Your Personal Guide to Fundraising Help Children s Medical Research Institute to Beat Childhood Disease. Please donate by phone or fax: P.+1800 436 437 F.+61 2 8865 2801 Please donate online: www.cmri.org.au/donate By post: Children s Medical Research Institute, Reply Paid 71005, Wentworthville, NSW 2145 Healthier kids, brighter futures
Contents
Meet Ethan When little Ethan was born, his family had no idea what challenges their little boy would face. But when Ethan was 11 months old, his mum knew something was wrong. Ethan wasn t crawling, walking or even sitting up without support. Ethan was admitted to hospital and after 7 blood tests, 4 urine tests, 2 stool tests and countless doctors, his mum Amanda was told that his kidneys were leaking all the essentials that Ethan needed. And just two weeks before Ethan turned one, he was diagnosed with Cystinosis. Cystinosis is a metabolic disease that causes an abnormal buildup of the amino acid cysteine in different organs in the body including the kidneys, muscles, eyes, pancreas and brain. Without treatment some, or all, of his organs will fail. Ethan has trouble putting on weight so he is fed through a gastronomy tube in his little belly. The surgery was extremely tough on Ethan, and his mum. Ethan has regular blood tests and monitoring to make sure he gets the treatments he needs to fight this. But Ethan is still a happy little boy who has now started crawling, walking and even saying a few words. Ethan s disease is very rare with only 37 people diagnosed in Australia. Medical research is the only hope for children affected by rare genetic illnesses. Join us to help find a cure for childhood diseases. The first night of surgery was so hard Ethan was begging for water but he was nil by mouth so I couldn t give him any. I ended up wetting my finger and wiping them over his lips and he kept poking out his tongue trying to get the water.
How you are helping children like Ethan: Children s Medical Research Institute is Australia s first paediatric research institute it was created by the community for the community and our world-leading researchers are accelerating the search for cures for childhood disease. By setting up your fundraising page you are helping to continue making major advances in medical research, such as contributing to the reduced incidence of congenital rubella and major improvements in newborn survival. Children s Medical Research Institute s scientists continue this legacy in their modern laboratories, finding the causes of conditions such as cancer, epilepsy and birth defects as they strive to develop urgently needed new treatments. More Facts 1 in 20 children is born with a birth defect or genetic disease.
Jump for Genes is an adrenalin pumping challenge that gives you the chance to skydive for free while raising money to support research into genetic diseases affecting children. It s a very personally rewarding challenge because it allows you to push your limits, face your fears and make a huge contribution to a healthier and brighter future for children everywhere.
How to kick start your Online Fundraising The first thing you need to do is set up and personalise your online fundraising page. Your fundraising page is a great way of managing your fundraising event or challenge. It gives you easy access to all your friends and family and lets them join you on your journey. Simply follow the instructions below: Go to www.fundraising.cmri.org.au to register. Choose your challenge, then click Start Fundraising on the left hand side of the page and follow the steps to set up your site. Set your fundraising goal and communicate this clearly on your page.
Online Fundraising tips & Tricks: 1. Get the ball rolling and make a self-donation! By self-donating you are showing commitment towards your fundraising goals and setting a benchmark for all your friends and family to follow. 2. Personalise your page. It is so important to change your profile picture this way people can see who they are donating to and feel connected to the cause you are passionately raising funds for. 3. Share your inspiration. Tell your friends and family why you are doing this event and raising funds for Children s Medical Research Institute. It will allow them to follow your journey and feel their contribution is even more personal. 4. Connect with online apps. Connect your page with MapMyFitness smartphone app and you will be able to share your workouts with family and friends on your Everyday Hero page. 5. Spread the word: Send an email to as many people as possible letting them know about your event or challenge. Even if people can t come to your event, they may still like to sponsor you. People can also donate before the event if they choose. 6. Remind people regularly: Send out the email a few times to make sure people don t forget. People get busy and might not remember to give the first time they get your email but they usually just need a friendly reminder. It also helps if you update people on your progress. Tell them how much you ve raised so far and if you re holding an event, update them on any exciting things you are organising. If you need some ideas on emailing text, feel free to use the example included in the support materials section. 7. Share and Tweet: Use your social networks to spread the word about your event or challenge. Facebook and Twitter can be great ways of reaching all your friends and updating people of your progress so make sure you post a link to your fundraising page on your social networking pages you could even create an event on Facebook and invite all your friends to join and contribute. 8. Close to your Goal Update. When you are close to reaching your target, connect with your friends and family about the exciting news that you are $X away from your goal and with their help you can get there before your event weekend. 9. Record Your Journey. Don t forget to take photos and videos during your training sessions and if you put on an exciting fundraising event take photos from these too!! You can share these on your social
media and your fundraising page. How to develop your offline giving 1. Get Visual. Use the poster template included within this kit to promote your upcoming fundraiser. Put them up in your workplace, school and local community boards 2. Just Ask. Never be afraid to ask a friend or family member for a donation face to face. In fact, this can be one of the most effective and personal ways to secure a donation as the donor feels personally connected to the cause and supporting you. 3. Get your Community Behind You. Whether it s asking the local pizza shop down the road to put a poster up in their shop window or contacting the local newspaper and letting them know about the amazing event you are supporting get chatting! You may be surprised by the people around you that are connected to the cause and would be so excited to support you on your journey. Wrapping up your Event 1. Don t forget to say thanks! : Send a personalised thank you email to everyone who donates. It is really important to let people know how they have contributed to your overall fundraising goal. After the event, update people on the amount you raised and how it was only possible with their generous contributions. 2. Bank what you fundraise: You can bank donations or funds raised at events through your online fundraising page. Simply click the donation button and follow the prompts.
Additional Support Material DONATION REQUEST LETTER: Dear <name>, As you may already know I am stepping out of my comfort zone this year and participating in <event/campaign name> and am really excited about competing - so wish me luck! A big part of <event/campaign name> is raising much needed funds for charities. This year I am supporting Children s Medical Research Institute - a wonderful institute that is working tirelessly to create a future without serious childhood diseases. I would really appreciate your support in this event and would love it if you would sponsor me through my online fundraising page. I m aiming to raise <target> so please help me to reach my goal, every little bit counts! It s really easy to donate and you get a receipt emailed straight to you. Just click on the link below to go to my fundraising page: <Insert link to fundraising page> Thank you so much in advance for your support, your donation will be greatly appreciated by the Children s Medical Research Institute and myself. Many thanks,
Healthier kids, brighter futures Support... raising money for childhood diseases. What:... When:... Where:... Visit:... For details and to donate visit www.fundraising.cmri.org.au
FAQ s: 1. Can I take donations offline? Yes. Simply gather all cash donations the go to your fundraising page, click donate and use your credit card to make the payment. Alternatively, you can contact us to make a direct deposit on (02) 8865 2800 2. Where does my money go? The registration fee paid on events goes directly to the organizers to cover the expenses of holding the event. Any fundraised amount goes directly towards supporting the CMRI scientists to find treatments and cures for genetic diseases affecting children. To find out more about the impact of your donation, visit our website. Please donate by phone or fax: P.+1800 436 437 F.+61 2 8865 2801 Please donate online: www.cmri.org.au/donate By post: Children s Medical Research Institute, Reply Paid 71005, Wentworthville, NSW 2145