Post on 22-Jun-2020
Fueling the Movement – Unforgettable
and Unique Fundraising Experiences
Featured Presenters
• Gene Caffrey, Greater Carolinas Chapter
• Jeff Zaniker, Indiana State Chapter
• Kurt Lorch, Indiana State Chapter
• Mark Solari, South Central Region
• Sarah Hwang, Wisconsin Chapter
Workshop Overview
• Do It Yourself (DIY) and Finish MS Fundraising are opportunities for
people from across the country with a deep commitment to the MS
cause to raise awareness and critical funds in new and creative ways.
• Featured fundraisers:
– Race Across America Relay
– Double Dare Dodgeball Tournament
– Fight MS…Eggroll Style
– Every Step Beats MS
“Every Step Beats MS”
Gene Caffrey
• First identifiable attack during Florida Ironman November 2009
• Diagnosed February 2010 at age 41
• “Every Step Beats MS” came to me during a tough run
• Triathlons, cycling, running, & fitness keep me going
• NC has been good to me:
– Greater Carolinas Chapter of National MS Society
– Bike MS in New Bern, NC
– Local MS events
– Began my year-long Finish MS Campaign
My Story
Inspiring Others Through Movement
• Raise awareness and funds through racing and fitness
• Decided on Finish MS
• Use of Social Media
• Link URL www.everystepbeatsms.com to my Finish MS page
2014 Finish MS Schedule
– Half Marathon
– Olympic distance triathlon
– Open water 1 mile race
– Long Distance Duathlon
– Raleigh 70.3 Half Ironman Triathlon
– Several 100K cycling events for MS
– Several sprint triathlons
– 2014 Bike MS New Bern, NC 100 miles each day
2015 Finish MS Schedule
– Very similar to 2014 with the addition of cycling road mountain
races
– Season will end with relay team at Iron Distance Triathlon
2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run…all MS team!
Every Step Beats MS Challenge
• Any kind of movement is important
• Inspire others to move and raise money for MS
• Post a video of the movement on social media
• Say it with #everystepbeatsms and www.everystepbeatsms.com
• Drive traffic to Finish MS site
• Lets start with me today!
• Video me and post it…lets make it viral!
www.everystepbeatsms.com
Race Across AMerica
Topics
• Who we are
• Background on RAAM and our event and what we
learned on the road
• Key take-aways
RAAM 2014 – what we learned
• RAAM started as a way for us to bike across the
country without quitting our jobs
• It snowballed from there
• Fundraising is great, but so is awareness
• It takes a team
Key Take-Aways
• Do something unique (and maybe BIG?)
• Make it fun
• Recruit a team
• Be prepared for a lot of work
DOUBLE DARE
DODGEBALL
CHALLENGE
Do you remember the gym class bully?
Ever had an atomic wedgie? Ever wanted
to throw something at your co-workers?
Now is the time to come together with your
teams to challenge them to a Dodgeball
Match. "I DOUBLE DARE YA!!" Have fun
and raise money for a great cause... To
fight MS! Challenge other teams within
your office. Challenge management.
Challenge the law.
All for fun and fun for all.
http://www.eteamz.com/doubledarechallenge/
DIY - DOUBLE DARE DODGEBALL CHALLENGE
• Community Activity
– Involve younger groups
– Police and Fire departments
– Office groups, competitor business
challenges
– Churches and High School Teams
– Local Media
• Something new
– Different from bike, walk, golf
or sporting clays tournaments
– Group activity reaches across
age and gender lines
– Attract new donators and raise
awareness
– Make new connections
http://www.eteamz.com/doubledarechallenge/
DIY - DOUBLE DARE DODGEBALL CHALLENGE
• Corporate Sponsor Structure/Recognition:
Palladium Arts
• Yard Signs
Ballboy:
Manager:
Coach:
Title Sponsors:
http://www.eteamz.com/doubledarechallenge/
DIY - DOUBLE DARE DODGEBALL CHALLENGE • Keys to a successful fund raiser
– Form a committee & start early
– Keep expenses as low as possible
• Use your contacts: Local businesses,
media, vendors, friends, and family
• In-kind donations: T-shirts, materials, food,
trophies, venue (donors paid direct)
• Avoid the need for a banking account
– Used the DIY website: donations, goal tracking,
event information, links
– Created a separate event website to track
brackets and provide handouts
– Made if fun. Multitude of prizes and every team
played at least 3 matches
• Areas for improvement
– Make DIY site team friendly
– Use your local media early
to get out the word
– Rival Challenge
http://www.eteamz.com/doubledarechallenge/
Fight MS, Eggroll Style
What we did…
• Chinese Food…Lots of it
– Appetizers
– 4 main dishes
– Dessert
– Beverages…of course
What we did…
• 1-Item Silent Auction
– Offered a Chinese cooking lesson to
the highest bidder
– The winner bid $600.00
Th en b id o n th is Ch in es e
Co o k in g Par ty f o r s ix ! Lear n ,
Co o k , Eat, Dr in k , Par ty !
Pa r ty to t a k e p la c e a t th e Hw a n g ’ s Ho u s e o f Yu m o n a
m u tu a l ly a g r e e d u p o n d a t e . 10 0 % o f a u c t io n p r o c e e d s
d o n a t ed to t h e MS Wa lk .
Ch in es e Co o k in g Pa r ty f o r 6 Bid Sh ee t
Op en in g Bid : $50 0 Min im u m In c r ea s e : $50
Va l u e : Pr ic e l es s Do n a ted b y Sa r a h & Mil t Hw a n g
Na m e Bid Op en in g Bid $50 0
What our guests did…
• Stopped by our house between 6 and
10pm
– Made a suggested donation of $25
• Most people donated more
– Ate…a lot
– Drank…a lot
– Had a blast!!!
Why it worked…
• It was personal
– We hosted the event at our home
– We prepared the food ourselves
– We were fundraising for a cause that impacts our family with a
culture that defines our family
Why it worked…
• The theme went throughout
– Kung Fu Girl Riesling
– Tsing Tao and Lucky Buddha Beer
– Custom fortune cookies
Why it worked…
• It takes a village, and the village likes Chinese
Food.
– My mom helped me prep all the vegetables
– My brother fried eggrolls in the garage…all
night
– A friend’s daughter and her friend helped
with details like greeting guests, handling
donations, signing people up for the walk,
cleaning up, etc.
– My husband…my fabulous and supportive
husband
• Made filling for and rolled over 150
eggrolls
• Made filling for and shaped over 100
potstickers
• Prepared the protein for 4 main dishes
• Stir fried wok after wok of delicious
food…all night
Why it worked…
• We linked our DIY event to a bigger MS event…Walk MS
– Served as a kickoff for our Walk MS fundraising
– Created awareness about the Walk and inspired sign-ups
– People could donate online to Team Sarah, creating gift
opportunities for both Eggrollers and non Eggrollers
– Started a buzz in February for an event in March for an
event in May…That’s a long buzz.
Why it worked…
• We used the InterWebs
– Evite
– Walk MS Web Page
• We Milked the Matches
– Over $3000 in corporate matching gifts
– All we had to do was remind people
• I have a big mouth
– I told anyone with a pulse, what we were up to
– The aunt of a kid on my son’s soccer team pulled $20 out
of her pocket on the spot.
• I told my story
– True stories make the cause real for people
– Donors like to see the impact of their gift
How well it worked…
• The DIY event itself made approx. $6,000.00 in donations
• Team Sarah’s Walk MS total for 2014…
You too can DIY…
• Make it personal
– Share your talents
– Share your time
– Share your passion for fighting MS
• Worried about the cost?
– Charge enough to defray or cover your costs
– Share the costs with a group
– Plan an event with little to know cost
• Ask for help
– Family
– Friends
– Neighbors
– Co-workers