Chopperguy's TNT Blog

First I strongly suggest you use this post as a guideline for your fundraising mentality. You will know what I mean by this in a moment......

The first word to remember is "Network:" Your network is all your friends and family, and all their friends and family, and all their friends and families, and.....................

The "Fundraising Goal" you set depends on how much time you would like your closest friends and relatives to work to help you out. Your goal is to train and do the best you can in your event. One pitfall to fundraising is you start to concentrate on it, and not training. My downfall during my fundraiser was me concentrating on fundraising, and not training. You should set a goal of raising an average of $500 a month and have your network commit to it.

After you grasp this concept and dedicate to it, come up with a snappy name for your commitment. After that, think of a short descriptor that would be easy to remember (mine was ChopperTNT) and then go to Godaddy.com and order a domain name. Search the web for a "Godaddy Coupon" to save you a few bucks when you check out. If you have a "Fundraiser page" have godaddy "Forward" your domain name to that address. You can even have a "Free" site on Godaddy if you'd like.

After that, set up a FaceBook page. Put up your goals, your cause information and pictures of your training and such. Keep posting to it, keeping the word "Fresh" with your followers. Put your Godaddy link on it.

Have a logo made. If you have a "Real" graphics designer in your network, use them. Do that ASAP so you can get that on your Facebook page. After that, recommend the page to your friends, and ask them to recommend it to their friends. There are potentially thousands of followers, or at least people to view your page.

Now, how to effectively fund-raise (without seeming like a pushy door to door salesman):

Once again, I stress... have your friends and family volunteer... Approach it like this... "We are competing in an Ironman... and we raising funds for Conners hero's. We are not asking for a donation, we are asking for help in getting donations." For example, friends can help with getting donations from businesses for a silent auction. If you accept help and not payment from 20 people, they have the opportunity to reach out to hundresd if not thousands of people in their "Network"

Things that worked the best for me:

• Business cards with your logo, name, website address and a detailed description what you are doing, and what for on the back. I got a thousand of them from vistaprint for like 10 bucks and handed them out to everyone. I even included one with my tips and payment at restaurants.
• Brochures you can have businesses post on their boards and storefront windows.
• Silent Auction: I raised over 2K in one night, thanks to generous family members. People would rather give to get something, and then they usually give more...
• Use other events between now and then (Monument Ave 10K and such) as a fundraiser for your cause.

Here are a couple links to my fundraiser blog that may help. The suggestions are a bit old, but most still apply. From silent auctions held at a local business. Businesses are more than willing to donate stuff for a cause at this time of the year.

• 25 Fund-raising ideas: http://www.zenrant.com/blog/index.php/chopperTNT/2009/01/30/25-great-fundraising-ideas
• Sell yourself: http://www.zenrant.com/blog/index.php/chopperTNT/2009/03/01/i-m-selling-ad-space
• http://www.zenrant.com/blog/index.php/chopperTNT/2009/01/28/hints-for-fundraising

Always reminder potential donors that this is a tax write-off. That usually gets the cash flowing.