Crossroads for Kids Rodman Ride for Kids Team Fundraising Guide WHAT S INSIDE: Ride Day logistics Team-building tips How to register to ride How personalize your page How to use social media How to write a great letter Fun facts about Crossroads! Contact information Pictures to inspire you
On Saturday, September 28 th, over 1500 riders will participate in 25, 50 or 100 mile non-competitive cycling tours throughout southeastern Massachusetts. A festival atmosphere infuses the day, and all riders are greeted with a banquet, music and fun when they return from their Ride! Most importantly, every dollar raised on behalf of Crossroads for Kids will receive a 10% match when we reach our organizational goal! Date: Saturday, September 28, 2012 Location: 10 Lincoln Road, Foxboro, MA Time: 7:00am, 8:30am, 10:00am, 11:30am Start time depends on distance Set up a meeting with your team and gather the information, materials, and motivation you need to organize your team of riders! Highlight your team-building progress through regular articles in your company newsletter, community newspaper, email alerts, or in memos to employees and managers. Add your Team Page link to your email signature. Stress the importance of fundraising for your team throughout the pre-ride period. Set a fundraising GOAL and team member GOAL for your team. Make sure all team riders have registered ONLINE before Ride day! Registration fills up quickly, so please register today! Stay in touch with Crossroads for Kids! Please call or email with questions- we re here to help you reach your goals and have a blast doing it! Michelle Constantino michelle@crossroads4kids.org 781-834-2700 x 57 HELPFUL HINT! There are tons of ways to participate in the Ride! You can be a Virtual Rider- you still form a team and fundraise, but don t actually ride. Volunteer to help out at the event! There is a job for everyone! Donate to support another team, or hold a small fundraising event of your own! Share the love! The more people you tell about Crossroads and the Ride, the bigger impact we can have! Welcome to Team Crossroads!
HELPFUL HINT! Register for the Ride Online. It s Easy! Please visit http://crossroads.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent= 1071066 1. Click Register Here on the top of the screen. 2. Choose the Start a Team, Join a Team, or Join as an Individual option, according to the way you wish to setup your page. 3. Type in your information. It is best for your name/team name to be easily identifiable by any contacts that are visiting your website! Make Sure You Personalize Your Page! You can set up your own personal page or team page with text, photos and more! You can also send emails, run donor reports, and access other important information. My HQ Supporter ID # Find team and email statistics My Webpage View/edit personal page View/edit team page Edit team page donation Upload a photo or use stock photos Change theme of your webpage Email Send custom emails to recruit teammates Send updates & request donations Email history log Reports Donation report shows who donated, the amount, and when the donation was made General team donations report shows general donations made to your team Team Participant Report Shows current team and past team rider report Tools Print Donation Forms Edit Profile/Log In Assign Co-Captain Monitor your Progress Add a Donation Thermometer to your Community Page YOUR PAGE TOOLS Make sure you follow Crossroads on social media sites to keep up with all the latest and share your successes! www.facebook.com/crossroads4kids www.twitter.com/crossroads4kids Use Social Media to Highlight your Page! Use your Facebook or Twitter accounts to direct people to your fundraising webpage by posting the link with an encouraging message asking for support. Use your birthday or a fun seasonal holiday to create an exciting campaign that will motivate your friends to donate. Keep your donation request amount small-$5, $10, $20. Friends and acquaintances are more likely to participate if they don t have to break the bank! www.youtube.com/crossroadsforkids
FUNDRAISING IDEAS HELPFUL HINT! Every opportunity you create to engage people in supporting your efforts becomes an educational opportunity for why YOU are supporting this cause. The most important thing to tell anyone you approach to support your Ride is WHY you want to support Crossroads- what is your personal reason for riding, and how will their support make a difference to you? REMEMBER: A DONATION TO THE RIDE MAKES A 110% DIFFERENCE IN THE LIFE OF A CHILD Matching Gifts Double Your Donations! Matching Gifts are a great way to increase your total fundraising dollars for Crossroads for Kids! Find out if your employer has a matching gifts program. Some companies don t just match gifts made by employees but gifts made by spouses and/or retirees. So, take a few minutes to find out if you can double your donations today! The more people you ask, the more money you will raise! Cast a wide fundraising net! Think of creative ways to engage your personal network and community, and have fun with it! And tell everyone about the return on their investment- Crossroads gets 110% of every dollar you raise! Write emails or send letters- the more personalized the better (see our example)! Host a summer cookout potluck and ask for a donation MAKE SURE YOU THANK YOUR SUPPORTERS!
Dear (Your Contact), This year I am riding miles in the Rodman Ride for Kids to support Crossroads for Kids, because I (have personally benefited from their lifechanging programs / have worked with the incredible kids they serve / have volunteered with them and seen first-hand how they inspire amazing change for at-risk youth). I would love for you to sponsor me! Crossroads for Kids inspires at-risk youth to develop their innate potential to become members of the next generation of diverse young leaders in Massachusetts, breaking the cycle of poverty and under-achievement and yielding systemic change in the communities where they live. Crossroads provides comprehensive support, resources and opportunities that guide their kids and teens toward academic success, higher education, meaningful careers and responsible citizenship. On September 28th, my team will come together to ride 25, 50 or 100 miles in the Ride for Kids to raise vital funds for this incredible cause! Our goal is to help Crossroads raise $550,000 which will go a long way toward helping the kids of Crossroads discover a sense of belonging and a passion for life. Please sponsor me on this journey as I ride for a cause I am passionate about by making a donation to my team of $25 or more. 100% of your donation goes directly to supporting our kids and when we reach our goal, we will receive an additional 10% matching gift from the Ride for Kids- your donation will make a 110% difference in the life of a child! Your generosity makes it possible for Crossroads to provide life-changing opportunities for so many kids. Thank you for supporting me as I support Crossroads for Kids! Kind Regards, (Your Name) How to Write your Letter! Your personal letter/email should include: Your personal goal aim high! Why you are riding your personal connection Some facts about Crossroads for Kids Ask for a specific amount and ask everyone you know the worst they can say is no Say thank you whether someone says yes or no; either acknowledge their generosity and support, or you can leave the door open for next year. Remember to ask everyone you know! Friends, family, holiday card mailing lists, your doctor s office- and ask them to pay it forward for you! Keep copies of this form with you! You never know who you might meet! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes! I would like to sponsor from Crossroads for Kids as they Ride for Kids! Name: Organization: Email Address: Address: Phone: City, State ZIP: Gift Information: Amount: $25 $50 $100 $200 Other Enclosed is my check payable to: The Rodman Ride for Kids/Crossroads for Kids *In the memo, please write Team Crossroads or Please charge my: Visa MasterCard Credit Card No. Exp. / Signature: Date: Crossroads for Kids Rider: Please Send To: Crossroads for Kids 119 Myrtle Street Duxbury, MA 02332 Questions about this form, or need more? Contact Us! We d love to help. Michelle Phone: 781-834-2700 ext. 27 Email: michelle@crossroads4kids.org
Supporting Crossroads means supporting kids like me. Crossroads is more than a program. It s a family. MY family. The staff and my peers motivate me to do well in school and inspire me to give back to my community. My Crossroads Family took a shy and angry girl with low self esteem and developed her into a leader who KNOWS her self worth. At 11 years old, I was failing school, was hanging around the wrong people, and didn't see a future for myself. My mother struggled to support us and I never thought about college. When I found Crossroads, my life changed. I had staff checking up on my grades and people who accepted me for who I was. In just a short time, my grades were up and my future already looked brighter. Crossroads is like an oasis in the desert. Being a part of Crossroads and being surrounded by all of the amazing people involved makes me want to be a better person. Soon I will be heading off to my first year of college and I know that it is because of Crossroads that I am on my way to do amazing things. I am grateful for the person they have helped me to become and all of the opportunities they have and continue to bring me. Our graduates have bright futures! See more about their achievements on our website. By participating in the Rodman Ride, YOU are helping our kids down the path to achieve their dreams! 86% from homes with annual income of less than $5200 per family member 73% of our participants live in single parent households 35% of our participants live in foster care or have open cases with social workers 15% of our participants are currently or have lived in transition (shelters, homelessness) 100% of the teens graduating from our programs also graduated from high school. 95% of our graduates applied to and were accepted to college. 25% of our graduates return to work in our programs, serving as mentors and counselors for the next generation of diverse young leaders. Curriculum Highlights Social Awareness Leadership College & Career Community Action Signature Experiences 10 years of residential summer camp 14 day wilderness trek in Wyoming 7-day New England College Tour 7 day out of state Community Service Road Trip