This economy is tough. Families and friends are struggling financially. Typically the easy thing to do would be ask to local businesses. But what happens when they have already donated to another walker, or cant afford to help? Well for a week we have been trying to do fundraising the old fashion way. We have asked friends and gone door to door, business to business and to no avail. Of the $4,600 that we need to raise, we have collected $65. So we are trying to think outside the box and get off the well beaten path.
To my fellow walkers, here are my tips to you for the week. Enjoy
Think outside the box. Fundraisers work great, but try something new and bold, walking 60 miles is bold, so reflect it in your fundraisers.
When asking for donations through email, get personal and emotional it will draw people in to what your doing, and you don't sound like a scripted salesman.
Recruit your friends- If they are like some of ours they are broke. Just kidding guys I love you. But if they cant financially give to you, give them some donor forms of yours and have them ask their friends and families.
Have a corporate sponsor t-shirt contest- Ask for businesses to donate, in return have their logo put on a shirt you wear. The company that donates the largest amount gets a large center spot. Wear this shirt one of the day of the walk. Its advertising to them, so what if your a walking billboard.
Start small- remember selling candy bars as a kid, What a great reason to go door to door again. We bought fundraiser candy boxes at GFS and are going to go door to door and sell them for a dollar, hey its not a lot but its something. Tell people why your selling them and keep your forms with you. You never know when that person may want to give more than a dollar.
Kids are cute- 6 times a year I have to assist my son in one of the schools fundraisers. So why not have him tag along occasionally. Who could say no to such a cute face? I'm not kidding, my 5 year old is a ladies man.
Moral of this blog, dare to be different, dare to be bold. Fundraising can be hard, but hang in there and don't loose faith. Learn to have fun with it and people will be more likely to help you out.
I am one of those people, that googled everything. I try to get as much information as possible about everything. I don't like surprises. Now I know that behavior like that is not normal and not always healthy. That being said... My approach to the 3 Day was no different. I have read over walkers blogs, googled the past events in my city and watched countless videos on Youtube. I wanted to know what I was getting in to, before I paid the registration fees. With that done and out of the way I promptly read my online version of the walkers handbook, browsed the forums and read almost every article available on the 3 day site. I felt pretty overwhelmed. Even for me. I got tons of information and some of my questions were answered. But I still needed some things clarified, and some of my fears and concerns to be put to rest. I found the nearest Getting started meeting and sent in my RSVP for my husband and I. So a few weeks ago in one of this years nastiest snow storms we headed out. The turn out was small. We were the only people there that had already registered. But we were welcomed in and we felt like we belonged there. We talked with a woman that had walked more then I thought was humanly possible. She walked in different states in the same year. She even took on fundraising for a friend that could not, each time raising her $2,300 minimum. So that right there was all I really needed to see. She survived the fundraising, she survived the training and she walked in these walks year after year. So if she can stand there and say that she is doing it again. Then it can't be as bad as I feared. She shared her personal experiences. She shared valuable information about the event, that I wasn't able to find on my own. We sat there and watched the 15 minute DVD that I had already watched at home, but it still brought tears to my eyes. In fact it got to me there in the company of strangers. I left the meeting feeling excited. I felt confident. I left feeling inspired. So even if this is not your first walk, go just for the inspiration. You won't regret it.
