Fundraising Tips

For simple fundraising steps and tips to help you reach and exceed your fundraising goals, see the guide below.

Steps
The Process for Asking
Methods for Making Contact with Potential Donors
Expanding Your Giving Circle
Sending Donations to National Lung Cancer Partnership
Additional Ways to Boost Your Fundraising
One-a-Day: How to Raise $100 in One Week
Corporate Matching Gift Programs: Double Your Funds

Steps

1. Set a Goal
   Fundraising is an adventure and a personal challenge. Set a goal that is achievable, but aim high. The more money you raise, the more great work that gets done in the fight against lung cancer. Then, tell everyone what your goal; they will want to help you succeed!
   
   
2. Start Early
   The sooner you are able to begin your efforts, the easier it will be to reach your fundraising goals!
   
   
3. Create a Donor List
   Form a list of everyone you know: this includes family, friends, co-workers, business associates, neighbors, church or club members, your dentist, doctor, hairdresser, dry cleaner and postman, as well as local businesses you frequent. You'll be surprised where donations will come from. Don’t leave anyone out.
   
   And, lead by example and show how important this cause is to you; make the first donation to your own fundraising campaign. Start by donating $10, $25 or more!
   
   
4. Set Up Your Personal Fundraising Page to Make Donating Easy
   Your online personal fundraising page is an incredibly powerful fundraising tool and very important to your fundraising efforts. It only takes about 10 minutes to personalize. This page allows you to tell your story, post photos and inspire people to give. You can also recruit teammates, track your progress and get important news from us. In fact, if anyone searches for you in the participant database, they will be directed to your personal page, where they can learn more about your commitment and give directly to your fundraising account online.
   
   You don’t have to customize your personal fundraising page, however, engaging your donors through a personal touch (your story or a photo) may inspire them to give even more.
   
   Register and set up your personal fundraising page today. Make donating easy by sending out a link to your page, then watch the donations come in as you continue to ask for support!
   
   
5. Ask
   Ask, ask, ask! When you are trying to raise money, the most important thing you need to do is ask for it. It sounds too simple, but the fact is, you raise money when you ask for it, and you don't raise money when you don't. And, the more you ask, the more money you are going to raise. Make a commitment to ask at least one person for a donation today.
   
   

   TIP: Your goal is to engage potential donors in your personal journey and inspire them to give!

   If you participated in this event last year, or if you’ve participated in fundraising events like this before, ask past donors to renew their donations, keeping in mind that many donors give to the same charity year after year. Be sure to share with them the importance of giving each year and what the commitment means to you. In most cases you will be the most dedicated person to the cause that they know. This will give you a leg up in asking them for a generous donation!
   
   Remember, when you ask someone for a donation to a cause, you are giving them an opportunity to be a part of the solution.
   
   Even if a potential donor hasn’t been affected by your cause, or doesn’t seem interested or engaged in this specific fight, they will probably consider giving just to support you and your enthusiasm, so don’t let that concern deter you from asking.

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The Process for Asking - What, How & Why
You ask by sharing with potential donors WHAT you are doing and your commitment to it, HOW their donation will make a difference and WHY it’s important to you. Then, ask them to JOIN YOU NOW in the fight against lung cancer by making a contribution.

Although the process for asking remains the same no matter what method you choose to reach out to potential donors (see below), it’s incredibly important to:

• Personalize your ask
  
  

TIP: When asking donors for a contribution, always ask if their employers offer matching gift programs. Matching gifts can double your donors’ contributions.

• Guide your donors
• Suggest a specific amount you’d like them to give, however, let them decide how much they wish to give to such a worthy cause
• Share the easy, available ways for making the donation (online, mailing a check or giving a check to you to mail)
• Remember to share that all donations are tax deductible
  

 

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Methods for Making Contact with Potential Donors

Online
Send out emails to your family and friends from your Participant Center personal fundraising page asking for their support. We’ve already created a suggested “Please Support My Efforts” email message for you to use. We encourage you to personalize it by adding why the cause is important to you, but otherwise it’s ready to send out. 

Personal Solicitations
Face-to-Face
Ask potential donors for a few minutes of their time: being sure to set a specific time and place (a few minute chat, for lunch, a casual coffee, or even a walk). Follow the "process for asking" above and share how much you hope they’ll support your effort. Try to understand if and how they will be able to extend their support before you leave the meeting. Always say thank you regardless of the outcome.

Telephone
Making a phone call tends to work best if you know the donor well. Be considerate and choose a good time to call and think about what you’re going to say before you make the call. Once you reach them, be sure to ask if this is a good time to talk before making your ask. Try to understand if and how they will be able to extend their support before you hang up. And, always say thank you, regardless of the outcome.

Letter
Write a brief personal letter making it somewhat different for each person. Open with a personal comment then include the WHAT, HOW and WHY along with your ask for their support. Suggest a specific amount and include how they may make the actual donation (online and mailing a check.)

Be sure to: hand address the envelope, address your donors by their first name, include the web address for donating online, enclose a donation form and self-addressed stamped return envelope and suggest a deadline.

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Expanding Your Giving Circle
Multiply your donations by having family and friends who have already donated distribute donation forms or send emails on your behalf to their family and friends with a link to your personal fundraising page. Ask them to talk to people about the event and your participation in it, and help you ask for donations.

Educate
Educate people about the realities of lung cancer and what National Lung Cancer Partnership (a 501 (c) (3), non-profit organization) is doing to support vital lung cancer research and public awareness programs. Visit www.NationalLungCancerPartnership.org to familiarize yourself with the steps we’re taking to accomplish our mission. The money you raise will support the Partnership’s unique programming that gives patients, advocates, researchers and health professionals the resources to fight the #1 cancer killer.

Direct Donors to our Website to Learn More
Help your donors make a connection to the cause by sharing our website with them, www.NationalLungCancerPartnership.org.

Show Your Appreciation
Always write a timely and personal note of thanks to each donor, whether they donated online or completed a mail-in donation form.

Your note should express how important their donation is and your appreciation for their support. You may also want to include an update on your progress or even an invitation to participate in the event with you.

After the event, let donors know how you did, how much you raised and that their donation will have a positive impact on the lives of those affected by lung cancer. You could even include a photo or two from the event.

Follow-Up and Updates
A great way to keep family, friends and potential donors informed of your participation and fundraising efforts for Free to Breathe® is to send updates of your success. You can include your progress, how close you are to your goal and that you intend to reach it. And, remind them of your request for support.

If a potential donor has not sent in a contribution, they most likely just forgot and will appreciate you following up.

Keep Up the Momentum and Remain Positive, Determined & Persistent
Once you’ve begun your fundraising, don’t lose the momentum! Keep your fundraising campaign in motion by continuing to send out emails and letters. Think of one new person a day to send an email to, and be sure to follow up with each person you’ve already asked for a donation from.

Fundraising takes determination and persistence. Keep a positive and confident attitude. Even if some potential donors decline your requests, which comes with the territory, your next request for this cause may resonate with a potential donor and lead to a big “yes.”

Be proud of your efforts! The money you raise is helping to save lives, empower patients and make lung cancer a priority.

Receive a Great Incentive
All fundraisers who raise at least $1,500 will receive a great incentive for all of their hard work and commitment to raising money for the fight against lung cancer.

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Sending Your Donations to National Lung Cancer Parntership
If you have collected pledges and donation checks, please put them all in a package clearly showing your name or team name (where the money should be credited) and event city and mail them to:
                  National Lung Cancer Partnership
                  Attn: Free to Breathe
                  222 N. Midvale Blvd., Suite 6
                  Madison, WI 53705

Please do not mail cash to us! We do not want it to get lost in the mail. Instead, write a check to "Free to Breathe" for the amount of the cash donation(s) and mail it in with a completed pledge or donation form reflecting each donor’s name, full mailing address and amount donated so we can send them an acknowledgement letter for tax purposes. Or, you can make the donation(s) online using your credit card but put the donor’s information in the required contact fields.

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Additional Ways to Boost Your Fundraising Efforts

• Ask your donors if their employers offer matching gift programs and encourage them to submit the paperwork as soon as possible to double their donation.
  
  
• Post a link to your personal fundraising page on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or other social network site.
  
  
• If you reach your goal before event day or before the end of the fundraising period, increase it. Then continue to update your supporters. You will be amazed how much you can raise!
  
  
• Publicize the event and your efforts by posting donation forms, brochures and posters at your desk and other areas in your workplace.
  
  
• Send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper and include the URL to your personal fundraising web page so that readers can sponsor you online.
  
  
• Write a story for your company’s newsletter or intranet about the event and your efforts. Be sure to include the link to your personal fundraising page.

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One-A-Day: How to Raise $100 in One Week
Ask at least one person each day to make a contribution and you can raise at least $100 in just a week!

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Corporate Matching Gift Programs: Double your funds
Matching gifts are an easy way to increase and even double your fundraising totals!

A matching gift is a benefit that many companies provide, where they match all or part of their employees’ donations to charitable organizations.

These matches are often dollar for dollar, which doubles your charitable donation power! So remind your donors to check if their employer offers a matching gift programs.

Applying for Matching Gifts
Applying for matching gifts varies from employer to employer.

• Donors should visit their human resources department to see whether the company offers the program and exactly how it works
  
  
• Request a matching gift form along with any guidelines
  
  
• Donors then need to decide how much they wish to donate and if they will be donating online or by mail.
  • If online: Donor to complete the matching gift form and send it to National Lung Cancer Partnership as soon after completing the online transaction as possible.
  • If my mail: Donor to complete the matching gift form and include it with their contribution, which should be mailed to National Lung Cancer Partnership.

Once that matching gift form is received at National Lung Cancer Partnership we will complete our portion of the form in a timely fashion and submit it to the company. If the request is approved, a check for the contribution will be mailed from the company directly to National Lung Cancer Partnership on your donor’s behalf.

Optimizing Matching Gifts

• Don’t Be Shy.
  Ask all of your donors if their employer offers a matching gift program.
  
  
• Follow up with Donors.
  If a donor shares with you that their employer does offer a matching gift program, confirm that they have all of the information they need about National Lung Cancer Partnership to complete the form, like National Lung Cancer Partnership’s tax ID # (45-0505050), and our city and state (Madison, WI). Also request, if applicable, they designate or restrict the gift to Free to Breathe® and include the city and your name.
  
  
• Inform National Lung Cancer Partnership.
  Let us know to be on the lookout for a matching gift form from a particular donor. We will complete the rest of the form and submit it in a timely fashion.
  
  
• Show Recognition and Appreciation.
  In updates about your fundraising progress highlight not only your donors but include any companies who provide matching gifts. This will:
  • Give the company visibility for their charitable efforts
    
  • Remind other donors to check with their employers about matching gift programs
    
  • Possibly encourage new companies to start matching gift programs

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