FUNDRAISING HANDBOOK

FUNDRAISING HANDBOOK

Table of Contents I. Introduction What is Project: Get Busy Living. 2 Why is Project: Get Busy Living Important.. 2 Who Can Join?... 2 How Do I Participate?... 2 How Do I Fundraise?... 3 II. Participation Levels.. 4 III. Six Simple Steps to Getting Started... 5 IV. Fundraising Tips, Tricks, and Coaching.. 5 V. Frequently Asked Questions... 6 1

I. INTRODUCTION WHAT IS TEAM STUPID CANCER? Team Stupid Cancer is the opportunity to represent Stupid Cancer in an athletic event. As a member of Team Stupid Cancer, you have the chance to become an advocate for the young adult cancer community while raising transformative funds for our cause. Your commitment to fundraising makes our life-changing programs and ground-breaking research possible for the thousands of young adults we serve. WHY IS TEAM STUPID CANCER IMPORTANT? Each year, 72,000 young adults (ages 15-39) are diagnosed with cancer in the United States alone. That s one every eight minutes. What s more, survival rates and quality-of-life for this population have not improved in over 40 years. (Source: NCI Closing The Gap.) This is not OK. This neglected group faces age-specific challenges such as infertility, loss of identity and independence, lack or loss of insurance, increased isolation, and stalled career development with limited resources. Your participation in Team Stupid Cancer sustains Stupid Cancer s critical and life-changing support programs and services so that those most in need can Get Busy Living. WHO CAN JOIN? Anyone can join. Whether you are a marathon runner, mountain biker, Olympic swimmer, power-walker, or your average card-carrying human being, your participation will make an impact. HOW DO I PARTICIPATE? It s simple! All you have to do is let us know about an athletic event you would like to participate in while representing Stupid Cancer. You can participate in one of our featured events or let us know about one you are interested in. If you want to start up your own event, you can do that, too! Either way, you will receive the benefits of Team Stupid Cancer all while serving as an advocate for the young adult cancer community. 2

HOW DO I FUNDRAISE? Whether or not you have a successful history of personal fundraising, we are here to support your efforts every step of the way. Your network is your best friend when it comes to fundraising. Remember, your friends and family will care most about what matters to you. They will support you because you care about Team Stupid Cancer. Start by reaching out to family, friends, and coworkers to announce your fundraiser and ask them to donate. Sharing your efforts by email, social media, letters, and in-person are a great places to start. Don t stop there, though! You can host an event, ask for donations in lieu of gifts for your birthday, or plan your own creative fundraiser to help you reach your goal. Throughout the year, you will receive personal one-on-one coaching from the Stupid Cancer staff to assist you with your fundraising. You will also receive bi-weekly e-newsletter updates and a fundraising toolkit filled with tips and tricks to ensure your success. All financial gifts are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. Consult your tax professional to ensure maximum tax benefit. Your online donors will automatically receive email tax receipts from the online fundraising platform with all applicable and necessary information for taxes. Any donors who make their donations by cash or check mailed to Stupid Cancer will receive a tax receipt letter in the mail. Stupid Cancer s tax ID (EIN) is 20-2027782. 3

II. PARTICIPATION LEVELS As you fundraise for Stupid Cancer, you may choose to take advantage of the optional member benefits listed below.* Please note: Runners fundraising for the TCS NYC Marathon and United Airlines NYC Half will have different fundraising levels and incentives. Additional information will be sent via email from a Stupid Cancer staff member. All Team Stupid Cancer Fundraisers: Team Stupid Cancer Runner Kit: Team Stupid Cancer t-shirt Pack of 10 Stupid Cancer wristbands 10 Get Busy Living stickers Stupid Cancer literature Donation return envelopes Team Stupid Cancer Fundraising Toolkit Online fundraising page Dedicated fundraising coaching from the Stupid Cancer staff Bi-weekly e-newsletter with fundraising tips and race information Advocate: $500+** An optional $100 reimbursement of your event registration fee (or the amount equal to your registration fee up to $100). Rockstar: $1,000+** An optional $250 reimbursement of your event registration fee (or the amount equal to your registration fee up to $250). Ambassador: $1,500+** All Rockstar benefits Am optional Stupid Cancer t-shirt Champion: $2,000+** All Ambassador benefits An optional Get Busy Living h2go force vacuum bottle *Incentives are subject to change depending on availability **Excludes NYC Marathon and Half Marathon runners 4

III. THREE SIMPLE STEPS TO GETTING STARTED 1. Visit teamstupidcancer.org and click Join the Team or Learn More. 2. Follow the instructions to fill out and submit the form. 3. Wait patiently for a Stupid Cancer staff member to reach out to you. IV. FUNDRAISING TIPS, TRICKS, AND COACHING Stupid Cancer is committed to providing you with the mentorship, guidance, and support that you need to help you not just meet, but exceed your goals with maximum impact and outreach. As a Team Stupid Cancer fundraiser, you will have access to free one-on-one fundraising coaching with the Stupid Cancer staff. You will also receive the Team Stupid Cancer Fundraising Toolkit and bi-weekly e-newsletter updates that will include fundraising ideas, tips & tricks, and strategies to ensure your success! Please contact us with any questions by sending us an email at tsc@stupidcancer.org. 5

V. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS This is my first time fundraising. Where do I start? Each Team Stupid Cancer fundraiser will receive one-on-one support from the Stupid Cancer staff as well as receive a fundraising toolkit and bi-weekly e-newsletter. You can email us anytime at tsc@stupidcancer.org. We are here to answer any questions you have and help ensure that you surpass your goal! What should my goal be on my fundraising page? We encourage everyone to set their goal to an amount that they are most comfortable with (excluding races that have a minimum fundraising commitment). You can always update your goal if you reach the original total you set. You can find steps to updating your goal in the fundraising toolkit. Please refer to the participation levels on page 3 to help determine what goal you would like to set. Do I need to commit my fundraising goal with a credit card? If Stupid has paid for your race fee in advance, a personal guarantee will be required. If you do not raise the amount equal to your race registration fee by race day, Stupid Cancer will charge your card for the registration amount. For races that Stupid Cancer has not paid for in advance, a personal guarantee is not required to join Team Stupid Cancer. A credit card commitment will always be required for the TCS NYC Marathon and United Airlines Half. If you do not raise the minimum fundraising commitment for both races by race day, you will be charged for the remaining balance. You will be notified in advance if a credit card is required for any race by a Stupid Cancer staff member. What happens if someone wants to donate via personal check? Offline donations including personal checks will be accepted using the Stupid Cancer donation envelope. You will receive these envelopes in your Team Stupid Cancer Runner Kit in the mail. Additional envelopes can be requested online at http://stpdcn.cr/envelopes. Please ensure all checks are made payable to Stupid Cancer and have your name included on the memo line in the bottom-left. Will corporate matching gifts be accepted? Yes. In order for us to credit the matching gift to your fundraising total, please notify us at tsc@stupidcancer.org with the company information and donation amount. Do you provide hotel and travel accommodations if my event is not local? No, you are responsible for securing your own travel and hotel accommodations. What happens if I get injured and cannot participate in my event? Each event has different requirements. Please email tsc@stupidcancer.org for further information. 6

When will I receive the incentives for each fundraising milestone? When you receive a specific incentive depends on the milestone. All registration reimbursements will be received after the race, All Stupid Cancer gear will be shipped to the address you provided as soon as you reach the milestone. Do I have to accept reimbursements? No, you can choose to forgo your reimbursement to ensure that 100% of the proceeds will go towards supporting Stupid Cancer. What is the deadline for fundraising? Deadlines for each race vary but typically donations will be accepted a week after the race has concluded. What if I don t reach my goal by the deadline? That s okay! You will still receive all rewards associated with the level achieved. I need help setting up my fundraising page. What should I do? Please refer to your fundraising toolkit for steps to set up your fundraising page as well as additional information. If you need additional assistance, you can email questions to tsc@stupidcancer.org. I have a question that you haven t answered. Please email all additional questions to tsc@stupidcancer.org. 7