.
December 14, 2006 Dear Potential Donor, Im writing you on behalf of First Descents, an amazing organization that provides whitewater kayaking and outdoor adventures for young adults with cancer nationwide. The reason for my letter is simple, Im involved with, EddyFlower Vertical Challenge a 30 day kayaking competition, and it is my personal goal to raise $1,000 in support of First Descents. The young adult cancer population, (ages 18-39) is the most underserved population within the cancer world and the programs that First Descents provides free of charge play a key role in a cancer survivors emotional, psychological and physical healing. It costs First Descents approximately $1,000 per camper for a one week session and your donation will go directly toward providing these much needed programs to a very deserving group of people. To some $1,000 may seem like a lot of money to raise however as a group I know we can do it. Every dollar counts and whether you can make a $15 or $200 donation it will mean a great deal to me and the young adult survivors involved with First Descents. And, your donation is 100% tax-deductable. Please make your check payable to First Descents and send to Insert Name at Insert Appropriate Mailing Address. Whatever you can give will be greatly appreciated and I want to thank you ahead of time for your generosity and your willingness to help me achieve my goal. If you have any questions or would like further information about the EddyFlower Vertical Challenge or First Descents please feel free to contact me directly Insert Appropriate Phone Number or at www.firstdescents.com Very Sincerely, Fundraising Individual
Fundraising: Its really not hard when youve got a great cause (Who, What and How)
Something to think about: If you get 50 of the above people to give you nothing more than $20 bucks a piece, youve raised $1,000.00.
2) If youre really feeling it, host a head-shaving party in honor of your temporarily bald brethren under going chemotherapy. I know this sounds a bit over the top however fathers have done this for sons, sons for mothers and football teams for teammates. Another spin on this type of event is to have friends and family pledge money to shave your own head. This type of radical event not only raises money but brings awareness to the cause. If you do it, do it with pride! On a similar track you could ask a local barbershop to help you do this and donate $5.00 a haircut on a designated Saturday. 3) Have a killer garage sale! Have friends pitch in items for the sale and make it a big weekend event. Remember one mans trash is another mans treasure! Get rid of stuff you dont need and add to your money to your target goal. 4) Talk to your local newspaper, (I mean very local newspaper) and have them run a story on what youre doing for young adults with cancer. Talk about our ambassador program and where the money youre raising goes. Youd be surprised how many people will give. 5) Host a big dinner party and ask people to donate whatever they can in return for a great dinner! 6) It sounds old fashioned but a car-wash with friends on a weekend can raise a pretty good sum! (Remember ALWAYS tell them where their moneys going!) 7) If you belong to a church or social group, see if theyll help you host a pancake breakfast on behalf of your First Descents Quest. You can even do it in honor of a church or group member who has had an experience with cancer. 8) Host your own backyard BBQ! One backyard BBQ hosted by one guy (he charged for the food, made a speech about why he was doing it and asked for donations), made over $2,500 in one day! 9) CDs for cash! Take all those CDs you never listen to anymore and bring them to your local indy music store and trade em in for cash. And, if you get friends and family members to give all of their dusty old CDs you can trade them in as well. You wont make a cool grand, but its a start and you never know! 10) Do you go to school with or have any friends that are in a band? Have them play a mini-backyard concert, (or see if a local establishment will let them play on an offnight. Promote to all your friends and charge a cover.
Okay, you get the picture All of these ideas have not only worked, theyve worked well! It might take a little work but youll have fun doing it and will be left with an unbelievable sense of accomplishment!
Do not think of fundraising as asking for money for you. You are asking as an advocate for cancer children and their families. The money you raise enables these young adults to participate in a First Descents Program!!! Ask everyone. Even though you may not have talked to that college friend or second cousin in awhile, it's never too late to resume a connection. Tell them about your commitment to First Descents. Cancer may have affected their lives and they may be looking to give back. Ask your friends and colleagues to help you reach your goal. Ask them to share their contacts, send out letters or help to plan a fundraising party. Involve everyone you know. You'd be surprised at how many people you know - even casual acquaintances - who will be eager to support your efforts. Carry your fundraising letters everywhere you go, you never know when the opportunity will present itself. Be prepared! Always remember to thank them. People are basically good and want to help, they may not have someone that they know who is philanthropic and would love to give to the cause. The best way to fundraise is to use a combination of techniques. Have a fundraiser, do a raffle at your work or at your childrens school, throw your own First Descents shindig at your home or get a local bar involved, get corporate involvement, etc. Start early! No reason to wait until youre behind the eight ball. Dont forget about the power of an e-mail. How many friends have you supported over the years who asked you to contribute to their cause? Ask your boss. Remember, the boss has a rolodex too!!! The Vertical Challenge is an event that allows kayakers to experience the joy of helping young adults with cancer. When you participate, you represent not only your honorary First Descents Kayaker; you also represent all those who donated to your campaign. Make sure everyone realizes that his or her contribution enables First Descents to make the life of a young adult cancer patient that much better.
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Just ask!!!