Running with the Bears TM 2016 Fundraising Tool Kit! Charity Runner Deadline: August 1 st

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1 Running with the Bears TM 2016 Fundraising Tool Kit! Charity Runner Deadline: August 1 st In 2015 we raised $29,000 by race day, this year we want to raise 20,000 more! Will you help us???

2 We need your help!! Running with the Bears TM (RWTB) is a fundraiser BY and FOR Mountain Circle Family Services foster children and families we serve. What is Mountain Circle? We are a non-profit foster care and adoption agency in Northern California and Nevada. Every day, we ensure children in the system are placed in the most stable, loving, and safe temporary homes as possible. Sometimes, we assist these families adopt. Our goal is to provide the very best training and support to foster parents, the resources, and opportunities, which foster children need to become happy and independent adults. Although we receive government support to meet the basic need of foster families, we know these children need more. RWTB helps us to provide the activities which help foster children to feel normal; camp tuition, holiday gifts, back-to-school bags, after-school sports, and outdoor leadership adventures for teens. YOUR fundraising makes these activities possible. Our goal is to raise $50,000 by race day! This will provide an entire year s worth of activities for our kids. You don t need a connection to foster care or adoption to care about these kids. The FACTS: The average age of a foster child is 10 years old. The average length of stay of a child in foster care is 28.6 months and they average three different foster homes during that time. Nationwide, there are 415,129 children who cannot live with their biological parents due to no fault of their own. Many have been abused or neglected. In 2014, 22,392 youth emancipated* or "aged-out" from the foster care system when they reached age, or finished high school. Mountain Circle has a program to specifically support these older youth with life skills and vocational training. For foster children who never find a permanent home, the consequences are significant and long-term: only 50% will complete high school, 25% will be homeless, 40% will depend on some form of public assistance, and 27% of males and 10% of females will be incarcerated at least once.

3 Mountain Circle is committed to changing these statistics --one kid at a time. This is how you can join us by sharing your RWTB fundraising page: 1.) Get the ball rolling by ing your closest contacts. Use one of our templates below- simply copy and paste with your name and fundraising goals. What is the very best way to get your donations fast? Ask your boss or company to sponsor you! Let them know that the cause is important to you, and that Running with the Bears will acknowledge their donation everywhere. 2.) Social media blasts. Check out how our friend Rodney did it! Sometimes all you have to do is ask (he raised $200 from this post ) The Post: The Result: Tips for fundraising on Facebook: Every update should include a link to your personal fundraising webpage Highlight fundraising milestones as you reach them Include stories about why you are fundraising, or why this cause matters to you Tag your donors in your posts, and thank them for their donation When you get close to your goal, encourage your friends to help you reach and exceed it Ask your friends to share your fundraising webpage with their friends Last but not least, don t just post about your fundraising activities, it should supplement your social media activity not replace it. If you want to add some links, these would be some great ones: I would do the you tube video of Powder Quest too

4 3.) Thank you s! We send every single one of your donors a thank you note- but let s double the effort! Thank them online, by , or in person. Everyone wants to know that their gift matters. Here is how your supporter s gifts make a difference to our foster kids: $50 means that a foster child can attend after-school sports or dance lessons. $100 is a new car seat for baby s safe trip from the hospital to their new foster home. $150 buys emergency clothing for a child who comes in with nothing $200 is 200 hours of paid vocational training to an emancipating foster youth at our Nu-2-U Thrift Store. $600 provides an older youth with an outdoor leadership adventure weekend- check out this short video! $1,000 pays for the certification fees for ten foster parent families Our goal is to raise $50,000 by August 1 st As of June 27 th, we have raised $15,500. You can help us get there! Tips for Fundraisers: Be direct and honest. Don t disguise your ask or use vague language. Ask for what you need, as simply as possible. Be personal. Think of how you would ask for help from a friend or family member. Use this language and tone with your audience, and they will use it with their networks. Educate. Don t assume that everyone knows about your cause or your needs. But don t talk down to people either. Strike a balance of sharing knowledge without being a know-it-all or boring. Specify impact. When possible, tie a fundraising ask to a measure of outcome. It must seem achievable and relatable. Don t force it. Avoid creating fake matching campaigns or a false sense of urgency. If you need more substance, use your storytelling skills. Need ideas on who to ask? Check out our recent blog by one of our most successful Running with the Bears Charity Runners:

5 Template: Here are templates that you may use for your requests: SUBJECT LINE: Help me reach my Running with the Bears fundraising target. Dear [First Name], As you may already know, I m participating in the Running with the Bears race this year. I m really excited about competing so wish me luck! I m running to support Mountain Circle Family Services a wonderful non-profit organization that serves nearly 100 foster care children and youth each day. I would really appreciate it if you would sponsor me through my online fundraising page (or even the old fashioned way, a check in the mail...) My goal is to raise [dollar amount], which will allow Mountain Circle to provide exceptional experiences like summer camp, vocational training, and leadership adventures, to the foster children and teens they work with each day. Every dollar counts and even a donation of as little as $20 will help provide the resources that help foster kids feel more normal- like school clothes, and holiday gifts. It s really easy to give online, and you get a tax deductible receipt for your donation ed directly to you. Just click on the link below to visit my fundraising page. [Fundraising Page URL] Thanks so much for your help, [Fundraiser Name]! Facebook Template: Hey friends, I need your support!! I am Running with the Bears in August (yikes!), but it s for a great causechildren and youth in foster care. My goal is to raise $500, and I have a little over a month to do it. Can you help with just $10 or $20? Every single dollar makes a difference to these kids. Thank you! FAQ s for Fundraisers: Q.) What is the deadline for accepting donations? We can accept donations until race day, but in order to be considered an official Charity Runner (and get the goodies ) you must raise $500 by August 1 st. Q.) What do I do if I m having a problem with my personal fundraising page? Just contact Josie at (530) , or JLitchfield@mountainCircle.org Q.) Can my donors make a gift offline? Yes, we can accept donations by check or cash too! Checks may be mailed to PO Box 554 Greenville, CA Make sure they make a note of your name so that your fundraising page gets credit Q.) What happens when I raise $500 or more? You will become registered for the race (if you haven t done so yet), and get a bunch of fab swag (say that 10 times!)- including a special goody bag, tech socks, a ticket to the Hoedown, and a lightweight Running with the Bears finishers jacket in your size. More information can be found here: From all the volunteers, staff, and foster families of Mountain Circle Family Services, THANK YOU!! Read stories from the front lines of our work in foster care: