We are officially less than 24 weeks out from our first 3-Day of the year. 2018 is flying by, and if you haven’t started your fundraising yet, now is the time!
To make it easy for you to kick-off, or really jump start your efforts, we polled our resources – from our website to our coaches and beyondto find the best ideas for you.
Your first stop should be our Donations 101 page on The3Day.org! There you’ll find donation forms, frequently asked questions, and help fundraising “The 3-Day Way.” It’s a gold mine of information!
From there, you can head to the Fundraising Idea Library, where you can search for ideas based around events, holidays and more! All of these ideas were submitted by past 3-Day participants. If you have any awesome ideas of your own, please enter them into the library. It’s a great place to find the best approach for you.
Another collaborative community is our 3-Day Message Boards, where you can post and chat with other walkers nationwide. This is a favorite spot of our coaches!
If you’re more of an in-person brainstormer, ask teammates or other walkers! Here’s a super simple tip from one of our participants, too! Kathleen B. sent us this idea on Facebook: Fill a leftover 20-ounce bottle full of dimes and you’ll have almost exactly $100. Post about it on social media, and ask people to save their dimes for you to help change a life!
We also have tips from some of our coaches. They’ve been working to help participants reach their goals for years, and all these ladies have walked in the 3-Day themselves, as well!
Coach Tisho, Fundraising & Support Coach, Twin Cities & Philadelphia:
For repeat walkers, look at who donated to you in previous years and send them an ask again. In your Participant Center, in the Email and Contacts section, you can send an email to a specific group. The group “Past Donors Who Have Not Donated This time” is automatically in there for you. If you can’t find the list of your past donors in your Participant Center, your coach can pull it for you. Another unrelated tip is that if you’re planning to do any sort of event that involves a raffle/bingo/auction it’s a good idea to check on the local jurisdiction requirements before you get too far in the planning phase. Sometimes you have to request or purchase a permit for those events so that’s good to know earlier rather than later.
Coach Susan, Fundraising & Support Coach, Atlanta:
I do all my fundraising on Facebook! It’s my favorite! I like to set a goal, then divide it by my number of Facebook friends so set a specific request. So, I let people know that if only 10 of my friends contribute today, I will have raised X amount of money or be X percent of the way to my goal.
I also challenge my Facebook friends! By using phrases like, “I want to raise $100 today, who will be my first donor?” you create urgency and remind people to donate. Once someone makes a donation, tag them in a thank you post on Facebook. This pushes your post to the top of your friends’ feeds, and your donors’ feeds as well, creating excitement.
Coach Gayla, Programs & Local Events Coach, Seattle & Dallas:
It helps me to think of it in steps!
- Pick your goal ($2,300 or more!) and spread it in to equal payments.
- For example, think about asking 23 people to donate $100 each or 100 people to donate $23 each. It makes the bigger goal seem a lot more manageable.
- Choose a deadline, like a holiday, birthday or when training begins!
- Send a personal request to individual donors detailing the following:
- What you’re doing: EX: “I’m walking 60 miles in 3 days to end breast cancer.”
- Why you’re doing it: Think about who or what gave you goose bumps when you signed up to walk. Tell your personal story and share the meaningful reason.
- Ask for a specific amount: “Will you please donate $100 by May 12th? I need 23 people to donate $100 each by May 12th to reach my goal.”
- Include a link to your page and remind people that it’s tax deductible!
Or, print your donation form from your personal fundraising page. Then, attach it to a personalized donation request letter along with a self-addressed stamped envelope back to your house. You can even make a copy of the donor’s check and the donation form and mail it to Komen’s address on the form. Make it as easy as possible for your potential donors!
What are your top fundraising tips? Do you have any simple steps to reach your donors? Tell us in the comments!
