STF Scholar Mercy in Uganda Your Guide to Fitness Fundraising
Run a Race 2 1 Build your fundraising page. Set up your personal fundraising page on sweatforstf.shesthefirst.org. Find a race and sign up! Whether you re an avid marathoner or a first-time runner, a one-person team or a group of friends, there s a race for everyone. (And we won t tell anybody if you walk!) People donate when they see how passionate you are about them. Include a few paragraphs or a video of yourself telling friends and family why this cause is so important to you. Include pictures of yourself and the girls at our partner schools whom you hope to sponsor (you can pull from our albums at flickr.com/shesthefirst). Set a total fundraising goal and end date. As donations come in, you ll see how close you are to your goal. Causevox, the fundraising platform, directly deposits the money from your donors to the She s the First bank account. 3 Let everyone know you re running the world. It s time to get everyone you know involved. Use our email templates to reach out to family and friends. Share your journey through social media, using hash tag #SweatforSTF. 4 To give your page a boost, you can collect money offline too, such as at a happy hour or t-shirt sale. If you raise money offline, just contact info@shesthefirst.org and we can manually add those contributions to your page. Ready, set, race! Wear your most colorful gear or a She s the First t-shirt out to your race. Keep moving forward! Reach that finish line! Blaze trails! We ll be cheering for you. Be sure to take pictures - we want to see and share them! Plus, your donors will love to see your smile in a thank you note. 5 See your impact. When your Sweat for STF fundraiser is over, notify STF and we ll get to work connecting with our international partner schools to match you with a scholar(s). Within two to three months max, you ll be introduced to the girl(s) you sponsored. You ll also get instructions on how you can be her pen pal, so you can send her encouragement for her studies.
Host a Class Here s a checklist to share with your instructor as you plan a fitness class to benefit She s the First: Choose an instructor or fitness studio to partner with Explain the benefits this event will have for their business, such as attracting new customers, having their logo on all promotional materials, and giving existing members a new source of fit-spiration! Pick a date, time, and place Consider what day and time will ensure the best attendance. Decide how you ll raise money Organizing a special class that is 100% donation-based. Donating a percentage from normally scheduled classes. Selling raffle tickets at the class. Get local businesses (or even the studio itself) to donate gear or gift certificates. Set up a fundraising page Go to sweatforstf.shesthefirst.org to set up a page for your class. Participants can make a donation here to attend your class. This page is great for sharing on social media to get the word out! Publicize Create flyers and a graphic invitation that is easy to post to Facebook and email (we recommend PicMonkey.com). Tag @shesthefirst and #SweatforSTF so we can help you get the word out across our national network. Post flyers in the studio weeks in advance or in places around town where you know your customer base hangs out. Hint: You can find information and photos to share in your announcements at shesthefirst.org or flickr.com/shesthefirst. Follow up After the event, She's the First will put you in touch with the girl you sponsored and send you images that you can share with your participants, thanking them for their support!
Resources Whether you re walking, running, hosting a class or dancing the night away, check out some of our favorite resources for making your fundraiser a success: Ready to run? Use this Race Finder to get started: http://www.runnersworld.com/race-finder Create graphics & flyers for your event using this free online photo editor: http://www.picmonkey.com Read stories about the She s the First scholars and find more information about sponsorships on our website: http://www.shesthefirst.org/sponsor-a-girl Find photos of our scholars to use in your fundraising (just credit the photographer) on our Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shesthefirst Get free workouts to train for your race on the Nike Training Club app, or track your mileage on the Nike+ app. Earn donations all the time by using the Charity Miles smartphone app! http://www.charitymiles.com
Email Template Hello! for runners If there s one thing that could get me to the gym or out for a run when I least feel like it, it s She s the First. I set myself up for a challenge this year: Running the [RACE NAME], a [DISTANCE]. I m not doing this for a medal, but rather to send girls to school in lowincome countries. [INSERT PERSONAL STORY - WHY THIS CAUSE IS IMPORTANT TO YOU] She s the First is a non-profit organization that sponsors the education of girls who will be first in their families to graduate from high school. There is one particular She s the First Scholar, Mercy, who inspires me a lot. Not only is she studying hard at school, but she s an avid runner who trains in the steep, clay mountains of Uganda. At age 13, she s already won several 5k and 10k races! My race is just one of many races, exercise classes, and fitness events that make up the Sweat for STF campaign for She s the First. While training for this race, I ve pledged to send [NUMBER] girls to school by raising just [$ FUNDRAISING GOAL]. Would you cheer me on while I run [NUMBER] miles, send me a message of encouragement (I'll need them!), or go to this page [hyperlink "this page" to your fundraising page] and donate to help me reach my goal? 100% of what I raise goes directly to the girls I m sponsoring. Thank you so much for your support! [YOUR NAME]
Hello! Email Template for fitness classes There's nothing you love more than getting strong and fit at a [TYPE] class, right? Now picture doing just that for a great cause. Even better! Join me at [LOCATION] to break a sweat for girls education. On [DATE/TIME], we are donating all class proceeds to She s the First, a non-profit organization that sponsors girls education in developing countries, empowering them to be the first in their families to graduate from high school. Our event is part of the national Sweat for STF campaign. Through races, dance-a-thons, fitness classes and more, Sweat for STF lets you give your workout even more impact. You re going to have a blast, and 100% of the proceeds will benefit a girl in need of an education. Click here [YOUR FUNDRAISING PAGE LINK] to register and lace up your workout shoes. [INSERT ANY ADDITIONAL INFO] We promise you ll feel great! See you there! [YOUR NAME] For more information about She s the First, visit shesthefirst.org.