Category Archives: General

You Can Raise $2,300 in One Month

There are countless strategies you could employ to raise money for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®, but when you’re staring down a deadline (or just want to reach your goal quickly), it may be hard to narrow down your options. That’s where our handy chart comes in. Follow these steps and find yourself celebrating your $2,300 Komen 3-Day fundraising success in no time!susan g. komen 3-Day breast cancer 60 mile walk blog fundraising $2,300

Still craving more fundraising ideas? There are in-depth resources in your 3-Day® Participant Center, creative ideas and inspiration on the 3-Day blog (click Fundraising in the top banner to see all the fundraising-related posts) and the advice and expertise of the 3-Day coaches (just a phone call away at 800-996-3DAY).

Catching Up With the Michigan 3-Day Coaches

Before last year’s Susan G. Komen 3-Day® Series, we introduced the local coaches from each city. These are the staff members who support the Komen 3-Day walkers and crew members all year round, answering phone calls and emails, hosting community events, assigning crew captains and juggling dozens of other tasks to make sure that the 3-Day® participants make it to their events excited and well prepared.

susan g. komen 3-day breast cancer walk blog 60 miles michigan coaches

(L-R) Ann, Jennifer and Gina

Since we gave you the coaches’ full profiles last year, we’ll delight you with just a fun update before each event this year. Michigan’s up first (you can read last year’s “Meet the Michigan Coaches” here)!

What was your favorite memory from the 2014 Michigan 3-Day?

Jennifer (Michigan Participant Coach) – My favorite part of last year’s Michigan 3-Day was the few miles that I was able to walk the route and connect with walkers. I happened to be on the route at the same time as Amy, a first-time walker whom I had talked with over the phone many times, but we hadn’t yet had a chance to meet face-to-face.

Ann (Michigan Local Events Coach) – My favorite thing in 2014 was getting a chance to see all the folks that I had met at local events all year. Seeing those people out on the route or in camp having a terrific time was so wonderful! The absolute best was when people who had been terribly nervous (about the walking, the fundraising, the camping…) made a point to tell me how great the weekend was and how happy and proud they were that they had overcome their fears and made it to the 3-Day!

Gina (Michigan Crew & Volunteer Coordinator) – It’s hard for me to pinpoint just one memory and there are so many parts of the event that I’ll always carry with me. I love seeing the camaraderie. The (pink) energy is contagious and the Michigan crew and walkers are a solid community fighting towards a world without breast cancer.

Fun facts about the Michigan Coaches – Can you guess which fun fact is true about which coach? (There are 3 facts about each coach; answers will be at the end of the Twin Cities coach catch-up later this month!)

  1. Right after college I worked as a zookeeper at a small mid-Michigan animal park. I had the “tough” job of acclimating our new cougar kittens, which basically involved sitting in the enclosure while three rambunctious (yet adorable) young cougars climbed all over me.
  2. When I am not living all things 3-Day, I am mom to a spirited toddler and sweet baby!
  3. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of my favorite places and I look forward to the day when I can take an extended vacation to hike the backcountry.
  4. I am always on the lookout for ways to make fun memories and I have participated in mud runs, color runs, the Santa Hustle and the Polar Plunge.
  5. I love to read, and I challenged myself at the beginning of 2015 to read at least 24 books by 12/31/15.  I am currently on #14.
  6. Most evenings you can find me tuned into Bravo TV…It’s my guilty pleasure! I love all things reality television, celebrity gossip and fashion blogs.
  7. I live in the Chicago suburb where John Hughes (famous director of several 80s “brat pack” movies) lived and set his movies. Scenes from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and The Breakfast Club were filmed at the high school my son attends.
  8. I have scars on my right hand from a disagreement with a baboon over who got to use my watch.
  9. In my close to 12 years with the 3-Day, I have worked in 3 different event cities but I am now proud to be back home in Michigan.

 

 

5 Fundraising Tools You’re Probably Not Using

When you sign up to walk in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®, you commit to raising at least $2,300 in donations, which is no small task. That’s why we set you up for success right from the minute you click “Register.” Your Participant Center on the Komen 3-Day website is packed with fundraising tips and resources but sadly, many walkers never really scratch the surface of the tools that are available. But it’s never too late, people! Get over to the 3-Day® website and put these fundraising tools to work for you.

  1. Your Personal Page – Every 3-Day participant gets their own personal fundraising page on the 3-Day website, from the moment you register. It’s in a generic default template at the start, but you can personalize it with your own words and photos, allowing your donors to connect to you and your story when they click through to your page. Connecting with you will connect them to your cause and make them more likely to donate.
  2. Your Personal URL – Personalize your web address to point donors directly to your fundraising page. This one is so important, we gave it its own blog post.
  3. Business Cards – When you registered to walk in the 3-Day, we sent you a starter set of personalized business cards, but you can print more from your Participant Center at any time. These are a super convenient way to easily get your donation info into the hands of a potential donor. Get to them quickly with our handy direct link, The3Day.org/Cards.
  4. Matching Gifts – There are hundreds of companies nationwide that offer to match the donations that their employees make to charitable organizations, including the 3-Day. If you ask a friend or family member for a donation, be sure to also ask them if their company matches. It’s one of the easiest and most underused fundraising tools that we have. Read more at The3Day.org/Matching.
  5. Monthly Recurring Gifts – Did you know that donors can break up their donations into multiple monthly payments (up to 4) instead of paying all at once? Remind your donors of this opportunity, especially when you’re asking big: $100 broken up into 4 payments of $25 is a more feasible and appealing option to many donors than making that large donation all at once.

And the bonus resource, of course, is your 3-Day coach, who is available at 800-996-3DAY to answer your questions, brainstorm creative fundraising ideas and get you on your way to reaching your goals. Our website introduces all of the coaches at The3Day.org/Coaches.