A Weekend at the Camp Kesem Leadership Summit, Part 2: How to Fundraise
When the twins and I went to Michigan for the Camp Kesem Leadership Summit, it was for more than riding the 100 Miles of Nowhere. We were also invited in order to talk during the summit itself, the day after the 100 Miles of Nowhere.
First, the twins and I — along with several other kids who’ve been to camp and their parents — were in a panel where we were asked questions about camps and counselors. I mostly got to sit back and enjoy this part; I wish I’d have thought to have someone video it. The kids’ responses were fantastic, and it really underscored how much value kids get from these camps.
A little later in the afternoon, Doug from Movember and I took turns presenting on fundraising tips and techniques. This time, I did think to give my phone to one of the twins and ask her to video me. She did a good job and I even sorta kinda made sense through most of it (stuttered a lot at the beginning but finally settled down and got rolling).
And so, I hereby present my…presentation. On fundraising.
And since I manage to stand in front of my slides for the entirety of the presentation, here are copies of my slides.
You didn’t know my last name ’til now, did you?
Please, let’s not get political. PLEASE.
Learned this point really recently. I can be taught!
Based on this, I should really do an eating contest for a fundraiser.
Hey, sorry about that Obama slide earlier.
But why does the “why” matter?
Captain Obvious would like to remind you that people like things that are easy and fun more than they like things that are difficult and miserable.
By this reasoning, I should be infinitely awesome by now.
Comment by Jim Tolar | 11.11.2015 | 9:09 am
Pretty cool to see the whys and hows of fundraising from a Master. I’m pleased to see that I’d learned some of those tips from my own experience (the one that stands out for me is “Never send someone to a donation page with a balance of $0″).
I also add “if your donation page has a Goal setting, keep the Goal within reach of your current donation level and update it as you continue to raise funds.” Let your user base know that each donation gets you closer to a reachable goal, then push the Goal out (never let a donor get to your donation page with the Goal already achieved).
jt
Comment by esteefatty | 11.11.2015 | 9:52 am
Something else at which Fatty excels – building a community that can have fun and do good together. Thank you for building this community. Thank you for sharing yourself and your family. And thank you to us, the FC community for being here year after awesome year. Fat Cyclist 100 Miles of the best place to be.
Comment by leroy | 11.11.2015 | 10:19 am
Your fundraising skills and capacity to do good achieved infinite awesomeness long ago.
Those of us along for the ride say thanks!
Comment by Libby | 11.11.2015 | 10:30 am
Thanks for the tips & encouragement. The only slide I don’t understand is the calendar one. 26-16? Can anyone explain it? I understand the not too long/not too short bit. Do you mean 16th of one month to the 26th of the next? Yes I’m going to loose sleep over this bit. Maybe a ride in 2C weather will refresh the brain….
Comment by AKChick | 11.11.2015 | 10:54 am
I love you tip that your fundraising page should never be $0! If you don’t believe in your cause enough to make the first donation, then why will others? :) Love it.
I’ve had the best success with direct asks (email and in person) and bake sales at work. I find that Twitter and Facebook do not yield good results for me. I think I use them mainly to announce to people I’m fundraising so they have forewarning that they are going to be asked for a donation. :) I also make sure people know they are not obligated to make a donation. I have a guilt free policy. That doesn’t mean I won’t ask them when I’m fundraising again though. Having an outgoing personality helps. It also helps to not let answers of not right now or now isn’t a good time not get you down. Unfortunately, I also have several compelling stories – I’ve lost my dad, my brother-in-law and my mom to cancer in the past three years. People are always more willing to make donations when there is a compelling story, and that is okay.
Love all that you do through your blog and all your wonderful sponsors to fundraise for a variety of organizations! You are awesomesauce!
Comment by Amy Thompson | 11.11.2015 | 3:39 pm
Fatty, you are “infinitely awesome” now. You continue to inspire us in our efforts. I love the calendar dates, brilliant.
Comment by Jeff Dieffenbach | 11.11.2015 | 4:16 pm
Infinity is tough to top. But as any graduate of the grade school playground knows, there’s always “infinity plus 1″ …
Comment by Isaac | 11.11.2015 | 5:32 pm
I love that it was only 7 slides…
Comment by LoPhat | 11.11.2015 | 9:45 pm
I don’t think your skill is eating, I think it is eloquently complaining about how much you weigh as a result of the aforementioned eating…
Perhaps you could do a filibuster fundraiser, where we pledge so much for every minute (or every word?) that you write on that subject…
Comment by Tom in Albany | 11.12.2015 | 6:25 am
Now we know all about the wizard behind the curtain. Part of me wants to feel manipulated after learning your tactics and strategies. The rest of me knows better. You do a great job, Fatty and keep the fundraisers going. At this point, I dont have that one thing I’m super passionate about outside of my own family.
Comment by Doug (Way Upstate NY) | 11.12.2015 | 10:52 am
Fatty, you have the wrong day job……
Comment by Shugg McGraw | 11.13.2015 | 3:03 am
Great slides. You know about Powerpoint.
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