How to Fundraise for the 3-Day, from Start to Finish

Are you stumped on how to get started on your 3-Day fundraising? Or perhaps you’ve sent out that first fundraising email or set up your Facebook Fundraiser and aren’t sure on the next step. Or have you hit a plateau right before the finish line? Wherever you are in your fundraising journey, our 3-Day Fundraising Handbook is a guide for your next steps.

You can read it online at The3Day.org/FundraisingHandbook or download it in PDF format to read on your eReader at your leisure.

So whether you need to know the basics, or are looking for answers to specific fundraising questions, our Fundraising Handbook is the first place to look.

If you need any more fundraising tips, you can check out the “Fundraising” tab on our blog! Here are some recent highlights:

3 Simple Reasons to Re-Commit to the 3-Day in 2019

60 miles is no small distance. And we are less than three months from that first 60-mile, 3-Day walk of 2019. Have you signed up to #Commit3Days in 2019? We need you! Come walk with us!

There is still plenty of time to get ready and become a part of the 3-Day family this year. Whether this would be your first 3-Day, or you’re coming back after taking a few years off, this is the perfect year to recommit. There are so many reasons to join in.

It is the farthest you can go in the fight against breast cancer.

Yes, 60 miles is a long way. It is hard. But it’s not as hard as breast cancer. And if you want to make a real difference in the fight against breast cancer, there is no better place than on the 3-Day. Since it began in 2003, the 3-Day has had more than 500,000 participants, all of them truly dedicated to a world without breast cancer. The money that has been raised (more than $848 million so far!), and that you will raise, has helped fund 2,500 research projects and 480 clinical trials, all in conjunction with the work that Susan G. Komen is doing nationwide. Did you know that every day 582 people receive a free Komen-funded screening and 90 people receive Komen-funded treatment assistance? Every day. You could be part of making that difference.

It is an experience like no other.

For first-time 3-Dayers, something they hear over and over is that you “just have to experience” the 3-Day in order to feel its true power. From the personal stories you will hear during Opening Ceremony, to taking your first steps on your 3-Day journey to welcoming the last walker home at the end of your long days, to dancing in celebration of your journey completed…these are memories you will hold forever. And they’re memories that can only be made at the 3-Day. It is a wholly unique experience and one you will never forget.

There is no time like today.

Why put off to tomorrow what you could do today? If you have been thinking about joining the 3-Day or have seen walkers go by in your neighborhood for years, the time to join them is NOW. If you are worried about the training or the fundraising, know that we have local teams of coaches and long-time participants who are here to support you. You have a community of hundreds of people behind you, and even if you don’t live in the city in which you’re walking, they are still there. You can connect with other walkers and crew on social media and through the coaches for your 3-Day.

We will help you succeed. We will help you go farther than you’ve ever gone before in the fight against breast cancer. What are you waiting for? Commit 3 Days. Join us in 2019.

Why did you #Commit3Days in 2019? Tell us in the comments!

“Dear Cancer, you lose…”: Meet Survivor and First-Time 3-Dayer, Sylvia G.

If I had to write a letter to cancer it would read, “Dear Cancer, you lose…”

Sylvia just finished five and a half weeks of radiation after being diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after her 40^th birthday. Though she initially was shocked and numbed by her diagnosis, she gathered her family and friends around her and got “gangsta with cancer” by refusing to let it stop her from living her life and celebrating every minute of it.

Now, after finishing her radiation, she says, “I am feeling strong and just getting settled into my new normal. The silver lining throughout this process has been to just really LIVE because you never know! And of course, if you’re busy living, you have less time to worry about the small (or big) stuff.”

She is on the other side of one part of her breast cancer journey, but that doesn’t mean the journey is over. After her diagnosis, Sylvia did research into all of the work that Susan G. Komen does to support survivors and those living with breast cancer. This, in turn, led her to the 3-Day. She signed up immediately for the New England 3-Day and will be driving in from her hometown of Pelham, New York to walk in her first-ever 3-Day at our New England 3-Day in September. She’s already fundraised more than $3,500 and is continuing to spread the word about the 3-Day and breast health. To say that breast cancer hasn’t slowed her down is an understatement! But don’t take it from us! Sylvia is here to share her story in her own words…

Tell us your breast cancer story…

I had just turned 40 when my world was turned upside down. I received a call I never expected.

“You have breast cancer.”

And just like that I was numb. The music stopped, and the party was over.

While still in shock, my family immediately took me to my mom’s breast surgeon. She had just finished treatment for stage 1 breast cancer the year before and was a total champion throughout it all, I might add. I was able to get positive preliminary information specific to my breast cancer which helped me start to feel the ground a bit.

We decided to go for several other opinions with breast surgeons and reconstruction surgeons. After choosing the team I felt most comfortable with, we opted for the nipple sparing double mastectomy with reconstructive surgery. My diagnosis after surgery ended up being stage 2 breast cancer that had spread to one lymph node. I learned that I would have to have four rounds of chemo plus radiation.

In the days leading up to my first round of chemo, I kept reflecting on how blessed I am to live in a time of so many medical breakthroughs as well as options for treatment of breast cancer. This is when I realized that I needed to be part of helping to continue these advancements and fight to end breast cancer.

And how did this journey lead you to the 3-Day?

I had read online about Susan G. Komen and how much they have done for research, education, screening and treatment. I knew I had found the right match for my mission to bring us closer to a cure so that so many other people, including my children, will not have to suffer through this. I was gearing up to get gangsta with cancer!

And you have! You’ve been very successful with your fundraising efforts!

I immediately started my fundraising by following all the tips on the 3-Day website. Posting on Facebook, personally emailing all my family and friends, remembering to always send thank you emails as well as follow up emails and telling people about corporate matching gifts. At the end of the day, I really am so blessed to have generous and caring people in my life, some of who also have been impacted by this disease, and I am forever grateful for their support.

Though I have had success in fundraising there does come a point that you have to get creative to be able to keep getting donations outside of just family and friends. One way is to go through all your contacts and see who has a business or works for a company that can partner up with you to create a fundraiser. This in turn allows you to use their resources and reach a larger audience to support your cause.

So far, I am very proud of how much I’ve been able to raise, and I am really looking forward to meeting other survivors, hearing their stories of fearlessness, as well as bonding with my team. I can only imagine that feeling of accomplishment after finishing the 3-Day walk!

What are some of your other 3-Day goals?

I want to reach as many people as possible and remind them of the importance of getting regular mammograms because early detection of breast cancer can make the disease easier to treat. I will also continue to stay focused on my health and positivity so that I can be my best self.

I still have a long way to go but since becoming a survivor I don’t think I can ever justify sweating the small stuff.

I have been dealt a couple bad hands but at the end I plan on winning the game!