The story is not uncommon: you registered for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® months ago, and you got started on your fundraising right away. You had a nice rush of donations at the beginning from people who were excited about the challenge and commitment you were undertaking with the Komen 3-Day. But at some point, the rush slowed to a trickle, and perhaps has now stopped completely. Yes, you’ve hit the dreaded 3-Day® fundraising plateau.

If your 3-Day fundraising has hit a lull, here are some quick tips to keep things moving forward.

Work the Follow-ups! – If you sent out a fundraising email or letter and responses have slowed, send a follow-up message to everyone you sent the original message to (including people who have already donated). The follow-ups allow you to do a few key actions:

• Publicly thank those who have already donated. I’ve actually had donors give a second time as a result of being thanked in a follow-up email!
• Give everyone an update on your fundraising and training progress. (“I just finished my first 10 mile training walk!” “I’m halfway to my fundraising goal!”) Keeping your donors engaged and involved in your journey will compel them to give.
• Remind those who have not donated yet that it’s not too late! In all likelihood, they’ve just forgotten and will appreciate the gentle reminder nudge. As a donor who has supported my friends’ fundraising efforts for the 3-Day and other events, I know that I most often give on the second (or sometimes even the third) email.

Set a Deadline – Even though you have until just before your 3-Day event to finish your fundraising, there are countless benefits to reaching your goal early. Go ahead and set a deadline for yourself and share it with your donors. And it doesn’t have to be a deadline for raising the full $2300; for example, you could ask your donors to help you raise $700 in the month of July (the seventh month). The pressure of a deadline can be very persuasive and will help eliminate the “I’ll get to it later” mentality that donors sometimes fall into.

Try a Fundraising Event – If your go-to strategy so far has been fundraising with a one-on-one ask (sending emails, posting on Facebook, asking face-to-face), add some new energy and variety by holding a fundraising event. These events can be elaborate, but certainly don’t have to be. A simple garage sale or a well-positioned bake sale can often yield hundreds of dollars or more. See if your local market will let you set up a table outside. Get the kids involved and set up a lemonade stand at a nearby park or beach on a warm summer day (pink lemonade, naturally). Be sure to put out copies of your 3-Day donation form and/or your 3-Day business cards; there’s a great chance that some of your patrons will be inspired to give more when they get home!

The 3-Day Blog has loads of fundraising posts, and your 3-Day Participant Center is your fundraising idea headquarters. Still need ideas or inspiration? Call the coaches at 800-996-3DAY!