3-Day August Fundraising Calendar

August is going to be a jam-packed month, with the Michigan, Twin Cities and Philadelphia 3-Days all happening, plus training walks and holidays galore! If you’re participating in any of the first 3-Days of the year, it’s your last chance to get a few more donations, so we have fun and simple ideas for you to use this month.

First, make sure you are encouraging your donors to send you mail and sweet treats on event if your 3-Day is this month! They can also come cheer you on along the route! All the needed information can be found in the Spectator Info section on our website, listed here:

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August is National Family Fun and Admit You’re Happy Month, plus there are a lot of weekly celebrations for you to take advantage of:

In honor of Family Fun Month, get your family involved in your fundraising! We’ve got tons of crafts, baking projects, and fundraising party ideas on our Creative Fundraising Pinterest Board that would be much more fun with a few extra helping hands. Your family will love seeing your passion for the 3-Day, and it will give you some quality time together.
National Friendship Week Starts on August 21^st, so bring your friends into the 3-Day family! If you haven’t recruited a pal to walk with you yet, there’s still plenty of time to get registered for our fall 3-Days. If they’re nervous about doing the whole sixty miles, tell them about our one-day, 20-Mile walker option. Then help them start their fundraising efforts!

There are plenty of Walk & Talks, Get Trained Workshops and Training Kick-Offs happening this month. Some of these events are highlighted in the calendar above, but you can find the complete list on our website here. We will also be calling out more local events on our Facebook page, so keep an eye out.

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Other key days this month include:

August 6: Sisters Day and Friendship Day: Have a sister or a friend walking in the 3-Day with you? Challenge each other in honor of the holiday! See who can raise more fundraising money on August 6^th. Whoever “loses” (really everyone is a winner here) must pack a special surprise present for the winner to receive on the 3-Day. Think favorite snacks, a foot massage coupon, or anything else that might make them smile.
August 9: Book Lover’s Day: Clean out your bookshelf and send an extra special fundraising package to potential donors. Make a 3-Day bookmark (we just posted a bunch of ideas to our Pinterest page!) and slip it in the book, along with a fundraising letter. Then drop those books off in potential donors’ mail boxes. It’s a great way to clean out old books, and spread 3-Day joy through the written word.
August 10: Lazy Day: This isn’t really a fundraising tip, but we are giving every 3-Dayer the day off on August 10^th! Take a break from training and fundraising and be lazy for a bit – You deserve it! You can also take the day off for Relaxation Day on August 15^thif you really want to go wild.
August 16^th: Tell a Joke Day: Include humor in your next fundraising letter! Here are some 3-Day jokes that you can add in to make your letters stand out and spread smiles.

We on the 3 Day like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy us.

I have to walk early in the morning for my 3 Day training, before my brain figures out what I’m doing.

Knock, knock.

Who’s there?

Which?

What which?

Grahamwich!

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August 26: National Dog Day: Who could see “no” to a cute pup? Bring your pooch out on the fundraising trail with you today and see the donors line up! You can bring you dog with you canning, have them stand with you at your fundraising table at the grocery store or other local spot.
August 30: Toasted Marshmallow Day: Summer isn’t complete without at least one s’more shared between friends! Make s’mores packs with marshmallows, chocolate, graham crackers and maybe even a cute pink matchbox, then drop them off at potential donors’ homes. Let them know how sweet it would be if they’d support your 3-Day journey!
August 31: Eat Outside Day: This holiday also falls on Trail Mix Day, and you can combine the two by hosting a big picnic for your friends and family! Have easy-to-eat treats like Trail Mix, plus other summer classics like hot dogs and burgers to say thank you for all the love they have shown you so far. Invite people who have already donated, as well as potential donors, and remind them that you’re still accepting donations!

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Also, make sure to join our 3-Day Social Stars! This is an easy-to-join group that’s part of our social media community, where you can earn prizes for interacting with the 3-Day on social media. Talk, connect, and share with us! You can also pick up good fundraising ideas from your fellow 3-Dayers.

Are you walking in any of our August 3-Days? What are your fundraising and training goals for August?

Motivation Monday: Words of Wisdom to Include in your 3-Day Mail

It’s the beginning of another new week, and we are just a few weeks away from the Michigan 3-Day! If you’re participating in one of our events, we know you will be hitting the trails and following up with potential donors to make the most of this week. We wish you luck and send all our support!

If you’re looking for ways to send your own support to a 3-Dayer on-event, we can help with that, too! You can send 3-Dayers mail directly to them on their event, and show your love and encouragement. If you’re walking or crewing, be sure to send this link to all of your friends and family who want to support you while you’re on the 3-Day.

You can send Michigan 3-Dayers mail until July 25^th.
You can send Twin Cities 3-Dayers mail until August 8^th.
You can send Philadelphia 3-Dayers mail until August 15^th.
You can also send Seattle 3-Dayers mail until September 5^th.
Also, keep an eye out for more dates for future events as those dates get closer!

Don’t know just what to say when you write to your 3-Dayer? Here are some words of wisdom to put in your letters to your favorite walker:

Today is the day!

Blisters are temporary. Strength is forever.

If it was easy, then everyone would do it.

There’s a grahamwhich waiting for you at the next pit stop.

Choose to keep going.

Dream big and think pink!

It always seems impossible until it’s done.

Good things come to those who hustle.

Every step brings you closer to that mac n’ cheese at dinner.

Take it step by step, mile by mile and day by day.

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If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.

Every blister saves a sister!

Go the extra (60!) miles. They’re never as crowded.

You. Have. Got. This.

What are your favorite words of encouragement, 3-Day cheers or inspirational quotes to include in your 3-Day letters? Tell us in the comments!

3-Day July Fundraising Calendar

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July marks the one month countdown to our first 3-Days of 2017! That means it is the final weeks of fundraising for many of our 3-Dayers, and we have fun ideas you won’t want to miss.

There are lots of fun events and training workshops happening in July, and with the Michigan, Twin Cities and Philadelphia 3-Days coming up in August, it’s the perfect time to kick your fundraising and training into high gear.

June is National Picnic Month and Anti-Boredom Month, among others, and there are plenty of fun ways to use those holidays to your advantage:

In honor of Anti-Boredom Month, change up your fundraising efforts with a new project, updated letter format, or a fun new event! We have tons of fundraising ideas on our Pinterest page and website so you’ll never run out of inspiration.
You can also stave off boredom by taking longer training walks, fueled by our Spotify playlists!
In addition to being National Picnic Month, it’s also National Blueberry, Hot Dog and Ice Cream Months! Talk about delicious! Use this inspiration to host a backyard picnic with offerings like a Hot Dog Bar or Ice Cream Sundae Bar with lots of creative and tasty toppings. Ask for donations from friends, family and neighbors to attend, and you’ll be surprised how quickly your fundraising grows.

In addition, make sure to follow the Facebook pages of your local coaches! They are great resources for fundraising ideas, training tips, and will also be promoting the events in their cities.

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Other key days this month include:

July 7: Chocolate Day: Celebrate Chocolate Day by reminding potential donors that it would be really “sweet” of them to help you in your fight against breast cancer with a donation to the 3-Day. You can also tell your donors to keep an eye out for dates to send you a Sweet Treat on the 3-Day! In the month of July, supporters will be able to send their 3-Dayers sweet treats to the Michigan 3-Day starting on July 10^th. Twin Cities Sweet Treats can be sent starting on July 20^th, and Philadelphia’s Sweet Treats can be sent starting on July 27^th.
July 21: Junk Food Day: Head to a dollar store or bulk buy retailer and stock up on lots of fun junk food! Then offer to deliver “snack packs” to people who donate a certain amount to your cause! You will see your fundraising numbers rise, and your donors will receive a tasty meal in return.
July 26: All or Nothing Day: We are all in to support you on your 3-Day cause! Schedule longer training walk on All or Nothing Day, then have friends and family sponsor your steps. It’s a great way to combine training and fundraising!
July 31: International Day of Friendship: Fundraise with a friend on this holiday! It will make your efforts more fun, and twice as profitable! Go canning together, ask for donations in each of your neighborhoods, or just block out time to write and send donor letters together.

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