Secrets to Their Success
Team captains, top walkers, sponsors and volunteers gathered this week to celebrate everyone’s hard work on the Silicon Valley Walk to End Alzheimer’s. At the Thank You Party, we asked some of our fabulous fundraisers to share their tips on what they did to encourage others to donate to their Walk teams.
Make it Personal
Vera and Jan do most of their fundraising on social media. Their number one suggestion is to make it personal. Vera said, “When it becomes important to you, it becomes important to the people you know.”
Talk about why you participated in the Walk. Share photos of the person you’re walking for or photos from Walk day. Then ask your friends to share the post with their friends – you may get donations from people you don’t even know. You never know whose family has been impacted by Alzheimer’s or another cognitive impairment.
Tired of getting socks for the holidays? Ask friends and family to make a donation to the Walk instead of buying you a gift. Be sure to include the link to your Walk participant page.
Ask Everyone (at Least Twice)
Dennis received 160 separate donations! He has a group of clients and friends he has known for many years. He sends them an email and asks them to donate. For those who don’t donate the first time, Dennis sends a second email, in case people were planning to donate and didn’t get around to it. Don’t be afraid to ask two or three times.
Have a Party…or Just Pester People
Roger hosted a karaoke party, which was a lot of fun. Maybe you can turn a holiday event you are already planning into a Walk fundraiser (ask for a donation to participate in the cookie/gift exchange). But Roger says that a big part of his success comes from “just pestering people.”
While it’s a busy time of year, it can also be a great time for Walk to End Alzheimer’s participants to make one more request for a Walk donation.
There are a few great reasons to ask now:
- Have you heard about Giving Tuesday? This is a national campaign to encourage everyone to donate to nonprofits on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving (after Black Friday and Cyber Monday).
- The fabulous incentive prizes you can earn are calculated based on your individual fundraising total as of November 30th.
- Many people make year end gifts to nonprofits to increase their tax deductions.
- The season of giving often inspires people to make a donation to support a worthy cause.
What are your great ideas for making that last fundraising push? Share them in the comments section.
Giving Tuesday is a great time to post on social media or send out one more email to those who haven’t donated yet, with a link to your Walk fundraising page.
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