Let’s Get Personal: Create Your Own 3-Day Fundraising Page URL

Today we welcome Paula, the Susan G. Komen Seattle 3-Day Participant Coach, who will be sharing details about one of her favorite fundraising tools!

“Help! My donor couldn’t find my web page to make a donation!” As a Susan G. Komen 3-Day® coach, I frequently encounter this crisis in calls and emails from frantic participants, and I take the opportunity to don my “hero” cape and share one of the best Komen 3-Day tips out there – the Personal Page URL! This handy, personalized web link is easy to create, and will make donating to you a one-click piece of cake for your 3-Day® donors!

A URL (which stand for Uniform Resource Locator, in case you were curious) is the “address” or location of a specific web page. When you type the address of a web page into your browser (usually starting with www), you are typing a URL. That’s as technical as I will get.

Every registered 3-Day participant has a personal donation page on the 3-Day website, and every personal page has its very own URL. When you get started, your page’s URL is a messy jumble of letters and characters that no one would remember. Mine looks like this: http://www.the3day.org/site/TR?px=1228513&fr_id=1935&pg=personal. Not very user friendly, is it?

If you send your emails directly from your 3-Day Participant Center, they will automatically include your page URL at the bottom of the email, but if you send paper letters, or send emails from your personal email address, or talk to your donors face-to-face, it’s useful to have a personal page URL that is easy to remember.

So what’s a determined fundraiser to do? This is where the 3-Day Personal Page URL comes in. You can create a “pretty” URL for yourself, then share it with your donors who can then reach your page with just one click. And don’t we all want to make donating as easy as possible? I know I do!

Creating your very own 3-Day Personal Page URL is easy. Here is what you need to do:

Log into your 3-Day Participant Center. Find the Participant Center Home menu on the right side of your landing page, click “Edit Personal Page.”
On the next page you will see a light pink shaded box just under the page header. Click the URL Settings link on the right. (The screenshot below shows my Personal Page URL. Yours will appear once you create it in the next step).
Type your name in the text box as you want it to appear in your new URL. The URL will always start with The3Day.org/goto/ but the ending is all yours to personalize. You could use your first and last name (PaulaHultman), your name and the year (Paula2015 or PaulaHultman2015), your name and the city you’re walking in (SanDiego_Paula) or anything else that is relatively short, easy to spell and easy to remember (Paula.Loves.Pink). You won’t be able to use spaces, but letters and numbers are fine, as are dots, dashes and underscores. IMPORTANT: If the personal URL you’re trying is already being used by another 3-Day participant, you will get a message that the URL is already taken. In these cases, you can try adding your middle initial, or a nickname to differentiate your URL, or try something completely different.

Click Save and your Personal Page URL will be ready to share. Click the link yourself to see how easy it will be for donors to reach your page and make their donation.

It’s that easy! Now all you have to do is share your pretty new URL with your donors. As I mentioned earlier, when you send out emails directly from your Participant Center, a link to your donation page is automatically included, so including your new Personal Page URL here is optional. It’s also automatically included if you post on Facebook using the official 3-Day Facebook app. However, if you are sending emails from your personal email account, sending out an old fashioned fundraising letter, or posting your own messages on social media, always include your Personal Page URL so donors can easily find you. If your email provider allows you to create a signature that will automatically be added to your outgoing email, be sure to add your URL there as well.

There you have it, my favorite fundraising tip! If you need help with your Personal Page URL, your 3-Day coaches are just a call or email away (800-996-3DAY, or The3Day.org/Contact). We are always happy to assist you!

12 Things 3-Day Walkers Have to Explain to Outsiders

Anyone who’s been part of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® understands that some aspects of the Komen 3-Day world may seem crazy or confusing to an outsider. Be patient. A little explanation gives these non- 3-Day® folks a glimpse into this pink world.

What Connects Us – First things first: you don’t have to have a direct connection with breast cancer to be part of the 3-Day (though for thousands of folks, those personal connections have been their biggest reasons for participating). The fact is, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime, so if a walker doesn’t know someone now who has been affected, chances are very good that they will some day; she may even be the one. We walk now to battle against that inevitability. Aside from that, the life-changing experience of the 3-Day is powerful enough to draw in just about anyone, regardless of their personal connection with breast cancer.
Walking is a full-time job – Yes, we really do walk for three days in a row. No, it’s not non-stop, around-the-clock walking, but 20 miles a day takes around 8-10 hours for most people, so it’s pretty much all we’re doing for those three days.
“Yeah, but it’s just walking, right?” – This might be the question that ruffles my feathers more than anything. “Hey, well-meaning but misguided friend, would you like to come out and take a 60-mile stroll with me, and then tell me, ‘It’s just walking?’”
The Long Way – Speaking of extra walking, your friends may scratch their heads as to why you purposely park in the farthest possible spot at the mall, but you know the value of squeezing in some training wherever you can.
Taking Care of Business – The thought of spending three days with porta-potties as the primary “facilities” might horrify some outsiders. You can assure them that the 3-Day’s temporary commodes are some of the nicest and cleanest portable lavatories there are. It’s a direct result of 3-Day walkers being courteous and hygienic when leaving their little plastic chambers, knowing that one of their fellow walkers isn’t far behind. The “bottom” line is: 3-Day people take care of each other, even whilst taking care of business.
Sweeping Has Nothing to Do With Brooms – Some of your outsider friends might be concerned about what will happen to you if you get hurt while walking or can’t continue for some other reason. Explaining the concept of our helpful and creatively-themed fleet of Sweep vans will put them at ease and entertain them all at once.
The Wonders of the 3-Day Camp – Yep. We sleep in tents, shower in semi-trucks and have an all-out dance party on Saturday night. Best home away from home ever.
World’s Greatest Snack? – Two graham crackers. Peanut butter. Grape jelly. (Option: serve cold.) Come to think of it, you can skip trying to explain this one, as it defies description.
Dieters Beware – I’ve had many people say to me, “You’re walking 60 miles? You must lose so much weight that weekend!” Uh, no. First of all, while walking is great exercise and the months spent training for the 3-Day can dramatically improve your overall health, losing weight on the 3-Day weekend itself should not be your goal. If there’s one thing that 3-Day walkers are, it’s well fed. Aside from the food provided at the 5-6 official route stops each day, there are also seemingly endless piles of candy, popsicles, cookies and brownies, and more, supplied by supporters all along the route. Many 3-Day walkers refer to the whole thing as the 60-Mile Buffet Line.
You Know You’ve Totally Done This – You’re out on the sidewalk, a car honks its horn. What do you do? If you said, “Put my arms up and wave my fingers and/or give a thumbs up,” you might need to explain your behavior to an outsider.
3-peating – For some walkers, the 3-Day is a bucket list item to check off, but for many, once is just not enough. Over half of all 2015 3-Day walkers have walked at least once before and more incredibly, over 400 participants have been doing the 3-Day for 10+ years. Experiencing the magic of the 3-Day and continuing making an impact in the fight against breast cancer are powerful motivations for 3-peating.
“When Will You Stop Walking?” – My answer when I get this question? When we don’t need to walk anymore, and not a day sooner.

Do you know what the best way is to explain the 3-Day to an outsider? Invite them to walk with you! Registration is still open for all 2015 events at The3Day.org/Register.

May Meet-up Round-up

We’re just days from officially welcoming summer, and we’ll fondly bid adieu to a busy spring, where the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® local coaches hosted dozens of get-togethers for Komen 3-Day walkers and crew. Check out the highlights of May’s 3-Day® meet-ups:

Michigan

May in Michigan was full of training walks. Michigan team BC Babes hosted a walk on May 2, and on May 16, many 3-Day walkers (including a particularly silly Coach Ann) came together for the Detroit Race for the Cure®. Groups also hit the Metroparks in Milford and White Lake to get their walk on, and when Michiganders weren’t walking, they were eating at meet-ups for new walkers in Utica and Ann Arbor. Missed the festivities in May? Coach Ann says, “Come join the fun in June!”

Twin Cities

Saturday, May 2 marked the Twin Cities 16-Week Training Kick-off. Walkers enjoyed a 3-mile training walk complete with a pit stop manned by Twin Cities coaches Eileen and Stephanie. Following the training walk, walkers and crew enjoyed a training workshop led by Gear Running.

Seattle

Coach Aubrey held a friendly Walk & Talk on May 6 at Green Lake Park in Seattle where she welcomed two first-time walkers. On May 16, even more Seattle 3-Day walkers came out to a Get Trained Workshop at Road Runner Sports in Kent. The folks at Road Runner provided advice about shoes and apparel, helpful discounts and even some delicious pizza.

A special highlight for Seattle 3-Day participants was Mariners Night Out on May 15. Walkers, crew members and families were among the 40,000 fans in the stadium that night (it was Fedora Hat Night, a fun and photo-friendly bonus for everyone) and the 3-Day party was easily recognizable in their special pink shirts. They even got some love with a shout-out on the jumbo screen!

Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Race for the Cure® took place on Mother’s Day, and many Philly 3-Day walkers took advantage of the opportunity to support Susan G. Komen® and get a training walk in at the same time! The 3-Day also had a booth set up where they shared info about the upcoming 3-Day.

Dallas/Fort Worth

Because the actual 24-week training schedule would’ve started on Memorial Day weekend, the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day got creative and held two “24-Week” Training Kick-off Events, actually on weeks 25 and 23. The first was on May 16 at the New Balance store in Dallas, where 35 people attended the training walk helmed by Boxing Babes team captain and training walk leader, Bernadette. The second Training Kick-off was on May 30. With the torrential rain that May brought to Texas, Coach Gayla worried that folks would have to row a boat to this event. But luckily, when 24 determined walkers arrived at the Fort Worth event, the rain miraculously stopped and everyone enjoyed a 3-mile stroll led by training walk leader Wendy. Gayla says, “I was grateful so many people braved the rain and joined us.” Most people were fitted for shoes after the walk, and Bill from New Balance shared the importance of proper shoe fit, giving everyone quite a lesson on podiatry. On May 21, there was a Get Trained workshop at RunOn! in Richardson. Lots of new walkers were there, craving more information, and after the workshop, the walkers went on a short 3-mile walk around the neighborhood. New and veteran walkers shared not only information about the 3-Day, but also loads of laughs.

San Diego

The San Diego 3-Day’s big event in May was a festive reunion held on May 2. The reunion was at Bonita Cove Park (San Diego’s Day 2 lunch location). The event began with a training walk that over 30 walkers attended, and the party that followed had over twice as many walkers and crew members show up; there were even a couple of participants who came all the way from northern California.

Attendees enjoyed 3-Day mac & cheese and yummy grahamwhiches. They also had a contest to see who could pop up a pink tent the fastest, and then another to see who could take it down first. The weather was perfect and everyone had a great time.

Coach Kim met a fun group (including one gnarly photobomber, known as the Cardiff Kook) on May 16 for a Walk & Talk in Cardiff.

BONUS Meet-up – Chicagoland

Michigan and Twin Cities coaches Jennifer and Eileen live in the Chicago area, and can often be found meeting up with other area walkers. They hosted a Walk & Talk in Glenview on Saturday, May 16 where they were joined by veteran walker Doris and newbie walker Tressa.