Fundraising Tips for 2012 Travelers Walk MS, presented by North American Power
North American Power wants to donate to your fundraising. When you switch from your current energy service provider to North American Power, NAP will donate to you! Learn more at www.napowerfightsMS.org.
Fundraise With Facebook: With the recent popularity of social networking websites, the National MS Society has teamed up with Facebook to offer all of our walkers with a Facebook account a new fundraising tool. When you log on to your walk account, you will see a button “Fundraise with Facebook.” Once clicked, you will be taken to your Facebook login screen. Following the steps will ensure all of your Facebook contacts can donate to Walk MS on your behalf! If you have questions, please contact Michael Branda at 860.913.2550, ext. 52541 or michael.branda@nmss.org.
For step by step instructions on how to add the facebook application click here.
Letter Writing Campaign: One of the most powerful ways to solicit donations is through a handwritten letter. Write your friends and family members explaining why you’re walking, and requesting they support you this year. If you need help writing your letter, contact us at 860.913.2550.MS Bears: It’s easy to fundraise with Plushland! Here’s how: most bears cost under $3.00 each with a suggested donation sale price of $5.00 and up. Reimburse yourself the purchase price with the remainder of the funds donated to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Visit www.msbears.com to order.
Walk MS Pin-Up Sales: Walkers can receive paper footprints to sell to possible donors. Donors can write their name on the pin-up and have their name displayed as a proud supporter of the National MS Society. Another way to sell pin-ups is to contact any local market or store and ask if they will sell them inside the store when their customers check-out! Available by contacting the chapter at 860.913.2550.
Additional Fundraising Ideas From The National MS Society
- Apple cider/hot chocolate sales
- Ask your local waiters and waitresses to donate a portion of one day’s tips to your cause.
- Ask your local bartender to donate a portion of one day’s tips. You can create a sign for the bartender to place on the bar stating “All tips collected tonight will go directly to _________ who’s walking to raise money for those living with multiple sclerosis.” If patrons see the sign, they may be willing to dig a little deeper into their pockets!
- Ask your local restaurants to place a money jar at the front of the restaurant. Check with the restaurant manager. They may be willing to place the jar in a high-traffic area so lots of patrons can see it.
- Ask as many times as you can. Then ask again!
- Alumni/University Newsletter - Call your alma mater and ask them to place an ad in the alumni newsletter asking for donations.
- Ask for the right amount - Take a good look at who you’re asking for donations and make sure you ask for the right amount. Don’t ask for $100 if you know someone could donate $1,000 and vice versa.
- Bake Sale - Become Mrs. Fields and host a bake sale with you and your friends.
- Barnes & Noble Gift Wrapping - The store will let any organization sit and wrap books during store hours and set out a jar for donations.
- Birthday Gift Donation - It will be a lot easier for your friends and family to write you a birthday check instead of spending hours trying to shop for you! And then you can donate the amount to your Walk MS total.
- Babysitting - Offer up your services and let your friends have a nice, quiet night out of the house!
- Bulletin - Place an advertisement in your place of worship bulletin/newsletter letting the people know what you’re up to!
- Bowling Nights - Plan a fun night of bowling at your local lanes. Ask the owner to waive the cost of bowling and you can collect that money and turn it into donations.
- Business Cards - Print up some inexpensive business cards (you can even do it on your own computer). Have all the pertinent information on the card including your name, the name of the Walk MS event and the website where they can donate. Hand these out to everyone you meet!
- Car Wash
- Corporate Matching Gift - Ask your company to match the amount of donations you receive from your fellow co-workers.
- Curse Jar - Place a curse jar in your office and whenever someone slips they have to open up their wallet, grab a dollar and put it in the jar.
- Company Grants - Find out if your company offers grants to employees who volunteer their time for charitable causes. If so, you can volunteer your time at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society office and get paid grant money (donations!) for the work. You may need a letter from us stating that you’ll be volunteering in the office and we’d be happy to make that happen.
- Children’s Party - The kids will be having fun as their parents are writing you donation checks.
- Clubs and Organizations - Send a solicitation letter to your local Knights of Columbus, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Kiwanis, etc. They support individuals in their communities.
- Dog Walking or Dog Washing Day - Charge $10 per dog to go toward your fundraising goal!
- Doctor/Therapist/Veterinarian/Insurance Agent - Ask him/her to write a check for you instead of the other way around!
- Dress Down Day - Ask your company to allow an official Walk MS Dress Down Day. For the privilege of dressing down, employees donate $10 or $20 towards the Walk.
- “Extra Change in My Pocket” Box - Create little boxes for your friends and family and have them place it on their dresser or desk. At the end of the day they can drop spare change in the box.
- Fundraising Companies - Purchase flower bulbs and sell them to friends and family and receive a portion of the profits. Or try selling candy, wrapping paper, nuts or calendars. Companies offer these fundraising packs year-round.
- Gym - Ask your gym to place a donation jar at the front desk! Leave a stack of Walk MS brochures at the counter as well.
- Garage Sale - Do you really need all that extra stuff taking up space in your garage, attic and/or basement? Gather it up and ask your friends to do the same. Then pick a Saturday or Sunday, put the stuff in the front yard and sell! All your money raised can go toward your fundraising goal!
- Have a 50/50 drawing at work.
- House Party - This is a sure-fire way to raise money. Collect donations and entertain at the same time. Create a theme (like a costume party) and have fun!
- Happy Hour Party - Invite all your friends (and their friends) and get them to sign your past Walk MS T-shirt. Charge $5 per signature. You’ll even end up with a great shirt to wear on event day.
- Have a local theater donate a pair of tickets to one of their plays or musicals and auction them off.
- Hair Salon - Ask your barber or hairdresser to donate $2 of every haircut they complete over one weekend.
- House Sit - Are your friends going out of town for awhile? Maybe they need a warm body to stay at their place while they are away. In exchange they can donate to Walk MS!
- Host a Poker Game - Call your card-playing friends and invite them over for poker night!
- Inspirational Bookmarks - Create them and sell them to your friends and family.
- Karaoke Night - Who cares if you can’t carry a tune? Spend a Friday night at a Karaoke Bar and sing for donations!
- Mechanics - You’ve given them lots of money to work on your car. Now it’s time for them to give a little back to you!
- Make your own contribution - Lead the way by making your donation first.
- Movie Ticket Donation - Ask your local movie house to donate several movie tickets. Sell them and put the money toward your donations.
- Meet the Press - Does your company distribute a newsletter? Does your company have interoffice e-mail? Take advantage of these…it’s a perfect way to get the word out!
- Neighbors - Write to all the neighbors on your block or in your building. Attach a letter explaining what you’re doing and ask them to make a donation. Or just stick a flyer in their mailboxes explaining why you’re raising money.
- Neighborhood Chores - Are you a Mr. or Ms. Fix-It? A lot of your neighbors would probably rather pay you than someone else. Place signs around your neighborhood or place in mailboxes advertising your services (i.e. watering gardens, cleaning roof gutters, sweeping the driveway, fixing an easy plumbing problem, painting a room, etc.)
- Office Fundraising Challenge - Speak with everyone in your office and get them to challenge each other to raise the highest amount. Give the winner a prize like movie passes or a gift certificate to lunch or dinner.
- Pot Luck lunch at the office - Everyone brings a dish and charges up to $5 for a plate of food
- Pampered Chef Party - Pampered Chef will donate a percentage of the evening’s sales back to you.
- Restaurant Night - Drives customers to restaurants and we receive 10% of that evenings profits. Ask your local restaurants to participate.
- Return Address Labels - Print return address labels for your outgoing mail. “I’m walking in the 2012 Walk MS, will you sponsor me?” You may want to include a self-addressed envelope to make it really easy for them to donate.
- Signing Your Correspondence - Add a short sentence at the bottom of your e-mail signature saying that you’re walking in the 2012 Walk MS and ask for a donation. Include an e-mail link to your Walk MS personal or team page.
- Shovel the Snow - Offer to shovel your neighbors driveway and clean their cars off in exchange for donations to Walk MS.
- Super Bowl Party - Do you have the big screen TV that everybody enjoys on Super Bowl Sunday? If so, charge a fee this year!
- Start now - The earlier you being fundraising, the better off you’ll be.
- Travel Agency - Do you always make your travel plans through the same agency? Ask them to donate a travel voucher. You can auction it off at one of your parties.
- Teacher in the house? - Get your students to help you fundraise. Kids are incredibly creative and cute too!
- Tell Your Story - The more you talk about your upcoming adventure, the more people will share in that excitement and want to donate to you.
- Used-Book Sale - Everyone has books that have been sitting on shelves, in the attic or in the basement collecting dust. Ask your friends, family and neighbors to donate books they no longer want and set up a weekend book sale in your front yard. Put up some signs so people will know where the money is going and once they know, hopefully they’ll give you even more!
- Universities and Colleges - Contact your local schools and ask if you can put an advertisement in their school newsletter asking for donations.
- Voice Mail Message - This will alert everyone who calls you at home that you’re up to something special! Let them know that you need their support!
For help with these fundraising tips, contact the Walk MS Staff at 860.913.2550 or e-mail Michael.Branda@nmss.org.