Stacie's Run for Mobility

Ambassador for Mobility: Stacie Yee

Location: Santa Ana, CA

Background: Stacie heard about Free Wheelchair Mission through Huntington Beach’s Surf City Marathon website 3 years ago. She’s been running half marathons for the last 2 years, and this year’s 2012 Surf City race will be her 10th half marathon. Since it’s her 3rd time at Surf City, she shared with us a few race tips – “cross train your legs with strength training and never change your game plan on race day!”  Even though she’s a half marathon veteran, this year will be different – she’s decided to run this race for mobility.

The Story: For the 7th year in a row, Free Wheelchair Mission will be the title charity for the Surf City marathon & half marathon. FWM’s Run for Mobility invites runners to use their upcoming race as a way to raise awareness and funds that FWM will use to provide wheelchairs to people in need. Runners not only get the satisfaction of knowing they provided mobility to people around the world, but they also can qualify for team benefits. Team benefits include a VIP finish line party, a team dinner the night before the race, a complete race entry fee reimbursement, a team jersey, visors, gift certificates, and more!

Stacie decided to join the Run for Mobility because she “wanted to do something a little different and running for Free Wheelchair Mission seemed like a win-win deal for myself (registration reimbursement) and for at least one less fortunate person in another country.”  Her goal was to raise at least $500. Since she’s a first time fundraiser, she wanted to get an early start and set up her page in August. She quickly launched a multi-front effort, utilizing Facebook, her entire email address book, and friends and family. While the online asks allowed her to reach out to a large number of people quickly, she didn’t forget about the tried and true in-person ask. In addition to using her free fundraising webpage to track and collect donations, Stacie went the extra mile to create her own custom flyer that she handed out at work.

To her surprise, she quickly and easily reached her $500 goal – and promptly upped her fundraising goal to $1,000. If she could help more people, why not keep going? Stacie’s advice is to “ask people in a way where they don't feel pressured - I like to thank them ahead of time, just for taking the time to read what my fundraiser is all about and if they are

in a financial bind, I always say, only $1 can help”.

Favorite inspirational quote: "Pain is weakness leaving the body." 

Lives Transformed by Stacie so far: 11

Her custom flyer

Rock & Roll in Las Vegas!

 

How To: Fundraising During the Holidays (Pt. 2)

Season's Tweetings. Send a quick note of thanks or wishes for happy holidays over social media, with a link to your website. It can start up a conversation that gets your cause top of mind. Use Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, since each can reach a different audience.

Gifts for good. Ask for donations instead of gifts, or give a wheelchair as a gift to that friend or family member who has everything. What gift is better than one that provides mobility to someone in need?

Party with a purpose. The holidays are a busy time for events - use this time to reach out to new friends by adding a philanthropy aspect to your holiday party. Share about the cause, your passion for it, and ways to donate.

Tax-deductions for donations. Remember, the end-of-year tax deadline is coming up. Remind all your past and potential donors that all donations made to your cause are tax deductible.

Happy fundraising!

Thanks to DonorDrive for sharing these festive fundraising tips.

Fundraising During the Holidays (Pt. 1)

How To: Fundraising During the Holidays (Pt. 1)

Many people who start fundraising for the first time, and even people who have participated for years, often believe everyone is spending so much money during the holidays, it isn’t feasible for people to want to make a donation. People are busy, overwhelmed, and already strapped for cash - maybe it's best to just wait until January. 

Right? WRONG. 

The majority of charitable giving in the U.S. happens between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. In reality, the holidays are actually the BEST time of year, because people are so freely spending, and comfortable with it.  This is also the time of year when people are most comfortable in making larger donations than they may normally give. You’ve probably already received several “year end” donation requests from many different charities. Many of your friends and family who you will be seeking donations from are also getting these same appeals.  Your fundraising letter should therefore stand out. What’s more, if you wait until after the first of year, you will be sending your fundraising letter just when everyone begins to receive their credit card statements and see what their holiday expenditures amount to.

So now you’re thinking, “Holy dollar bills, Batman, I need to get my letter out tonight!”  Well, before you stop reading and begin writing, you may want to know a few general “do’s and don’ts” of writing a fundraising letter.  Believe it or not, there is a “wrong way” to write one.  When we say “wrong way” we mean to say there are some things you can say, or not say, in your letter that may potentially reduce your overall fundraising success.  Take a look at these four simple tips:

Send your letter to everyone – When we say everyone, we really mean EVERYONE.  Don’t censor your contact list and assume someone will not give, either because you haven’t had contact with them in a year, their income level, financial status, political affiliation, or religious beliefs.  Allow the potential donor to say no for themselves, and just accept hearing “no” now and again is part of the process.  Every year many runners are surprised by donations from people they didn’t think would give.

Mention your goal & what it will accomplish – Let donors know that you “want to raise” a certain amount instead of that you “have to raise” a certain amount (say, $500 for that free race entry?). Show your passion for the cause! Let people know what your goal will accomplish - what will their donation do?  Include a story about how a wheelchair will allow a young person to go to school, or a parent to go outside and play with their child, or a grandparent to visit their family. You could say, “In order to share the gift of mobility, I’ve committed to raising $3,000 for Free Wheelchair Mission. My goal will help provide independence and dignity to someone with a disability who otherwise could not afford it. We are providing this by providing them with their very own wheelchair.”

Establish mini deadlines for each fundraising appeal you send – Every year participants send out their letter, and oftentimes they receive nothing, or very few donations, and they wonder why.  Typically it’s because people often give donors a deadline to donate by a specific date in the future (like Race Day, perhaps?), and they don’t realize that an extended deadline can impede their fundraising.  When you send out your fundraising letter asking for donations for a later event donors are naturally inclined to say “I have plenty of time do this.”  Setting up mini deadlines for each fundraising letter will encourage donors to make their gift sooner.  Building on the previous example you could say, “For my part in spreading the gift of mobility, I have committed myself to raising $3000 for the Free Wheelchair Mission. Although the race isn't for a few months, I’ve committed myself to raising half by the end of the year. Will you be one of the people that will help me accomplish this?  My goal will help provide independence and dignity to someone with a disability who otherwise could not afford it.”

Ask for a specific amount- A common ineffective practice is not asking for a specific dollar amount.   For example, “Any amount you can give will make a difference”.  Although this is true, and should be mentioned, it can hurt you if mentioned alone.  Ask for a specific amount, and only mention this one dollar amount.  Also, you should be asking for an amount that may sound big, but will sound smaller by how you ask them to give.  Instead of asking to make their gift all at once, ask for them to do it monthly payments, or by pledging to give a percentage in monthly until the race.  Donors will to go above and beyond what they would have thought of giving on their own, but usually only consider doing this if it presented to them.  You may feel like this is all a little demanding and that you will lose a donation because a donor does not want to give the amount you ask for.  Keep in mind this is not being demanding.   Instead you are only asking that they consider an idea, from which they will ultimately decide how much they want to give.  Lastly don’t forget to tie the donation they will make back to your original goal.  To put this together, you could say “To start my fundraising, my best friend Scott has made a tax-deductible gift of $25 a month for 6 months, and I am asking that you consider matching that gift.  Other donation levels, higher and lower, are also available, and all donations, no matter how large or small, will help provide that same wonderful gift of mobility.”

Happy fundraising!

Fundraising During the Holidays (Pt. 2)

Converge Church's Women's Football Team

Ambassadors for Mobility: Converge Church’s Women’s Football Team

Location: Fountain Valley, CA

Background: “We love what Free Wheelchair Mission stands for.  To be able to give the gift of mobility to those who are the poorest, the least and the forgotten in this world is amazing.  The ladies of the Converge football team decided that Free Wheelchair Mission was what we wanted to play for. This is the second year we have adopted FWM as our charity.  We want to help raise awareness that over 100 million people in this world cannot walk, needing a simple wheelchair to be able to simply function in life.  We decided to fight for these people on the playing field by using the fellowship of competition as a means to raise money for a valuable cause!”

The Story: “The 4th Annual SoCal Charity Bowl is an annual women’s 7-7 flag football tournament that has teams from churches all over Southern California.  Each church gets to play for their charity of choice, and the winner of the tournament gets a purse prize of $500.  Every church is also encouraged to do their own fundraising on the side and create awareness for their local or global cause. In the end, all teams win!!  What makes this tournament different from the others is that the focus is bringing awareness and funds to the represented charities.

The Converge Family Church girls football team took to the field on Saturday, 11/21, going 3-0 into the Final game.  We were pumped and ready to take the championship title for the second year in a row. Unfortunately our team didn’t have enough energy to bounce back and win it in the championship title match.  We lost, but still had fun knowing that we’re still winners as we raised the most amount of money out of all the charities represented – our fundraising total was higher than all the other teams combined!”

Lives Transformed by the 2011 Converge Team: 57

How To: 25 Fundraising Event Ideas

One of these is bound to work for you. 

Tasty Treats: Take advantage of the warm California nights and host a booth selling delicious baked goods, lemonade, and other goodies. People are always excited to share their recipes and donate some baked goods for a good cause. Don’t forget to get some cute kids to help out – who can resist a smiling little face offering you a tasty treat?

50/50 Raffle: Sell raffle tickets to friends and family – 50% of the ticket price will go to your fundraising efforts, and the other 50% of the ticket price will go into the cash pot for the winner! Have a dinner party or fun event when you will draw and announce the lucky winner.

Moonlight Movies: Rent or borrow a projector, white sheet, and play a movie in your backyard or at a park! Charge admission and have snacks available for sale. It’s a great way to get friends, family, and even the community involved!

Potluck: Host a potluck dinner, and collect donations or a cover charge. This is a great one to use during the holidays! Hold a contest for the best dessert, main dish, appetizer, and drink!

Wii Bowling Contest (or real bowling!): Have all contestants pay a $10 per entry – this pays for them to throw the ball 2 times. A strike gets 2 raffle tickets, a spare gets 1 raffle ticket. The winner is drawn at the end, and they get a prize! (Look to get donated items like tickets to shows or sports games, or make your own exciting prize!)

Flock of Flamingoes: A unique and fun way to get a large group of people involved with your cause! Great for corporations, large groups, or schools!

Example: A sports team, employee group, youth group, or sports team announces to all parents/group members that they are trying to raise funds for Run for Mobility, and will do so by holding a Flamingo Flocking Fundraiser between a set of dates.

In secret, the team/youth group/etc will visit a member of the group’s front yard and fill it with 20+ flamingoes. In order to have the obnoxious birds removed, the “victim” must make a minimum donation to the cause, and will then select the next recipient of the big, pink birds. The group will then move the birds to the next “victim” and the cycle continues until the end of the fundraiser. You can even offer “Flamingo Insurance” in the beginning, where people can donate to the cause up front to avoid being Flamingo Flocked! Visit www.flamingoflock.com to buy 20 flamingos for $9 each.

Office Feast: Tired of boring lunches at work? A lot of you are! Offer a fresh salad bar, homemade desserts and snacks, fruit, and homemade lunch food at work, and your co-workers will gladly pay $5-$10 for a delicious lunch!

Mom and Dad Date Night: Offer to babysit for some stressed parents while they go out to enjoy a night alone! Play a movie on an outdoor screen and order pizza.

Car Clean Up: A tried and true favorite, get a group together for a weekend car wash! For a new twist, talk to a local drive-in, hand-wash location owner to see if you can host your fundraiser at their location. Pay to use the location’s soap, hoses, and vacuums, and charge your “customers” an extra fee to have you do all the work! Have some snacks for sale also for them to enjoy while they wait.

Go Green to Raise Green: Set up a recycling drive, and turn in all those items at your local recycling location for cash. You can do this on a weekly basis, or have set dates where you’ll turn all recyclables in at the end.

Restaurants to the Rescue: Partner with a local restaurant to hold a fundraiser on a slow weeknight. Many restaurants will donate a percentage the bill to your cause for very customer who presents a flyer to their server. Ask to have donation boxes and Free Wheelchair Mission flyers on each of the tables. Make sure to create a flyer to hand out!

Craft for a Cause: Hold a craft night at someone’s house. Find people you know (yourself included!) who have special crafting skills – calligraphy, scrapbooking, candle making, photo collage, drawing, etc – and have them teach an introductory class. Have everyone bring their unwanted craft supplies to share. Charge for the classes or for admission! The best part? You can use these items to sell at another event!

Photo Scanning Service: For people with scanners (or for those of you with access to them!), you can offer your personal time to help to digitally archive favorite old photos for someone who just doesn’t feel up to doing it themselves (or for someone who doesn’t have the know-how!). Set a dollar amount per stack of 24 pictures, and offer to upload them to a free photo hosting site, or give them a disk with all the photos on it.

Garage Sale: Spring has passed, but it’s never a bad time to get rid of old, unwanted items that are taking up space in your home! Apply for a permit and hold a garage sale on the weekend. People are always looking for a way to clear out their garages – offer to pick up their old stuff.

Groceries for Good: Offer to go to the grocery store for mom, dad, grandma, or the neighbors. They will appreciate getting all the items they need without having to take the time to go! Charge a fee based on the number of items they have on their list.

Taxi-for-a-Day: Offer to drive a friend or family member around for their errands for a day or a weekend. Minus the cost in gas, this is an easy way to make a few extra dollars!

Poker Tournament: Hold a poker tournament, and raise funds by either charging admission or by having a percentage of every pot go to the cause. You probably already know someone who will let you use their poker set, or you can ask a group who already holds a poker night to designate one of their regular nights as a fundraiser for you.

Wine and Cheese Mixer: Invite all your friends over, and have each person bring their favorite paring of wine and cheese (make sure they bring an extra bottle of wine and an extra cheese sample!) Set a donation jar next to each paring, and have each person vote by putting $10 in the jar of their favorite. The person who brought the wine and cheese paring with the most money wins, and gets to take home the extra bottle of THEIR favorites! Raffle off the remaining bottles, or use them for another event.

Mardi Gras Madness: Arrange for a festive night of New Orleans-style food, music, and drinks at a home, community center, or other rented location. Charge for admission, food, and drinks. Encourage everyone to dress up, and come for a fun, themed party!

Rubber Duck Race: Sell rubber ducks to your guests, and invite each person to decorate it. Drop the ducks into the water together, and the one that crosses the line first wins! You can use a local waterway with a current, or if there isn’t one available, just use a full sized or inflatable pool and give each duck “owner” a plastic water gun to help propel their duck across the finish line!

Pancake or Waffle Breakfast: All you need is a big kitchen with a nice backyard, a few volunteers, and some hungry people! Publicize this as a Sunday Brunch, and invite your whole neighborhood to join in!

Host a jog-a-thon or walk-a-thon: A fun and relatively easy event where you have joggers or walkers (a lot of the time kids or members of a team!) ask friends and family to sponsor them for a X amount of money per lap, up to X laps. (Ex: Sara sponsored Beth at $20 per lap. Beth ran 15 laps, so Sara donated $300 to Beth’s cause!) For a detailed how-to step-by-step process, email arigney@freewheelchairmission.org.

Italian Night: Who doesn’t like spaghetti and garlic bread? Easily cooked in large batches and cheap to buy, organizing a pasta dinner night with a 50/50 raffle or silent auction plus a wine tasting is an easy way to combine a few different activities into one night of fun!

Chair-ity Auction: Have people create unique auction items out of old chairs! For example, a plastic lawnchair with a picnic basket and picnic lunch, hats, sunscreen, and a Frisbee; a set of barstools with a martini glass set and mix; a kids chair with toys for the little ones; a rocking chair with knitting and crocheting materials!

Puppy Parade or Wag-a-thon: Like the jog- or walk-a-thon, pets and their owners can get in on the fun too! Dress up your pet and have a costume contest for the cutest, funniest, and most detailed costume. Set up an agility course and have a contest to see which dog is the best trained! Have a contest to see which dog can do the most or the best tricks. Mark off a 1 mile course where dogs and their humans can enjoy a group walk.

Happy fundraising!

Bob's 20th Annual Pier to Pier Run (for FWM!)

Ambassador for Mobility: Bob Longman

Location: Newport Beach, CA

Background: Bob first discovered Free Wheelchair Mission from a fellow bible study member (and now current FWM board member) Jim Franklin. Jim told Bob about the story behind the wheelchair, and the vision of Free Wheelchair Mission to provide 20 million wheelchairs to people around the world. Moved by the mission, Bob quickly got involved directly with FWM and going on a mission trip to Chile. He has since visited Tanzania and Peru, and has also returned to Chile for a second visit. He has shared his passion for the organization with his family by encouraging his children and grandchildren to get involved as well.

The Story: The 20^th Annual Pier to Pier run was held on October 8^th, 2011 in Newport Beach. This event was started years ago when Bob and his sons decided to run the 5 miles along the beach between the Huntington Beach Pier and the Newport Beach Pier. Since then, the run became an annual event for Bob and his family, with the number of participants growing annually. Now, the event includes a chartered bus to transport all the participants and their bikes from Bob’s home to the starting area (and then from the finish area back to Bob’s house), a catered post-run meal, and specially designed event t-shirts! The event logistic responsibilities are shared by the Longman clan, rotated between Bob’s children each year. The event had more than 50 people who ran, biked, jogged or walked the 5 miles before joining Bob back at his home for a post-race meal. To commemorate the 20^th Annual event, the family decided to make their miles matter by donating all proceeds to FWM!

Lives Transformed by Bob’s 20^th Annual Pier to Pier Event: 23

How To: PS - Postscripts that work!

Your postscript is one of the most important parts of your fundraising letter. It usually stresses the point of your letter and asks for action. Some donors read it first. Some professional writers write it first. Since the P.S. is one part of your letter that you can be confident your donors will read, you need to write something there that will motivate donors to send you a gift or take your desired action. A donor reading a P.S. is a donor looking for information. And that's your opportunity. So don't treat your postscript as an afterthought. Use these ideas for writing an effective P.S.

1. SHOW WHAT A DONATION "BUYS"
"Remember, your gift of $63.94 provides a wheelchair to someone who desperately needs it. Please give."

2. MENTION YOUR DEADLINE
"Only 2 weeks until the February 1st, 2012 deadline for funds!  Please return any checks (made out to Free Wheelchair Mission) or cash to me so I can submit them, or simply donate online to my page at  http://fwm.kintera.org/run2012/______.

3. DRAW ATTENTION TO AN IMPORTANT ENCLOSURE OR LINK
"I've included with this letter a brochure about Free Wheelchair Mission. Your support right now is critical to their work around the world. Many thanks."... "This 1 minute video will show you why Free Wheelchair Mission's work is so important."

4. STRESS THE URGENCY OF YOUR APPEAL
"A hundred thousand people are in need of mobility. We’ve already lifted over 600,000 people off the ground, but that isn’t enough. We can only do more if we receive more funds. Please help by sending a gift right now."... "Our goal for the Run for Mobility 2012 is to raise $275,00 - or 4,300 wheelchairs. Can you help?"

5. ASK A QUESTION
"Do you know that as of October 2011, Free Wheelchair Mission has given away over 600,000 wheelchairs in 82 countries around the world? Please give to allow more chairs to lift more lives off of the ground and into a chair." More facts about disability around the world.

6. SHARE A RECIPIENT STORY
"A young man dragged himself to and from school every day, carrying his books on his back. He neared graduation, and gave up. We asked him why – he told us “No one will hire a smart mind and a dirty body. What’s the point?” Now that he has received his wheelchair, the same young man is back in school and aspiring to be an electrical engineer. Give hope to other young people like this young man by donating today.” Check out the FWM story archive, full of powerful stories from recipients around the world.


Happy fundraising! 

Lila's Walk 4 Wheels

 Ambassador for Mobility: Lila Lehtola (pictured right, her friend and co-organizer Ally Ryder in the bandana on the left)

Location: Dallas, Texas

Background:  Lila has been an active collegiate Ambassador for Free Wheelchair Mission since September 2009. She discovered the issue of global disability after her mom told her stories from a medical mission trip she went on to Honduras. She told Lila the sad stories about people crawling to the hospital, and women at the clinic with back problems from carrying their children vast distances to the clinic because their child didn’t have the wheelchair they needed. After a friend mentioned Free Wheelchair Mission, Lila and her mom researched Free Wheelchair Mission together. They felt the chairs seemed practical and cost efficient, and they decided to create a project to fund a container for Honduras and to help distribute them.

The Story: Lila is an avid athlete and runner, so she decided to hold a Walk 4 Wheels to benefit FWM. The event was held on September 17^th. Participants paid $10 to register and $15 for a t-shirt to join in the walk. There were about 40 participants, and together they raised $1,800.

Her fundraising activities have included “countless bake sales, garage sales, and what we call dress down days at our school where we pay a small fee to wear non-uniform clothes to school and the donation is then given to FWM”.  In April 2011, Lila and her mother organized a golf tournament, and was highlighted for her work for FWM. The golf tournament raised $11,600.

Lila’s Passion: “My mom told me of people she saw crawling to get to the hospital because they couldn't walk. This utterly broke my heart because, right before I had this talk with my mom, I had gone on a run and I realized that these children could never run, even if they wanted to.”

Lives Transformed to Date: over 325

Bonus: all Walk 4 Wheels donations came in just in time to be included in FWM’s October Matching Gift Challenge! 

How To: Write Letters That Stand Out

Making your fundraising letter stand out and grab the reader's attention is key. Check out this article "Attention Getting Openers for Fundraising Letters" by Sandra Sims from the website Step by Step Fundraising

"Fundraising letters communicate a specific message to potential donors and call them to action. Creating an attention getting opening paragraph is important in making a good first impression and in getting the rest of the letter read.

Here are 5 Attention Getting Strategies for Fundraising Letters:

1. Headlines

Even though a fundraising letter should be in the format of a letter with a salutation, body and closing, a headline at the top of the page can be an attention grabber. Headlines are usually just 1-2 lines and are printed in larger type that the rest of the letter. For added interest, use a different font.

2. Attention Getting Words

Using very specific words as sentence openers grab the readers attention. Notice that many of these sample phrases ask the reader to do something. Here are a few examples:

Just imagine if… Right now… Think about… Why is it that… Without a doubt… For instance,
Please don’t overlook… 

3. Questions

Open ended questions are great ways to begin a letter. Questions are designed to get the reader to think. When asked a question, people automatically try to answer it. Avoid using yes/no questions, because this is too easy an answer and the conversation in the reader’s mind stops.

Here’s an example: “How many people in our city go hungry at Christmastime each year? Statistics say that on average 357 will miss at least one meal between Christmas and New Year’s Day because their cupboards are bare. Many of these are senior citizens. This year let’s keep this statistic from becoming a reality.”

4. Bold Statements & Exclamations

Another way to open the letter is by using a bold statement, often related to shocking situations or statistics. For example, “Every day 7,400 people become infected with the HIV virus

Sentences using exclamation points work well for a letter with a lighthearted tone. For example, “It’s that time of year again – the Clark County Yam Festival is almost here!”

A few well placed exclamation points at the beginning and/or other sections of the letter add energy. Just be sure to use exclamation points sparingly in the overall letter. Having too many of them gives the impression of hype or insincerity.

5. Narratives & True Stories

One of the most successful ways to get your message across is to describe a story of a specific person or situation that your organization has helped. If your group has made some major achievements and successes these can also be of use. Always remember to include stories that will engage the reader, not just show off accomplishments."

Happy fundraising!


Full article link: http://stepbystepfundraising.com/attention-getting-openings-for-fundraising-letters/
Website: http://www.stepbystepfundraising.com 

Team Mobility Athlete Jacqueline at the Long Beach Marathon

Team Mobility Athlete: Jacqueline Anzalone

Event: Long Beach Marathon                  Location: Long Beach, CA

The Story: One of the first official local Team Mobility events, the Long Beach Marathon brought Free Wheelchair Mission in front of thousands of people new to us. The two-day Health & Fitness Expo on Friday and Saturday allowed the 50,000 expo visitors to stop by and learn more about the special wheelchair that has changed the lives of so many. As an official featured race charity, FWM was highlighted throughout the day by the expo announcer, and had a prime location in the heart of the expo.

Jacqueline Anzalone was the top FWM runner-fundraiser for this event. This was her fourth time running and fundraising on FWM’s behalf, previously participating in the annual Run for Mobility event at the Surf City Marathon. She was thrilled to learn that FWM was coming to her hometown of Long Beach, CA. She even personalized her official race bib to say “IRUN4WHEELS”!

Jacqueline’s Fundraising Tip: “The key to fundraising is to ask a lot of people for a little bit of money,” she explained. Spreading out the ask to a lot of people means that no one feels obligated or financially uncomfortable about donating, since it’s just a small amount. Her last donation was received when she reached out to her roommate, who hadn’t donated yet, by explaining that she was only $5 shy of her fundraising goal. When Jacqueline woke up the next morning, a crisp $5 was waiting for her on the counter. “A lot of people working together can have a big impact”, she said, which just shows that together, we can lift lives around the world.

Volunteer Highlights:

• Long time Free Wheelchair Mission supporter, fundraiser, and two-time Olympian Ozzie Zea volunteered at the expo, and was interviewed by a local online community media & news team, Long Beach Voices.

• 15 volunteers from UCI and CSULB worked hard at the FWM water station on mile 7.5, where all 23,000 racers passed by our banners to grab water on the go.

 

 

•  FWM was the official volunteer group for the Wheelchair Division marathon. There were 23 athletes in all, competing in either handcycles or racing chairs. One was also a FWM fundraiser!

 

Lives Transformed by Jacqueline to Date: over 23 (so far!)

Lives Transformed by the event Team Mobility Long Beach 2011: 29

    

Take-Away Tip: A lot of people each giving a little bit of money works. You don't necessarily need large gifts - lots of little ones will add up faster than you'd expect.

How To: The Elevator Speech

The Elevator Speech: A fundraiser's secret weapon


 Have you ever heard of an elevator speech? It’s one of the most basic and effective devices in a fundraiser’s toolkit. The idea behind it’s name is that it is a quick ‘speech’ that one can give in the time it takes an elevator to go from the top floor to the first floor or vice versa. In this article you will find out what, why, where, when, to whom, and how to prepare that “elevator speech.” 

What exactly is an “elevator speech”? The idea behind an elevator speech is this – you run into people all day long. At work, at the store, out in social situations, and yes, in elevators. The idea of an “elevator speech” is to have a prepared presentation that grabs attention and says a lot in a few words. What are you going to be saying? By telling your core message, you will be marketing yourself and your fundraising efforts in a way that will draw people into your cause rather than pushing people away.

Why prepare an “elevator speech”? As fundraisers, we all need to be willing and able to use casual conversations as a springboard for donations. It’s not likely every person will be able to hold a hugely successful fundraising event, but anyone can have an elevator speech to use when the opportunity arises. People can’t donate unless you ask, and you can’t ask for donations until they know what you’re doing and why.


Where and when do I use this “elevator speech”? These come in handy all the time. How often do you find yourself among friends, family, acquaintances, co-workers, etc who inevitably ask how you are doing and what is new with you? Most of the time you mutter “Oh, nothing, same old, same old…” This is where the elevator speech comes in. If you have an answer like “Well, I’m training for my first half marathon, and I’m making my miles matter by raising funds to give away wheelchairs in developing countries.” Right away, that leads into an open, casual, and low-pressure conversation about what you are doing with your race and your fundraising. 


Sounds great! So what does an elevator speech look like? It’s actually very similar to what you’ve already written for your personal website biography. It’s a quick and simple overview of what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and how they can help. 


Things to remember:

Make your speech quick, easy to understand, and memorable.

Convey that you genuinely care about what your doing and are dedicated to making a difference

Have your personal RunCards on hand and ready to hand out after your speech

Practice – say it a few times to yourself, and try it out on other people. It will soon feel natural.

An elevator speech should be short; three to four short sentences, about 50-100 words and take less then 30 seconds to deliver. A good elevator speech will grab your listener's attention by saying a lot in few words and leave your audience wanting to know more. 

The speech should sound like its conversational and "off the cuff."

Example:

“I’m in the middle of training for my first half marathon. I decided to do it not only because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but also because it is allowing me to help make a difference by raising funds for a nonprofit called Free Wheelchair Mission. What they do is provide wheelchairs to disabled people in developing countries, and each wheelchair only costs $63.94 each to manufacture, ship, and deliver! Pretty cool huh? I’ve set my personal goal at $500 – that would be enough to give a chair to 7 people! Here’s my fundraising website if you wanted to learn more. Any donations would be a huge help! (This is where you would hand them a RunCard… one of your handy “Fundraiser Business Cards”, which has information on how to get to your website. Order yours now.)

Happy fundraising!

How To: 4 Sample Fundraising Letters

Sample Fundraising Letter #1

 Dear Uncle Steve,

I am writing to ask for your help. You won't believe what I have gone and gotten myself into this time. I am going to run the Surf City USA Marathon for Free Wheelchair Mission. My body is already in nervous shock from the anticipation!

Your help would be greatly appreciated. No, I don't expect you to walk along side of me - so you can breathe that sigh of relief! But a donation to Free Wheelchair Mission in order to sponsor me in the race would be wonderful!

If you can help, you can go online right now and donate to my personal website at [personalized link here], or you can make a check payable to Free Wheelchair Mission and return it to me. Then you can sit back with your lemonade on Superbowl Sunday and watch the game, while I am out there running 26.2 miles across Huntington Beach! Thank you so much!

Your niece,

Nicole

Sample Fundraising Letter #2

Date

Dear Name of potential donor,

On February 5, 2012, I will join hundreds of others to help lift people off of the ground and into a wheelchair by running in the Run for Mobility half marathon/full marathon/1 mile.  By making a pledge on my behalf, you are supporting the mission of Free Wheelchair Mission to provide dignity, mobility, and hope to those struggling with physical disabilities in developing countries.

Give details - Tell your story: I have a personal stake in this particular event. I have several friends and family who are unable to walk, and their lives are still full and productive because they have access to a wheelchair. Here in the US most people who need mobility aids are able to access them – this isn’t the case in developing countries. Simple, everyday tasks like cooking, going to the restroom, or even just moving from a bedroom to the living room are huge tasks when you can’t walk. People are forced to drag themselves across the floor, or rely on a family member to physically carry them around to do these tasks. I know how important having a wheelchair is to my family members, and how vital it is for people in similar situations.

My goal is to raise at least specify dollar amount this year. Since each wheelchair only costs $63.94, that means I will be able to transform X number of lives when I reach my personal goal! Please help me reach that goal with your donation, which is completely tax deductible. If you wish, you may mail all or part of your payment amount today in the self-addressed stamped envelope enclosed with this letter, or visit my website at www.fwm.kintera.org/run2012/[your personal URL] or by going to www.runformobility.org, clicking on “Sponsor a Fundraiser”, and then entering my name.

Please make your checks payable to Free Wheelchair Mission, with the words “Run for Mobility – [my name]” on the memo line. My personal deadline to reach my goal is deadline date. Following the event, I will send out a brief recap of the race and the outcomes of my fundraising efforts to all my sponsors.

Thank you in advance for your support. Please call me if you have any questions or comments about the Run for Mobility. I can be reached at phone number.

Sincerely,
Your name

Sample Fundraising Letter #3

Dear friends and family,

I have decided to take on the challenge of Running for Mobility for Free Wheelchair Mission. I will be running the Surf City USA marathon on February 5, 2012 in Huntington Beach, CA. I’m not only running for the glory – I’m running in order to provide wheelchairs to people in need around the world. My goal is to raise $640 – enough to personally help 10 individuals in another country by giving them a wheelchair that they need.

 

The need for wheelchairs is huge – over 100 million people around the world need a wheelchair but don’t have one. Your support will help Free Wheelchair Mission continue their mission of transforming lives around the world, and will help motivate me during the race and help me reach my fundraising goal!

Please be generous. Thanks so much for your support!

To donate to my page, click here: http://fwm.kintera.org/run2012/[yourURL]

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rally-to-Restore-Sanity-SanFrancisco/147882631915583?v=app_4949752878&ref=ts</p>

To learn more about the event, click here: http://www.runformobility.org

 

To learn more about Free Wheelchair Mission, click here: www.freewheelchairmission.org

Sample Fundraising Letter #4

Dear [Name],

Many of you know how important sports and fitness are to me. Living a healthy, active lifestyle is something that is easily taken for granted. I have taken on the challenge of training for [Event Name]. To make my race more meaningful, I am raising money for Free Wheelchair Mission – an international 501c3 non‐profit organization that provides wheelchairs to people in need around the world. By providing a simple wheelchair, they are able to transform the lives of individuals, families, and communities through the gift of mobility.

There are over 100 million people around the world who are disabled and need a wheelchair, but cannot afford one. 80% of these people live in developing countries. Not having a wheelchair means that the individual is unable to attend school, get a job, or participate in their communities. They are completely dependent on family members or friends to carry them out of the house and into the world. Once they become adults, these individuals will be too big to be carried, and end up staying inside their homes for years. These people simply need a means to be independent and mobile, and they will be able to rejoin society on their own terms. Our simple gift of a wheelchair provides these things any more to recipients. Free Wheelchair Mission has been working for the past 10 years to manufacture, ship, and deliver our specially designed durable wheelchair to these forgotten people around the world. Still, FWM needs your help in order to continue their mission.

By donating to my fundraising efforts, you are helping me and FWM to change lives, one wheelchair at a time. Together, we can provide the tool these people need in order to live an independent, productive, and fulfilled lives. I have decided to make my miles matter by helping to make an impact on lives around the world. Please become a part of my mission by making a donation through my web site link below. Together, we can give the gift of mobility and lift lives around the world.

[http:/fwm.kintera.org/run2012/your URL]
Thank you for your support,

[Your Name]

Happy fundraising!