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For many NCAC riders, the idea
of riding a bicycle 360 miles in 4 days won’t
be nearly as daunting as the thought of meeting the
$1500 fundraising minimum.
After all, you’ll be the one doing the actual
training and riding and sitting on that teeny-tiny,
itsy-bitsy bicycle seat for all those miles! But to
do your fundraising, you’ll need to be including
lots of other people by asking them for donations.
Yes, you can do this!
Listed below are some general strategies to help you
get started on your fundraising. After reading through
this information, check out the Big
List of fundraising
ideas, and our Sample
Materials to help you get started
on writing your fundraising letters!
Little drops of water wear down big stones.
- Russian Proverb -
Make a List and Check
it Twice! – Two basic
tenets of fundraising are that 1) you can never predict
who will say yes and who will say no, and therefore
2) the more people you ask, the more money you will
raise. One of your first fundraising steps should be
to make a list of everyone you know, because they’re
all potential donors. The list can include the obvious
people like family members, friends, co-workers, and
people you’ve donated to in the past, as well
as the less obvious potential donors like the mechanic
who works on your car, the cutie who works in the Co-Op
produce section, your dentist, your child’s teachers,
your mail carrier, and anyone else you come into contact
with on a semi-regular basis. Your list cannot be too
long! It helps to start a list and then put it somewhere
you’ll see a couple times a day, like your fridge,
and then keep adding names to it over several weeks.
Remember why and for
whom you’re riding and
fundraising – The funds you’re raising
aren’t going into your own pocket! You’re
raising dollars to support agencies that are fighting
to end the suffering caused by HIV and AIDS in the
inland northern California region. You may also be
doing this to remember a loved one or family member
you lost to AIDS, to bring attention to the devastating
effects HIV and AIDS continues to have on the world
community, to turn your commitment and passion into
action, and/or to challenge yourself to think and act
beyond your current limits. Try to keep these ideas
in mind while you’re making your list and thinking
about asking for a donation for the first, or fifty-first,
time. Please click here to
see some sample fundraising letters.”
Personalize your fundraising information – For
a variety of reasons, HIV and AIDS may not be part
of everyday life for many of your potential donors.
As a result, many of your donors will be contributing
as a way to honor you and your commitment to the event,
as well as to support the work of our beneficiaries.
To that end, it’s a good idea to let potential
donors know why you’ve decided to participate
in the event, your connection with the HIV/AIDS community,
and your hopes and trepidations about making it to
and completing the NCAC.
Please click here to set up or change your fundraising
page.
Learn more about the state of HIV/AIDS and
HIV/AIDS services in your community – People respond to
really big numbers, whether it’s the number of
miles you’re riding to prepare for the NCAC,
your fundraising goal for the event, the number of
people who receive services from our beneficiaries,
or the number of people living with HIV and AIDS in
your community. It’s helpful to be familiar with
these numbers to help your potential donors understand
the impact of HIV and AIDS in their community, how
far their donated dollars will go and the services
that will be provided, and the level of your commitment
to the cause.
Please click here for HIV and AIDS information and
statistics.
Remember to keep the fun in your fundraising! – The
fundraising styles and strategies that work best are
the ones that are enjoyable for you and fit with your
personality. If you are a very quiet person who does
not do well asking people directly for donations, an
emphasis on letter-writing or e-mail may work best
for you. If you’re gregarious and outgoing, you
might enjoy contacting your potential donors one at
a time by phone or in person. If you’re short
on time, it might be better for you to obtain most
of your donations through a handful of larger fundraisers
that coincide with activities you like to do already.
Please click here for our Big List of fundraising
ideas!
Begin today – Don’t wait to begin your
fundraising! If you have a fear of asking for pledges,
begin today. The sooner you receive your first donation,
the better you’ll feel about the process, and
it will be easier to ask others for donations. We should
never be afraid to ask for help in any form for our
cause! Please remind your donors that this is the only
cycling fundraiser that directly benefits the agencies
fighting HIV and AIDS in inland northern California,
and that everything possible will be done to ensure
the maximum return on revenue for our beneficiaries.
Please click here to request a mentor and learn bout
other support resources.
Never
doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed
citizens can change the world. Indeed,
it’s the
only thing that ever has.
- Margaret Mead - |
