Champions for Military Families

Team Fisher House at the Air Force Marathon Fundraising Information

Topic
Information
Personalizing Your Campaign Page
  The best way to get started with your fundraising campaign is to personalize your online campaign page that was created for you upon registration.

To login, go to www.active.com/donations.  Use the same username and password that you entered when you registered for the team.  Forgot your username and/or password?  Contact me at SToner@fisherhouse.org for help.  Download the Team Fisher House Fundraising Guide to get detailed step-by-step instructions.

Your Welcome Message:  This section is very important.  Use this section to tell potential donors why you chose to run with Team Fisher House and why it is important for them to make a contribution.  There is no need for you to tell them about Fisher House Foundation in this section - that information, including an embedded video, is pre-populated on your campaign page. 

Add an Image:  Upload a photo to further personalize your page.  Be sure to limit it in physical and file sizes.  The physical size should be 100 pixels or less.  The file size should be 100KB or less.  Active only allows .jpg or .gif files. If you have trouble uploading a photo, take a look at the TFH Fundraising Guide for help.
Fundraising Through Facebook
 Social media is a fantastic fundraising tool.  Each Team Fisher House campaign page on ActiveGiving has a Facebook sharing button built into it.  Be sure to click on the Facebook Share button when you are NOT logged in to Active.  Or just enter the URL of your campaign page manually when you update your status on Facebook.

1) Every time you post your fundraising link on Facebook, an average of 5 people will visit your fundraising page
2) Ask friends to repost your fundraising page link - this will make it appear in their Facebook newsfeed as well.
3) Update your running and fundraising progress on your Facebook page regularly (once per week). 
4) Be sure to thank those people who have made a contribution publicly on Facebook (tag them using the @ symbol in your thank-you post, so your message posts on their page as well)
Check and Cash Donations
 The most effective and efficient method for donations is to encourage your supporters to donate online, saving Fisher House time and money.  Check are accepted, but be sure to follow these instructions below so your campaign is credited for the donation.

Check Donations: If you receive a check, please fill out a check donation form (downloadable from www.teamfisherhouse.org/toolkit/TFHCheckForms ), and mail the check and form together to the address on the form.

All checks should be made payable to "Fisher House Foundation," and have your name and event written in the "memo" section. This additional information will ensure that you are credited for that donation on your campaign page.

Keep track of your check donations with the check donation log included in the TFH Fundraising Guide. Check your campaign page often to make sure theyʼre displayed properly.   If you have any questions about a check donation, contact Andrew Kayton at akayton@fisherhouse.org.  

Cash Donations:
Please do not mail cash! We suggest that you have the cash exchanged for a cashierʼs check or money order at your bank, or write a personal check for the amount. Be sure to fill out the cash donorʼs information on the check donation form so that the Foundation sends a donation receipt to the original donor.

NOTE: When Fisher House Foundation receives the check donation, the donation information will be entered on your campaign page. It will appear as an "offline donation." It can take up to two weeks for check donations to appear on your campaign page. Please allow plenty of time for the donation to arrive and to get processed, especially near a fundraising deadline (if applicable).
Signature Block Link
 A really quick and easy way to subtly remind your friends and family about your campaign is to include it in your email signature block.

Suggested text:  I am running the 2012 Air Force Marathon with Team Fisher House in Dayton, OH on September 17th.  Please support my campaign to Help Military Families by making a contribution today: www.active.com/donate/FisherHouse2012AFM/ type your URL key here

Each email service provider has a different method for creating this message.  Find out the way for your provider and add this great tool to your signature block today!
Fundraising Basics
 
  The most successful fundraisers. . .
  • Asked for a specific amount from a potential donor
  • Tailored that request amount to how well they knew the potential donor
  • The closer the personal relationship, the greater the request amount
  • Started fundraising early
  • Most donations arrived In the 4 months prior to the event, but
  • Donations made 5-7 months prior to the event were higher amounts
What the webinar didn't discuss is the importance of believing in the cause for which you are raising funds and awareness.   At Team Fisher House, we believe this is the most important aspect of fundraising success.

The more you can talk about the importance of supporting the Fisher House mission, the greater your success.  Even if those talks don't turn into monetary donations, don't despair, because raising awareness is just as important as raising funds.

Learn more about Fisher House by watching our Foundation video on YouTube










Fundraising Business Cards
Did you know that you can create great-looking, customized fundraising business cards in less than 10 minutes? 

These cards are a quick and easy way to promote your campaign.

The cards will include:
  • Your Name
  • Your Event (2012 AFM)
  • Your Online Campaign Address
  • Concise, accurate information about Fisher House

Just follow these simple steps to get your own cards:
  • Download the file (PDF)
  • Save it to your computer
  • Customize just one card with your name, event, and campaign URL
  • The remaining business cards will copy the content of the first card
  • Print the cards on inexpensive business card paper from any office supply store (print page one, then re-insert page to print page 2 on the back)
  • Keep a set of business cards in your wallet, purse, backpack, or briefcase and you'll always be able to share your AFM story!












Company Matching Gifts
Do you want to double your contribution to Fisher House Foundation?  The information below is for your employer to apply for a matching gift.
 
Mailing Address:
Fisher House Foundation, Inc.
Attn: Air Force Marathon
111 Rockville Pike, Suite 420
Rockville, MD 20850

IRS EIN: 11-3158401
 
Contact Information:
Phone: 301-294-8560
Fax: 301-294-8562
Andrew Kayton, Donations Coordinator
akayton@fisherhouse.org
 
Please ensure your employer includes the campaign name (Air Force Marathon) and the name of the fundraiser (you) somewhere in their matching gift application (supplied by employer) to ensure that your campaign is credited for the matching gift.
 
Matching gifts will be applied to your campaign when they are received by the Foundation.  It often takes months after the initial application to distribute the funds to non-profit organizations.  Please don't count on matching funds to meet your fundraising minimum.






Send Donation Check in Timely Manner
Andrew Kayton, the Fisher House Foundation Donations Coordinator (akayton@fisherhouse.org) asked me to pass along a reminder to all Team Fisher House Fundraisers:

Please mail in your check donations (with a completed check donation form) as soon as possible after you receive it from a donor.

Why?
  • The donor will be thanked for their generous donation in a timely manner by the Foundation
  • The funds will be withdrawn from their account in a timely manner (reducing the chances of getting returned for insufficient funds)
  • The check will not expire before the funds can be deposited (most checks automatically expire after 6 months from the date they were written) 
Thanks for keeping this in mind when sending in check donations!
Suggested Donation Request Email Text

Most people store contact information about friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors in their email contact list.  With the Team Fisher House suggested email text, it's easy to send campaign requests to everyone on your list by following these simple instructions!

  • Download the suggested email text file, save it to your computer,
  • Customize it with your name, event, and campaign URL in the red sections of the document
  • Include more personal information about why you're running for Team Fisher House if you'd like
  • Be sure to save your changes
  • Copy and paste the customized document into the body of your email
  • Send email to friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, or anyone in your email contact list

Important Note:

Your campaign URL (web address) starts like this: http://www.active.com/donate/FisherHouse2012AFM/ and ends with your URL key
Customizable Fundraising Flyer

The Team Fisher House Customizable Fundraising Flyer is one of our simplest fundraising tools. 

Post your customized flyer in your community center, place of worship, workplace, or school for a simple, subtle way of spreading awareness about your campaign.

  • Download the Customizable Fundraising Flyer File 
  • Save it to your computer
  • Customize it with your name, event, and campaign URL in the top section and your campaign URL in the first of the tear-off tabs at the bottom of the page (the other tabs will repeat the text of the first tab).  Re-save the file! 
  • Print the flyer on regular printer paper
  • The tear-off tabs should be pre-cut for easy removal by potential donors
Fundraising Brochures
This professional, customizable brochure is a great way to introduce Fisher House Foundation and your campaign to neighbors, co-workers, and the businesses your frequent.

The gold section of the tri-fold is customizable - just type information about your campaign and include a link to your online campaign page.

Print the document double-sided and fold it into thirds.  The brochure fits perfectly in a business-size envelope for easy mailing.

Just one more tool to add to your Team Fisher House Fundraising Toolkit!
Customizable Fundraising Postcards
Customizable fundraising postcards are a great way to remind the people whom you've previously emailed about your campaign for Fisher House - or a way to reach out to people who aren't on your email contact list.
 
If a potential donor doesn't contribute the same day they receive your email donation request, chances are the request will be forgotten.  By sending donation postcards to everyone you already emailed, you'll be sending a subtle reminder about your campaign.
 
  • Download the postcard file, save it to your computer, then customize it with your name, event, and campaign URL on page one
  • Customize page two with your name and mailing address
  • The content from the first card will automatically to the remaining cards on that page
  • Print the cards on inexpensive postcard paper from any office supply store (print page one, then re-insert page to print page 2 on the back) or on regular card stock (just cut the page into 4 postcards after printing)
Mailing fundraising post cards is a great strategy for approaching new potential donors as well as reminding those who haven't yet donated.  Mail them or hand them out in person.
Fundraising Letter for Mailing
Using a Fundraising Letter for Mailing is a great strategy for approaching donors who aren't on your personal contact list (businesses, clubs, organizations) or for those who don't have email.  Be sure to include a check donation form (filled out with your first and last names in the Fundraiser Information section) with the letter so the check goes directly to Fisher House Foundation.
  • Download the file, save it to your computer, then customize it with a personal note, your name, event, and campaign URL
  • Print the letter on regular printer paper