RAISE FUNDS AND AWARENESS

Congratulations on accepting the challenge ahead of you and for making the commitment to help The ALS Association Massachusetts Chapter through your fundraising and awareness efforts.

We are here to support you every step of the way and have created three ways for you to learn more about fundraising and help you get started.

Fundraising Resources available to you:

Fundraising Coaching
Available for anyone participating or volunteering for the Positive Spin for ALS. If interested, e-mail kristen.esposito@als-ma.org 

Fundraising Guide
The topics that follow are designed to help you think about fundraising for the Positive Spin for ALS. First, we want to give you the one fundamental secret to keep in mind for all your fundraising efforts. The pages on strategy will help you look at your resources and design an overall approach that then lead right into a section on planning. Since your most important resource is the people you know, using the reaching out to your community information will help expand your list of contacts and approaches. Then we have included a set of fundraising ideas and fundraising tactics to help you meet your fundraising goals. Finally, we have provided some sample letters for e-mail and letter campaigns that will help you get started in sharing your story and raising funds for the mission of The ALS Association Massachusetts Chapter. We hope you find this information helpful for your efforts. On behalf of everyone touched by this disease, thank you for riding.

Please be sure to remind your potential donors that donations to The ALS Association Massachusetts Chapter are tax deductible to the extent allowable by law. They are a charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Again, thank you for the challenge you're taking on for those served by The ALS Association Massachusetts Chapter. Money raised through rider fundraising and sponsorship funds help to support services for more than 250 local patients and families living with ALS, and national research initiatives into a cure for ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Fundamental Secret

Fundraising, if you haven't ever done it, can seem daunting. It just seems so difficult - maybe even a bit scary - asking people for money. And yet, there are successful fundraisers all around you. In previous years, many dedicated individuals just like you raised thousands of dollars for The ALS Association Massachusetts Chapter. Many have far exceeded their initial goals and surprised themselves with how easy it was to raise funds and have come back repeatedly raising even more.

There is a secret to successful fundraising. It is not a trick, a technique, or method. Successful fundraisers all know one very important thing that makes all of the difference.

Here it is: It's a very personal thing.

There is no substitute to reaching out to someone and asking him or her for their support. Personal letters, e-mails and phone calls are a great way to introduce your efforts to your friends and family. Meeting someone face to face is also a very effective way of asking for support. You can start off by saying, "I'm doing this great ride, it is important to me because…and I am asking for your help". Keeping your fundraising efforts personal is as good as it gets - it's the way money gets raised.

So now you know the deep secret that all successful fundraisers know. Everything else, all of your strategizing and planning, is merely laying out the steps you need to take to get face to face with the people who can help you, and then taking those steps.

Working on Yourself
Now, this "secret" may not seem all that helpful to you - particularly if you're feeling a bit nervous about sitting down and asking for donations in the first place. If you are feeling uncomfortable about asking for money, know that you are not alone. We recommend that you take some time to work on yourself - to get mentally and emotionally ready to ask. While there are no "techniques" or gimmicks to help in this, there are a few simple ways of getting started that will prove very helpful in getting you over some of your nervousness.

Focus on the cause. It is far easier to ask for support for the work of The ALS Association Massachusetts Chapter, than it is to ask people to pay for your bike ride. You may feel as if that's what you're doing, but the fact is that this event and the funds raised are absolutely vital to The ALS Association Massachusetts Chapter. The Positive Spin for ALS has raised tens of thousands of dollars each year. This is serious fundraising that just happens to have some fun and adventure attached. So think of yourself as a fundraiser on an important mission first and as a cyclist second and it will be much easier to do.

Develop your commitment. The most important "tool" at your disposal is your own commitment to and excitement about what you're doing. It's much easier to ask for donations to a cause you believe in - and the more you believe in it, the more convincing you will be. People who have a direct experience and understanding of ALS, will have an immediate and very personal interest in raising funds for The ALS Association Massachusetts Chapter. If you don't have a personal experience with ALS, it is still very possible to understand and communicate the importance of the work of The ALS Association Massachusetts Chapter. Learn all you can about ALS and how the programs services provided by The ALS Association Massachusetts Chapter are dedicated to helping everyone affected by this devastating disease. The more you learn about ALS and the mission of The ALS Association Massachusetts Chapter, the better you'll feel asking people to sponsor you. To learn more, visit www.als-ma.org or call 781-326-8884.

Start with people you know. A personal "ask" starts with a personal connection. Generally you'll find it easier to talk with people you already know and like. And you have a greater likelihood of success with people who know and like you - just the fact that you asked will make them want to help. Also, if this is your first time fundraising, early success is important. You'll feel much more like making your second contact if your first says "yes."

The vast majority of the contributions for the Positive Spin for ALS riders come from individuals. It may seem as if corporations might have more money to give and for the most part they do. The difficulty in approaching corporations for gifts is that unless you have a personal contact that can assist you in the application process, there are many obstacles that come into play. Statistically your chances of success are much greater with individuals that you know personally. In the pages on Reaching Out to Your Community we show you how to improve your chances of success with people you don't know well. As you begin, we recommend that you start with the people you already have a relationship with

Set a good goal. It helps to have something you're reaching for, but it also helps to have a goal you can accomplish. Setting a challenging but accomplishable goal will help you move forward and give you a good talking point when you ask for donations. "I'm going to raise $2,000 for The ALS Association Massachusetts Chapter by riding in the Positive Spin for ALS" is a pretty wonderful start to a conversation about what you're doing and why. And if you say it with a committed gleam in your eye (and a little passion in your heart) you're well on your way. Once you set a goal, practice saying what it is. Make a brief sentence, such as the one above, and practice saying it until it comes naturally. Don't be afraid to say, exactly, in dollars, how much you want to raise.

With this fundamental secret in your hand, we encourage you to go on to assess your resources and develop a fundraising strategy that will work for you.

Strategy

Any campaign starts with a strategy: What's your overall approach to reaching your goal going to be? And what is your primary resource for doing this? Raising the money you have set out to raise is something you can do. But how each person goes about it will vary. Each person is different and has different resources available to them within their community. Therefore, each approach will be slightly different.

Here are three unique ways that three different people established as their approach for reaching their fundraising goal:

• An 18-year-old high school senior figured that his strongest resources were his time and his passion for helping. He knew that spring was coming and that many people in his community would need help with their yards. He created a flyer that stated he was willing to work for donations in support of the Positive Spin for ALS. He also used his Rider Page to tell his personal story and recruit other students to donate their time and help him reach his fundraising goal. He distributed his flyer throughout his local community and then the calls started to roll in. Everyday after school he and the other students that decided to get involved spent several hours helping neighbors clean up their lawns. He raised considerably more than his initial goal and was also able to generate some great awareness within his community about ALS.



• A businesswoman started her efforts with this thought, "I know a lot of people and I believe that if I ask each of them to give me $50, they will." Her next steps were to generate her list of contacts, create her personal Rider Page and letter, and establish a goal date to send her letter/e-mail to her contacts. Her fundraising went remarkably well and she was able to provide her donors with updates on her ride training, her fundraising success and also convey her appreciation through her Rider page.



• A store manager figured his vendors were his best resource. He does thousands of dollars worth of business with these folks, so he went to them and explained what he was doing and why and asked them for a tax-deductible contribution to support his fundraising efforts. To show his appreciation, he made a large sign for his store window thanking all of the generous people and companies that contributed to the Positive Spin for ALS.

The point we are trying to make here is that anyone can do this. As you determine which way you will go about raising funds, you will want to look at the resources available to you.

Contacts. Your major resource is the list of people you know. Friends, family, coworkers - people you know who are willing to help you. The length of your list will vary depending on who you are and where you are in life. Also, the amount your family, friends, and coworkers give will depend on their circumstances, but give everyone close to you a chance to contribute to your efforts. One fundraiser tells a story of a friend whom she forgot to include in her appeal and who heard about her efforts from a mutual friend. She got a phone call, "hey, have you forgotten who your friends are?" So don't leave anyone off the list. Some will do a little; some will do a lot. But in the end all will be glad you asked.

Time. You may feel that you don't have a long list of donors who can help you out. Well, what about your time? Remember the 18-year-old who did yard work for donations and exceeded his fundraising goal? If you don't know a few people who can give you $100, then maybe you can find a way to meet a lot of people who will give you $5. You can plan a small fundraising activity that brings a lot of people together - or coupled with a special skill (see below), time can turn into money through application of your skills.

Skills. Unique fundraising opportunities come from using your special skills. Use either your work or hobby skills to do special things for people in exchange for a donation. Cooking, sewing, carpentry, artistic skills all can turn into donations. You can either do work in exchange for donations directly, or leverage your time by raffling or auctioning off your time and skill.

Associations and Organizations. In some cases, the organizations you belong to may be a good source of people who will help you. Service clubs, religious, labor, and professional organizations are all possibilities. One fundraiser we know of was struggling until she turned to members of her church. Her efforts were published in the monthly newsletter and then she began contacting people individually. The support she received was overwhelming.

Customers and Vendors. Depending on the business you are in, you may have relationships with customers and vendors that can prove useful. We already talked about the store manager that talked with his suppliers. We also know of a restaurant owner who put up a sign near the door of his restaurant explaining what he was doing along with a jar for customers' contributions. He proved to be his event's top fundraiser. (Important Note: there may be ethical issues raised here and you should be sure to clear what you're doing with your employer.)

Matching Gifts. Many companies match the gifts their employees make to charitable organizations, and some match the donations their employees raise as well. Try to find out if one of your donors works for one, and ask them to be sure to submit the paperwork to have their gift matched. Human Resources offices are usually the place to go for information.

Corporations. Corporations do give a lot of money to charitable causes and if you can make the right contacts, it's possible to do your fundraising in "big chunks" through corporate giving. However, a special caution is due here. Corporations get asked frequently and typically have a complex application process and policies regarding their giving. Some of the things you may run up against in trying to work in the corporate world are budget cycles that limit giving to certain times of the year, committees on corporate giving with lengthy proposal and review processes, and policies that limit the kinds of charities they support. The thing is, if you just ask the "corporation" it's easy for the "corporation" to say no. But if you have a way of making it more personal then your chances improve. If you have or can develop a personal relationship with someone in the corporation who can effectively make the decision to contribute to your efforts, then that is well worth pursuing. Remember the fundamental secret: asking for money is a very personal thing.

You may not have all of these resources available, but you most likely have some of these resources or others we may not have listed. The first step as you get started is to inventory your strategic resources. As you go through this list and add to it, begin to flesh each category out fully. Put down the actual names of your personal contacts. List the ways you might best use your time. Which of your particular talents/skills might you use? Select your strongest area by deciding which is most likely to help you reach your goal. Also, you may want to select a couple of secondary resources. In the end, what you want is a pattern of strategic resources, the ones that are most worth your time and effort. Set those aside for further planning. Review the three examples listed above and let yourself imagine what your fundraising effort will look like.

Now that you're familiar with your resources, you can go on to the section on planning and develop a specific fundraising plan for yourself, or go on to explore ways of expanding your contacts list through Reaching Out to Your Community or develop some specific ideas for further exploration.

Planning

Whether your goal is $500 or $5000, you will want to set aside some time to outline the steps you will need to take to get you to your goal. Once you know what specific steps you can take, the whole task will look less daunting and you will be able to focus on moving forward.

Setting out a simple plan that maps the steps you will take, and roughly when you will take them, will prove to be a very helpful thing to do in several ways. First, it breaks the task up into manageable "chunks." Many people find that standing back looking at the whole task of raising money seems overwhelming, no matter what your goal. But simply drafting a letter or email is something you can accomplish immediately. Further, completing each task in your plan will provide a sense of accomplishment, even when money isn't flowing in (and there may be dry spells). Third, when you get bogged down and begin to feel a bit lost or unfocused, you can go to your plan and identify what you need to do to get started again.

Once you decide which of your resources are likely to be most helpful to your fundraising efforts, then decide specifically how you will go about working with each. A letter or email to your contact list followed by a phone call? Perhaps hosting a small dinner party? Don’t forget to outline when you will write the letter or when will you begin making phone calls – or who will you invite to your dinner party and when will you host this event?

If making a tight written plan with steps spelled out and deadlines works best for you, then by all means make one. If you're more of a "scrap paper planner”, that will work as well. The form of the plan is less important than it being a well thought out plan and one that provides you with the specific steps you need to take to accomplish your goal. As long as, at any point in time, you know what your next step is, you've got the plan you need. Here is a rough outline to help you establish your plan:

Planning Outline 1. Strategic Resource 2. Steps required to utilize the resource 3. Timeline - when will each step be accomplished 4. Who is responsible? (Remember if you're going to depend on someone else to do something, then the first step is you asking them to do it.)

Reaching Out to Your Community

The first and most important resource you have is your list of personal contacts. While we noted that everyone will approach fundraising with a different strategy, everyone should begin with their list of personal contacts. Everyone knows at least a few people who will help them in their efforts. Your personal contacts, friends, family members, co-workers and neighbors should be the first people you ask for a contribution for your fundraising efforts. However, don't stop there. Once you have explained what you are doing and received their commitment of help, go on and ask for their help in introducing you to others whom they know that can help you.

The key to getting help is to ask. So as you meet with those closest to you and ask for donations, also ask for their help. The help they give you can come in a variety of forms.

Names. They can give you names of other people they know who might be willing to help. It will help further if they are willing to have you use their name when you contact the people they suggest.

Make Introductions. Better yet, they may be willing to actually go with you and introduce you to people who can help.

Solicit. And in the best of all worlds, they may be willing to become fundraisers for you. If they do, be sure to give them the information and materials they will need.

Professional fundraisers and marketers refer to this as "warming up the call." A "cold call" is a contact with someone you don't know. An example of this would be to just take random names from the phone directory and call them. That's about as cold as a call gets. At the other extreme is someone such as your lifelong best friend or your mother - someone who knows you, likes you a lot, and wants you to succeed. Each contact will fall somewhere in between these extremes. And the warmer the call - the more personal the relationship - the more likely it will succeed. That is, the more likely they are to say "yes". So asking those close to you to help you warm up your calls may be an important tactic for you.

We mentioned earlier that we would talk about how to improve your chances in the arena of raising corporate donations. Remember the fundamental secret that all fundraising is personal, well the only way to have a "personal" relationship with an impersonal corporation is to have a relationship with the right person at the corporation. You may not have one in the onset of your plan, but look through your contact list and see if someone you know can help you with this through by making an introduction. Here are some helpful guidelines to help you with this process.

• Ask your own contact to come with you as you make the call and have a brief conversation about how the meeting should go. What's the best time to meet? Where? How should the introduction go? Who should do the "ask"?



• If your personal contact isn't willing or able to actually go along to make an introduction, ask them to call ahead for you or to get on a conference call and make the introduction over the phone.



• In some cases all they may be able to do is give you a name, in which case, ask if it's ok to use their name when you call the prospect. "Mr. Smith, my name is Jane Brown. Mike Jones suggested I call you….” But never use someone's name without first getting their permission.



• Be clear what you are asking the new contact to do. Do you want them to make a personal donation? Help you understand their company's policies on charitable giving? Introduce you to someone else? Again, a good conversation with the person who gives you the name will help you know what this person can do for you and therefore what to ask for.

Specific Fundraising Ideas

We encourage you to use your own style, creativity and inventiveness as you develop your fundraising ideas. We have listed a sampling of ideas below to help you get started. Use them if you can, but better yet - look through the list and see what ideas come to mind. You may find that you can expand on one of these ideas and make it uniquely yours. Remember the best idea is the one you think up and have faith in.

In the Name Of. One thing we have observed over the years is that people who have a specific person they are dedicating their ride to are more successful fundraisers. By dedicating your efforts, that is riding "in honor of" or "in memory of", a specific individual, you personalize and add meaning to the fundraising for both yourself and your donors. Take a picture of the person with you. Write a short biography of the person and hand it to perspective donors. Tell the person's story in your fundraising letters.

At Work. Put up a sign or poster in the break or lunchroom where you work and encourage your coworkers to make a donation. Put up a graph or donations thermometer that shows your progress. Post an "Honor Roll" with the list of your coworkers who make contributions. (Important Note: there may be ethical issues raised here and you should be sure to clear what you're doing with your employer.)

Auctions and Raffles. Many merchants and retail business people find it easier to give merchandise or services in place of cash. These donations can be turned into cash by auctioning or raffling them. It's also possible to auction or raffle your own time and talents. You don't have to be an artist, offer to make dinner, clean houses, wash windows or weed gardens.

Sales. Anyone who has had a garage sale knows it's amazing what people will buy. Ask friends and neighbors for donations of items they don't need or baked goods and have a sale. Some participants have raised $1,000 and more in a single weekend selling donated "stuff" at a garage sale.

Parties. Use donated food and door prizes and invite friends to attend your fundraising party. Make it fun, but also make it educational by making a presentation on The ALS Association Massachusetts Chapter’s programs and ask for donations. One way of leveraging your own contact list is to ask a small set of your close friends to commit to bringing ten friends each or something like that. Create teams and give prizes to the team that donates the most. You can also combine your party with an auction or raffle. If you know the owner of a restaurant in your town, see if they will open their doors for you to have your party at their establishment.

Chocolate. One participant purchased candy bars at Costco, took them to work and wrapped each in a letter and sponsorship form. She put them out in the lunchroom and let her coworkers' chocolate addictions and guilt work their magic.

Use T-Shirts. For some reason, t-shirts have amazing powers, well at least amazing possibilities. Have donors sign a t-shirt or bike jersey you will wear on your adventure. Or design a special t-shirt commemorating your bike ride and give them to donors who make significant contributions. (Remember, however, that The ALS Association Massachusetts Chapter logos are trademarked, so if you're going to use them, be sure to talk with them about it and have them review your design.)

Service Clubs. See if you can get "adopted" by a local service club. Even if you're not a member, find the program chair of a local Kiwanis, Rotary, Lions Club or other service organization and offer to give a program at one of their meetings on ALS Association Massachusetts Chapter and your efforts. Ask for both individual donations from members and a donation from the club itself. Also ask members for help from other contacts they may have. Find out which companies have matching gift programs and ask members to fill out the matching gift paperwork if they are employed by one.

Publicity. Publicize your efforts in every way you can. Local newspapers are frequently looking for human interest stories. Service club, church and union newsletters are good places to have your efforts publicized. Remember, news articles aren’t guaranteed to bring in donations, but they will only help build awareness of your efforts. You will need to follow up with people and ask them for their support.

As you begin to plan your fundraising activity, contact us at kristen.esposito@als-ma.org so we can help you.

We are here to support you every step of the way!

Sample Letters

Below are some letters that have been used successfully in past fundraising efforts. Use them to give you ideas about how to start. But again, we cannot urge you enough to be yourself and offer a personal touch to your letters. Tell your own story and write in your own words. It's far more important to sincerely say what matters to you than to say it perfectly.

Fundraising Letter #1: Letter from a Relative of person with ALS

Fundraising Letter #2: Generic Letter

Fundraising Letter #3: Letter from a Relative of Person with ALS

Fundraising Letter #4: Generic Letter

Fundraising Letter #5: Letter from a Relative of a Person with ALS

Fundraising Letter #6: Generic Team Letter

Fundraising Letter #7: Generic Letter

Fundraising Letter #8: Letter for reaching out to an Alumni Group

Fundraising Letter #9: Letter from a Friend of a person with ALS

Fundraising Letter #10: Letter from an ALS patient

SAMPLE E-mail

On June 22, 2008, The ALS Association Massachusetts Chapter will host the 14th Annual Positive Spin for ALS. Everyone from a beginner rider to the avid cyclist will have a chance to meet his/her personal challenges at the 2008 Positive Spin for ALS. Riders choose their challenge: a 10, 25, 50 or 75 mile route. Children are also invited to participate in our new fun and safe Children's Ride (adult supervision required).

I will be participating in the __ ride, also know as (Sally’s, Pete’s or The Palmer Family ride). Here is a little more about the ride I am participating in: (insert information from web site about your ride).

Money raised through the Positive Spin for ALS helps to support services for more than 250 local patients and families living with ALS, and national research initiatives into a cure for ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

I will be riding in this event to help raise funds for The ALS Association Massachusetts Chapter. To find out more about the Positive Spin for ALS, please go to www.positivespinforals.org.

Your support of this worthy cause would be much appreciated.