How to Get Started with Fundraising

How do I get started? Raising $4,500 seems like a very large goal.

First, relax and change your mindset. Don’t fixate on the goal. You will receive many donations large and small and you have the rest of the year to surpass your goal. That goal gets a lot smaller, the sooner you begin your outreach. Break it into smaller pieces. Here are some smaller sub-goals to focus on and address on a regular basis. Carve out 15-30 minutes per week to address one of these each week.

• Set up your Personal Donation Page

  • Log into the Fred’s Team Portal and customize your page.

  • Go to Bit.ly or similar short URL site and create a short URL for your personal donation page. Here is mine https://bit.ly/DonateTomWalsh25

• Send Email

  • Craft an email message and send it to your personal contact list and include a link to your personal donation page… https://bit.ly/DonateTomWalsh25

  • Consider using the FredsTeam.org email service. Upload your contacts and use their templates to make it easier.

• Post on Social Media

  • Take a picture or video of your training or use a Fred’s Team logo or marathon picture and briefly tell your story and include your link… https://bit.ly/DonateTomWalsh25

• Repeat

  • Post something new monthly, like updates on your training and send reminder emails to those who do not donate to your first email. Try to do something once a month and mix it up.

• Create a Challenge Donation

  • Each of us have kicked off our own fundraising when we registered, one thing you can do is add more of a donation to yourself as a model donation or challenge gift. Then, when you send your emails and post on socials, you mention your challenge donation and suggest others do the same and match your gift.

• Matching GIfts

  • Does your company match? Remind others to check about matching gifts in your communication.

• Honor your WHY

  • Don’t just send templates. Customize a template and add your own motivations. Unfortunately, most of us have been affected by someone who had cancer. Tell your story in all of your communications.

• Update your Email Signature

  • Add a link to your donation page and a short message that you are running the NYC Marathon to raise money for cancer research, read more and consider a donation here https://bit.ly/DonateTomWalsh25

• Discuss MSK’s Impact

  • With your help, we'll be able to contribute significantly to this multi million dollar year. To give you a sense of how important the funds raised by Fred’s Team are, here are some stats about MSK…

    • Every year, more than 420,000 individuals, families, foundations and companies contribute more than 600,000 donations - raising more than $600 million for cancer care, research and education.

    • Every year MSK treats over 700,000 patients

    • MSK has created several remarkable breakthroughs in cancer cures and treatments in the past few years.

    • 49 faculty members rank among the most Highly Cited Researchers in the world by the research firm Clarivate

    • U.S. News & World Report again ranked MSK as one of the top 2 cancer hospitals in the country, as it has every year since the ratings began more than three decades ago.

• Use Templates

  • I will send you samples in email attachments

• Your Runner Portal has more links to help

  • On the HOME tab you will see a FUNDRAISING button. Click the + sign and you will see 6 links to templates and other suggestions.

• Get creative

  • Here is a short list of additional things you can do…

    • Throw a party / movie night and charge admission that you donate

    • Run a class on something you are skilled at and donate the class fees

    • Social Media garage sale, post items you want to donate and have people buy them and donate the proceeds

    • Bake sale

    • Craft sale

    • Personalize your gear and add names to your shirt for say any donation above $100

    • Create a viral post that includes a challenge to do and pass along and include your link

    • Gifts in lieu. If you have an event (birthday, anniversary, etc) ask for donations in lieu of gifts

    • Use video instead of text in your social posts and ask for a donation in the video