2016 Fundraising Program. Prepared by Avail, Inc.

Transcription

1 2016 Fundraising Program Prepared by Avail, Inc.

2 Event Details The VCU Broad Street Mile combines a 5K and series of one-mile races with a community festival on the city s major thoroughfare, Broad Street. The 4th annual event will take place on Broad Street between Belvidere Street and N. Meadow Street. In addition to providing a fun, festive event, the VCU Broad Street Mile provides a turnkey fundraising opportunity for local community organizations. There is NO FEE for organizations to participate in the fundraising program. QUICK FACTS: Date: Saturday, September 24, 2016 Time: 10:00AM-1:00PM Location: Broad Street

3 5K & Fun Runs The run/walk schedule for this year s event includes a 5K and four one-mile fun runs. 5K Go the distance and run the main course for your favorite local charity. No Limits Mile Run a mile to support individuals that have overcome obstacles such as major illnesses, disabilities and other life challenges. Kids Mile Children run a mile with Rodney the Ram and area mascots in support of children s charities. Doggy Dash Run or walk a mile with man s best friend to support animal-related charities. Spirit of Giving Mile What are you passionate about? Show us your spirit! Dress up and run a mile to represent your school, sports team, youth group, etc.

4 Festival The festival area of the event includes food, music, art, vendors and entertainment from local community organizations. Community organizations have an opportunity to setup an exhibit booth to increase awareness and recruit volunteers. For performing arts organizations, there is also an opportunity to perform during the festival. Last year s event featured over 80 exhibits!

5 Fundraising The primary objective of the VCU Broad Street Mile is to raise money and awareness for local community organizations. Unlike traditional fundraisers, the VCU Broad Street Mile creates a turnkey fundraising solution that raises money for multiple organizations. Participating organizations simply recruit runners and encourage them to make a donation and/or fundraise for their organization. Last year s event raised over $30,000 for local community organizations!

6 Fundraising - Donations The fundraising process is simple. All organizations simply recruit people to run and encourage them to make a one-time donation and/or fundraise for the organization. All donations are tax deductible and the funds are distributed directly to the organizations from RaceIT and CrowdRise. This year the fundraising platform will utilize CrowdRise, one of the premier online fundraising tools for events and causes. We recommend that ALL participating charities create one primary fundraising team page that benefits your organization on the VCU Broad Street Mile CrowdRise event page. This will make it easy for your supporters to join your fundraising team. Avail is also offering a $1,000 cash prize to the organization that raises the most money and a $1,000 cash prize to the organization that recruits the most runners!

7 Fundraising - Registration Same as last year, each charity will be distributed a portion of their participant s registration fees. During online registration, participants will have an opportunity select your organization from a drop-down list of charity partners. We feel that this will help your organization raise more money and reward you for your hard work in recruiting runners. The charity portion of the 2016 registration fees will go as follows: $20 per 5k participant $10 per One Mile participant In order for your charity to receive its portion of registration fees, you MUST register at least 20 race participants with your charity. This year The VCU Broad Street Mile has set a $50,000 fundraising goal for local non-profits and we feel this change will help us all reach this goal!

8 Step-by-Step Instructions 1 2 REGISTER your organization as a community partner. Visit and click on FUNDRAISE from the top menu. Submit the online community partner agreement form. SETUP TEAM & FUNDRAISING PAGE (2 Part Process) PART 1 : TEAM SETUP (RACEIT) Each organization will have one team on the RaceIT registration platform. This allow you to track how many people have registered to support your organization. RaceIT Setup Process - Create RaceIT Account. Each community partner team captain must create a RaceIT account to manage the running team. Here you can monitor your team members, communicate with them directly and change t- shirt sizes and categories if needed. Lorena Harbaugh from RaceIT will contact you to request the used to create the account. She will also confirm the organization s address to send checks from the RaceIT entry fees and additional donations made through registration. Create an account here: *Please note that individual team members DO NOT need to set-up a RaceIT account.

9 Step-by-Step Instructions 2 PART 2 : FUNDRAISING PAGE SETUP (CrowdRise) In order to have a fundraising page, organizations much create a page on the CrowdRise platform. This page allows your runners to solicit donations from people that would like to support your cause but are unable to come and run in the event. All fundraising pages are setup on CrowdRise. To setup a page, follow these steps:

10 Event Fundraising Page Visit the main VCU Broad Street Mile event fundraising page at vcubroadstreetmile and click the button that says SET UP Your Fundraiser

11 Setup Fundraising Page Next, click on Start Your Own Fundraiser.

12 Setup Fundraising Page The next page will say Who are you raising money for? If you are a 501(c)3 click Raise Money for Charity on the left If you are a non 501(c)3 but still a community group with an EIN, click Raise Money for Person on the right Once you click your option, you will be guided through a series of steps to complete your Fundraising Team Setup. Now that your Fundraising Team is setup, your supporters can choose Join A Team in the future to raise money under your main fundraising page.

13 Fundraising Pages During the registration process, individuals are asked if they would like to fundraise. If so, they will see a fundraising link on the confirmation page and confirmation . From the main event fundraising they will have the option to: CREATE a fundraising team or individual fundraising page JOIN a Fundraising Team By creating a TEAM, your organization has a platform to share its story and connect to supporters through social media and . If supporters create their own team or individual fundraising page they can tell their personal stories and explain why they are choosing to support your organization. This year event participants can select one of the official community partners or any 501(c)3 of choice to serve as their team or individual fundraisers beneficiary. As an official community partner, the organization s name will be listed on the event website and appear during the registration process which allows runners to make a charitable contribution at check-out.

14 Team & Individual Pages This is an example of a TEAM and INDIVIDUAL fundraising pages. LET S START FUNDRAISING!!!

15 Step-by-Step Instructions 3 PROMOTE YOUR FUNDRAISER HELPFUL HINTS In order to make this an effective fundraiser, you must be committed to putting time into your promotions strategy. Here are a few suggestions based on the success of previous participants: Form a sub committee - This group can help promote the race and your organization. Pick a race - Encourage your supporters to choose the 5K or one of the one-mile runs. Set a Goal Setting a goal helps the organization stay focused and encourages teamwork to help the organization achieve its goal. Follow up Encourage your supporters on their way to reach the goal! A pat on the back in person or over can go a long way to help them feel supported and part of a larger goal. Offer incentives Incentives and contests for individuals that reach certain fundraising goals. For example, for persons that raise over $50 for your organization, give them a cool t-shirt, gift card, etc. TEAMS are a great way to have fun and encourage friendly competition! 6

16 Social Media Tips Like our page! Utilize our digital media kit images Link to your team fundraising page Use graphics to create more attention!

17 Instagram Follow us on Instagram: VCUBSM

18 FAQ How often will donations be sent to our organization? Contributions made through RaceIt will be mailed twice a month. Donations made through CrowdRise are paid through a WePay account or Network for Good. Network for Good sends check each 15 th of the month. See for additional information on the CrowdRise donation process. None of the charitable contributions touches the hands of the event organizer. Questions? Contact CrowdRise Rep, Alex Gravlin : alex.gravlin@crowdrise.com Will the non profit receive donor information? Yes, non-profits will receive the donor information along with the check provided unless the donor requests to remain anonymous. Will the donors receive an automatic thank you? Individuals receive a confirmation for registering to run, as well as an receipt for their donation to use for tax purposes. What are the costs associated with RaceIt and CrowdRise? There are no upfront costs to participate. RaceIt and CrowdRise have processing fees on charitable contributions.

19 Exhibit Space In addition to raising money, the VCU Broad Street Mile is a great opportunity to increase awareness and recruit volunteers. To make this accessible for all organizations, the exhibit fee for organizations is only $100. For organizations that recruit 20 or more runners, the exhibit fee is waived or the money is returned if it has already been paid. The exhibit space is a 10x10 space and does not include tents, tables or chairs. Tent packages may be purchased for an additional fee.

20 Recognition Breakfast Corporate sponsors and community partners are invited to attend the VCU Broad Street Mile Recognition Breakfast (TBA) at the Hilton Garden Inn Richmond Downtown. This event serves as an opportunity to acknowledge the sponsors, organizations, and individuals for their support and kick-off the event weekend. Official community partners will receive invitations.

21 Contact The VCU Broad Street Mile is a great opportunity to promote your company while making an impact on the RVA charitable community. Please feel free to contact Avail with any questions or comments regarding the post event report. Briana Williams Marketing and Special Events Manager Phone: (804) briana@availonline.com Johnathan Mayo President Phone: (804) jmayo44@me.com Event Website: Company Website: