money to fund research to cure diabetes, and that’s something to be proud of! To someone with a diabetes connection, you say, “I’m raising money for JDRF so …
FUNDRAISING TIPS
THE RULES OF FUNDRAISING
Use these simple rules to guide your fundraising and you are sure to be a
success
Face-to-face is best
Your donor can ask you questions that you can answer right away and your
request wont get lost in a stack of unopened junk mail
Make it clear why you are raising money
You are raising money to fund research to cure diabetes, and thats
something to be proud of
Its easy to trade down; trading up is much more difficult
Start off by asking for MORE than youd expect your donor to give Its
easier to get 25 from someone who says no to 50 than to get 50 from
someone who says yes to 25
Ask for a specific dollar amount rather than letting the donor decide
Fundraising is not a one size fits all effort Asking for a specific
amount works best when you know the person fairly well Think about your
donor, and then ask for an amount that is a stretch, but not impossible
Tailor your pitch to meet your donors needs
Think about what is going to move the donor to reach for the checkbook
To someone with a diabetes connection, you say, Im raising money for
JDRF so that we can fund the research that is going to find a cure for
your
daughter/mother/aunt/etc Will you please sponsor me?
To someone you sponsored in last month in a bowl-a-thon, I really
enjoyed the opportunity to sponsor you for 50 last month Will you
return the favor to me?
You have to ask for money to get money
Its on your shoulders to do the asking Youll have to tell people what
you want and why
Make it as easy as possible for someone to give you money
Ask them to Pledge you on-line at wwwbeatthebridgeorg
Pick up checks for people
Enclose a stamped envelope in the letters you send out
If you are talking to someone directly, offer to take a check right
then and there
Always carry pledge forms with you
Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up
Following up with all the people whom you have asked for money will help
you seal the deal
The most important thing you can say is THANK YOU
FIVE STEPS TO 100 WHO TO ASK FOR PLEDGES?
1 Get the ball rolling with your own check for 20
Friends Landlord
Its easier to ask others to sponsor you when youve
Family Dry Cleaner
already made a commitment yourself 20
PTA
President Mechanic
2 Ask two friends to sponsor you for 10 each
Veterinarian Bus Driver
They wouldnt want to miss out on the fun 40 Hair
Stylist Neighbor
3 Did you ask your aunts and uncles? One of them is Travel
Agent Bank Teller
sure to be willing to sponsor you for 20 60
Dentist Pharmacist
4 Ask a neighbor to sponsor you for 20 Since one in
Spouses Co-workers Tailor
three families is affected by diabetes, youll be
Bartender Dog Groomer
surprised which of your neighbors will want to support
Mail Carrier Accountant
you 80 Librarian
Favorite Barista
5 Talk to the people you do business with 100
ASK YOUR EMPLOYER ABOUT THEIR MATCHING GIFT PROGRAM
Letter Writing Campaign
The most effective way of raising money for Beat the Bridge is to conduct a
letter writing campaign A fundraising letter that can be sent to
customers, vendors and suppliers If you send this letter, you will be
surprised how fast you and your team surpasses your goals Similar letters
have raised over
10,000 around the country Letters can be sent via mail
or via email with our new fundraising tools at wwwbeatthebridgeorg
Heres how:
1 WRITE YOUR LETTER
2 MAIL OR E-MAIL YOUR LETTER
3 COLLECT YOUR PLEDGE DOLLARS
4 PARTICIPATE IN BEAT THE BRIDGE ON MAY 21st
5 SEND THANK YOU NOTES OR E-MAILS
Sample Vendor Letter
DATE
NAME
COMPANY NAME
ADDRESS
ZIP
Dear NAME,
On Sunday, May 18, 2008, Company employees will be participating with our
families, friends and many others in the 25th Annual Nordstrom Beat the
Bridge to Beat Diabetes, a benefit for the Juvenile Diabetes Research
Foundation
Company has committed to raise pledges to ensure that the event reaches its
highest fundraising goal yet To help realize this goal, we are recruiting
friends, relatives and business associates to raise contributions for
research and to participate with us at the event
Over 21 million Americans have diabetes, many of them young children This
is reason enough for us to lend our support in any way possible For these
individuals, insulin is not a cure, but rather life support
Would you please help Company support the efforts of the Juvenile Diabetes
Foundation by making a contribution
to the event? Please make your tax-
deductible donation check out to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
and send it to the attention of NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION before XX
date We appreciate your support With your help, we will be one step
closer to finding a cure for diabetes
Company will be participating as a team at the Walk to Cure Diabetes on May
18th If you would like to participate with our team in one of the events,
please contact me for additional information You may also visit:
wwwjdrforg to join or sponsor our team Company will sponsor your entry
fee and provide you with a team T-shirt Optional for company to decide
Sincerely,
NAME
COMPANY NAME
TITLE
HOW CAN YOUR TEAM RAISE
ADDITIONAL DOLLARS
FOR DIABETES RESEARCH?
JDRF Casual Days: Sell walk buttons for 5 in exchange for employee
participation in a JDRF Casual Day, Jeans Day or Shorts Day
Go Home Early: The boss collects a said amount of money at the front door
from every employee who wants to leave work early
JDRF Raffles: Almost any certificate or item is a hit for raffles
Examples include dinners, weekend
stay at a local resort, movie passes,
concert tickets, college sporting events, museum passes, etc
JDRF Drawings: Get a prize or trip donated Each walker who raises 100
gets their name on a sneaker and dropped into a box for the drawing
Adorable Baby Contest: Get all of management to bring in one of their baby
pictures Employees pay a said amount per vote for the most adorable baby
Ballot box stuffing is encouraged
JDRF Used CD and Book Sale: Encourage employees to donate their unwanted
CDs and books Then sell them at low prices to co-workers Donate the
proceeds to your JDRF Walk Team
JDRF Auction: Plan your own auction to benefit JDRF Invite employees to
collect and donate large new or used items; antiques, art, gift
certificates, gift baskets, sporting equipment, golf packages, weekend get-
aways, or just about anything that can be auctioned off to raise additional
funds to support your team goal
Pizza Sale: Get the boss to buy a few pizzas or get them donated Have
the pizzas delivered to the office and sell them by the slice Dont
forget the sodas
Breakfast Break: Pick up donuts or muffins and sell them to your hungry co-
workers
Reserved Parking or a Day
off: Sell raffle tickets or auction of the best
parking spot The winner can park in the spot for a week or a month
Also, raffle off an extra day of vacation
JDRF Wall of Sneakers: Measure each walkers progress by posting their
name on a colored sneaker according to the dollar amount reached ie
yellow-25, pink-50, red-75, blue-100 When all walkers have a blue
sneaker in their name on the wall-youve reached your goal
Pie Throwing Contest: Have top-level executives get a pie of whipped cream
thrown at them, 10 for one pie, and 25 for three Makes for a messy, but
fun way to raise money
Putt-Putt Golf: Have each department design a putt-putt golf course hole
Charge a 10 greens fee At lunch or after work employees can play the
course throughout the office
Krispy Kreme Sales: Doughnuts are always a tasty treat and easy to sell
Car Wash: Having a car wash on a Saturday, or even over the lunch hour, is
a great way to promote camaraderie and raise funds and awareness for
diabetes
Raffle for a prime parking spot: Parking spots can be very valuable,
perhaps even an auction could bring in a good amount of money for this
Golf Outing: A golf outing requires some extra planning
and work, but can
be very profitable If you can find a location for a good price, and they
will allow you to charge your entrants, it could work
Source:beatthebridge.org
