Tips on Fundraising

for

2007 LIVESTRONG - Portland

The basics – getting started:

In asking people to support your fundraising effort for the LIVESTRONG Challenge and the Lance Armstrong Foundation, it is important to understand one thing, above all, in assessing the receptiveness of your potential donor audience: unlike many other worthy causes for which people get solicited regularly for charitable donations, cancer touches everyone. More than one in three of us will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in our lifetimes, and virtually every person in this country has either had cancer or has a relative or close friend who has had cancer. Each and every one of your potential donors has a personal reason why they are likely to be more receptive to your request. For this reason:

• If you are doing this for the first time: let’s face it, asking people for money takes many of us way out of our comfort zones – but it’s important to remember and easy to forget, you are not asking for money for yourself, but rather for your donor to join you, on behalf

of everyone affected by cancer, in the fight against this disease – be bold!

• Make your circle of solicitation as wide as possible (relatives, friends, work colleagues). If you meet someone new and the subject (of your preparation for this event) comes up, ask them if they would like to support you – you never know.

• Don’t filter people out of your target audience based on whether you think they will contribute – let each person decide for him/herself (you’ll be surprised how many people, will step up!).

Initial solicitation:

We are fortunate to have email as a means of communication with the bulk of our target audience. It is a wonderfully efficient way to make your request (and most people’s preferred way to receive communication), so please take advantage of it.

• Don’t make it more than a page – you want to hold the person’s attention.
• Even if the letter to everyone in your circle is the same, take time to personalize the salutation, e.g. “Dear Frank”…as opposed to “Hi everyone” or “Dear friends”. It only takes a few extra minutes, and there’s no need to call their attention to the fact that it’s a form letter.

• Personalize your letter, tell your story – about how cancer has affected you and why you are passionate about making a difference in this fight. This puts you on the “same side of the fence” as your prospective donor and (in combination with the next item) is why people will give.

• Raise the question in your prospective donor’s mind (how cancer has affected him/her) by asking in your letter, e.g. “…..haven’t we all had someone close to us who has or is battling some form of this disease?….”

• Explain how the LAF is different and about the great work they do (e.g. their education and information for the newly diagnosed, lobbying on capital hill to make cancer a national priority with our elected representatives, their significant grants for cutting edge new programs – like the Adolescent and Young Adult Survivorship program right here at OHSU) and not least, their stellar record of returning well over 80% of the funds raised spent on programs and direct services (not on administrative costs) and three out of four stars rating on “Charity Navigator”.

• Make it easy to donate – put the electronic link to your LIVESTRONG fundraising page right in your letter and attach a donation form (be sure to give them your name/participant number, so you get credit for the donation).

• Suggesting a donation amount is NOT advised. This will (at worst) put undue pressure on the prospective donor and possibly turn them off to donating at all. At best, you garner a donation that is smaller than the person might have donated otherwise.

Follow-up solicitation (reiterating your request):

About 45 days after your initial solicitation, it’s appropriate to send a reminder of your request in the form of an update on your training, fundraising to date and overall enthusiasm as the event grows near.

• don’t assume because your prospect didn’t donate that they’ve decided not to do so (people are busy, out of town, on a monthly budget – maybe waiting for the next cycle, or until it’s closer to the LIVESTRONG event)

• provide some information about the success of the fundraising and how hard you’re working toward your goal (make it sound like a club they’ll want to join!) – “….won’t you consider becoming part of my team….”

• talk about your training – especially if you’ll be riding/running this distance for the first time!

• Talk about cancer in the news and upcoming events on TV (e.g. Ted Koppel’s recent 3-hour symposium on Discovery Channel that featured Lance Armstrong, Elizabeth Edwards and others who are living with cancer plus authorities on the subject). Remember that the primary objective of everything we’re doing is to raise awareness, so be an ambassador for the subject, as well as the LIVESTRONG event).

Hold a LAF fundraising party/function:

• Invite friends and neighbors, work colleagues to a party/function advertised “to benefit the LAF”

• Build it around an event (e.g. Tour de France viewing, poker party, backyard BBQ, etc.) – perhaps hold it on your or your spouse’s birthday, and ask for a donation instead of a gift!

• Solicit donations of food and drink from local merchants (and of course, invite them J)

• Solicit prizes (to raffle) from retailers – e.g. electronics, restaurant gift certificates, etc., trial

club membership)

• Provide an easy opportunity, electronically and w/printed forms, for attendees to donate to your campaign

Saying thank you:

Not only is it gracious to thank your donor, but you would be surprised how often they will (when they feel good about their donation) pass the word about your fundraising and get others to join in. Additionally, this pro forma activity will (in many cases) make it a “no brainer” in the donor’s mind to participate next year:

• Show your appreciation with a heartfelt letter/email of thanks – it’s the least you can do.

• Remind the donor of the impact their donation has (by extolling the work of the LAF, both from LAF literature and your personal experience – if applicable).

• Make it timely (as close following their donation as possible).

• Ask if they would mind forwarding your original email (with your fundraising page link) to others whom they think might we interested in supporting you – those who have already donated to your cause are often your best salespeople!

• Make all your donors aware that they may work for a company that will match their charitable contribution (up to a certain amount). Attach the corporate matching instruction form (available on the LIVESTRONG Challenge site) to your “thank you” email, so that the donor can make the appropriate inquiries at work – a great way to augment your fundraising success.

News and information

• Update donors (committed and prospective) regularly on your fundraising and training for the event in the months leading up to the LIVESTRONG Challenge. Your commitment will come through (and the communication will be refreshing to those who make charitable contributions and often never hear again from those who solicited them).

• Make donors aware of cancer in the news (Lance is on CNN, Discovery/Ted Koppel, MSNBC, et al almost every week) and statistics about cancer in the U.S. – why it needs to be made a national priority. This can help emphasize to your donors that this is a cause you care about, not a one-time event.

Some kind of gift (token)

• After the event, summarize your experience for your donors – try to make the donor feel like they were right there with you, “taking on this fight” and sharing in the celebration.

• Provide a token of your appreciation for their participation in your fundraising effort (e.g. a photo of you finishing the event, perhaps even in a frame for the larger donors).

All of the above should give you a great start on meeting your goal and provide the foundation for an effective LIVESTRONG fundraising campaign that can continue year after year.

Good luck!