Thank you so much for being a part of Ski4Life! With your help, this year's event will be the most successful year of Ski4Life yet. Now that you have taken the initiative to join this year's marathon, we would like to provide with some tools for a successful and fun fundraising campaign.
You are certainly not limited to this list. Fundraising is about being creative and having fun! If you have a great idea for a fundraising event or venture, but aren't quite sure not how to get started, call 717-652-6520, toll free 800-822-2873, for some more pointers.
As soon as you complete the quick registration for online fundraising, you can send out your home page URL to your friends, family and co-workers immediately, and begin to watch those donation totals climb higher and higher toward the Cure! Click here to set up your online fundraising page and get started!
Letter writing is the most tried and true vehicle for raising funds, and is more reliable than any fundraising technique, particularly for first time fundraisers. The key to a great letter is to make it personal. Include as much detail as you know on your event and the reason why you are doing it. Sign each letter and handwrite names and addresses on the envelope. Send it to 100 people and get it out early!
The key to a successful letter-writing campaign is to start early and send many letters. Instead of playing "catch up" close to your fundraising deadline, plan ahead, and plan a lot. The more letters you initially send out, the more donations you will receive. Send the letters early. Allow time to receive the first round of donations and also enough time to send out a reminder card to those individuals who ‘forgot' to donate.
Think of everyone you know. Look through your checkbook and identify the people and places where you regularly spend money or have spent a large sum of money in the past. Check with your parents and relatives for people who knew you as a child. If you send holiday cards, use that list. Even after your initial mailing is completed, keep your eyes open for other people that cross your path that you hadn't thought of and send them a letter. Be sure to always have a few copies of your letter on-hand to give out to people you may not have considered.
Have a goal date in mind for when you would like to have your fundraising accomplished. List all the steps you will need to take to achieve your fundraising goal and organize them both by priority and chronological order. Estimate the amount of time each step will take. It will be harder to work backwards from your goal date, so be sure to determine due dates for each step in your plan.
We WANT you to succeed and we are committed to helping you in every way. Here are a few guidelines to assist in your campaign. Your letter should be your own expression and your own style. It should be personal, and make sure your letter is only ONE PAGE long.
LLS offers the following incentives to sponsors that participants bring into the program:
Deadline for $1,000 and $2,500 sponsors is January 5. Deadline for $250 and $500 sponsors is February 1.
Get your family, friends and community involved! Here is a quick and easy way to raise $550:
| Sponsor yourself for $25 or more: | $25 |
| Ask 3 family members to sponsor you for $50 each: | $150 |
| Ask 5 friends for $10 each: | $50 |
| Ask 5 co-workers for $25 each: | $125 |
| Ask 5 neighbors for $10 each: | $50 |
| Ask 3 businesses you frequent for $50 each: | $150 |
| Total | $550 |
Some of the following fundraisers are simple and inexpensive, others involve more planning and cost. Do not hesitate to contact LLS for advice on implementing any of the following fundraisers, and by all means, HAVE FUN!
Children's Party - Throw a party, wear a cartoon costume and pop in a Disney movie for the kids to enjoy. The kids will be so distracted and happy that their parents will have plenty of time to write you donation checks.
Cocktail Party - "Donate to a Cause" cocktail party (checkbooks required).
Game Night - Get out the Monopoly, Boggle and Taboo. Charge at the door, break into teams and you're off! The team with the most victories wins a portion of the pot, and the remaining may be added to your fundraising.
Emmy Pool - Think you've got the low down on who is going to win Best Actor this year? Compile a list of the nominees and ask everyone to predict who they think will win. Request a contribution ($20 or more) to create a winning pot. The person with the most correct entries wins a percentage of the pot and the rest goes toward your fundraising.
Royal Flush - Poker night at its best! Winner takes a percentage of the pot and the rest goes toward a cure.
House Warming Party - If you or someone you know is relocating soon, throw a party and ask if they will make a donation instead of buying a gift for your new pad.
Movie Night - Pick up a few movies, make some popcorn and invite your friends! Have donation forms on-hand.
Pet Birthday Party - Throw a party for the neighborhood canines or take them out for a walk! Tell the neighbors to make a donation instead of buying your puppy a toy.
Television Show Finale Party - Charge at the door to watch the finale of your favorite show with friends and family.
Theme Party/Dinner - Charge $50 at the door, spend no more than $20/person on food and drinks, and you end up with $300 or more for your fundraising!
Wine and Cheese Evening - This event requires a budget. If possible, recruite local suppliers as sponsors for your cheese and wine. Sell tickets in advance. Each table could have a theme, such as a particular wine-growing or cheese-producing region.
Babysitting - Parents will appreciate a nice quiet night out of the house enough to write you a big check for your fundraising.
Car Wash - Offer to wash your friends cars for a small fee, or see if a local organization will allow you to use their space.
Dog Wash - Apply the same principles as the car wash!
House Sit - If your friends or neighbors are going out of town, offer to pick up the mail, weed the garden, feed the fish and walk the dog - for a small contribution of course.
Neighborhood Chores - Your neighbors would rather hire you than someone they found in the phonebook. Hang up signs to advertise, get to work, and watch the donations fly in! (gardening, cleaning gutters, mowing the lawn, sweeping the driveway, painting a room, etc)
Bake Sale - Cakes and cookies aren't all you can sell! Include preserves and muffins, hold a guess-the-weight-of-the-cake contest and serve refreshments.
Donuts/Bagels - Buy a box on the way to work and sell them for a dollar each to your hungry coworkers!
Garage Sale - Ask friends and neighbors to drop their donations at your door. Put on some prices, put up some signs and let the selling begin! One tip is to not put prices on items at all. Just tell them to pay what they think is fair for the items, let them know that all proceeds go to LLS, and they may give you $25 for that crummy lamp. Everybody loves a good cause!
Movie Ticket Donation - Ask your local theater to donate as many tickets as possible to the movies, or ask your local theatre to donate tickets to one of their upcoming plays or musicals. Sell them and put the money toward your fundraising.
Used Book Sale - Same concept as the garage sale. Everyone loves a good book. Tell them it's for a good cause and let's boost the literary culture of this nation!
Plastic Duck Race - Have people sponsor a duck and launch them from a bridge or area along a river. The winning duck gets a prize. Participants can decorate their ducks and receive a prize for the best decoration also. Make sure to have proper authorization to use the river or water source.
Poker Run - Walkers, joggers, bikers or road ralliers pay a fee to enter, and are given a map or clues. As participants reach each checkpoint, they receive a playing card. Whoever reaches the end with the best poker hand wins! Nonparticipants can also pay a fee for shortcut directions and tickets to the after-party.
Travel Voucher - Ask your local travel agent if they will donate a travel voucher. Auction it off at one of your parties.
Vacation Days - Ask your boss or human resources director if you can swap one of your vacation days for a day's pay.
Donated Sports Team and Concert Box Seats - Ask a company to donate their box seats and hold a drawing for them. Ask the park if they will make an announcement about the company donating their box seats. They will be very appreciative.
Dress Down Day - Ask your company to allow employees to dress down for a $20 donation to the cause.
Office Challenge - Encourage coworkers to challenge each other to raise the most amount of money. Give the winner a prize, such as movie tickets or a gift certificate.
Wear a Logo - Tell your employer that you will wear their logo on their sleeve on race day for a donation.
Tip Donations - Ask your favorite bartender or server if they will donate their tips for one day to your cause. Make sure to let all the patrons that day know where his or her tips are going so that they have the opportunity to tip big!
Doctor, Help! - Ask your family doctor, dentist, orthodontist, chiropractor, thereapist, veterinarian etc. to donate to your cause.
Local Business Proceeds - Ask a local business if they will donate a portion of their proceeds for one day to your fundraising. Offer to help publicize.
Cover Charge Night - Ask you neighborhood to donate a portion of the cover charges they collect to LLS.
Fundraising Dinner - Ask your favorite restaurant to host a fundraising dinner. They supply the food, you supply the donation forms!
Gym Donations - You'll be working hard during training and paying those monthly gym payments. Ask your gym if they can reciprocate by allowing you to place a fundraising box at the front desk.
Hair Dresser, Mechanic, Insurance Agent - Instead of writing them a check this time, ask them to write you one.
Pub Quizzes - Capture the attention of the audience at the bar with some fun games.
Radio Stations - Call your fave station and ask if they will make an announcement about your fundraising efforts. Maybe they will even want to interview you on the air!
Workout Class - Take donation forms with you to your spin, aerobics or yoga class, and ask your instructor to make an announcement.
Alma Mater - Ask your old high school or college alumni association to place an ad in their next newsletter about your fundraising efforts and asking for donations.
Answering Machine Message - Let everyone who calls you know just how badly you need their help!
BBQ - It's grill season! So invite your friends, or rent a pavillion. Sell tickets in advance and enjoy!
Bowling Night - Ask the owner or manager to donate some shoes and lanes, get your friends together and have a fundraising good time!
Neighborhood Campaign - Send a flyer to all of your neighbors letting them know that you'll be by to collect donations in a couple of days.
Spare Change Boxes - Borrow some of our LLS boxes and ask your friends and family to put their spare change in them at the end of the day.
Greeks Forever? - Contact you college fraternity or sorority and ask them for a donation.
Free Rent - Ask your landlord to donate a month's rent to your fundraising efforts!
Garden Tours - Ask the historical society if they will sponsor a garden tour of one of the homes in the area. Ask the papers to promote the event.
Golf Tournament - Find a course, lace up the golf shoes and it's a shotgun start toward a cure!
Are You a Teacher? - Ask your students to lend a helping hand. Kids are very creative!
Happy Birthday to You - Ask friends and family to write a check instead of buying you a present.
The Curse Jar - Place a curse jar in your home or office. Whenever someone lets one slip, they have to give up $1 to the jar.
Talented Friends - Do you have a friends of talent? Can they play the piano or guitar, or touch their tongue to their nose? Ask a local establishment if they'll let your friends display their talent to the patrons. Let everyone know that all proceeds benefit LLS.
Universities, Colleges, Other Organizations - Ask if they will place a blurb in their newsletter about your fundraising efforts and asking for donations.
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