How To Raise Money For A Motorcycle Ride

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1 FUND RAISING ~ ASKING FOR DONATIONS Every Little Bit Counts The first step is, as with everything, just getting started. Set your fundraising goal high your family, friends and colleagues will be inspired by both the physical and fundraising challenges you set for yourself. We ask participants to set a goal of at least $1,000. Letting donors know what the minimum is and what YOUR personal goal is, will impress them with your commitment and motivate them to give generously. Create a fundraising plan and follow through with it. It should include these six steps: 1. Identify your potential supporters When planning a fundraising strategy the first step is to make a list of potential donors. This is a list of everyone you know. Don't limit the list to friends and family. Include business contacts and online social networks ~ even the person who delivers mail. 2. Engage your potential donors It's important to engage potential donors before asking for a donation. Start early and talk with everyone you know and see everyday about your participation in Wheels Within Wheels. Let everyone know about your ambitious goals: fundraising and riding to help fund humanitarian programs/projects. 3. Know where the money is going Familiarize yourself with the beneficiary and the services they provide. Learn more about the particular project or service. The more confidently you can discuss where a donor's money will go, the more confident the potential donor will feel in making a larger donation. 4. Now you're ready to Ask Now you're ready to Ask. Ask. Ask. Ask. Ask. Ask. Then ask some more! Whatever the format of the request (in person, by , letter or phone), it's important to let people know what you re doing, why it's important to you and how they can support you. Be passionate. Never assume people can t or won t donate. Ask, and let individuals decide for themselves. When you ask, be straightforward. The most successful fundraising appeals ask the prospective donor for a specific amount particularly those with great potential (ask them for $250, $500, $1,000 or more). Don't be worried of asking people for too much money. If they can't give as much as you have asked, they will tell you. You will find a surprising number will want to help. 5. Follow-up Once you ve sent an , don t forget to follow up after a few weeks. Friends and family may have every intention of donating, but many of us tend to procrastinate, or just plain forget. If you don't follow up, they may assume you've reached your goal and don't need their support. Fundraising updates are a great way to gently remind people of your commitment and let them know you still need their support. Don't ever be apologetic about asking for money! You re not asking people to help you with your rent! Donors will recognize that commitment and effort. 6. The magic words Thank you. Don't forget to thank your donors. Send them a simple note, a photo of you on your bike on tour or photos of the project. Include donors in your Wheels Within Wheels experience, so they'll feel even better about the part they've played in helping others. There are millions of ways to thank your donors and keep them involved. We encourage you to be creative and have fun letting your donors know how much you appreciate their support! 1

2 FUNDRAISING TIPS Write It Down. A personalized letter is the most basic tool of fundraising, and that's because it works. Regardless of whatever else you do, write a letter first! Use it to explain the facts ~ that you will be participating as a rider in Wheels Within Wheels motorcycle ride to benefit a particular charity or project. Include some facts about project or service, the beneficiaries and why this is important to you. Don't forget to include a link to your rider homepage, or a donation form and a pre-addressed return envelope. Work the Neighbourhood. There are countless opportunities to raise money within a few miles of your home ~ coffee shop, gym, workplace, laundromat, car wash, supermarket, newsstand, dry cleaners, video store, dentist's office, bar, deli, parking lot, bike shop, doctor s surgery, bank and the pizza place. You patronize these businesses all of the time ~ ask them to help you out with your fundraising effort. How? Just ask for the donation Put a poster in the window, explaining what you are doing and how to help Display a donation box and/or letters and donation forms on the counter Ask the business to donate a portion of their proceeds on a given day Offer to wear their name on your t-shirt in exchange for a donation Get Social. Making contact with as many people as possible will be key to your fundraising. Chances are, your friends and family will be more than happy to be a part of your fundraising campaign, but you will probably need to go beyond your inner circle Throw a party!! Ask everyone who attends to write a cheque when they enter the front door Host an event ~ a film screening, boat cruise, or a band night in a local bar Ask your friends to ask their friends for donations Then ask their friends to ask their friends. Bring It to the Office. Your place of work is another good source for donations. Just ask for money. Your company might be happy to donate to your fundraising goal Then, ask for more -- see if your company has a matching-gift program Send an to the entire company with a donation form attached Host a lunchtime meeting and do a presentation about the Wheels Within Wheels program and your commitment to the cause. Timing is Everything. Special circumstances can provide an ideal opportunity to grab a donation. Use the end to the financial year to suggest a great way to gain tax refunds Birthday coming up? Ask for donations in lieu of presents Hold parties working-in with events such as the Golden Globes and Oscars ~ put together a sheet of all the nominees for all categories and get everyone to select who they think will win. You can do this as a party, or even as an office pool. Go Paperless The internet and have significantly affected the fundraising world. Add a short message about donating to your signature. Add a link from your Facebook page to your Rider page. Send a link to your Rider page. Get Crafty Use your creativity, whatever it may be. Everyone has the ability to do something well; sell your product or skill to benefit your fundraising campaign. A few ideas: become the local handyman/woman, gardening, knitting garments, offering tax preparation, taking photographs, babysitting, car washing, selling drawings/paintings, language tutoring, personal training, t-shirts, being designated driver, dog-walking, errand-running etc. 2

3 There's No Limit... Following is a quick list of many more ways to get the job done Garage Sale. Time to get rid of all of those miscellaneous items in the garage and attic. Ask your friends to do the same and join in. Put the money raised toward your fundraising goal. Home Produce Sale. Become Julia Child (and ask your friends to do the same) and host a baking and home produce sale. Jam/jelly, pickles, chutney, biscuits/coolies, cakes and muffins always sell well. Change in My Pocket Box. Create little boxes or jars for so at the end of the day they can drop any spare change into the box. Gather the boxes and apply the money toward your fundraising goal! Office Fundraising Challenge. Speak with everyone in your office and get them to challenge each other to raise the highest amount. Give the winner a prize, like movie passes or a gift certificate to a restaurant. Voic Message. This will alert everyone who calls you that you are up to something special! Let them know you need their support! Return Address Labels. Print return address labels for your outgoing mail. For example, "I am participating in Wheels Within Wheels charity fundraising ride. Will you sponsor me?" Be sure to include a donation form and a pre-addressed envelope to make it really easy for them. Social Media. Post a message on your social networking page. You'd be amazed by how many people will be willing to help you. Ask your local bartender to donate a portion of one day's tips. Create a sign to place on the bar stating, "All tips collected tonight will go directly to 'Joe / Mary who is riding around (wherever) to raise money for (whichever charity)." Patrons seeing the sign may be willing to dig a little deeper in their pocket! Fundraising Dinner. Ask your favorite restaurant to host a fundraising dinner for you. They supply the food and you supply the donation forms! Happy Hour Party. Invite all your friends (and their friends!) and get them to sign a plain T-shirt which will be given to the charity beneficiaries. Charge $10.00 per signature. Theme Party/Dinner. Hold a theme party for 10 (or more) of your friends. Donation: $50.00 per person. Spend no more than $20.00 per person on the food and you'll have $300 (or more!) in donations by the end of the night. Movie Tickets. Ask your local cinema or theater to donate several tickets. Sell or auction them and put the money towards your participation pledge. Delegate. Give 10 of your friends 10 donation forms and ask them to help raise money for you. Creative Friends. Find a local artist or creative friend to donate a piece of art or craft to be auctioned. House Warming Party. Are you moving anytime soon? If so, ask your friends to make a donation instead of purchasing a gift for your new place. Colour Donation Forms. Capture your recipients' attention. Send them in colored envelopes too. These will stand out among your friends' bills and junk mail. Signature. Create an signature with a link to your Wheels Within Wheels homepage. You will be surprised at how many people will respond by donating! Business Cards. Print up some inexpensive business cards (you can even do it on your own computer). Include all of the pertinent information on the card ~ your name, your homepage address and information about Wheels Within 3

4 Wheels. Hand these out to everyone you meet! Doctor / Therapist / Veterinarian / Insurance Agent. Ask him/her to make a cheque out for you instead of the other way around! Dentist. Hopefully you won't have to pull teeth to get him/her to help you out a little! Chiropractor. They have cracked your back. Now ask them to crack open their cheque book to help a worthy cause. Medical Centre. Don t forget to ask your doctor ~ they above all, should know the devastating health effects of living in an impoverished community. Prescribe a healthy donation!! Yoga Instructor. You ve bent over backwards for them ~ now it s their turn to do the same for you! Radio Station. Call your favorite radio station and ask them to make an announcement on the air. They may even interview you. Gym. Ask your gym to place a Donation Jar at the front desk and leave donation forms at the counter. Hair Salon. Ask your hairdresser to donate $5.00 from every haircut they complete over one or two days. Mechanic. You have given them lots of money to work on your car. Now it is time for them to give back to you! Free Rent! Ask your landlord to donate one month's rent to the cause. Worth an ask!! Mow-a-thon. Get your kids involved in this weekend activity. Check ahead of time with all your neighbours and ask them if you can mow their lawn for $ Car Wash-a-Thon. Another way to get kids to get involved. Set up a manual car-wash and charge depending on the size of the vehicle. Neighbours. Write to all your neighbours on your block (or in your building) telling them what you're planning and asking them to donate. Garden Tour. Check with a local garden society to see if they would sponsor a garden tour of one or several homes in your area. Promote the event in local newspapers. Picnics. Hold a picnic-in-the-park and charge to attend. Make a banner and then canvass passers-by! Meet the Press. Does your company distribute a newsletter? Does your company have an intranet message board? Take advantage of these! It's a perfect way to get the word out. Neighbourhood Chores. Are you a Mr or Ms Fix-it? A lot of your neighbours would probably rather pay you than someone else. Place signs around your neighbourhood advertising your services (ie. watering gardens, cleaning gutters, sweeping leaves, fixing an easy plumbing problem, painting a room etc.) Karaoke Night. Who cares if you can't carry a tune? Spend a Friday night at a Karaoke Bar and sing your heart out! Have the announcer tell the crowd that you're singing for donations for a the beneficiaries of a Wheels Within Wheels charity ride. Talented Friends. Is there a little piano bar in your neighbourhood? Do you have a talented piano-playing friend? Ask the owner to let you host a cocktail/piano fundraiser. Charge anyone who attends and let them know that it's a benefit for Wheels Within Wheels. House Sit. Friends going out of town for a while? Maybe they will pay you to watch their place. 4

5 On-line Auctions. Remember the garage sale idea? Auction-off remaining items on Ebay or similar on-line auctions in your country. Company Vacation Days. Ask your boss or human resources director if they can swap one of your vacation days for a day's pay. In memory of... If you are riding in memory of a loved one, include a picture of them on your donation request letter, on posters, etc. Donations for each day on a Wheels Within Wheels ride ~ Ask supporters to pledge an amount for each day you are on the road. Game Night. Get out those board games and start playing! Break into teams and let the fun begin. Host a Poker Game. Call your card-playing friends and invite them over for poker night. Bowling Nights. Plan a fun night of bowling at the local alley. Ask the owner to waive the fees and you can collect that money and apply it to your campaign. Used book sale. Old books sitting around collecting dust? Ask your friends, family and neighbours to donate whatever they have and host a book sale in your front yard. Erect Wheels Within Wheels charity ride signs so people will know where the money is going. Local Stores. Ask a local store manager what the hot selling item is these days and if they would be willing to donate a % of sales from that particular item to the cause. Curse Jar. Place a Curse Jar in your office or on the table at an after office get together and whenever someone swears they put a dollar in the jar. Dress Down Day. Ask your company to allow an official Wheels Within Wheels Dress Down Day. For the privilege of dressing down, employees donate $20.00 toward the ride. Company Grants. Find out if your company offers grants to employees who volunteer their time for charitable causes. If so, you can volunteer to spend one day dedicated solely to raising funds for Wheels Within Wheels. Church Bulletin. Place an advertisement in your church bulletin letting the congregation know what you're up to! Ask your church leader (priest, pastor, vicar etc) to let you place donation envelopes in the church porch. Coloured Ribbon Distribution. Create small coloured ribbons to bring awareness for the particular Wheels Within Wheels cause. Sell them to your friends, family members, etc. Is there a teacher in the house? Get students to help fundraise. Kids are incredibly creative and cute, too! Have them put together those ribbons for you! Other Parents. If your kids play team sports, distribute donation forms to other parents at the event. Inspirational Book Marks. Create them and sell them to your friends and family. Ride Along. Ask potential donors to go for a ride over the weekend (0r longer). They may be more willing to donate once they fully understand what you have committed to doing! Extra money can be made by including raffles or games along the way. Treasure Hunt. Put together a motorcycle Treasure Hunt and charge people to participate. Motorcycle Companies. Contact a couple of the big bike companies or retail outlets. Tell them what you are doing and ask them if they would like to sponsor you for the entire amount! You may even get some cool riding gear. 5

6 Computer Screen Savers. Create a Wheels Within Wheels screen saver and send it to everyone in your company! A gentle reminder is a good reminder! Rock on! If you know any musicians, ask them to perform a benefit concert. Tell people their admission ticket is a cheque made out to Saffron Road Charitable Trust. Wine and Cheese Party. Host a party at a local restaurant and ask the owner to donate the wine and cheese. Or have one at home. Everyone brings a bottle of wine with an envelope attached containing their donation and donor s name (or anonymous). This way it can be as much or as little as they can afford. Weekend Barbecue or Street Party. Throw open your garden or yard for a communal barbecue. Close off your street and invite all the neighbours. Don t forget to clear street paties with local authorities first! Temporary Tattoos. Swap a temporary tattoo for a donation. Newspapers. Contact your local newspaper editor, tell them your story and suggest an interview. Do you have a favorite magazine? Call the publisher and ask them to sponsor you. If you ve subscribed to a particular publication for a long time they may be willing to give something back to you. Sports & Activities Clubs. Golf, tennis, squash, polo, gun, dog, football ~ the list is endless. Whatever sport of activity you are into, turn your club into a club full of Good-Sports! Motorcycle Clubs. The perfect place to raise money for a fund-raising motorcycle tour. If other members can t join you on the ride, then maybe they ll be more than willing to donate instead. Universities and Colleges. Contact your local campus and ask if you can put an advertisement in their college newsletter asking for donations. Some of the organizations may even invite you to make a short presentation to their staff or students. Alumni Organizations and Old School Associations. Call your old college, university or school and ask them to place an ad in their newsletter asking for donations. Junior and High Schools. Class students of any age may like to adopt a school in the region where the Wheels Within Wheels rides are conducted. The money raised will help the school get the facilities and items they need ~ books, pens, pencils, heating, carpets, board games etc. Take a photo of your class so it can be displayed in the classrooms. Remember to check with local authorities that what you are planning is legal in your own country, state or town. 6