Fundraising

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

Team clothing made easy

Written by Todd on January 13, 2010 at 11:00 am

There are many advantages to being on an MS Challenge Walk team, including support and camaraderie. We're happy to now announce yet another benefit: looking good on the route!

The NMSS has partnered with Spreadshirt.com to create an easy-to-use application to design and order MS Challenge Walk shirts and apparel. You can order as many or as few t-shirts as you want or need. They can even create and ship your order in less than 48 hours. The best part is that Spreadshirt.com will donate 20% of each order back to the National MS Society.

You can design team hats, t-shirts, jackets, and more! Choose from any style, color, cut, etc. Use the pre-selected images or upload your own. Once you have designed your product, you can order for the whole team or customize yours individually.

To let each teammate customize their apparel with their names, just email your final image to challenge@mam.nmss.org and they will add it to the program's image gallery. However, if a team captain places the entire order of shirts for the team (not ordering shirts individually), the NMSS can use this information to track purchases and then count 20% of the order toward the team's fundraising efforts.

You're already a team in spirit; now be a team in style!

Posted in Fundraising, Team Building | No Responses »
Tags: apparel, Spreadshirt, uniforms

Charity Checks make the perfect holiday gift

Written by Ken on December 4, 2009 at 11:49 am

This month, you may find yourself exhausted from shopping expeditions to find the latest knick-knacks for the loved ones in your life. Or maybe you'll be regifting what you received last year and never found a use for, making room to receive more well-intended but useless junk. Buying more "stuff" and "things" can leave you feeling disconnected from the spirit of the season. So why not give a gift that not only everyone can use and appreciate, but actually will make the world a bit of a better place?

Charity Checks are gift certificates that can be redeemed only by registered 501(c)(3) non-profits. When you order checks — which come in denominations of $25, $50, $100, and $250 — the recipient field is blank. You can then give a Charity Check to anyone as a gift, and they'll fill in their favorite charity's name and mail it to that organization. There is no additional cost or hidden fees or caveats, other than the cost of shipping (usually only $5). Checks can be ordered by check or credit card and ship US Priority Mail usually within two days, in time for the holidays. Plus, your gift will be tax-deductible.

Charity Checks let your loved ones choose the non-profit to benefit from your generosity.

I've been giving Charity Checks every Christmas for six years, and the response has always been phenomenal. They are not only a thoughtful and moving gift, but a timely one, as in today's economy, not all of us are able to give to charity on the scale we'd like. And though it may not be your intention, you may be doing yourself a favor as well: You'd be surprised how many of your loved ones will be so moved by your thoughtfulness that they'll return the favor by donating their newly received Charity Checks back to the NMSS.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is one of over 800,000 non-profits in the United States. Every year, MS Challenge Walkers ask their friends and family to support our cause above 799,999 others. This holiday season, consider returning the favor.

Posted in Fundraising | No Responses »
Tags: Charity Checks, checks, Christmas, donations, gift, gift certificates, gifts, holiday

Tis the season to send postcards

Written by Ken on December 1, 2009 at 1:28 pm

If you're like me and use postal mailings as part of your fundraising campaign, then you probably keep a pretty exhaustive address book. But people move, and occasionally that book needs to be updated. Fortunately, the holiday season is a great time both to keep in touch and to update your addresses.

As you send holiday cards this month, consider this opportunity to check in on past and potential supporters. There is plenty of overlap between friends, family, and donors, but for those who fall solely in the "donor" camp, they may appreciate a brief note to thank them for their support in 2009 and to remind them that you'll soon be fundraising for the MS Challenge Walk 2010.

This additional holiday task needn't be stressful! An online service like Click2Mail lets you design a postcard online, and they'll print and ship it for you for as little as 43 cents each, which includes all production and postage costs. First Class mail will return the postcard to you if it proves undeliverable, often with a forwarding address you'll be able to use when you send out your next round of fundraising solicitation letters.

Your donors will appreciate hearing from you, and you'll be getting the information and encouragement you need for another year of fundraising. You can do all this for just a few dollars, right from the comfort of your own computer. Your thoughtfulness will truly be in the spirit of the season!

Posted in Fundraising | No Responses »
Tags: cards, Christmas, greetings, holiday, postcards, reminders

Event calendar publicity

Written by Ken on November 13, 2009 at 9:36 am

The MS Challenge Blog has always had an event calendar to which any member of our community can submit a fundraising event that benefits the MS Challenge Walk. Previously, events were listed separately from these blog posts.

Based on user feedback, we are now complementing that separate listing by incorporating events into the main index. That means you'll see events posted here as soon as they are approved for publication, be it days, weeks, or months in advance. Yesterday's "All Smiles for 21+ Dance" listing was the first such event to be posted in this fashion — and it's timely, too, as the dance in question is this very weekend. (Note that the date of the event is given in the red box, not in the byline for the actual post!)

The sooner you submit your event, the sooner it'll be put in front of hundreds of potential supporters!

As always, please contact us if you have any questions about this or any other feature of the Challenge Blog.

Posted in Fundraising, Publicity | No Responses »
Tags: calendar, event calendar, promotion

Gratitude is best expressed

Written by Ken on September 21, 2009 at 2:34 pm

The MS Challenge Walk is a week behind us, and the donations continue to trickle in. At some point, you'll have received your last donation — but even after it's submitted, your work isn't done! You may've earned the accolades by walking 50 miles to cross that finish line, but what about all your friends and family who supported you with their donations? Don't they deserve some thanks, too?

Sending your supporters a thank-you email or letter is a great way to end the fundraising year. They'll appreciate hearing a post-event summary of your experiences and also knowing how much you appreciated their help. Best of all, you'll be maintaining communication with future potential donors, keeping the MS Challenge Walk in their minds more than once a year. Should you need their support again in the future, they'll remember that their check is going to someone who appreciates it.

To make this process easier, your Participant Center has a button for "Follow-Ups". From here, you can choose all those who "have donated on your behalf for this event" then "Send Email to Selected". If you're not feeling particularly eloquent, there is a "Thank You for Sponsoring Me" template you can use to thank your donors — or you can choose to "Create Your Own Message". If you need ideas of what to write, you might want to mention some of the ways the National MS Society is using their funds, or relate stories of the people you met along the walk. Including a list of all the supporters is nice, too, as it gives them street cred among their fellow philanthropists. (I do this but do not segregate donors by donation sizes; everyone is equal in my eyes, whether they donated $5 or $500.)

I sent postal thank-you letters to my 78 donors last Friday. Already I received an email confirmation: "Thanks for the nice thank you letter. Anyone who reads it will know how impassioned you are." Let your supporters see your passion, too, and send them a thank-you note. You'd appreciate receiving one, and so will they.

Posted in Fundraising | 1 Response »
Tags: correspondence, gratitude, letter, thank you

Fundraising –- flashbacks to childhood

Written by Joan on August 19, 2009 at 11:30 am

If one were to describe my fundraising or selling skills, it might read something like, “Has difficulty asking for money even when the cause is noble; is too shy to barter even when in Mexico on vacation; required younger brother’s assistance selling Girl Scout Cookies.”

Trouble selling Girl Scout cookies! How bad is that? So here I am, about forty years later, preparing for my fifth Challenge Walk and proud member of the very successful Blister Buddies — and my knees still knock when I think about raising money.

So what kind of advice could this former Girl Scout and all round selling weenie have to offer?

Personalize the asking — My brother, sister, parents, aunt, and cousins all support me. I walk for Patty, my team captain; some of my family have met her, while others only know her story through me. I talk to them about MS and how it impacts Patty and those I’ve met at the Challenge Walk. Never forget how important it is to tell your MS story.
Have a bake sale — Even I can stand behind a table filled with homemade treats and make a sale. The Blister Buddies added a bake sale component to our annual yard sale this year, and not only did it add to the revenues — it slowed people down long enough to hear our story. I can’t tell you the number of people who said "keep the change" when paying for a cookie or piece of cake.
Wear your message — I have a drawer full of MS shirts, hats, bags and pins. I wear them as often as I can, with the result that someone almost always asks about the event or the team.
It's okay to think small — Tens and twenties add up. Next year I plan to recruit people to have a yard sale with all or part of the proceeds going to MS. Our team has in-kind support from two printing companies, so I can provide my fundraising recruits with signage and other assistance. Bakes sales, dinners, similar functions all can be hosted by others to benefit MS; think about the number of new ears that will hear your MS story!

Fundraising isn’t easy for most of us, so just remember that when you're telling your MS story, the listener can’t hear your knees knocking!

Posted in Fundraising | No Responses »
Tags: advice, bake sales, dinners, tips, yard sales

Ask and you shall receive

Written by Caroline on August 10, 2009 at 10:03 am

I have to admit, I was nervous about reaching this year's fundraising goal. We are dealing with an unstable economy, and we all know people who are struggling financially. I had a friend who walked in previous years and decided to take this year off because she did not want to reach out ask for money this year.

I approached this year's fundraising with the attitude that this was not going to be a record breaking year. This is my fifth year doing the walk, and it was hard for me to ask the same network or people for money. I sent out my emails, mentioning that I recognized that people are struggling. Within minutes of sending my first email blast, I was overwhelmed with the number of donations and inspirational messages. It is overwhelming to see the continued support that friends and family provide each year. I actually had a huge "a-ha!" moment when I realized that people will reach into their pockets even in these tough times. Friends, family, and strangers continue to support a cause which which they have a personal connection. They will also find a way to support something that makes them feel they are making a difference. I had people tell me that they set aside this money every year in anticipation of getting my email. I had no idea!

We are getting down to the last weeks of fundraising. Don't be afraid to ask for support. I think that you will be surprised with people's generosity and their need to be a part of something positive.

Five more weeks. Woo-hoooo!!!

Posted in Fundraising | No Responses »
Tags: economy, email, money, solicitation

Two Days, 50K

Fundraising

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