Fundraising Tips

Start Strong
Finish Strong!

The foundation of every fundraising venture is a letter-writing campaign.
Sit down and try to think of 100 names of people you could request donations from. Stuck at 68? Take a break, sleep on it, and try again. Once you have a good list started, draft a letter. Important things to include are:

Introduction
State your purpose for writing the letter. Make it as personal as possible. Be sure to describe the Team Challenge program and your personal goals. Don’t be shy about the size of the challenge you are undertaking. Most people have never attempted anything this big.

Request/Invitation

Share your fundraising goal. Do not speak as though you "need" or are required to raise dollars, but rather that it is YOUR goal, your commitment. Don’t diminish your request by being apologetic or by saying something like "I hope you will give something," but rather ask them to give generously, as much as they can. You can address the concerns of those who feel they can’t give "generously" by emphasizing that "whatever they give counts."

Where the Money Goes ... Information About Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis
Give prospective donors information about inflammatory bowel diseases and the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America. Inform them about how their contribution will be used. People want to know how they are helping a cause and that they are making a difference. Make this an important part of the letter. You may want to print some facts about these diseases and information about the Foundation on the back of your letter. Share information about your Honored Teammate using his or her biography. Consult www.ccfa.org or your local chapter for additional information about Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis!

Due Date

Request that donors send their contribution by a specific date (within 2-3 weeks of receiving the letter ... any longer and they may misplace your letter or forget about it). Tell them this will help you monitor your progress. Be sure to say you will accept contributions after that date so people don’t think they can’t contribute after the due date.

Closing

Thank them for considering your invitation. Express your appreciation.

Online Fundraising - We are an Online Society!

While the basis of a successful fundraising campaign is still deeply rooted in a letter-writing campaign, emailing is now a very quick, efficient, and cost-effective means of communicating with 100 people with the click of a button.Online donations is where it’s at, experts are estimating that there will be $10 billion given to charitable organizations online in 2008. Ex: 88% of my Team Challenge donations came ONLINE!

The keys to a successful email campaign are persistence and creativity. Make it fun for people to receive your emails about Team Challenge and how your fundraising & training is going. Always include an ASK and a THANKS in every email. In the beginning, I recommend sending emails out every 2 weeks, but once we are near the ½ mark of the fundraising campaign, it is imperative that you increase the frequency to once a week. Make sure to keep all emails upbeat, informative, and on the shorter side. Remember you are not bothering people, you are engaging them in a great purpose & challenge you have taken on – helping others!

See your Team Challenge notebook for printed sample emails!

More Fundraising Ideas

The following ideas are to be used as a supplement to your letter writing campaign. Keep in mind, fundraising events require more time, effort and money, and their outcomes are not always as reliable as the letter writing campaign. Some of these may involve some personal investment. Keep these costs in mind when determining your requested donation amount. You should always aim to have NO MORE than 50% in expenses, preferably 25% or less. The only way you can reimburse yourself is by doing a cash fundraiser; do not have people write checks to you, for example. If you choose to reimburse yourself from the money collected, be sure to advertise how much of the proceeds will actually be donated to Team Challenge.

"NO" doesn’t always mean "NO." If someone declines your request for a monetary donation, see if they can contribute in other ways.

Do they know someone who may be willing to help, can they donate goods or services that you can use at an event, can they get you in touch with the right person at their company to approach with a corporate proposal?

Get creative! The possibilities are endless. No donation is too small. Ask everyone and you may be surprised what you will get and how much money you can raise to help fight Crohn’s and colitis! You can make an impact!!!

The little things…

Create a Facebook/MySpace Group for the Cause

Be sure to include information about Team Challenge, CCFA, and what inspired you to participate. Post your online fundraising link and ask all your "friends" to join and donate in support of YOU!

Create a blog (

www.blogspot.com, for instance)

This is great for keeping friends & family up-to-date and engaged in what you are doing as a member of Team Challenge!

Picture Postcard

Halfway through your training send a postcard (use a picture of yourself in your training gear and have it printed on postcard paper) to everyone on your mailing list updating them on your progress. Remind them to send their contribution.

Answering Machine Message

"I can’t come to the phone right now. I’m out training for a half marathon to raise money for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. If you haven’t made your contribution yet, it’s not too late! Leave your name and phone number after the tone and I’ll call you back as soon as I receive your check!" (Or something like that.…)

Email Signature

Add a simple donation request to your personal email account signature. This way every time you send an email you are still asking/reminding people to donate. Example: Please support me & the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation by going to www.active.com/donate/sa08national/DRogers103 today!

Coins for Team Challenge

One team member for a past Team Challenge season & her parents started collecting loose change in a glass bottle the day she signed up to participate. 10 weeks later they took the change to the bank and found they had raised over $250.00 for CCFA just by collection loose change.

Fundraising Events/Community Involvement

Happy Hours

Get a bar/restaurant to donate drink tickets or offer additional drink specials for all who donate - charge a $10 donation for say 2 drink tickets.

Percentage Sales

Ask management of establishments you frequent (Bob Evans, Foster’s Grille, Texas Roadhouse, etc.) to donate a percentage of a day’s profits to your fundraising efforts.

Wine and Cheese/Dessert Party

Solicit local delis, liquor stores or specialty mom-and-pop dessert shops for donated products and host a party! Ask for a $10-$20 donation, and hold a drawing for one of the desserts or bottles of wine. You could also incorporate a wine silent auction into your event. Buy a case of Two Buck Chuck from Trader Joe’s, peel the labels off and create your own labels with either funny sayings, photos, or sports teams even. Have the silent auction going on during the party!

Community Space

Ask a local supermarket to donate space to run a bake sale, garage sale or car wash. Recruit your friends to help. Ask the business for support in matching funds for dollars donated.

Store Front Collections

Ask your local grocery store or bank if you can spend a day asking patrons to support your efforts.

Club Donations

Go on the speaking circuit at local clubs and organizations. Contact the local service clubs (Kiwanis, Elks, Lions, Jaycee, etc.) and ask if you can have a few minutes on the meeting agenda. These groups are very responsive and have a treasury set aside just for this type of request.

Candy or Bagel/Donut Sales

Candy or Donuts costs $.50 and can be sold at a $1. Works well at your church or office.

Local Fraternity/Sorority – George Mason, George Washington, Georgetown, American, etc.

Contact a local fraternity or sorority to bake and sell cookies or donate funds.

Event Walk

Participants who live in large (scenic) neighborhoods can do a WALK on a small scale. Make flyers and distribute them to the neighborhood and nearby neighborhoods, then get some bagels and juice donated and set up a 2-mile course through the neighborhood. Have attendees donate around $20 to walk at a set time. Bring a start gun and finish line to set the mood! If possible, give away door prizes for free movie rentals, pedicures, etc. Depending on participation, this can quickly bring you close to your fundraising goal!

Pancake Breakfast

Work with a local church, etc. to arrange a pancake breakfast. This is a great way to raise funds and awareness!

Softball Tournament – Home Run Derby!

Ask your local bowling or softball league to hold a weekend tournament for the Foundation. Or plan your own tournament and invite even your not-so-athletic friends to compete.

Holiday or Birthday Party

Ask guests to make donations rather than bring gifts.

Bowl-for-a-Cure

Schedule a night to go bowling. Ask the bowling alley to donate the lanes for three hours and maybe some pizza and beer. Ask 10 friends/family/co-workers to be on a bowling team, and to each raise a minimum of $50 in pledges. Give them a couple of weeks to do this. Their donors can pledge flat amounts or a quarter per pin, etc. Stay in touch with your bowlers and count all the money they are raising! Then have a great bowling night.

Let’s Party

Host a party for friends and charge admission. What better excuse to have a party?

Possible themes include:

Gourmet Dinner Party.

Treat your guests to the finest cooking, or the finest your local restaurants have to offer.

Ethnic Food Sample.

Let your friends sample the best of Italy, Greece, Mexico, etc.

Progressive Feast.

Ask your neighbors to commit to provide one stage of the meal at their homes (cocktails, appetizers, dinner, dessert and nightcap).

March Madness Viewing Party

: Have guests come wearing their favorite team’s jersey. Provide some refreshments and finger food. Require guests to bring $10 to partake.

Silent and Live Auction Party

Add a silent auction or free drawing to your party! On the invitation, ask your guest to bring something of value to contribute to the auction or drawing, or solicit the items yourself by calling or sending letters to local shops, restaurants, hotels and resorts. Display the items with bid sheets and encourage people to wander around the room exploring the items and making silent bids. Make sure to announce when you will be picking up the bid sheets. The highest bid at that time gets the item.

Parlor Game Olympics

Pull out all those parlor games you have wanted to play and make your home a "Game Festival." Charge a registration fee for each person and/or charge a fee to compete in each game. Set up a game or two in each room. Games might include Pictionary™, Trivial Pursuit™, Yahtzee™, pool, computer/Nintendo™ games and other favorite games.

Have a guest draw a number at the beginning of the evening. That number will determine in which order they will play at each game (you will determine a rotation using these numbers before guests arrive). This will allow the guests to mingle and keep the competition fair. Assign a few guests to act as "Olympic" judges. Any guest that does not follow the rules will have to pay the "penalty fine."

Garage Sale

Hold a garage sale with all the proceeds benefiting the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. Everyone should do one! You can raise anywhere from $300-$1500 in one morning! Do a flyer and distribute it to your neighbors/co-workers asking for goods to sell and offer to pick them up. Put door hangers on neighbor’s doorknobs asking for donations and to advertise the sale as well. Place signs around the sale advertising that all proceeds will benefit the foundation. This may stifle bargainers. Sell doughnuts, bagels and coffee!! Get friends to help you that morning. Place an ad in several papers advertising the fundraising aspect of it!

Opening Day of Baseball/Football/Soccer

Hold a tailgate fundraiser! Charge one price that covers food and a ticket. Get food donated, hold a drawing!

March Madness

Do a basketball grid during the finals of college basketball season where the top three win a percentage of the money while the other percentage goes toward your fundraising. Involve your co-workers, friends, family, neighbors, etc. Have people put in $5 or $10 to participate and have the winner of the bracket win ½ the pot and the other ½ go to CCFA!

Fundraising at Work:

Jean’s Day

Ask your supervisor about hosting a "Jean’s Day for Crohn’s and Colitis Day." Charge $5 to wear jeans on a Friday! If you work in a large office, this can raise several hundred dollars in one day with minimal effort required!

Drawing for a Day Off

Ask your boss or the owner of your company to donate a paid day off to the winner of a drawing. This is an easy way for most companies to make a donation without giving any cash. Sell tickets to the drawing to all the employees. Many people will buy lots of tickets for the chance to win a day off.

Display at Work

Set up a display about your training and fundraising and put donor forms out for co-workers to take (lunch room is a good place). Have your spouse or friend put up a display in his/her company as well. Make sure you get permission before doing this. If anyone has any questions, call us! Great ideas for a display are photos of you working out, your Honored Teammate and your goals. Have "13.1 miles" posted on the display.

Work Donations – Snacks/Lunches

Make it easy for your co-workers so they don’t have to go to the deli or candy machine when they get that midday craving for a snack. Make cookies or have fruit or something salty for your office mates in a place they often pass by, and charge $1 each. Sell Lunches at Work: Cook lunches for the entire office. Each week prepare a menu listing items available, with a hot/cold choice each day. Lunches could be $5 up front with half of the money going to expenses and the rest to Team Challenge. This is a good way to raise money repeatedly from the same source.

Company Silent Auction

Ask a co-worker to bring in an item or two they have in their homes. Set up the silent auction table at work and let it run for a day or two.

Office Competition

Does your office have a competitive spirit? If so, challenge another office or department to a duel of the donation jars. Provide each "team" with a large donation jar. The team that raises the most funds wins lunch (subs, pizzas and salad).

Fundraising Through OTHER People’s Work:

Matching Gifts

Do not underestimate the power of matching gifts. Companies will want to support their employees by donating to nonprofit organizations. If you know someone who is donating to you from one of these companies, have them go to their personnel office and pick up a matching gifts form, fill it out and send it to you with their donation. This could double your money.

Corporate Sponsorships

If you are associated with a company that is interested in charitable giving, offering them a corporate sponsorship is a great way to reach your fundraising goal. For more information, please visit our "Corporate Fundraising" section. Read on for a few more pages…. J

Last but not least -- if you don't ask, you won't receive!  Why not start today?

Updated 6/20/08