Celebrate National Selfie Day with Coach Jennifer

Did you know that today (June 21) is National Selfie Day? Considering it’s also the first day of summer, that means it’s the perfect time of year to head outside and take some fun, candid photos with your favorite people. We certainly hope that group includes some 3-Day pals!

Selfies are commonplace on the 3-Day. We use them to grab a team photo, capture the excitement of the Opening Ceremony, snap a candid moment along the route, show off the beauty of our host cities and as a way to remember a truly special weekend.

But do you have your selfie game up to snuff? If not, we’re here to help.

The best way to hold your phone for a horizontal selfie, in the opinion of all our 3-Day coaches, is to hold the phone with your pinkie on the bottom, your pointer finger on top, and the middle two fingers behind the phone for stability. If you position yourself on one of the edges of the selfie group (not in the middle), you’ll be able to capture tons of people or a cool background. Just click the shutter button with your thumb and…ta da! Perfect selfie!

If you really want to know what it takes to get the perfect 3-Day selfie though, ask Coach Jennifer from Michigan! She’s been a 3-Day walker as well as coach, and she always gets the best pictures on event.

Here are her top tips:

Always hold the camera up and look up into the camera for the most flattering selfie, or hold the camera slightly above your head, pointing down. Don’t take a selfie from below. No one wants purposeful double chins!

Try to take the selfie in shade – if that’s not possible, face into the sun to eliminate shadows.
Take off the sunglasses! (Even facing into the sun!)
Check your camera settings to see if there is a timer option. My Samsung phone has a timer feature that gives you about a 5 second countdown which makes it super easy to get a great selfie. Make sure you can see everyone in the photo before starting the timer.

Smile! Yes, a genuine smile. Forget the silly duck face, most people can’t pull this off anyway.
It doesn’t have to be perfect. Candid shots are sometimes some of the best pictures. ?
Use a filter to make it more fun.
Speaking of fun: Have fun with it! Some of my favorite selfies are the ones where there are a lot of friends trying to cram into the phone, laughing and simply having fun!

Need more inspiration? Here are some more great selfies from more of our 3-Day coaches!

Share your best 3-Day selfie with us in the comments! We love seeing your smiles!

How to Use Social Media in Your Fundraising

Social media is a part of most of our lives, and while we love all the fun connectivity social media allows, it can also be a useful tool. It makes fundraising simple! Use it to kick start, finish or follow up on your fundraising goals with a whole lot of likes ? Here are easy ways to use social media in your fundraising.

Holiday or Event: A great place to start on social media is to ask friends to donate a specific amount by a certain date. Be it for your birthday, another holiday, or even an important date for you, like your first team training walk, setting a deadline creates a sense of urgency. Remember, don’t use the pre-provided Facebook “Donate” button, but instead, link to your own personal fundraising page. This will ensure that all donations go right to you!

Sample Post: My birthday is coming up and I want to celebrate by raising $300 for the 3-Day! I need 10 friends to donate $30 each to hit my goal. Won’t you help me make my birthday, and 3-Day, wish come true?

Use Instagram: Post about your 3-Day goals on your Instagram account. They say a picture’s worth a thousand words, and this is the perfect way to prove it. By showing your training walks, fundraising efforts and even photos from past walks, you will personalize your journey. Then, link to your fundraising page in your bio. If you need post ideas, follow us on Instagram for inspiration!

3-Day Challenge: Have your friends “challenge” their friends to donate. Once one friend donates to you, ask them to update their Facebook status and challenge a few more of your mutual friends to donate as well.

Sample Post: I donated to Lisa’s 3-Day journey, and now I’m challenging Maria, Liz and Sarah to do the same! Let’s make a difference in the fight against breast cancer together!

Facebook App: If you want to really boost your fundraising efforts, add the 3-Day Facebook app to your Facebook page and use it to post regularly. Your posts will automatically include a link directly to your fundraising page! It makes it all so easy.

Time-Based Challenge: Like setting a goal around a holiday, you can make your own social media finish line! Set a challenge for yourself where you will do something crazy/silly/adventurous if your fundraising goal is met by a certain date. You can also get your whole team in on the action!

Sample Ideas: Jumping into your family pool in all your 3-Day gear, doing a trick on the trampoline, making a team human pyramid, or singing a song in your funniest 3-Day garb.

Fundraising Widget: Get a 3-Day fundraising widget at The3Day.org/Widgets and add it to your email signature or personal blog. That way, every time someone gets an email from you, even if it’s not about the 3-Day, they’ll be reminded of your goals.

Facebook Photos: Change your Facebook profile or cover photo to a 3-Day image. Get one at The3Day.org/Logos (make sure you’re logged in) or on the Inspiration Gallery on our blog! Then ask for donations in your status updates, and the caption of your photo.

Tap Your Team: You can also use your team to help you with any and all of these ideas! Do a team challenge to hit a fundraising goal by your first team training walk, take a team photo for your profile or cover photo, or just use them for inspiration for new social media ideas.

How do you use social media in your fundraising efforts? Tell us in the comments!

What You Can Find on the 3-Day YouTube Channel

If a picture can say a thousand words, imagine how much a video can tell us! When it comes to the 3-Day, we take videos on event, at training walks and beyond to help preserve that unique 3-Day experience long after you have crossed the finish line and headed home.

As the 2018 event season draws closer and you really dig in to your training and fundraising goals, it’s important to remember back to the 3-Day bubble and the Susan G. Komen family. Immersing yourself in those memories and happy times will give you an extra boost as you set out on your next training walk, and put passion into your latest round of fundraising letters. If you’re new to the 3-Day, our videos can give you a sneak peek of what’s to come.

If you need help reconnecting with your big pink family, you need look no further than our 3-Day YouTube page! The collection of videos will bring a smile to your face and resolve to your heart.

We have 3-Day commercials from as far back as 2014, which give a beautiful look at 3-Days past: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adn9xG8AvLw

There are also stories of inspiration from past walkers that give a voice to many of the reasons why we walk: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ0ttoG6MrV__XCdonsoPuO1dPO0hCvZ9

If you need fundraising tips and tricks, we have that too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0UQ0VtK4NI&t=1s

Are you walking in a new city this year? Or just want to feel some hometown love for your own city? Meet our event cities! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b9_5-PliJg&list=PLZ0ttoG6MrV87Wpt1xM7SFyMGb47FfAQl

A great way to encourage donors to support your 3-Day goals is to let them know where their money is going! We have a series of videos of doctors, researchers and others who have directly benefitted from the money raised on the 3-Day. Include this link in a fundraising email or share on your social media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh8Vb_YDOs8&list=PLZ0ttoG6MrV-zDdlXSyOobTWqZu7Pfo47

You can also thank your past donors by sharing one of the post-event recap videos from this past year!

And if you want to pull at the heart strings, or need a more emotional reminder of the gravity of our cause, watch “I Carry Your Heart, by the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Community” – but have the tissues ready! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncbKJPkhDlU

What are some of your videos on our YouTube channel? How have you used our videos in your fundraising efforts or at a team meeting? Tell us in the comments!