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!

How To: 5 Components of a Fundraising Letter

Check out this awesome article called "5 Components of a Well-Written Fundraising Letter", written by Jim Berigan that takes you through, step by step, the components of an effective fundraising letter. All you need to do is change the focus to Free Wheelchair Mission, and you're set!

"One of the most important tools available to any leader of a non profit organization is the fundraising letter. With a finely-crafted missive, the leader will be able to clarify the mission, excite the audience, and deliver on the stated need.

However, getting the letter to the point where it is “finely-crafted” is the hard part. I believe there are five key components that should be implemented to give your letter a much better chance of hitting its mark.

Before you begin writing, I recommend that you jot down a quick outline. This will help you plot your individual points, provide your supporting evidence, and generally keep you on track.

The outline should be broken down into five sections. These are: attention, interest, desire, conviction, and close. By following these five “guideposts” you are taking your reader on a directed journey, exactly where you want him to go. And fortunately, since this progression makes rhetorical sense, the reader will actually be happy to go along for this ride, as opposed to a letter that is all over the place and never really gets to the point.

Let’s break down each of the sections.

1. Attention

First, there is “ATTENTION”. This is where you really grab your readers. Give them something to chew on right away. Most of us read thousands of words each day, so the competition for our readers’ attention is great. Don’t mess around with long winded introductions- get right to the point. Use words and word-pictures that have real impact with the readers. In the case of school fundraising, I like to focus on the benefits to the children.

Let’s say, for instance, you were writing a letter in hopes of raising enough money to subsidize a trip to Washington D.C. for the eighth grade. I would start by writing:

Dear Parents, Our school has the amazing opportunity to provide your child with an incredible hands-on learning experience, right in our nation’s capital. For four days and three nights, our students will be in the epicenter of our executive, legislative, and judicial activity. With behind the scenes tours, meetings with our local law-makers, and admission to some of the most significant historical sites in our country, your child will have the experience of his or her life.

Ok, there’s the first paragraph. We were aiming for grabbing their attention, and I think we have it. We emphasized the benefits to their children and even touched on a bit of patriotism!

2. Interest

Next, we come to “INTEREST”. This is where we expand a little bit more on what we wrote in the “attention” paragraph. The goal is to raise your readers’ interest by more specifically highlighting the benefits and features of the event. By the end of this section, your reader should really be primed to hear your pitch.

To continue with the sample letter:

All year long, we have been studying how bills become laws, how our government operates, and how our democracy was created. By planning this trip to Washington D.C., we will be able to take this theoretical knowledge and breathe life into it for our students. Instead of just reading about the Library of Congress, we’re going to go there! Rather than just watching CSPAN, we are going to enter the U.S. Capitol and observe Congress actually in session! What better way is there to really learn about our country than to see it up close and in person?

3. Desire

All right, this is where we start to really sell, sell, sell. Your job in this section is to place such a strong desire for this experience in the hearts of your readers that they’ll do just about anything to make the goal a reality. To accomplish this, you only need to remind them of the idealistic things they already hold dear. Do this with the right stroke, and you’ve got them.

As parents, we know you always want the best for your children. You want their schools to be first rate and be able to provide them with only the finest instruction and guidance. We at Al Gore Middle School share this desire, right along with you. For years, the eighth grade has been making this annual journey to Washington D.C. And, year after year, we have witnessed first- hand how this experience changes lives for the better. This is truly a monumental event for our young people.

4. Conviction

So far, we have excited our readers, we’ve got them genuinely interested in our cause, and we’ve done all we can to convince them that they, too, want what we want. Now it’s time to prepare them for the challenges that stand in our way and get them to commit themselves to the hard work that will certainly follow on our way to the goal. This is called “CONVICTION”.

But getting to Washington D.C. is never easy. Moving an entire grade of children is expensive and logistically difficult. Making this dream a reality is a daunting task, but it is also one that many parents before us have successfully undertaken.

Through our research, we have determined that this trip costs $400 total per child. This includes everything- transportation, lodging, food, and admission to all the sites. The only thing beyond this is spending money, which you and your child can determine privately.

$400 is a lot of money. We understand that this can be a burden to many. Therefore, we have a goal to help subsidize this amount by at least 50% per student. Between now and the time we leave for Washington, we plan to hold several mini-fundraisers within the community.

Your involvement with these fundraisers is vital. We need every parent of an eighth grader to volunteer his or her time to help us reach this overall target. This will mean planning meetings, committee meetings, volunteer recruiting, organizing, decorating, etc. This is a significant commitment.

However, when we remember why we are doing this, we know that in the long run, all the time and energy will be worth it for our children.

5. Close

At this point, our hope is that parents are ready for the fight. They believe in the cause and are prepared to enter into battle. Now, they just need to know specifically what is being asked of them. In each school’s case, this might be different, but it is crucial to work in an effective call to action. And that comes in the “CLOSE”.

On Tuesday November 5 at 6:30pm, we are holding an organizational meeting in our school auditorium. We will be talking a lot about the upcoming trip, as well as how we plan to pay for it. We sincerely ask that at least one parent from each family come to this gathering. If you can not attend, we ask that you contact our school office, so we can get you all the pertinent information.

Thank you for your consideration of this journey, and we can’t wait to give your child the memories and experiences that will help shape the rest of their lives. See you at the meeting!

And that’s it. Now, please remember that I completely fabricated this above scenario, so some of the details may not make sense, but I wanted to illustrate the path a persuasive fundraising letter should take. Start with getting your readers’ attention, heighten their interest, stir their desire, strengthen their conviction, and close the deal with a call to action.

Plug your own specific information into this plan, and you’ll be well on your way to sending out a fundraising letter that will produce results!"

Happy fundraising!

Full article link: http://stepbystepfundraising.com/5-components-of-a-well-written-fundraising-letter/

Paddle for Wheelchairs

Get motivated to start fundraising by what this Team Mobility athlete did to support FWM.

Tim, second from right, organized a "Paddle for Wheelchairs"

Team Mobility Athlete: Tim Lukei (second from the right)

Location: Newport Beach, CA

Background: A staff member at Mariner’s Church, Tim has been a supporter of FWM for years. He’s also the owner of an up-and-coming paddleboard company, Pirate Coast Paddle Company.

The Story: He created and held an event called Paddle for Wheelchairs on Thursday, August 25^th in Newport Beach, inviting people to donate the price of a wheelchair in exchange for a a free dinner (donated by Bluewater Grill), an entry to win raffle prizes, and a chance to paddleboard for free. About 30 people attended the event, along with FWM staff Sandi, Claressa, Jessica, and Mike. Most of the funds were collected online via their Team Mobility fundraising website, and the rest was given on event day for last minute additions. Tim publicized his event on his company’s webpage, and by word of mouth.

Lives Transformed to Date: over 30

The crew

FWM Staff Jessica, Claressa, and Mike at the event

Take-Away Tip: Use the resources you already have (like Tim did with his company and professional network), and leverage them for a good cause.