FUNDRAISING GUIDE BOOK

Transcription

1 Saturday, September 8th, 2018 FUNDRAISING GUIDE BOOK Gears & Cheers HOPE Ride Who will you ride for?

2 INTRODUCTION YOU DID IT! YOU SIGNED UP FOR THE 2018 GEARS & CHEERS HOPE RIDE! TABLE OF CONTENTS Where the Money Goes 3-5 Four Step Fundraising Method 6-9 By registering for the 2018 Gears & Cheers Hope Ride (GCHR) your commitment, hard work and dedication will play an important role in the success of GCHR. Your commitment will also help the American Cancer Society in our mission to save lives, celebrate lives and lead the fight for a world without cancer. Tips from our Top Fundraisers 10 Social Media Tips and Tricks 11 Fundraising App 12 Worksheet Section Example Section This fundraising guide is designed to provide you with the tools and information necessary to achieve your fundraising goal. After raising over $50,000 our first year for the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge, we encourage you to set your personal goal to help us go above and beyond that number this year. Fundraising Worksheets The Gears & Cheers Hope Ride Executive Leadership Team has collected tips and tricks to help you succeed in your fundraising. We know that if you use these tips laid out in the guide book, you ll meet and exceed your fundraising goal while having fun along the way. Let s make 2018 the BIGGEST and BEST year for the Gears & Cheers Hope Ride! Thank you for your support, dedication and efforts! -The GCHR Leadership Team Gears & Cheers HOPE Ride Who will you ride for? 2

3 WHERE THE MONEY GOES YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS CAN HELP SAVE LIVES Your support enables the American Cancer Society to help those touched by cancer and continue our lifesaving mission in so many ways. Our mission is only accomplished thanks to our generous donors. Simply put: we save lives by helping people get well and stay well, by finding cures, and fighting back against cancer. GET WELL The American Cancer Society is committed to helping people get well by guiding cancer patients and their families through their cancer experience and relieving some of their emotional and financial burdens that a cancer diagnosis can bring. STAY WELL The American Cancer Society helps people live healthier lives by preventing cancer or finding it early, when it s most treatable. FIND CURES The American Cancer Society funds and conducts groundbreaking research that helps us understand cancer s causes, determine how best to prevent it and discover new ways to cure it. As the largest private, notfor-profit funder of cancer research, we ve played a role in almost every major cancer breakthrough in recent history. FIGHT BACK The American Cancer Society empowers those touched by cancer to fight back by working with legislators to pass laws to help fight cancer and rally communities worldwide to join the fight. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network the Society s non-profit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate is the nation s leading cancer advocacy organization that is working every day to make cancer issues a national priority. HOPE LODGE The American Cancer Society Hope Lodge is a free residential hospitality house in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Hope Lodge provides access to top quality care and is a comfortable and nurturing environment for cancer patients traveling to the area for life-saving treatment. For many, the cost of receiving cancer treatment outside of their local area can be an overwhelming and challenging expense. This lodging program helps to defray the cost of hotel rooms and restaurant meals while providing the comforts of home. Hope Lodge allows patients to focus on getting well without having to worry about where to stay or how to pay for it. Gears & Cheers HOPE Ride Who will you ride for? 3

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6 FOUR STEP FUNDRAISING Now that you re registered for 2018 Gears & Cheers Hope Ride, it s time to start spreading the word! It s also time to come up with your plan of attack for your fundraising strategy. You may be a little worried about meeting your fundraising goal, but we ve come up with a Four Step Fundraising Plan to help you! PREP. ASK. REMIND. GIVE THANKS. STEP ONE PREP Before you dive head first into making the ask, we recommend that you identify your audience and outline your story. IDENTIFYING YOUR AUDIENCE When you commit to a fundraising event, you need to THINK BIG about who you know. From the moment you signed up, the whole world has become your audience. We have created a helpful document for you to print out to brainstorm Who Do I Know (see the Print Off Section). Don t be afraid to ask people! You may be thinking, That person won t donate to me but how do you know? Have you asked yet? Probably not! You don t know the answer unless YOU ASK! You may also think, I barely talk to that person anymore. I feel awkward asking. Don t! You never know if that person has been personally affected by cancer. We have some helpful sample s for you to use for situation like this. Before moving onto perfecting your story PAUSE and start brainstorming. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP! Now go print off the Who Do I Know worksheet, grab a pen and start brainstorming! PERFECTING YOUR STORY Now that you ve completed your Who Do I Know worksheet, it s time to outline your story to tell your future donors. To help you perfect telling your story, here are some questions to think about and write down: (see the Print Off Section) 1. What does Gears & Cheers mean to me? 2. Why did I sign up to participate in GCHR? 3. What are my goals this year? 4. Am I hoping to increase the amount I raise from previous years? 5. Am I going to attend more GCHR events leading up to the event? 6. Am I going to make more of an effort to get to know more riders and volunteers? 7. How has cancer impacted my life and why do I believe it s important to fight for a world without cancer? 8. If I had a donor tell me their donation wouldn t make a difference, what would I tell them? Gears & Cheers HOPE Ride Who will you ride for? 6

7 FOUR STEP FUNDRAISING STEP TWO ASK Now that you have your Who Do I Know worksheet completed and your story finalized, it's now time to focus on MAKING THE ASK. Over the years, we ve found that most successful fundraisers have one simple thing in common: they ask as many people as they can for their support, in a very personal and meaningful way. Tip: Don t procrastinate from the time you sign up it s time to start telling the world what you re doing and reaching out to all those potential donors! IT S TIME TO MAKE THE ASK! We ve broken out these tasks for you. 1. On your Who Do I Know worksheet identify each individual and how you re going to reach out to them using these abbreviations: = EM Mail = M Facebook Message = FB 2. Creating an and/or letter. When you sit down to start this process make sure you address the following topics: What is GCHR? What is my fundraising goal? Where does the money go? How can a donor support me? Why am I participating? TIP: Make your /letter on a Word Document first and save it, so you can copy and paste it as needed.. 3. Whether or not it s your first time fundraising, you are MAKING A DIFFERENCE! See the Sample Section in this Fundraising Guide to help you succeed in MAKING YOUR ASK! 4. Once you ve completed your first draft ask a co-worker, friend or family member to review it. Gears & Cheers HOPE Ride Who will you ride for? 7

8 FOUR STEP FUNDRAISING STEP TWO ASK (continued) 5. Think about how you can enhance this initial letter to create several communications (both and print). We recommend sending at least four communications to your donors throughout the year using this format: Announce that you are participating in the Gears & Cheers Hope Ride and share your story. Share why this cause is important to you and make your first ask. After training rides, share details about how your experience has been so far and include some photos. This is a great opportunity to thank everyone who has supported you and give a little reminder to those who haven t yet. Share an update on your training and progress of your goal. This is also a great time to thank everyone who has already donated and offer a gentle reminder to those who haven t yet done so. During the ride, we will announce how much money we raised for GCHR Share this exciting news with all your donors and remind them that this wouldn t have been possible without them! Also, share your experience with them and how this event made you feel. Don t forget to include some event photos! DO YOU HAVE YOUR 30 SECOND ELEVATOR SPEECH READY TO GO WHEN TALKING TO POTENTIAL DONORS? IF NOT, WE VE GOT YOU COVERED! Example One: The Gears & Cheer Hope Ride is a cycling event that benefits the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge. Donors support Riders (like myself) by donating to the American Cancer Society s mission to help those fighting cancer and support cutting edge research to help end cancer. The event starts at Trail Point Brewing Company in Allendale and has us riding out towards Grand Haven and Holland. I will be traveling a total of 35/75 miles! You should check out GearsAndCheersMI.org to find more information about the ride. While on the site, you can register to ride or donate to my fundraising campaign... Example Two: I m riding in the 2nd Annual Gears & Cheers Hope Ride this fall and would love to have your support! The Gears & Cheers Hope Ride is a cycling event on September 8th. It starts and ends in Allendale at Trail Point Brewing Company. I m riding 35/75 miles in support of the American Cancer Society s Hope Lodge. Hope Lodge is a free residential hospitality house in downtown Grand Rapids, where cancer patients can stay when traveling for treatment. My goal is to raise $500 to support this program; will you help support me and the American Cancer Society by making a donation? You can donate online by visiting GearsAndCheersMI.org and going to my fundraising page... Example Three: Have you heard of the Gears & Cheers Hope Ride? It s a cycling event that benefits the American Cancer Society s Hope Lodge. I m committing to riding 35/75 miles and dedicating my time to fundraise for the American Cancer Society in hopes to help them eliminate cancer. If you re interested in riding, donating, or volunteering, along side me, visit GearsAndCheers.org to learn more about the ride and how to get involved. Gears & Cheers HOPE Ride Who will you ride for? 8

9 FOUR STEP FUNDRAISING STEP THREE REMIND Over our years of fundraising for cancer, we ve heard how participants will make an ask and their contacts will respond back with, I ll do it later this week, or I ll give you money next time I see you, or I d love to support you. I ll donate!, but they forget to follow through. We ve all seen this! Trust us! This is why we ve added in the REMINDER STEP to help you in sending reminders out to those certain individuals. We suggest sending a final reminder days before the ride. By adding in the number of days until GCHR, it will add a sense of urgency to your reminder and will let you share your story one last time. See the example in the Print Off Section. Tip: Do not over think the reminder . Just spice up the opening paragraph a bit. Type out how many days left until the Gears & Cheers Hope Ride and make sure to BOLD it! STEP FOUR GIVE THANKS WOOHOO! CONGRATULATIONS! YOU DID IT! Now it s time to thank your donors! Even though this may be the most time-consuming part, it s the MOST IMPORTANT PART of the fundraising process. Taking time to give a heartfelt and gracious THANK YOU means the world to people. We have a couple ideas to share with you on how to GIVE THANKS to your donors: 1. Make personalized postcards with a hand written thank you to mail out. 2. Buy generic thank you cards from the store, then write your thank you and mail out. 3. Send a thank you (BONUS Include some photos)! 4. Make a personalized thank you video that can be posted on social media. Gears & Cheers HOPE Ride Who will you ride for? 9

10 TIPS FROM OUR TOP FUNDRAISERS Ask everybody we mean everybody! Ask for donations from the businesses you frequently visit These can be car dealers, home improvements service providers, stores or restaurants your loyalty is appreciated! Send s from the GCHR site Get more personal by sending from your personal . Ask everyone you know to join you in riding the GCHR Most will politely decline, but then you can make a donation request so they still feel like they're part of the event (which of course they are!) Utilize our free ACS FUNdraising smart phone app! Host a Party Invite neighbors, coworkers and friends to ask them to support you with a donation to help end cancer. Make Espresso an Event Have an espresso machine at home? Bring it to your office and make espresso drinks at work for donations. Bake Sale Hold a Friday office bake sale so coworkers can purchase treats for the weekend. Garage Sale Ask your team members to clean out their attics, garages and basements to bring in items for a team-wide sale. Be sure to post signs indicating that all proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society. Arrange a Dine Out Fundraiser* Ask a local restaurant to donate a share of the evening's proceeds to the American Cancer Society and then invite your friends! Envelopes at Restaurant Tables* Ask a local restaurant to allow you to place cancer donation envelopes at every table that states, "Please support our American Cancer Society Gears & Cheers Hope Ride event." Percentage of Sales* Ask a store to designate a percentage of one day's sales or proceeds to the American Cancer Society and publicize the store's offer. Be Helpful, Handy, or Creative! Dog walking (or washing), babysitting, running errands, mowing lawns, cleaning gutters, washing windows, offer tailoring, painting - you name it, just ask for a donation as payment. Add a Tribute Name to your Shirt For a donation, sell tribute names to people who would like you to include the name of a loved one who has battled cancer, or is currently battling cancer, on your shirt or bike. Hold a Raffle* Throw a party at your home, or workplace, and raffle off a donated prize. Give a Latte One day a week everyone donates what they would spend on their daily latte. Post a video challenging all your friends to Give a Latte for our event. Vacation Day If you are on a team with coworkers, ask your boss to offer a bonus day off to the team member who raises the most money for cancer. Have your Gift Matched Ask your human resources department for a matching gift form and remind friends and family who support you to do the same. * Please contact your local American Cancer Society staff partner to conduct these types of events to ensure legal compliance. Gears & Cheers HOPE Ride Who will you ride for? 10

11 SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS AND TRICKS Now that you ve mastered making the ask, it s time to spread the word through social media! Using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, a blog, or any other social media platform, will help you share your story, gain donations and recognize donors. FACEBOOK With over 1.3 billion people on Facebook, we can say there are a TON of potential donors you can gain through using Facebook. Facebook is a great way to share you story, give updates on your training and fundraising, share links and share the facts about cancer. Make sure to always share the link to your fundraising page and don t forget to use our hashtag! #GCHR2018 TWITTER Twitter is an easy way to make a quick ask, give a quick update on training and your fundraising progress, and share quick facts about cancer. Since you have limited characters in a post, you re forced to keep it short and sweet! Always remember to put your fundraising link in your bio! INSTAGRAM Instagram + Photos = 1,000 words! Instagram has blown up in the past couple years. People love scrolling through the app to see other peoples photos. Make sure to take photos at fundraising events and training rides! You can then post these images, along with images of facts about where the money goes, cancer statistics, images sharing your cancer story, etc. However, with Instagram, you can t post a direct link into your comments so make sure to put your fundraising link in your bio. Make sure to #GCHR2018 Gears & Cheers HOPE Ride Who will you ride for? 11

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13 WORKSHEET SECTION THIS SECTION OF THE FUNDRAISING GUIDE HAS WORKSHEETS THAT ARE DESIGNED TO HELP GUIDE AND SUPPORT YOUR FUNDRAISING EFFORTS. TIP: BLOCK OFF 30 MINUTES (OR MORE) IN YOUR SCHEDULE TO DEDICATE TO THIS TASK. USE A PENCIL. AND TURN OFF ALL DISTRACTIONS AROUND YOU. Gears & Cheers HOPE Ride Who will you ride for? 13

14 WHO DO I KNOW? LET THE BRAINSTORMING BEGIN! Immediate Family Your Professional Network Extended Family Volunteer Network Friends Religious Network College Friends Neighbors High School Friends Childhood Friends Parents Current Colleagues Clubs and Social Groups Former Colleagues Family Friends Past Year Donors Doctors, Dentist, other Health Care Providers Social Media Connections Hairdresser, Gym Instructor TURN OVER Gears & Cheers HOPE Ride Who will you ride for? 14

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16 PERFECTING MY STORY 1. What does Gears & Cheers mean to me? 2. Why did I sign up to participate in Gears & Cheers Hope Ride? 3. What are my goals this year? 4. If you were a previous GCHR participant, how are you planning to increase your fundraising goal? 5. Am I going to attend more GCHR events leading up to the event? 6. Am I going to make more of an effort to get to know more riders and volunteers? 7. How has cancer impacted my life and why do I believe it s important to fight for a world without cancer? 8. If I had a donor tell me their donation wouldn t make a difference, what would I tell them? Gears & Cheers HOPE Ride Who will you ride for? 16

17 EXAMPLES SECTION THIS SECTION OF THE FUNDRAISING GUIDE HAS EXAMPLES FOR YOU TO GET YOUR WHEEL TURNING ON WRITING LETTERS TO YOUR SOON TO BE DONORS. YOU CAN CHANGE, ADD AND DELETE ANYTHING YOU D LIKE FROM THESE SAMPLES. TIP: MAKE IT SOUND LIKE YOU! Gears & Cheers HOPE Ride Who will you ride for? 17

18 SAMPLE ONE Dear, On September 8th, I will be embarking on a 35/75 mile journey across West Michigan. I am participating in the American Cancer Society s Gears & Cheers Hope Ride. This bike ride will be my most meaningful ride yet as I am riding to raise awareness and fundraise for American Cancer Society s Hope Lodge. Hope Lodge is a free residential hospitality house in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. It provides a comfortable, nurturing environment and access to top quality care for cancer patients traveling to the area for life-saving treatment. For many, the cost of receiving cancer treatment outside of their local area can be an overwhelming and challenging expense. This lodging program helps to defray the cost of hotel rooms and restaurant meals while providing the comforts of home. Hope Lodge allows patients to focus on getting well, without having to worry about where to stay or how to pay for it. I m truly excited to be a part of this event and I d like to humbly ask for your support. My goal is to fundraise $[insert dollar amount] for the American Cancer Society. You can help me achieve this with a gift of any amount. To support my efforts, please visit my personal web page at If you would rather donate by check, please make a check payable to the American Cancer Society and be sure to include my name in the memo line. Checks can be mailed to the office address listed below: American Cancer Society Attn: Gears & Cheers Hope Ride 129 Jefferson Ave. SE Grand Rapids, MI Thank you for supporting me in pursuit of my goals as I take part in the Gears & Cheers Hope Ride. Not only are you helping me achieve the challenge of a lifetime, you are also helping the American Cancer Society provide a home away from home for patients battling cancer. I plan to ride fast, train hard and find cures! Yours in the fight against cancer, [Insert name] Gears & Cheers HOPE Ride Who will you ride for? 18

19 SAMPLE TWO Dear Family and Friends, I have recently decided to take on a new challenge that will require much dedication, determination and perseverance. I ve decided to ride in a 35/75 mile cycling event called the Gears & Cheers Hope Ride and fundraise $[insert amount] for the American Cancer Society! I will complete the Gears & Cheers Hope Ride on September 8th with hundreds of other riders that are dedicated to the American Cancer Society s mission to save lives, celebrate lives, and lead the fight for a world without cancer. Cancer has touched us all in some way. In fact, 1 in 3 people are diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Together we can fight back; together we can conquer this disease. On a personal note, I have signed up for this ride to honor, who has survived/was taken by cancer,/is currently battling this disease. With your help and support, I know I can reach my goal of crossing the finish line and creating a world with more birthdays! I will continue to be reminded during my ride of what (insert honoree s name) has been through and that this ride is minimal compared to that. [Insert photo of honoree] I hope my effort makes a difference in fighting a disease that has affected (insert honoree) and so many others but I cannot do this alone. Please consider supporting me in this effort by making a tax deductible donation to the American Cancer Society. Every dollar counts! You can donate online to my fundraising website at or mail a check (with my name in the memo) to the office address listed below: American Cancer Society Attn: Gears & Cheers Hope Ride 129 Jefferson Ave. SE Grand Rapids, MI With gratitude and appreciation, [Insert name] Gears & Cheers HOPE Ride Who will you ride for? 19

20 FUNDRAISING WORKSHEETS THIS SECTION OF THE FUNDRAISING GUIDE HAS FUNDRAISING WORKSHEETS FOR YOU TO PRINT OFF AND USE TO RAISE MONEY! TIP: SOME OF THESE YOU LL WANT MULTIPLE COPIES OF SO DON T BE SHY AND GET OUT THERE! Gears & Cheers HOPE Ride Who will you ride for? 20

21 RAISE $500 IN 7 DAYS! Raising $500 is easy if you break it down into smaller donations. Ask everyone you know to support you. Everyone knows someone affected by cancer. You may be surprised at the number of people willing to support you! DAYS ACTIVITY TOTAL COMPLETE Day 1 Sponsor yourself for $50 $50 Day 2 Ask 5 family members to donate $30 $150 Day 3 Ask 5 friends to contribute $20 $100 Day 4 Ask 5 co-workers to contribute $10 $50 Day 5 Ask 5 neighbors to contribute $10 $50 Day 6 Ask 5 people from your place of worship to contribute $10 $50 Day 7 Ask your boss for a company contribution of $50 (better yet, find out if your company will match what you raise!) $50 Congratulations! You raised $500! Gears & Cheers HOPE Ride Who will you ride for? 21

22 6 TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE FUNDRAISING 1. Drive traffic. Never pass up an opportunity to gather addresses and encourage people to register. In your offline publications, highlight your website and the benefits of donating online. Talk about it - become the face of online giving and fundraising! 2. Get personal. Personalize s and webpages and encourage participants to do the same. Each online interaction is an opportunity to learn more and sharing your personal reason for supporting the American Cancer Society goes a long way. 3. Know your audience. Who do you hope will donate or join? Keep in mind their age, technological comfort level and access to the internet. Distribute how-to sheets and offer assistance and training. 4. Make it easy. Be creative but keep it simple. You want site visitors to be able to find what they are looking for and people don t want to look through cluttered web pages to discover how they can donate online. 5. Be clear, be brief. Individuals attention span are much shorter on the internet than they are reading through a brochure or report. You have a short window of time to get your message across. 6. Make it interactive. Think of online fundraising as building an online community. Issue challenges to teams and communities and highlight different events, people or stories from your participants. Gears & Cheers HOPE Ride Who will you ride for? 22

23 THANK YOU TO OUR 2018 SPONSORS Gears & Cheers HOPE Ride Who will you ride for? 23

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