FUNDRAISING FOR CAMP DISCOVERY

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Lily Carpenter
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1 FUNDRAISING FOR CAMP DISCOVERY

2 To my fellow Resident: Thank you for joining the Camp Discovery Residents Challenge. Together we are raising funds to help send kids to the American Academy of Dermatology s Camp Discovery. As you may know, Camp Discovery offers kids with chronic skin conditions a summer camp experience like no other. Every summer the AAD sponsors six weeks of camp in five locations across the US where campers experience activities such as fishing, swimming, archery, horseback riding, nature trails, and just plain fun! The benefits of Camp Discovery extend far beyond the child s week at Camp. Jennifer Feltner has this to say about Camp: As the mother of two campers, I have seen the profound effect it has on my children. When they are at camp, they know what it means to belong. And there s a special camaraderie that exists between the kids that attend that lasts all year long. I am beyond grateful for this extraordinary place. This guide is designed to assist you in your fundraising efforts. Fundraising Ideas, Page 3 Planning a Successful Fundraising Event, Page 4 Successful Fundraising in 6 Easy Steps, Page 5 Sample Fundraising Plan, Page 6 Using Your Online Tools, Page 7 o Joining a Team o Navigating your Participant Center Sample Social Media, Page 12 Using this guide, you ll learn how to set-up your fundraising page, send s, and track your progress along the way. We ve also included tips to help you maximize your fundraising efforts. Thanks again for helping send kids to Camp Discovery. I look forward to seeing everyone s efforts to be the winning team! Good luck, Macey R. Delcambre, MD PGY-4, Oregon Health & Science University Chair, Camp Discovery Residents Challenge Work Group PS: If you need any assistance, please contact AAD staff member Jessica at (847) or SupportAAD@aad.org. 2

3 FUNDRAISING IDEAS How can your team raise funds for the Camp Discovery Residents Challenge? Be creative! Past ideas have included: 5K or marathon Bike ride Golf outing Donations in lieu of birthday gifts Jeans for Charity Days in the workplace Pasta dinners House sales Art sales Or, simply ask for someone to make donation online in support of you and your team! You can log-in and visit your Participant Center to see sample messages you can send. These messages provide information about Camp Discovery, and even leave room for you to add details to make it more personal. 3

4 PLANNING A SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISING EVENT Not all events require detailed planning. For those that do, these questions will help guide you and ensure that your event is a success. What kind of event you want to hold? Pick something that you enjoy or that is meaningful to you. That way you ll have fun planning it too. When do you want to hold the event? It takes time to plan to fundraising event. Allow yourself plenty of time so you won t be rushed. How much money you want to raise? It costs about $2,000 to send a child to Camp Discovery. Do you want to send one child, two, more? Who else can help you coordinate the event? Will it be just you planning and coordinating the event, or can you draw on the knowledge, skills and resources of family members, friends, colleagues, or others. Who will help you set up? Who can provide names of people to invite? Who can get sponsors or donations for the event? Who will you invite to the event? Is it a family event, one for your school or workplace, or will it be open to the public? Start putting together a list so you know how many people you will invite. From there you can estimate how many will attend. Where will you hold the event? Now you know the type of event, approximate date, your budget and how much space you need you can look for a place to hold your event. Whether it s a backyard, a community center, a restaurant or sports facility, you ll want to secure your place early. How will you get the word out about your event? Your friends and family will likely support your event, but casting a wider net will bring new people and additional funds to your event. Some ideas include: mailed invitations, posters or flyers, social media, your local newspaper, your company newsletter, word of mouth and phone calls. Who will collect the money and how? How will you collect money from ticket sales, donations, auctions, etc. All event coordinators must follow certain collection requirements so that we may acknowledge all contributions in accordance with AAD and IRS guidelines. Don t forget to say Thank You! Make sure you take the time to thank those who attend as well as those who help you coordinate the event. If you need help, contact Jessica TenBusch at (847) or JTenBusch@aad.org. 4

5 Successful Fundraising in 6 Easy Steps With busy schedules and multiple priorities, it can be daunting to think about how to fundraise. Below are 6 easy steps that will have a huge impact on your fundraising. Let s Get Started! 1. Join your residency program s team Visit events.aad.org/residents and click on Join a Team. You can search by team name or by the name of someone you know is already on the team. (See Using Your Online Tools on page 7) 2. Login and visit your Participant Center Now you re ready to set up and use your online tools. (See Using Your Online Tools on page 9) 3. Tell your story personalize your page to let people know why sending kids to Camp Discovery is important to you. Make it personal, make it real, and make it specific. Tell them what your goal is let them know you need their help to succeed. 4. Upload your contacts Think about who you can ask to help. Relatives, friends, neighbors, colleagues, your dry cleaner, your hairstylist, local businesses, vendors these are just a few examples to help you think of who you might ask to support your efforts. 5. Think about how much you d like to ask each person or company to give. Do the math do your list and your ask amounts help you reach your goal? Some people like to ask 10 people for $100 and others like to ask 40 people for $25 either way they both hit the goal of $1,000. You decide what works best for you. 6. Start spreading the news Now all you need to do is tell everyone and anyone about your efforts. Select one of the template s or create your own message, choose the recipients from your uploaded contacts, and click Send it s that easy! (Plus, see Social Media Sample Messages on page 12) Fundraising Tip: Don t be afraid to ask again, and again and again. People are busy and they may not have seen your request the first time. Be sure to follow-up with a second or a phone call. 5

6 Sample Fundraising Plan Week 1 Send s to friends and family Ask 4 family members for $50 $ Ask 4 friends for $50 $ Week 2 Send a letter to friends and family who do not use regularly Ask 3 family/friends for $50 $ Week 3 Contact four local businesses members of your team regularly frequent Ask them to donate $ $1, Week 4 Ask your local hospital to make a donation Ask them to donate $ $ Week 5 Ask your co-workers to donate Ask 4 people to donate $25 $ Week 6 Send a reminder to those who have not yet donated. Add 4 new people to the and ask them for $25 $ TOTAL RAISED $2,000.00* *enough to send 1 kid to Camp Discovery 6

USING YOUR ONLINE TOOLS Instructions made possible by the American Academy of Dermatology 2015 Not for any other use. 1. Joining a Team Begin by visiting events.aad.org/residents.

7 USING YOUR ONLINE TOOLS Instructions made possible by the American Academy of Dermatology 2015 Not for any other use. 1. Joining a Team Begin by visiting events.aad.org/residents. From here, you should click Join a Team. Your residency program may already have their team page created. If so, all you need to do is join. A) Search for your program s team name by entering in all or part of a team name to search. Or, enter "%" to display a list of all registered teams. a. Click on your program s team name in the search results. This will take you to your program s team page. Then, click the blue Join Team button. b. You are now into your personal registration information. Decide on your fundraising goal (this may be changed later). You may also a personal gift to get the ball rolling (if you choose to do this, you will be required to enter credit card information to complete registration). c. Click Next Step, and COMPLETE the registration form on the next page by filling in any fields with a red asterisk. 7

8 B) If you do not see your residency program s team listed, then you are the first to sign up from your program, so you will need to create the team page. a. Click the "I would like to start a new team" link. (1) b. Enter the team name (2) and click Next (3). i. Your team name should be your school's name, as that will make it easier for others to find and join. c. You are now into your personal registration information. Decide on your fundraising goal (this may be changed later). You may also a personal gift to get the ball rolling (if you choose to do this, you will be required to enter credit card information to complete registration). d. Click Next Step, and COMPLETE the registration form on the next page by filling in any fields with a red asterisk. C) YOU MAY BEGIN FUNDRAISING at the end of registration; you will see this confirmation page: D) Ensure your information is accurate then click the Access your Participant Center link. 8

9 2. Navigating Your Participant Center Once you have created your fundraising page, you ll gain access to the Participant Center which is your one-stop-shop for all of your fundraising needs. From here, you may: Upload contacts to send s to thank and update (1) Track your fundraising progress (2) Modify your personal page (3) Record offline (cash or check) gifts (4) All of these features are here to help you be as successful as possible in your fundraising efforts. Remember, the money you raise will support life-changing opportunities for children across the country, so the more money you raise, the more lives you will impact. Make sure to check back often and fully utilize your Participant Center!

10 a. Creating and personalizing your fundraising page After you join your residency program s team, your will have your own personal page which will auto-populate with default copy. You should customize your page to tell your own unique story about why you are raising funds to support Camp Discovery. 10

b. Entering offline gifts Some people may give you a donation as cash/check. This is an offline donation, and is perfectly acceptable. Donations like this need to be sent to the AAD for processing.

11 b. Entering offline gifts Some people may give you a donation as cash/check. This is an offline donation, and is perfectly acceptable. Donations like this need to be sent to the AAD for processing. However, you should visit your Participant Center and enter the gift (1) so that it shows up on the fundraising progress thermometer on your personal page. All dollars raised on your personal page also roll-up into your team s fundraising progress thermometer, found on your team s home page. Remember to mail your offline donations to: American Academy of Dermatology ATTN: CCPR 930 E. Woodfield Road Schaumburg, IL

12 SAMPLE SOCIAL MEDIA TWEETS/POSTS Social media is an excellent tool to let your family, friends, and colleagues know about you and your team s efforts in support of the Camp Discovery Residents Challenge. Below are a few sample Facebook pots and Twitter tweets you could use. 1. Recruitment Encourage your fellow residents to join the challenge Facebook: Join the Camp Discovery Residents Challenge! Residency programs across the country are having a friendly competition to raise funds for Camp Discovery, and the winning team will win AAD recognition as well as prizes. Our residency program is participating, and it s easy to join by going here: Camp Discovery provides children with chronic skin conditions a life-changing summer camp experience. For these children, Camp Discovery is often the one place where they don t feel different. Join now and help our program send a kid to camp! Twitter: Join my team and take part in the Camp Discovery Residents Challenge! Give back. Have fun. Win prizes. It s easy to join: 2. Solicitation Encourage people who know you to support you and raise funds for Camp Discovery Facebook: Help me send a kid to Camp Discovery! My dermatology residency program joined the Camp Discovery Residents Challenge. We re raising funds now through April 30th with the goal of sending a kid to Camp Discovery. Support me: [insert link to your personal page here] Camp Discovery is a great cause, and makes me proud to be becoming a dermatologist. Camp Discovery has provided positive, life-changing summer camp experiences for children and teens with chronic skin conditions for more than 20 years. [embed YouTube video] : Twitter: I m raising funds for Camp Discovery. Help provide a life-changing experience for kids living w/skin disease! Support my efforts & learn more here: [insert link to your personal page here] 12

13 For additional reach, consider sharing a photo on Instagram of you and your co-residents, asking people to join you in supporting Camp Discovery and linking to your team s page. You should also encourage your Twitter followers to retweet (or RT) your posts, and your Facebook friends or followers to share your posts. Doing so will notify others about your fundraising efforts and raise awareness of Camp Discovery to even more people. 13

Walker Guide 2015 Contains team building steps and fundraiser tips!

Walker Guide 2015 Contains team building steps and fundraiser tips! 9302 North Meridian St. Suite 203 Indianapolis, Indiana 46260 317.225.4400 800.948.8806 www.lupusindiana.org 1 WELCOME TEAM CAPTAINS