Firstgiving Blog

FOTW or "I'm not changing my shirt until I raise $100 for AIDS."

That's what twenty college students are sporting on their backs in an effort to raise money for Team World Vision, an organization that helps impoverished children and their communities.  These students have made t-shirts that say "I'm not changing my shirt until I raise $100 for AIDS," and they're doing exactly that.  It's not as drastic as a hunger strike, by any means, but I expect a laundry strike will be noticed by quite a lot of people in these fundraisers' communities.  I had never heard of someone using this technique until I got a message on Facebook from Aubrie Rovenstine:

"Due to the incredible willingness of 19 other people across America, I am raising my fundraising goal to $2500.  These 19 people and myself are wearing shirts to raise awareness for this fundraiser, and are each committed to raising $100. We are wearing our shirts every day (beginning today) until this goal is met (or longer).

If you attend Indiana Wesleyan, Oklahoma Wesleyan, Greenville, COD or Taylor, there is at least one person on your campus. Find this person, and you can give them a donation. This person is easy to spot because their shirt says "WORLD VISION" on the front and "I'm not changing my shirt until I raise $100 for AIDS." on the back."

As soon as I read it I knew I had to tell you all about this idea - I love it!  It's not hard to do, but takes dedication to the cause; it allows individuals in widespread geographic locations to all participate together and raise awareness in all of their communities; it's creative; and above all, it gets the message out there loud and clear.

Aubrie is running this fantastic campaign as part of her fundraising efforts while running the Chicago Marathon.  Team World Vision, of which she's a part, currently has over 500 runners hoping to raise, collectively, over $500,000 just through participation in the Chicago Marathon and related efforts.   Aubrie alone has already contributed $1600, and is continuing to collect donations along with all her fellow fundraisers. 

I can't wait to get a full update from Aubrie on how much the shirts have brought in - and how long people are finding themselves wearing them before reaching their $100 goals.  I'm also very much hoping that some of you will take this idea and run with it:

• Make your own promotional gear, like t-shirts that proclaim that you're fundraising.
• Go on strike!  Stop changing your shirt, stop doing your laundry, stop driving your car (feet were made for walking), stop buying from companies if you disagree with their business practices....there are endless possibilities.
• Talk about it!  Tell everyone about your fantastic fundraising idea, including us.  I want to hear about all the t-shirts you make and the strikes you go on.  blog[at]firstgiving.com.
  

The Luxury of Choice

A lot of you have asked, in the past, about the information we choose to display about each donation that gets made to a fundraising page.  Up until now, we decided that all official-event-centered fundraising pages would show the date and amount of the donation, along with the donor's name and optional comment, and we omitted the donation amount on pages made in memoriam and for personal occasions.  We decided and you were stuck with it.... until now!

Thanks to our crackerjack tech team, you now have the luxury of choice!  When you first make your page it will include certain columns by default.  However!  After your page is created you can now log into your account and edit which columns you want to display on your page. 

• Log in with your email and password.
• Click the "your fundraising pages" tab.
• Click "edit your page".
• Scroll down to where the donations table is, at the bottom of the page.
• You'll see a check box underneath each column header; uncheck the ones you don't want displayed on your page.
• Don't forget to click "update and preview" AND then click "I am happy with my changes" on the next page.  (That will save your changes.)

Now you can go to your page and see only the columns you want to see.  Isn't choice a wonderful thing?

"Those lazy, hazy, crazy days"... of fundraising?

Summer is the lazy season, right?  School's out, vacation is the order of the day, and if nothing else it's usually too hot to get much done.  The fun(draising) doesn't have to stop, though, just because the temperature's up and your friends are focused primarily on cold lemonade (or cold beer).  Here are just a few ideas of seasonally appropriate ways to keep your fundraising going right through the dog days until the leaves being to change:

Barbecue for charity: throw a barbecue and instead of asking guests to bring dishes, potluck style, ask them to bring canned food (or money) that you can take to a local soup kitchen or shelter.  Make a Firstgiving page at the same time for anyone who wants to give more and so anyone who can't make it to the party can still help out.

Sponsor an ice cream eating contest: it's about as easy as it sounds.  Get some people, get some ice cream, eat really fast.  Make a Firstgiving page leading up to the big event as a way to raise money and get people hyped up.  You can take offline donations on the day of, and add them for a grander total.

Build the biggest, best sandcastle: what says "summer" more than the beach, and what says "beach" better than a sandcastle?  Make a Firstgiving page to "sponsor" your biggest, best ever building effort.  Take photos of your feat of disposable engineering and post them on your page once you've finished.  (Be sure to keep the page active so you can go on collecting donations after the fact -- when people are so awed and inspired by your skyscraper of sand that they decide to give just a little bit extra.)

You could also....
make the world's largest ice cream sundae
have a watermelon seed spitting contest
throw a frozen daiquiri party (which might get the donations flowing really well!)
try a new water sport for the first time (would your friends donate just to see you on a jet ski?)
choreograph a water ballet
....or almost anything! 

Let us know if you try out any of these ideas, or if you have any great summer fundraising ideas of your own that you want to share!  Email blog[at]firstgiving.com.

Making snowballs

I just read a very interesting article* about "the cumulative-advantage process" in relation to the music business: basically how popular things get more popular ("the rich get richer").  It was interesting but also a bit worrying; is the catch-22 really true, that you have to be popular already in order to get more popular?  Firstgiving is all about helping everyone, every nonprofit, every cause.  We believe very firmly that one person with one web page can make a big difference....because that's what we see happening every single day.

Then I thought about the tips we so often give to fundraisers who are unsure of how to get started.  For a long time we've been saying "start with your friends and family."  I realized that that's exactly what this article is talking about, simply looked at from the other side.  So this worrying article turns out to be reinforcement of what we've said all along!  It just reminds us of a good way to get things started on the right foot. 

"...the long-run success of a song depends so sensitively on the decisions of a few early-arriving individuals, whose choices are subsequently amplified and eventually locked in by the cumulative-advantage process."  We're talking about fundraising campaigns, not songs, but the same principle still applies: a few people can help get your page rolling, and once it's rolling it'll just keep going and going.  The snowball effect. 

If you can get your campaign started with a few people who really want to help, then when you publicize your page to all the rest of your world (friends, colleagues, acquaintances, distant relatives, everyone!) they'll be more excited about contributing to a campaign that's already off and running.  So ask your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend/mother/uncle/best friend to start your page off on the right foot, and then get out there and get the rest of the world on board.

*The article was published in the New York Times Magazine on April 15, 2007; it was written by Duncan J. Watts.  Thanks to my friend Kate for passing it along to me.

The more the merrier!

"One is the loneliest number..." or so said Harry Nilsson.  Whether or not you agree, it's certainly true that a lot of things are more fun with your friends.  Why should helping your favorite cause be any different?

Sure you can sit all alone in your house and write a check, mail it to a nonprofit's development office, and be done with it.  And that would be fantastic!  Don't get me wrong, anything you do to help is wonderful, no question about it. 

However, we've seen that people can often do more good in aggregate - and have more fun doing it.  One way of doing that is to make your own fundraising page and get your friends and family to donate, sure.  But what about getting a group of people and making a fundraising page together?  Or maybe even getting each person to make his or her own fundraising page, and then linking them together to make your own little fundraising network?!

Yes, you can do these things with Firstgiving pages.  Getting a group of people together and making one page is easy; you can do it just like you would your own page, only include everyone's names and let the message be from/written by everyone.  Then have everyone promote the page, and voila!  You have a successful campaign going with your friends. 

You and your friends can also each make your own page and then link them together.  How?  Several ways. 

1. Tags: If you each attach the same tags to your page then you can all find each other's page and other people can find all of them too.  (Refer to our post on tags for more info.)
2. Social networking sites: You and your friends can all put badges for your own pages and each other's on your MySpaces and Facebooks and such, and promote them as a group.  You can also make a MySpace or Facebook group for your fundraising campaign or for the organization or cause for which you're raising money.
3. Blogs: Some blogging sites (like Blogger) let you make group blogs or have guest authors.  If you set one up for your fundraising group, you can all blog about your progress.  Each of you can link to the blog from your own blogs/MySpaces/Facebooks/etc., and you can also link to it from the Firstgiving page.

Like I said, we unconditionally encourage all forms of contribution to the nonprofits of your choice, whether that means participating in walkathons, volunteering, writing personal checks, buying tickets to local (nonprofit) theater, setting up fundraising pages, or anything else you can think of to help.  Helping is the bit that matters.  But if you can get together with your friends and all help together, doesn't that seem like more fun?

Mission: Trip

Summer is here and tons of people are gearing up for vacations on nice islands and beach front resorts, but as usual our fundraisers amaze us yet again in showing their dedication.  I'm talking about summer mission trips!  Mission trips, Alternative Spring break, Volun-tour-ism (catchy, I know) are some amazing ways to combine a trip to somewhere you want to go with helping out a cause that you are passionate about, whether it be building a church in Kenya, providing medical care in New Orleans, or teaching disadvantaged children in India. 

My roommate went to California with Habitat for Humanity last year and had a blast (it was her first time seeing the Pacific) and got to help build houses (her first time caulking windows).  Which is totally the coolest thing ever and she was so excited about going, helping and being a part of something bigger instead of the usual margaritas and cushy pool chairs. 

Now that I have you thoroughly convinced that your next big vacation should be in hurricane stricken New Orleans. . . the question that comes up is, "how will I pay for this excellent trip of goodwill?"

Well that is where Firstgiving comes in.  Already we have some great trips arranged by our non-profit friends like Child Family Health International, Community Collaboration International, Habitat for Humanity, etc.  And the cool thing is that not only can you raise money to help these organizations in general (which helps make projects like mission trips possible), you can also raise money specifically to finance your next trip with them. 

How does this work?  Talk to your nonprofit about earmarking the funds that you raise.  This isn't always possible, so be sure to talk to them before getting started.  But a lot of organizations can take whatever funds come in from your fundraising page and set them aside for your particular trip.   This way you can provide the funds for your meals, shelter, and project supplies and that definitely helps out these charities and makes your trip a success.  You are also enlisting your community to help out both you and the charity!

Another similar question that has been asked is, "How do I raise money for a specific chapter of my organization?" Sometimes that just involves calling HQ and letting them know that you are raising money for that specific cause and also informing them that they will be receiving a check in your name in honor of a specific chapter.   Again, the best way to do it is to call first and make sure the organization knows what you are planning on doing so they are prepared when they get their check.

So try it out. . . you are sure to get some really encouraging comments from friends and family and also have a great experience helping out another community!

   

Get Regular

We like Miss Malaprop.  I can be found during the entire day checking for updates.  My favorite item (I think) of all time that she has posted is the Stegga coin necklace (well she didn't post about it but she alluded to it).  Alison and Thos got to meet her at the Maker Faire and were just really excited that they got to put a face to a page!

As this point you might be wondering why we have placed this post in "The Academy" and not one of our other brilliant categories; well, don't despair, I will get to the point.  The point is Miss Malaprop makes a fundraising page every 1-2 months, debuting in January.  That's pretty excellent.  She usually has some incentive for her readers.  For example, last month she was raffling off a really cool collection of items.  This month, she updated her site to mention that donors of $25 or more get a prize! Yay! Prizes.  I mean  - honestly - who doesn't love a prize!  Also, she is promoting her fundraising campaign at her store on Etsy.com and a lot of the other sites that she is associated with. 

So now. . . getting to the moral of this story.  What is Miss Malaprop doing correctly?
Well here we go in list form nonetheless:

• She's offering an incentive.
• She keeps mentioning her campaign on her blog. 
• She runs a regular fundraiser!
• She changes her charities.
• She isn't asking for a ton of money, she just wants her readers to be involved!
• Kudos for using the widget!
• Extra bonus points for mentioning her fundraiser on MySpace!

The really big thing is that she is always doing a fundraiser and so it's a consistent way for her online community to connect with her and really show their support for something she likes! She mentions her fundraiser on all her social networking pages and she encourages her supporter with a prize.  So if you are looking for a way to revamp your fundraising campaign try some of her ideas out!

Review!

Guest Lecturer Brittany back again! I was looking at old academy posts and realized while all are still fantastic there are a few updates to be had! So a review session is in order!

We shall go in order from oldest to newest post!

Lesson One: Widgets and Badges

• Use them! They're easy to grab and they let people know what you are doing and close you are to your goal!

Lesson Two: The Paper Equivalent of an Email Signature

• We recently emailed Moo.com to figure out international shipping costs.  We were a little worried because they are based in London and so we thought their mini cards coming in at the bargin of $19.99 would be much more expensive!  Well, good news is they have a flat rate of $5 for global shipping which means their service is really low cost!

Lesson Three: Social Networks

• You need to be persistent on your various social networks! Update, update, update!  It's important and it lets your friends and family know that you are serious!  For Facebook try changing your picture: that will get you updated on the Main Newsfeed and get your friends to look at your page again! On MySpace send out a bulletin and let people know that you are still picking away at your goal and need their help! On Blogger write a new post (remind people!) or create a YouTube video asking people to help you out!  Constant updating is key, because you don't want you supporters to forget you!
  

Lesson Four: Anything-a-thon 

• Simple Math: Anything + a-thon = Money for Charity!

Lesson Five:  Do you have a birthday?

• Because re-gifting gets old after awhile. 

Lesson Six: Sponsor My....Facial hair?

• Those staches are growing and at the moment they are up to $4,747!  Fund-a-Stache is totally a fun idea, but don't stop there! There are twelve months in a year and you and your friends could be shaving your heads at the end of June or giving up chocolate for the month of July!  Be creative, your options are limitless!
  

Lesson Seven:  Cloning with Brittany

• You have your online avatar and it's cool and kind of looks like you, but don't stop there!  Your Meez can change with you!  Say you are the Fund-a-Stache guys: your Meez could slowly grow a beard.  Or if you are getting ready to do a marathon your Meez can sport some cool sneakers and shorts (maybe a sweatband?) and be in a running pose!
  

Lesson Eight: Five Ways to Rock Your Page

• Chinatown afterschool is totally in the lead at the moment! But even more importantly, Jen and Paul have surpassed their goal of $300 by $180! They're currently at $480!  That's awesome!

Five ways to rock your page

If you're a regular reader of this blog then you probably remember, a few weeks ago, when Thos, Laurel, Brittany and I headed over to Harvard to eat ice cream and hang out with the students at Phillips Brooks House.  We had a grand old time, and I've stayed in touch with Jen of PBHA, who helped us arrange our ice cream party. 

Well, Jen had a project to do for school, and she decided that li'l ol' us would be a very interesting topic on which to write.  (Thanks, Jen!  We're flattered.)  As part of the project she and her project partner Paul made their very own fundraising page, which we think is awesome for five main reasons:

1. She DID it.
   Jen and Paul wanted to know how our fundraising pages work... so they made one!  They didn't sit around wondering what the page creation process is like, or wondering if they could raise any money.  They found out.
2. It's a competition.
   Competition can be a great motivator, and it can be a lot of fun.  We especially like these kinds of competitions where everyone wins: Jen's program gets money, Paul's program gets money, and the donors get the satisfaction of helping a good cause while they're busy trying to beat each other.
3. The Facebook tie-in.
   Facebook is THE social network for current college students, so by likening our donor comments area to the Facebook "wall," Jen and Paul made their fundraising page instantly relatable for their donors.
4. The survey. 
   Want feedback?  Ask for it.  We love feedback (as you hopefully know by now), and we love to see fundraisers asking for feedback.  Survey Monkey - the website Jen and Paul used - is one tool you can use, or you can do something as simple as asking your donors to leave some particular information in their comments (see points 2 and 3).
   
5. $300 in 84 hours!
   It's amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it, isn't it?  Cliché , perhaps, but true nonetheless.  These two decided they wanted to raise $300 in 84 hours, and they did.  If you email everyone you know, if you find a way to make donating fun or exciting, if you commit yourself to reaching your goal, you can.  Jen and Paul are a perfect example.

So, in case you're wondering what the take home message is:

1. Nike says it best: just do it.
2. Make it fun.  Win-win competitions are no-lose propositions.
3. Make your page relatable for your donors, whatever that might mean for you.
4. If you want feed back, don't be afraid to ask.
5. You can do it!  Or, as my parents like to say to me, "You go, girl."

And in the spirit of practicing what we preach.... talk to us!  Leave comments or send me an email at blog [at] firstgiving.com. 

Cloning with Brittany

Guest Lecturer Brittany here, your friendly ambassador of the internets.  Today, dear community, we will focus on online avatars and how you can use them to supplement your Firstgiving page.   By now, quite a few of you have a few different online profiles, I mean even Firstgiving has accounts on  MySpace,  Facebook, Zaadz, etc!   If you take a look at all of our accounts you can see that we use the same image because we connect all of our accounts with a single (the beautiful andvisually stunning "FG") image and obviously the Firstgiving name.  We think that the online avatars are really a fun and easy way to connect your blog, social networking pages and a funny way to create a recognizable image of yourself. 

Using an image that identifies you is pretty important when you start fundraising.  Using a personal photo helps your supporters recognize your page and reassures them that they are at the right place.  Today, I've been playing around with online avatars and have had a pretty good laugh over it, and as you will see below I came up with three very unique results!  I took a look at Meez, WeeMe's, and South Park studio characters!   

Meez are awesome because - beyond dressing them in spiffy little outfits - you can animate them to do all sorts of cool stuff like kicking a copier machine, skiing downhill in the office, riding a horse sidesaddle, etc! Also that means you can sometimes customize your Meez to do an activity that relates to your fundraising campaign!   

WeeMe's are also adorable and  if you already have one for your Windows Live  Messenger or your AIM profile you can grab a snapshot of it  on WeeWorld.  Another option is creating a little South Park image that you can use.  I know tht I used to use it on my Facebook profile and it always got a few laughs!

The idea here is that you should use something that people recognize and something that you can use in a bunch of different places! Enjoy!   

If you have a Meez or want a Meez (note: she is not animated, but if you click on her she will pop-up animated!):

• Go to Meez.com
• Click on Meezmaker
  
  • Personalize your Meez Make sure you look around there are a ton of choices at-shirts and even some charities are featured!
  • Find an animation that suits you or your fundraising campaign!
• Then go to Export
  • To keep your Meez animated make sure you pick "bodyshot 175X233 (animated)" from the drop down menu.
    
    • this will save it as an animated GIF
  • From there just save it and you can upload your Meez on your fundraising page
• My Firstgiving Meez Example

If you have a WeeMe or want a WeeMe:

• Go to WeeWorld
• Cick, "Wee to Go"
  • Click Other for the "where"
    • download the snapshot! (jpeg style)
• My Firstgiving WeeMe example

If you want a South Park character:

• Go to SP Studio
  
• Create your character
• Press the "print" key on your keyboard (nothing happens)
• Open MS Paint, MS Word or a program like Photoshop
• Click "edit", "paste" The picture will appear and you can save or edit it
• To put it in your FG page make sure you save it as a jpeg!
• On a Mac you can hit command-shift-4 to select the picture and make a screenshot.
• Make sure you give the creator credit by including a link to http://www.sp-studio.de/!
• My South Park Firstgiving example!

Sponsor my....facial hair?

Two weeks ago we talked about anything-a-thons.  Last week it was birthdays and weddings.  Now facial hair?  Where am I going with all of this?!

Non-events, that's where.  It's very easy, as I said last week, to get stuck on the idea of walkathons and polar plunges as the only ways to catalyze your fundraising efforts.  In reality, though, anything can be your "excuse" to raise money.  In fact, you don't even need an excuse!

One of our (in the office) favorite examples of an alterna-event is Fund-a-stache, which turns May into grow-a-mustache-for-charity month for anyone who might choose to participate.  Last year our very own Thos grew a 'stache and raised cash for ABC No Rio.  Now that May has arrived we're waiting to see if he decides to grow another charitable mustache....and if any of the other men on staff decide to join him. 

Don't want facial hair?  No problem.  You don't have to jump on this particular bandwagon, but look at it as inspiration.  You could grow the hair on your head really long and then donate it to Locks of Love, like Erin and Nikki are doing, and raise money at the same time. 

The idea here is to think outside the proverbial box.  Writing your college thesis?  Make a fundraising page!  Tell your friends and family that they can show their support and encouragement by making donations to your charity of choice while you're slaving away in the library for many months.  At the end, you'll have not only your beautifully bound masterpiece (and your hard-earned degree), you'll also have the great satisfaction of knowing that a check is being sent off to your favorite nonprofit.

Have people sponsor your studying for the bar exam, or for the MCAT.  Finally decided to write your first book?  Awesome.  Use it as an excuse to raise money.  Anytime you're doing anything big or momentous or just fun, you can use that as your "event," just the way you'd use a marathon.

In fact, you don't have to do anything at all except care about a cause.  When I started working here I figured I should make my own fundraising page.  I didn't have any "reason" or event, really, but that didn't stop me!  I've put together a page to benefit a tiny nonprofit company run by people I know, just because.  By simply putting the link in my email signature I've already begun to collect funds, and so this little company is getting help simply from me deciding that I could spend five minutes of my time to make a page. 

My goal?  To always have an active fundraising page for one of the many nonprofit companies whose welfare I care about.  That way I'll always be doing something - even if it's a very small something - to help. 

Tell us about your "non-events."  Send us your mustache-growing photos.  Talk to us about what you're doing and what we can do to make it easier!  And, as always, keep on doing the good you do.  (We're just here to help.)

Where to Begin?

You signed up, you added your best photo (not the photo with your hair all frizzy or your eyes squinty), and you wrote this beautiful (touching/glorious/inspiring) message, but now. . . NOW, it's time to get down to business! We have listed a few tried and true examples of ways that fundraisers have started off their campaign!

1. Put a link to your Firstgiving page on your web site, MySpace page, or IM profile.       Odds are good that you have some space of your own somewhere on the internet where you keep in touch with your friends, or that you at least use an instant messenger program that lets you make a profile.  That�s a perfect place to put a link to your Firstgiving fundraising page.  Even better?  Use a widget!  In the �your fundraising pages� section of your account you�ll find an option to get a widget or badge that you can post anywhere you like.       You can see widgets in action on these pages: Wayne's World, CNY Apparel.


2. Email your friends and family first, then everyone else you know.       Send a short email including a link to your Firstgiving page to your friends and family and let them know that they can donate funds to your cause online; you can use Firstgiving's email tool, or your own email program.  If you can get the people you�re closest to to give your page a jumpstart then you�re more likely to get donations when you take the next step, which is emailing everyone else you know and asking them to chip in.  Don�t be shy when it comes to this step: be sure to write to everyone in your address book!


3. �and put a link in your email signature.  Most email programs allow you to set signatures that will be attached to every email you send out.  You can edit your signature to include a link to your fundraising page; then everyone you send an email to about anything will know you�re raising money for a good cause!


4. Blog about it.  It seems like everybody�s got a blog these days, or a LiveJournal.  Or maybe you�re more of a message board fan?  Either way, if there�s a place online where you rant, rave, or just chat with other people, give your fundraising page � and your cause � a shoutout.


5. Share the news. Tell your co-workers about Firstgiving. Tell your kids� baby sitter about Firstgiving.  Tell the guy sitting next to you on the bus about Firstgiving.  If you know anyone who might be interested in donating to your cause, or raising money themselves, tell them about Firstgiving.  You can even call your local paper and see if they�d like to write about your event and your fundraising efforts.  Just get out there and tell the world what you�re doing and how they can help your cause.


6. If you have more suggestions, please tell us! Send an email with your tip.
   

Resparking the Magic

Feeling down? The honeymoon period over? Was your last donation was 15 days ago? Well, dear friend don't despair, there is hope to be found!   

Here are some ways you can keep the momentum going:    

1. Make sure you�re promoting your page as much as possible: Check out our basic ways to promote your page (above) and make sure you�re doing everything you can to tell the world about your fundraising page.


2. Increase your goal amount. Did you know that you can edit your page to change your fundraising goal amount? People like to feel that their help is truly needed. Upping your goal can help encourage people to give as much as they�re able to your cause. Log into your Firstgiving account to edit your goal on the "your fundraising pages" tab..
    
3. �or edit any other part of your page. Keeping your page up to date gives people a reason to visit it (and possibly donate) more than once. Some ideas: changing your photo or updating the �personal message� text. Some people even use the �personal message� field like a blog, keeping an ongoing log of their fundraising and/or training progress, the status of the project they're supporting, etc.


4. Get your friends and family in on the act. Talk to your biggest supporters about how easy it is to set up a Firstgiving page, and suggest that they set up their own pages. You don't have to be doing an actual event to start a fundraising team, it's just getting a group of people together to support the same cause.


5. Get creative!

Do you have a birthday?

Most people think "fundraising event" and they think "walkathon," with advance registration and zillions of people and media coverage and the whole shebang.  But I think "fundraising event" and I think "hmmm, everyone has a birthday, right?" 

Everyone does have a birthday, last time I checked, and that means everyone has at least one excuse every year to raise money.  Check out Jason's page: when he turned 19 in January he didn't ask for presents, he asked for donations!  Yeah, it means you won't get gifts in quite the same way, but who really needs more scented candles and travel clocks?  This way your friends and family can give to you by giving to your cause, and everyone can feel good about that.

Making a fundraising page can work particularly well if you happen to be celebrating not just any birthday but your Bar or Bat Mitzvah.  Jordan's page is a great example of how even kids can make a huge difference!

We also see a lot of people making pages for their weddings, like Shula and Nick.  Especially in this day and age, when many people get married a little older, or for a second time, they don't need as much stuff as they used to, and so the huge pile of wedding gifts doesn't always make as much sense.  The perfect solution?  Ask people to give money to the happy couple's favorite nonprofit!  (And remember, that could be any nonprofit company that's in the Guidestar database, from the American Cancer Society to your local PTA!)

Been married for a while?  Sherman and Shari are celebrating their 50th anniversary (!!) and are asking their friends and family to make donations in lieu of purchasing gifts. 

Why am I telling you all of this?  Because if you're looking for some "reason" to fundraise you probably don't have to look very far.  Any occasion can be turned into a "fundraising event," so everyone who wants to can find some "excuse" to raise money.  You have a birthday, right? 

Anything-a-thon

Yesterday was the 111th Boston Marathon!  Despite the nasty weather, it all seemed to go pretty well.  (I watched from the warm comfort of my living room; I got totally wrapped up in it and ended up watching people run for more than four hours!)   We extend a hearty round of applause to all the runners, Firstgiving users or not: 26.2 miles is an accomplishment!

I started thinking, though, about how we talk so much about the marathon and nearly forget all the other -a-thons that are out there, and that's really a shame!  Looking through some of our current pages I found more than a dozen other kinds of -a-thons that people are using as catalysts for raising money. 

Aside from the standard marathons, triathalons, and walkathons, there are a few other classics: the dance-a-thon and the bowl-a-thon among them.  We have quite a lot of bowlers, actually, though only a few dancers.  Still, I imagine you don't need to have these two explained to you.  (Who hasn't heard of a dance marathon?)

Firstgiving users are also getting involved in a lot of other, less traditional -a-thons, and those are what I'd like to focus on in this Academy lesson.  The take-home message, just to get it out of the way, is that anything can become an -a-thon. 

One -a-thon that should be easy to understand is the Pet Walkathon.  (Christine Slak's page is a good example.)  This is exactly what it sounds like: go for a walk....and bring your pets!  Sometimes these are specifically oriented toward dogs, sometimes they're broader, like the Humane Animal Welfare Society walk that Christine is participating in.  This is the kind of event that could be easy to organize and that would attract tons of people.  That is, if you're the event-organizing kind of person.  Who's to say you're not?  Maybe you just haven't tried yet....

It's also easy to turn other kinds of athletics into -a-thons: ski-a-thons, hoop-a-thons (see Praveen's page).  This is the category where we'd file bowl-a-thons and dance-a-thons, but you can start getting creative.  Damona Resnick is participating in a yogathon!  Almost any sport can become an -a-thon if you just do it for a long time.  You could do rollerblade-a-thon, a jump-rope-a-thon, or even a swing-a-thon at your local playground!  Or a hula-hoop-a-thon!  (Now I wish it weren't raining, so I could go play outside!)

Sports not your thing?  No problem!  Maybe you're handy with a hammer and would like a build-a-thon, like Jennifer Shafer is doing for Habitat for Humanity.  Or perhaps a touch-a-thon is more your style?  Simply stand and touch a car for as long as you can, as Jeff Hooper explains on his Firstgiving page for the National Kidney Foundation.  That sounds easy, right?  (That's not a trick question, it really sounds easy!)

Even kids can get in on the act with events like the Children's Trike-a-thon on Christine Mueller's page.

Are you starting to get the idea?  This fundraising business isn't limited to the Boston Marathon and the Avon Breast Cancer Walk.  Make up your own -a-thon!  Make an athon-a-thon, where you have people sponsor you to throw as many -a-thon events as you can!  The possibilities are endless, they really are.  So get creative, have fun, and just DO something.  Anything.  Today we celebrate the anything-a-thon.

In fact, we also celebrate the nothing-a-thon!  On our British sister site, www.justgiving.com, you can find an excellent example in Daniel Waite's page where he vows to do - that's right - nothing! 

Okay, so maybe doing absolutely nothing isn't all that appealing to you, but you're not the athletic type?  That's okay, there are -a-thons for you, too!  Check out the Watchathon that Brian Paik participated in to benefit the Brattle Film Festival.  If you can read a blog you can certainly sit and watch movies, right?  So you can see that anyone can really turn anything into an -a-thon, and raise some good money for a good cause.

Your fundraising event doesn't have to be an -a-thon, but these are so easy to put together, so accessible to anyone, and so much fun that they seem like an obvious choice.  Don't wait for the next 26.2 miles run to come around, go make your own -a-thon!

And as always, comment or email (blog@firstgiving.com) with any questions, comments, or suggestions.

Our First Guest Lecturer

By now you know what the Academy is all about: it's a little bit like Firstgiving School.... but hopefully a lot more fun and interesting.  We don't want it to be Firstgiving grammar school, though, where you have just one teacher for all of your subjects.  This is like Firstgiving University: you get to learn from lots of different professors. 

And so it is my pleasure to introduce to you our first guest lecturer: Brittany!  Our fearless co-op student, Brittany is another regular poster here on the blog (often on Laurel's account, which is why you don't see "Brittany" as the post author).  Brittany is in charge of our FOTW program, and she also oversees our involvement with various online social networks such as MySpace and Facebook.  That's why I thought she'd be the perfect person to write today's lesson.  I leave you in her capable hands.....

Social Networks
guest lecture by Brittany

    So, you start out with this really cool fundraising page provided by, yours truly, Firstgiving. You email it out, get a few donations and then. . . nothing.  You let it slide a few days; hoping against all odds that one of your friends will graciously decide to forward on your FG url, thus furthering the reach of your fundraising realm or. . . or  you could take matters into your own hands.  How - you might ask - can you use the vast resources available to you on the Internet to your advantage?  Well, my dear friends, I am about to entrust you with FANTASTIC FUNDRAISING SECRETS BEYOND IMAGINATION! 

Blogger
    You can use Blogger to set up a blog to keep track of your story as you move toward your campaign, Kyle, one our FOTW who used Blogger to record his bike ride from California to Tennesee.  Also with Blogger you can use a Firstgiving widget to keep your readers aware of how your campaign is going and let them know how near you are towards your final goal!  With Blogger you can but photos in your posts, that you can upload using Flickr (a photo platform that makes it easy to put your photos. . . everywhere) and then insert them into your blog. 

Myspace
    For MySpace all you need to remember are the 3 B’s: Blog, Badges, and Bulletins.  A great example of someone who used all three to enhance his efforts is Ethan from the Virginia Beach polar plunge.  At the moment our widgets are not compatiable with MySpace, but we are working on a newer (and better) version of our widget (they're coming soon, we promise!).  Bulletins are messages sent out to all of your friends on MySpace, so it pretty much is your own personal loudspeaker on the web.  You can use your MySpace blog to give people updates as your fundraising saga evolves. 

Facebook
    The “Share on Facebook” function can be used to “share” your link with your friends on Facebook.  It’s an easy way to have your photo posted along with the description of your charity!  There is also room for you to leave a personal message in the comment box.  The share will show up on the main news feed, your mini-feed and in “My Shares” section.

    Another way to use Facebook, in collaboration with your FG page, is to make a group or an event and invite all your friends! This can be a place for you to rally your supporters and get everyone excited for your exciting new mission. And don't forget that Facebook has a place to put personal links. Make sure you include your FG url!

Feeling confused, stressed even?
Our wonderful extended family at Justgiving made this fantastic diagram, here.

The Second Installment

My apologies for not getting this posted on Tuesday as promised.  Things at Firstgiving have been quite busy, what with all the events we have coming up.  Anyway, here is your second "lesson" in the Firstgiving School of All Things Relating to Fundraising.....Online or Otherwise.

The Paper Equivalent of an Email Signature

Hopefully if you're reading this blog you've already set up your own Firstgiving page - maybe more than one? - and are on top of all the online promotion tips and tools we've provided (www.firstgiving.com/Design/1/fundraising_tips.asp).  Even if you're raising money on the net, though (and definitely if you're doing it the old fashioned way!), you can't forget about your offline efforts if you really want to get the best results possible.  Enter "the paper equivalent of an email signature."

The beauty of an email signature is that it gets sent to every person with whom you have any email correspondence.  Well, why can't you send the same message to every person you talk to in "real life"?  If your fundraising comes up in conversation and you can mention your Firstgiving page, awesome.  But for the many interactions you'll have with people that won't include discussion of your efforts to save basset hounds, cure cancer, or provide guide dogs for the blind, you can still give those people a little tag that accomplishes the same thing as an email signature.

How can you do this wonderful thing?  Make business cards.  It's easy.  You can even get free ones from some places if you choose from certain designs.  (They're also cheap from Jakprints.com.)  You can also make your own by drawing them or designing them in Word or Photoshop, taking them to Kinkos, and asking to copy them on card stock instead of paper.  Cut 'em up, and start handing 'em out!  Anytime you have a chat with someone, just hand them a card when you're saying goodbye.  You don't have to give them the hard sell, just say "hey, check this out if you've got a minute."  Just like an email signature: it's just a little "by the way...." and then your friend can decide whether or not to follow up. 

Be sure to include the really important information:

1. Your URL!  That's the http://...  address that people need to know to find your site.
2. Your cause.  Give at least some very brief statement of what you're raising money for.
3. Your name.  Some people will give money because they support the cause, but a lot of people will give money to your page because they support you.  When they pull those cards out of their pockets and purses in a week or two, you want them to remember where they came from. 

You can see that this is an easy way to spread the word to even more people, and the more people know about your fundraising page the more donation you'll get. 

p.s. There's a U.K. company called MOO (moo.com) that prints mini-cards: roughly half the size of a business card.  They seem to be all the rage on that side of the pond, and as far as I know us Americans can get in on the fun too, though you might want to double check on the international postage situation.  (Anyone who's reading this blog from the U.K. should be sure to check out Simon's Brit-centered blog at www.justgiving.com.)

Welcome to the Academy

If you've ever read our British cousins' blog over at justgiving.typepad.com, you've seen the JG Clinic.  My London counterpart, Simon, has been posting tips and tricks for JG users to get the most out of their JG pages... and to have the most possible fun.  Well, here in the American office we thought this was a killer idea, and thus was born the Firstgiving Academy.

This will be your resource for cool ideas and step-by-step instructions so you can maximize your FG page and your fundraising potential.  I'll be talking about my own suggestions, and ideas from the rest of the staff here, but I'd also like to talk about your ideas.  If you have a great tip for your fellow fundraisers, post a comment or email me at alison[at]firstgiving.com so I can share it in the Academy. 

Check back every Tuesday for a new Academy entry!

Lesson One: Widgets and Badges, part 57

By now you've surely heard (or read) someone at Firstgiving talk about these widget things, because we're really excited about them.  A lot of you probably have no problem posting these things all across the internet, but I bet some of you would love to use these new toys and just don't quite get how.  That's where I come in. 

To use a widget:

You can use a widget either to promote your own page or to promote a friend's page, if you just want to help out.   Either way, here's what you do:

1. Go to the fundraising page you want to promote. (www.firstgiving.com/yourshortURL)
2. On the right hand side, underneath the thermometer, click "Promote this page."
3. Click "Grab a fundraising widget."
4. You'll see a grey box inside a yellow box, with text in it that starts with "<iframe" -- highlight ALL the text in that box, and copy it.
5. Go to the web page or blog where you want to put the widget.
6. Choose to "edit in HTML mode" or click on "Edit HTML," then paste the text into the page where you want the widget to appear.
7. Save and/or "publish" your page. 

Now when you go to look at it, there should be a widget!
Unfortunately, if you're using MySpace, our widgets won't work.  (Yet.  We're working on that.)  But you can still promote your FG page on your MySpace...using a badge!

To use a badge (on MySpace, or anywhere):

1. Follow steps 1-3 above.
2. When you get to the page with the grey box inside the yellow box, scroll down.  You'll see three different varieties of badges.  Choose the one you like best.
3. Underneath the badge you've chosen is a box with text in that begins "<a href" -- highlight all of that text and copy it.
4. Log into your MySpace account and click "Edit Profile."  Click "Edit" for the section where you want to put the badge, and paste in the text you copied a minute ago.
5. Save it, and ta da!  You have a badge on your MySpace!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, concludes our first class.  Next week we'll expand into the wonderful world of email signatures.  In the meantime....  Let me know what you thought!  Was it too long and boring?  Did I not explain things enough?  Leave comments or email me at alison[at]firstgiving.com. 

Lights, Camera, Fundraise!

I'm guessing that all of you who are web savvy enough to be reading this blog have at least heard of YouTube; is that a fair assumption?  I'm also guessing that a lot of you have not only visited YouTube to watch some crazy video or other, but may have even posted one or two of your own.  I know that at least a few of our fundraisers have, because I've seen some of the videos myself.  A couple of examples:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrDA5_aphNw

-- He might look like an armed robber, but this masked man is more of a Robin Hood...if you replace the "robbing" with "nicely asking people for donations."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Pnz-YhP0vo

-- My favorite part is when he climbs in and makes airplane noises.

Pretty cool, no?  Think you can do better?  Awesome.  Show us. 

Based on the fundraising pages we look at and talk about in our office every day, we're pretty sure there's an endless stream of YouTube-worthy stuff going on with all of you, from ultra-marathons to polar plunges to people jumping out of airplanes!  We want to see! 

Almost everyone these days at least has a digital camera with a camcorder function, so switch it on and let the rest of us see what you're up to.  Video your event, video yourself asking people for donations, video the person (or village or hospital or pet) that will benefit from your efforts.  Post it on YouTube, and then tell us!  Please!  Post comments here or email alison[at]firstgiving.com anytime.

I know you can't really post things like videos on your fundraising pages directly (as of yet), but we can show them off for you.  Just leave the link in a comment or email it to me.  You can also find our channel on YouTube (youtube.com/firstgiving) and be our friend.

What are you waiting for?

Need a little help with your marathon training? Hire a coach.

< Matt of Team Firstgiving finishing the last leg of the Reach the Beach Relay 2006.

We all have different backgrounds. Some of you are marathon veterans and are trying to take this year's race to a new level. Others never ran before your training started in January.

Whatever your case may be, you all have one common goal - crossing the finish line.

As if that wasn't daunting enough, add the intricate details of marathon training into your already hectic life - fast-approaching fundraising deadlines, increasing work commitments, and family needs.

Firstgiving can help you with your fundraising. However, consider working with a coach to figure out your journey to the finish line.

What to consider when looking for a coach:

• Certifications - What (if any) certifications do they have? Check the  USATF and USAT websites for Running- and Triathlon-specific coaching certifications.
• References - What do other people say about the coach? Are their comments inline with your concerns? See if the coach you are considering can put you in touch with some of their references.
• Experience - How many years has this coach been coaching? Have they raced similar events?
• Style - Does their style of coaching compliment how you want to train? Do your personalities work well together? The best way to find out is to ask the coach and others who have used them questions - get to know them. Remember the more you communicate with your coach, the better your experience will be.

What's awesome about having a coach:

• Voice of reason - Does this sound familiar: I missed my run tonight - will I be able to do the race? Coaches put your mind at ease and fill you with positive thoughts.
• Making it work -  Have family & friends? Work? Volunteer commitments? Life? Oh yeah... and training? Coaches help you find a way to fit all the pieces together.
• Injury prevention - Coaches give you advice and guidelines to follow that help prevent you from overtraining or ramping up your mileage too fast, which can lead to injury.

If having a coach sounds like something for you, there are many great coaches out there to consider, like Firstgiving's friends Performance Training Systems. They coach many different levels of endurance athletes all over the United States from marathoners to triathletes. Perhaps they can help you?

Fundraising goes Casual

We are frequently sent great tips that can be used to enhance your fundraising campaign and we want to pass them on as possible ways to help you reach your fundraising goals. A great idea that was sent to us by Valerie is a "Jeans for Charity" day.  One of Valerie's friends organized a "Jeans for Autism Day" at her law firm to help support their fundraising efforts for the Autism Society of Delaware's inaugural "Walk the High Road for Autism" walk. 

Setting up your own charitable Friday:

• Talk to your employer about supporting a charity by having employees pay a fee (i.e. $5) to wear jeans on a Friday or every Friday of the month.
• If your office already has a casual Friday in place, select another day of the week, perhaps a Wednesday or a Monday as "Jeans Day for Charity".
• Find a charity that you think your office should support or support someones specific fundraiser!
• Send an email out with the link to the Firstgiving page where everyone can pay their "fee" to purchase their jeans privilege.
  
• Repeat as often as possible!

Thanks again Valerie!  

If you have a great idea, feel free to email us and you might be featured on our blog!

 

Need a little help with your marathon training? Hire a coach.

< Matt of Team Firstgiving finishing the last leg of the Reach the Beach Relay 2006.

We all have different backgrounds. Some of you are marathon veterans and are trying to take this year's race to a new level. Others never ran before your training started in January.

Whatever your case may be, you all have one common goal - crossing the finish line.

As if that wasn't daunting enough, add the intricate details of marathon training into your already hectic life - fast-approaching fundraising deadlines, increasing work commitments, and family needs.

Firstgiving can help you with your fundraising. However, consider working with a coach to figure out your journey to the finish line.

What to consider when looking for a coach:

• Certifications - What (if any) certifications do they have? Check the  USATF and USAT websites for Running- and Triathlon-specific coaching certifications.
• References - What do other people say about the coach? Are their comments inline with your concerns? See if the coach you are considering can put you in touch with some of their references.
• Experience - How many years has this coach been coaching? Have they raced similar events?
• Style - Does their style of coaching compliment how you want to train? Do your personalities work well together? The best way to find out is to ask the coach and others who have used them questions - get to know them. Remember the more you communicate with your coach, the better your experience will be.

What's awesome about having a coach:

• Voice of reason - Does this sound familiar: I missed my run tonight - will I be able to do the race? Coaches put your mind at ease and fill you with positive thoughts.
• Making it work -  Have family & friends? Work? Volunteer commitments? Life? Oh yeah... and training? Coaches help you find a way to fit all the pieces together.
• Injury prevention - Coaches give you advice and guidelines to follow that help prevent you from overtraining or ramping up your mileage too fast, which can lead to injury.

If having a coach sounds like something for you, there are many great coaches out there to consider, like Firstgiving's friends Performance Training Systems. They coach many different levels of endurance athletes all over the United States from marathoners to triathletes. Perhaps they can help you?

Training for Boston? Tips on staying motivated from FG staff and fellow runner

< longing for those days of summer...?

By Beth Blake

If you live in the Northeast and you are training for the Boston Marathon (or any other Spring marathon), staying motivated on days like today can be very difficult!

I have been in your running shoes many times. As an endurance athlete (7 marathons, 3 Ironmans, etc) and Run coach for Team Envision (my triathlon team), I have found that the following tips have been helpful for getting me out the door...

1. Dress for the weather.
If you are comfortable, you are less likely to bail or cut your run short. I have found that recording the temperature and weather conditions, as well as what I wore on a run and how I felt, helped me figure what works. For example, when the temperature dips below 20°F, I know I will be comfortable wearing: long sleeve technical shirt, fleece vest, wind breaker (waterproof is best!), leggings, hat, and gloves. Sometimes if I am doing a recovery run (where my heart rate is lower), I will double up on my leggings.

2. Use the buddy system.
Plan to meet a running buddy for a run. It's so much harder to bail when someone else is expecting you. My running buddy and Firstgiving colleague Maggi can attest to that!

3. Just try!
It is easy to bag a run when you are warm and cozy inside and it is dark and cold outside. So many times, the hardest part is actually getting out the door. One strategy that has worked for me is to run for just 10 minutes. If I do 10 minutes, and despise it, I allow myself to turn around. For the record, I have never turned around.

4. Get creative with your runs.
Mix it up -- it keeps you on your toes (pun intended). Here are some ways I have spiced up my runs...
* Make up a new route (check out this awesome tool: www.gmap-pedometer.com).
* Run your old route backwards.
* trail run or snow shoe.
* Cross train (if you are a gym rat, try doing circuits - e.g., 10 minutes on the treadmill, 10 minutes on the stationary bike, 10 minutes on the elliptical, repeat for as many times as the duration of your scheduled run).
* Run an errand, literally. Need to run to the grocery store? Need to drop something off at a friends? Run there!

5. Attitude is everything.
You may not be able to control the weather or sunlight, but you can definitely control your attitude. Now is the time to appreciate the fact that you can train and run a marathon. Think about the fitness and strength you are gaining, all the people you are inspiring, new friendships, and how each run gets you closer to your goal. Also, if you are fundraising for charity, think about all the awareness you are bringing to your worthy cause, not to mention funds that will help your charity do more good and reach their goals.

Next time, the couch looks better than your run, think about these five tips and get out that door!

If you have any tips not mentioned here or you want to add on to my thoughts, please leave a comment and share!

Quick and Dirty Fundraising

Lucy Bernholz, author of the blog Philanthropy 2173 sent us an email this morning pointing to her recent post mentioning "quick and dirty fundraising".  This is not a bad description of some of the ways that online fundraising pages can be used.  We'd like to think that our features make online fundraising "quick and clean", but we appreciate the concept.

Lucy talks about small community-based fundraising needs such as building a new dog park, or funding a school field trip:
"FirstGiving is close to an idea I've been thinking about for awhile - web campaigns for one-time, quick and dirty fundraising needs. For example, raising money for a local dog park, getting funds together for a street fair, getting the fifth graders to Washington, DC, etc.. This is the old fashioned "bakesale" moved onto the web. FirstGiving is not this - although its still cool. It allows anybody to quickly create a fundraising campaign for a registered nonprofit of their choice. "

These "micro-fundraising" needs, so to speak, are served well by online fundraising tools. 
Firstgiving can help by letting a fundraiser organizer set up a fundraising page and having the funds directed to their nonprofit group or an umbrella community group (cities frequently have a tax-exempt city account); fundraising pages display the total raised online, so it's easy to keep track of the funds raised for a specific project.

Great minds, you know?