Tag Archives: breast cancer

Friendship and the 3-Day Go Hand-in-Hand

Powerful experiences have a way of bringing people together, and anyone who has been part of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day will attest to that. It takes an extraordinary kind of person to dedicate to fundraising, training and preparing for the 3-Day, and when you bring a bunch of extraordinary people together, it’s only natural that they would gravitate to each other and become fast friends.2015_3DAY_SEAfri_EDB (620)

As we near the end of February, perhaps the most loving month of the year, let’s take a minute to spotlight a few of the friendliest aspects of the 3-Day.

  • Earlier this month, we asked the 3-Day Facebook community to share stories of friendships that they have made through the 3-Day. The responses we saw were sweet, touching and entertaining. Click back to see the Facebook thread here, and comment with your own memories of the incredible friends you’ve made because the 3-Day brought you together.
  • When you’re part of the 3-Day community, you’ll find friendships forming and growing all around you. Here’s how it happens.
  • Speaking of making friends, we brought you this story on the 3-Day blog about two walkers who started Day 1 as strangers and quickly became BFFs.
  • What’s the easiest way to guarantee you’ll have friends at the 3-Day? Bring them with you! We have a few ways (and a few more, and even more) to help you talk a friend into walking with you.
  • We want to make it as easy as possible for your friends to experience the 3-Day, so we’re giving free travel for first-time walkers to come to a 2016 3-Day event. Learn more about how to “Bring Your Besties” e5 to the 3-Day.

 

Take a LEAP Into Fundraising

Hey 2016 3-Day participants – you get something extra special this February to help you with your fundraising: a whole extra day.

That’s right, 2016 is a leap year, and we want you to be able to make the most out of February 29 with these fun fundraising ideas. For most of the challenges below, social media is the best, quickest way to reach a large group of potential donors with your message at the same time. So get posting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram – wherever your social circle gathers. This is the last time until 2020 that you’ll be able to use these particular fundraising gimmicks, so don’t miss this chance to take a huge leap in your 3-Day fundraising. 2015_SGK3Day_Dallas_GF_332

  • Get as many $29 donations as you can. This unusual dollar amount is just catchy enough that it will grab donors’ attention and they’ll want to be part of the action. Get 29 of these leap day donations and you’ll have $841, just like that!
  • A leap year has 366 days. Make it your goal to raise $366 in one day on February 29. Again, an unconventional, catchy dollar amount tends to pique interest and get people involved.
  • On February 29, you get an extra 24 hours. See if you can get 24 donations in that amount of time. Ask your donors for a specific amount to make it easy. Getting 24 donations of $50 each will get you more than halfway to your $2,300.
  • Put on your favorite 3-Day victory shirt, team t-shirt or anything pink and have someone snap a picture of you doing your most dramatic leap. Post it to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter on February 29, and every time someone Likes/Hearts/Favorites the photo, send them a direct message and ask them for a donation. Want to take this photographic fun to the next level? Snap and post a different leaping picture every day between now and the 29th. By the time your friends and followers see two or three of them, they’ll be anxious to know the story behind the photos, and you can use that curiosity to open the conversation about donating.
  • Make your own personal list of 29 reasons why you take part in the 3-Day and share the list with your donors. You can make your list funny, sentimental, powerful, or any combination, as long as you make it personal. Send it out all at once as an email, post Facebook status updates throughout the day on February 29. Or if you’re feeling really ambitious and are savvy with moviemaking, put your list into video form and share it that way (video posts on social media are considerably more successful at reaching followers than text-only posts).
  • Leap year comes once every 4 years, so use this February 29 to remind your donors that they can break their donation up to 4 monthly payments. Being able to pay in installments over several months often compels donors to give even more than they would have with a one-time donation.
  • Mile 29 of the 3-Day is at roughly the halfway point of Day 2. Set a personal fundraising goal just for February 29 (aim to raise $500 in that one day, for example), and tell your donors that if they get you to that goal, you’ll do something funny/crazy/playfully embarrassing at Mile 29. What kinds of things could you do? Let your teammates attack you with silly string; choreograph a song and dance routine and perform it at the Day 2 lunch stop; stop at mile 29 and write your Leap Day donors’ names on your arms and legs in Sharpie… You know yourself best, so pick a payoff that’s good for you, but try to go a little (or a lot) out of your comfort zone and make it entertaining. Whatever you decide to do, be sure someone is taking video for you to share with your donors and supporters.

Got any other Leap Day fundraising ideas? Share them in comments! And keep an eye out for a shareable Leap Day graphic we’ll be putting up on the 3-Day’s Facebook page next Monday.

3 NEW Ways to Talk a Friend Into Walking With You

3DAY_FBCoverPhotos_JoinUs_CollageThis is the time of year when many 3-Day walkers are focused on recruiting new walkers and growing their teams. A lot of us could quickly identify one or more friends we would love to bring into the 3-Day family, but convincing those people to make the commitment to the 3-Day is not always easy. We’ve already given you 3 Ways to Talk a Friend Into Walking With You, and if that didn’t do the trick, we brought you 3 MORE Ways to Talk a Friend Into Walking With You. But just in case, we’ve got a few more suggestions to help you turn more friends into teammates.

Arm Them With Facts – Committing to walk 60 miles and raise $2,300 for Susan G. Komen is huge, and putting that much time and energy into something is a personal decision that everyone should give careful consideration. Komen is a well-known leader in the breast cancer cause, but that alone may not be enough information for some. Fortunately, we have extensive and detailed information about how Komen uses the funds it raises and how the 3-Day specifically has been instrumental in major breast cancer advances since 2003. If concerns about Komen are what’s keeping your friend from registering, direct them to The3Day.org/Komen, or have them call a 3-Day coach at 800-996-3DAY to have their questions answered so they can join the 3-Day with confidence and clarity.2015_3DAY_SEAsun_EDB (369)

Join Forces – Perhaps you are just one person, trying to recruit one or two friends to walk the 3-Day with you. Consider joining with an established team and get the power of more people behind you. In every 3-Day location, we have dozens of teams who are open and welcoming to new team members. If you’re registered and trying to get a friend to sign up with you, join one of the teams in your city and let them give a warm welcome to your friend. Who could resist the openhearted invitation of a friendly 3-Day team? If you need help finding one of these open teams, search the 3-Day Friend Finder at The3Day.org/Friend or call the 3-Day coaches at 800-996-3DAY and they’ll happily help you find a good fit.2015_3DAY_TCFri_EDB (79)

Tell Them They Can Travel For FREE! – This might be the most enticing carrot you can dangle in front of your potential teammates: the opportunity to travel to a 2016 3-Day event for free. There are some parameters on our two travel programs, so be sure to read up on the fine print here, but the basic gist is that the 3-Day will pay for round-trip airfare for any first-time walker (never registered before), or any past walker who hasn’t participated since 2014, if they don’t live near a 3-Day. These travel programs are also for a very limited time, so if you plan to use them as a recruiting tool, don’t wait another minute!