Fundraising

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Raising $1,500 is no easy task. These tips will help!

Crossing the first finish line

Written by Kahm on August 27, 2010 at 11:08 am

So we're only a few weeks from the Challenge Walk, and something I hoped but never thought would happen has happened: I completed my fundraising goal.

It's not that I thought it was impossible to raise $1,500 — I know people who've done this walk before, and overachievers like Ken set their goals thousands higher than that minimum. I just thought it was impossible for me. I have a small family, my friends are all starving graduate students, and "spare time" in which to do fundraising activities is about as foreign to me as sub-Saharan Africa. I depended almost exclusively on my solicitation letters — and yet, somehow, it all worked out. I reached my goal.

With that strange sense of calm, I can look back at what I did and see how it worked. I sent about thirty solicitation letters, and about twenty of those recipients donated. The few no-replies were mostly long shots — cousins with burgeoning broods of children whom I rarely see. For the most part, my family has been exceedingly generous about an event they are actually quite far removed from. (Is there a prize for having the most non-regional sponsors? Because the vast majority of my donations are from Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska!)

But I also wouldn't be even close to my goal if it hadn't been for the non-solicited donations from friends. In one day, a single, unexpected cash donation moved me from "I might get close…" to "I'll definitely reach my goal!". I also earned some bonus bucks through MS-related events that haven't tallied into my count yet. A friend of mine who thought I still had another hundred to go was pleasantly surprised to learn he had actually put me over the top!

Another factor I've started noticing is my Facebook counter has been getting me some last-minute donations. Apparently, people find a cause more irresistible if you actually look like you're going to succeed in meeting your goal. Because those bonus bucks are still out there, I've gotten a few donations even after reaching $1,500, which gave me a new goal: to actually raise the money I'd gotten in fundraising remission. It would be an amazing sense of accomplishment if I could actually "cancel out" the bonus bucks I thought I'd have to rely on!

I started this fundraising process thinking I'd be very lucky to make even half of the minimum, and I solicited without really expecting much response. But the one thing that has kept surprising me throughout this endeavor is the unexpected generosity people will show for a good cause. This Challenge Walk has given me a renewed hope — not just that people with MS can have better lives, but that we all can when we work together toward a worthy goal!

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Kahmmie is a first-year walker and has just started to get involved with the MS community, with the inspiration of her significant other, Ken, this site's webmaster. She currently lives in the Boston area and attends graduate school full-time.

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Fundraising Tip #16: Keep fundraising!

Written by Ken on August 25, 2010 at 2:47 pm

[Note: Today being the last Wednesday of the month, this will be our last entry in the weekly Fundraising Tips series. We'll continue to publish three times a week on other subjects up until the MS Challenge Walk!]

The MS Challenge Walk is a once-a-year event, but the cause that motivates us to participate is perennial. For many of us, that means the fundraising never stops. Whether your fundraising efforts span the entire year or just the few months leading up to the event, hundreds of walkers have proven time and again that $1,500 is not as insurmountable a goal as it first seems.

The National MS Society can work with those walkers whose fundraising must extend beyond the MS Challenge Walk deadline. Although submission of donations before or at the event is strongly encouraged, if you need a few more donations to make your goal, please do keep fundraising for the 2010 walk after the fact. We won't keep you from walking the route! We appreciate your dedication to the cause, as will your potential donors.

Online donations will be accepted through November 15. If you have any questions, please contact the MS Challenge Walk team.

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Ken, a Worcester resident, joined the MS Challenge Walk in 2005, more than a decade after his mother was diagnosed. After walking for three years and 150 miles, he switched to the support crew and now rides his bicycle along the trail, providing whatever encouragement (and snacks!) he can to the 600 walkers. He is also on the event's steering committee and is this site's webmaster.

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Fundraising Tip #15: Promoting your fundraiser on the event calendar

Written by Ken on August 18, 2010 at 2:38 pm

Some folks rely solely on solicitation letters for their fundraising. Others — especially teams — complement this approach by hosting a variety of events, from dinner parties to yard sales to bowlathons. But no matter how creative the occasion and passionate its hosts, fundraisers need promotion to attract a potential donors. So what's the easiest way to promote your event?

Why, by letting us do it for you, of course!

No doubt you've seen many fundraisers listed on this site over the summer. The next month continues to be filled with such opportunities. A quick look at the calendar shows a baseball game in Dracut and a clambake in Denver this Saturday; a restaurant outing and a training walk on Sunday; a dinner in Portsmouth on Tuesday; a pottery-painting party next Wednesday; and a baseball game and a training walk next Sunday. Phew! Many of you are intent on those last-minute fundraisers, apparently!

It's not too late to be included on this list — just fill out this online form with your event details. This will put the event on this blog's homepage, where it'll be seen by hundreds of people and emailed to more; put it on our Facebook page, where it will show up in our hundreds of fans' news feeds; and even get it tweeted, where Boston-area event calendars might see it.

There are a few caveats: the event calendar is not well-suited for recurring events (eg, something that happens every Tuesday) or events that have no specific time or place (such as an online sale). But submit these events anyway, and we'll work with you to find ways to publicize it.

Getting others to promote your event for you is more tactful than your own blatant plugs, but it's worth doing both. If you're on Facebook, post your Challenge Blog event listing to your own Facebook profile and invite your friends to come.

May all your fundraisers be the successes they deserve!

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Fundraising Tip #14: Sell jewelry

Written by Jodi on August 11, 2010 at 11:27 am

Fundraising year after year for your event can be tough, right? Instead of trying to do all of your fundraising in the few months leading up to the event, consider fundraising all year long!

This year is my first being involved with the MS Challenge Walk. I am a crew member and will be in The Big Tent. I've previously walked in the Boston MS Walk for the past two years; in total, my team has raised over $18,000! If you had asked me two years ago, if we could ever raised this much, I would have said "No way" — but we did it, and I'm already fundraising for the 2011 Boston MS Walk.

I have found that for me it is less overwhelming to do a little fundraising all year long. The past two years I sold "MS Awareness Bracelets" that my friend made for me. Since I had to pay for only the supplies, I was able to raise a good amount of money — and my friends and family are now wearing beautiful bracelets for MS.

This year, I am selling "Rings for MS" that I made myself. So far, everyone loves them! I started last week carrying them with me everywhere I go and show them to everyone I meet. I've already sold 20 rings at $20 each, and I hope to see at least 75 by walk day in April.

I find selling something works well. People love new jewelry, especially when they can get it for a good price and help a great cause. Often the same people who buy something from me are willing to make a straight donation closer to walk day! I'm always looking for new things I can make and sell as a fundraiser.

I've also found Facebook, Twitter, and my personal blog to be really helpful tools when fundraising. In 2010, I sent personal messages to each of my Facebook friends and found that people I haven't talked to in ten years were willing to donate. I also posted regular updates in my status. Following the walk, I started my blog for the main purpose of sharing my journey with MS and as a fundraising tool. I'm hoping it will help as the 2011 Boston Walk approaches.

This fall I hope to host my first fundraiser at a bar with a silent auction. I've never done this before, but I've heard they can bring in a lot of money. So I'm excited to plan this event and get together with all of my supporters.

Doing a bit at a time has really helped me fundraise. It works well for me, and I'm always trying to come up with new ideas.

I wish you all good luck as the Challenge Walk approaches. I hope you have met your goal and enjoyed your fundraising.

See you in the big tent!

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Jodi was diagnosed with MS in September 2009 and quickly got involved with the Greater New England MS Chapter. She has participated in the Boston MS Walk for the past two years with her team, The Bean Team. This year she has also joined the crew for the MS Challenge Walk! She lives and works in the Boston area as a medical social worker at a local hospital.

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Fundraising Tip #13: Soliciting friends of friends

Written by Ken on August 4, 2010 at 12:41 pm

Most of your fundraising solicitations are sent to first-degree contacts: your friends, your family, your co-workers. But many more people are affected by MS, and that which affects your loved ones affects their loved ones, too. Why not expand your network and reach out to these second-degree connections?

In my case, I walk for my mother, who was diagnosed with MS in 1990. My three older brothers are unavailable to join me in the MS Challenge Walk, but their motivation to fundraise is no less than mine. I wanted to ask them to send a solicitation letter to anyone they knew that I might not — but then I figured, I'm already sending more than a hundred letters myself, I'm set up for such a process, why not do it for them? I instead asked my brothers for names and addresses from their rolodex. I then prepared a different letter to those individuals. Instead of beginning with:

"I am writing regarding this September, which will mark my sixth participation in the MS Challenge Walk, a two-day, 30-mile event that raises money for and awareness of multiple sclerosis, which affects my mother."

I wrote:

"I am writing regarding this September, which will mark my brother Ken's sixth participation in the MS Challenge Walk, a two-day, 30-mile event that raises money for and awareness of multiple sclerosis, which affects our mother."

I continued to make these little changes throughout the letter, constantly referring to myself in the third person, and ended by signing by brother's name. After getting final approval of the letter from my bros, I mailed the letters with self-addressed stamped envelopes directed to me. Sure enough, a week later, those envelopes started coming back with checks in them: "I got your brother's letter and am happy to help you in your walk for your and his mom!" Now that I've made that initial contact, I can (and have) solicited these same people for future walks under my own name.

Note that I am not promoting identity theft or forgery. Pretending to be someone else requires a friend or relative's full permission and cooperation, and they should be kept abreast of who you are soliciting and how.

Online networks like Facebook and LinkedIn help us meet friends of friends, but "social networking" works in the real world, too. Ask your siblings, parents, co-workers, and friends to fundraise on your behalf, and leverage your connections to bring us that much closer to a world free from MS.

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Money motivation

Written by Kahm on July 30, 2010 at 1:04 pm

I'm not sure if it's a Midwestern sensibility, a sense of shyness, or just plain pride, but I have always felt awkward asking people for money. I knew this long before I signed up for the Challenge Walk, so from the start, I knew that the solicitation and fundraising aspects of the event would be my biggest trial.

On any given day, if you gave me the choice, I'd probably be more comfortable walking an extra 30 miles than asking for donations! But that's not the way this walk works, and the bar is set high with a requested $1,500 minimum per walker. So not knowing what else to do, I followed the lead of my boyfriend (a long-time walker and bike crew member for this event) and started writing solicitation letters.

Those who received my solicitation were, without exception, family in some way, and I have the extra challenge of not living near any family. Could I really expect people who live over 1,000 miles from New England to care about this walk? What's more, I know that some of them are having a hard time making ends meet right now; could I in good conscience even solicit them in the first place? With all these questions weighing on me, I became worried that I should start eliminating prospective donors from my already small pool. What's more, I was becoming convinced that there was no possible way to hit that fundraising minimum.

But Ken, kind and sometimes even wise man that he is, gave me a small but intrinsic piece of advice — it's not my place to decide whether someone else can afford to donate, or to decide how big a priority charity is for them. All I can do is offer the opportunity and see who wants to take it.

With that in mind, I rallied my courage, stamped a bunch of envelopes, and dropped them all in the mail before I could change my mind. Now that some donations are coming back, I'm seeing his point: some of the donations are much bigger than I expected. A few are a little smaller. But overall, I'm surprised by the level of generosity my family is showing to this walk — even if they aren't anywhere near New England and don't know anyone who has MS, many of them still want to support me in my pursuits, and for some of them, that's reason enough to contribute. For others, perhaps they're glad to know that I'm spending my spare time promoting good causes. I may not know each person's motivation for donating, but I do respond with all the gratitude I feel for their support.

Though that $1,500 goal is still very lofty, this first round of fundraising has given me the motivation to look for other opportunities to close the gap. I don't know if I'll be selling my home-grown cucumbers, hosting a back-to-school party for my classmates, or just outright begging, but I'm going to do what I can to raise money for this cause. Whether or not I make the minimum, I can walk proudly if I know I gave it my best effort.

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Fundraising Tip #12: A night at the movies

Written by Ken on July 28, 2010 at 1:56 pm

Everyone loves going to the movies. From Toy Story 3 to Predators to Sorcerer's Apprentice, there's something for everyone. So why not appeal to that broad audience for your fundraising by organizing a movie night?

Have fun and raise funds by inviting friends to your house to watch some movies. Charge a small cover price, or ask for a donation of their choice. You can even prepare some popcorn and soda and sell it for half the price that a theater would. With trips to the movies being so expensive, your friends and family will enjoy the opportunity to see their ticket prices going toward a cure for MS.

Of course, you'll need some good movies to show, too! Start the evening with a family-friendly movie; save any anything for the adults (like a boring old romantic comedy) until after the kids are asleep. You can also try to theme the movies by showing films from a similar era, genre, or actor, while still providing some diversity. For example, Jimmy Stewart appeared in two very different films: Harvey and Vertigo, two classics that kids and adults, respectively, can enjoy.

If you're feeling particularly ambitious (or if you don't have a sufficiently large television or movie-viewing area), you can even organize an outing to the movie theater, complete with raffle tickets and prizes. Take a look at a similar fundraiser organized last year by team Gail Force at the Elm Draught House in Millbury.

So pick some flicks, call some friends, and raise some dough toward your MS Challenge Walk goal. We might have a happy ending after all!

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Answering questions about MS

Written by Ken on July 23, 2010 at 10:49 am

When you engage in fundraising for the MS Challenge Walk, you're not only raising money; you're also raising awareness. Despite MS afflicting 400,000 Americans, many people do not know exactly what this condition is or how it affects their loved ones. When confronted with questions about MS, you may not always have a good answer. If you try to be specific, you can watch their eyes glaze over as you explain that "multiple sclerosis is a neurological disorder in which the immune system attacks the myelin sheath that helps conduct electrical impulses throughout the nervous system" — what a mouthful! And even that biological perspective doesn't convey what it's like to live with MS. So how do you succinctly tell people what this cause is that you're walking 50K for?

Songwriter Kristie Salerno Kent can answer these questions for you, as she knows something about MS herself:

A few years after Kristie received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Syracuse University, Kristie was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis … She decided that she was not going to give up her dreams of performing just because of her MS diagnosis. Kristie took on the role of an MS Lifelines Ambassador and travels the country speaking and singing for others who are affected by the disease. Now her performances are for a purpose and not just entertainment.

Kristie doesn't have to come to your neighborhood to give a speech about MS. Her YouTube video, "The Show Must Go On", is something you can send to your friends and family to help them understand the experience and condition that is MS.

There are several more excellent videos that give other perspectives on multiple sclerosis. Since my mom has MS, one of my favorites is "My Fight with MS", by Kyle Surkovich, whose father has MS.

These videos will help you raise funds for and awareness of multiple sclerosis, bringing us a step closer to a world without it!

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