RIDE FOR NATURE: MOMENTUM 94.7 CYCLE CHALLENGE WWF-SA PANDA PELOTON FUNDRAISING PACK 1
Ride for Nature: Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge Dear Budding Cyclist We re delighted to have you representing panda and planet! Welcome to the Peloton! The funds you raise will help WWF-SA achieve its goal of a future in which people live in harmony with nature. This pack aims to put the FUN back into FUNDRAISING! First off, remember that contributing to conservation benefits everyone - we all want fresh air to breathe and clean water to drink, we all want healthy oceans and we all want our grandchildren to be able to see rhinos in the wild. When your friends and family (and random colleagues and arbitrary people you meet in the street) contribute to your fundraising efforts, they are contributing to a healthy planet and their own future. Also remember that many people have no real experience of donating to a cause, so it helps to walk them through it if needs be and also to suggest a specific figure (aim high!) We re delighted to enclose in this pack all you ll need to raise funds for conservation while doing what you love. How to personalise your fundraising profile How to encourage sponsorship Web banners, banners for email signatures and blog buttons Meantime, don t forget to cycle - it s a planet-friendly form of transport. See you at the start line! The Panda Peloton Team P.S. Please don t print this document unless absolutely necessary, thanks! 2
Get to grips with GivenGain Enhance your GivenGain profile GivenGain is the platform that people will use to donate to your cause so the first step is to jazz it up a bit and make it more you. 1. Use your GivenGain log in details to log in to www.givengain.com (they re in the email we just sent you!) 2. Click on Complete your profile and flesh it out a bit add a short punchy and personal bio add your Facebook profile URL - you can get that by logging into your Facebook profile and cut and pasting that URL your website or blog URL Your Twitter handle (twitter.com/yourtwitterhandle) your LinkedIn profile - access your profile and copy and past your Public Profile link 3. Click on the Picture tab select a picture of yourself from your computer (say CHEESE!) alternatively, you can choose to use your Facebook profile picture 4. Click on the Projects tab edit your project title edit the description of your fundraising project be daring and increase your fundraising goal! edit your email thank you message - this is the message that will be sent to people who donate to your cause through your profile 5. Click on the Donations tab here you can keep track of who has donated what to your cause and who hasn t (i.e. who you needs a friendly nudge...) 6. Click on the Password tab here you can change your password 7. Click on the Notifications tab decide what notifications you d like to receive 8. Click on the Social tab link GivenGain to both your Twitter and Facebook profiles 3
Tell people what you re doing If people don t know what you re doing, they can t help you do it. Time to spread the word far and wide! In person Tell people about what you re doing (and invite them to join in - the more the merrier!) and ask whether they d be interested in making a donation to your blood, sweat and tears on race day. Via email No one likes spam so send an entertaining and personal email to your friends, family, colleagues and basically anyone whose email address you can get your hands on :) (If you are sending to a list of people, respect their privacy by using BCC to hide email addresses). Tell them what you re going to be doing and invite them to sponsor you by clicking on the link to your GivenGain profile (don t forget to include it!) This link is at the bottom of any of the pages of your profile and looks something like this: yournameandsurname.givengain.org So, for example, you could send something like this email opposite. Not to point out the obvious, but you do need to remove the so-and-sos and irrelevant info and add in the link to your GivenGain profile! Hi So-and-so Hope you re doing well! How s it going with such-and-such? Just wanted to tell you what I m doing for WWF-SA (the conservation organisation - not the wrestling!) You know how I love/have no real experience of/hate cycling? Well I ve decided to cycle for a good cause - conserving South Africa! I ve joined WWF-SA s Panda Peloton for the Momentum 94.7 cycle challenge and on the 18th of November I ll be riding a grueling 94.7km in aid of conservation. At the end, I d like to have more to show for the race than blisters and a sore rear. I d really loved to have smashed my fundraising target for the very worthy cause of a future in which humans live in harmony with nature (that s WWF-SA s goal, I didn t just make it up!) Would you be willing to help me? Maybe you could sponsor me a rand per kilometer? Maybe more! If you would like to (I d be very grateful!), click on this link to view my fundraising profile on GivenGain: (paste your link here). You can make a totally secure donation through their site right now. Thanks so much! Bye PS You should think about joining the Peloton too - visit http://www.wwf.org.za/act_now/ cyclechallenge/ to sign up! 4
Tell people what you re doing If people don t know what you re doing, they can t help you do it. Time to spread the word far and wide! Via your social networks Facebook has been accused of all kinds of things - stealing our privacy, stealing our time and everything in-between, but there is no doubt that in this case it is an absolutely fantastic tool for your fundraising efforts. Many of your closest friends and family use Facebook to keep up to date on the lives of their loved ones so here s your opportunity to fill them in. We suggest regular status updates (with photos and videos as often as possible) about what you re doing and why, always with the invitation to donate and your GivenGain profile link. I ve entered the 94.7 cycle challenge! Gonna be pedaling for the planet, so if you d like to make a donation click on this link (add link). or Just did a 30km training ride. It was brilliant. Only one third of the 94km I ll be doing in aid of conservation in November though. Please donate to my fundraising efforts. Check out my donation profile here (add link). or Hey (tag friends), how about a donation towards my cause? I m cycling the Momentum 94.7 cycle challenge in aid of WWF South Africa. Check it out here: (add link) 5
Tell people what you re doing If people don t know what you re doing, they can t help you do it. Time to spread the word far and wide! Twitter is a great tool and an interesting phenomenon. If you aren t on Twitter, what are you waiting for? If you are on twitter, follow @WWFSouthAfrica for upto-date news on the Panda Peloton. Did you know that while statistically your Twitter followers are less likely to be people who you know personally, yet in spite of this, the Twitter community has a reputation for being incredibly generous and proactive. Regular tweets about your training and fundraising efforts are a good idea. Please remember to always include the hashtag #WWFPP for WWF Panda Peloton. For example: Just entered the 94.7 cycle race. I must be mad. But it s in aid of conservation. Find out how you can support me here: link. #WWFPP or Still need to raise R500 to reach my target for #WWFPP, 3 weeks to go before the big race (add link) or Knowing that I m doing this for a good cause really helps! #WWFPP (add link) 6
Rope your colleagues in If you haven t done so already, rope your colleagues in and ride as a corporate team. Posting a message on your intranet is a great way to promote your team. You can publish some banners too. See Page 9 for more. Here is an example of what your intranet message could look like: (company name) has joined WWF South Africa s Panda Peloton. Fundraising, training and eventually racing as a corporate team will do wonders for your team spirit. There s nothing like a shared physical challenge to unite people. Did you know that you and your work colleagues can join the Peloton as a corporate team? If you have colleagues who are interested in entering, click here to register your team, then email cycle@wwf.org.za to let us know that you will now be part of a corporate team. If you ve already done that, here s what happens next: Step 1 Unless you want to be a lone Joan, now s the time to build your team. Use your internal marketing resources to recruit team mates. The simplest is to send an email to all staff (please get permission first) or alternatively post a message on your intranet. We ll be riding for Nature in the Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge! To join our team and pedal for the planet, enter the race here, then click here to sign up for the Panda Peloton. Register an Individual entry and select (company name) as your corporate challenge company. Once you ve done that please mail me (add your email address) so I know you ve joined our team! 7
Rope your colleagues in If you haven t done so already, rope your colleagues in and ride as a corporate team. Step 2 Fundraising is a not only a great team building tool, but it s a marketing tool as well. Your staff s involvement and the combined contribution of your company is a great news story for your website or newsletter. Make the story big - approach your boss about matched giving, whereby your company commits to match all funds raised by staff. The impact could be huge! Step 3 Organise a staff competition whereby the staff member who raises the most funds over all (or even every week!) is awarded a prize. Step 4 Look into organising branded cycling shorts or adding some kind of corporate branding to your bike or shoes. Unfortunately you can not add to the cycling tops for copyright reasons. Step 5 Once you have your team established, organise some weekend training rides. Decide on a route, choose a time, and get cycling. Non-cyclists who d like to be involved can contribute to your fundraising efforts by organising and selling breakfast to the cyclists at the end of the route. 8
Rope your colleagues in If you haven t done so already, rope your colleagues in and ride as a corporate team. Step 6 Get permission to get these banners published on your company intranet. Then get staff to click through to your team page on GivenGain. 9
Shout from the rooftops We ve created a bunch of online tools for you to use to highlight your fundraising efforts to friends and family. The following items are available for you to use on your social networks. All can be downloaded here. Banner for your blog or website Email signature banner 10
Shout from the rooftops We ve created a bunch of online tools for you to use to highlight your fundraising efforts. Facebook cover photo Dress up your Facebook timeline with one of these two cover photos add them to show everyone you re part of the WWF-SA Panda Peloton. 11
Shout from the rooftops We ve created a bunch of online tools for you to use to highlight your fundraising efforts. Facebook cover photo Dress up your Facebook timeline with one of these two cover photos add them to show everyone you re part of the WWF-SA Panda Peloton. 12
Make the most of your GivenGain profile Here are some further tips to use GivenGain to the max. Updates and images posted to your GivenGain profile will automatically post to your Twitter and Facebook accounts if you have linked them. Search GivenGain and follow other members of the Panda Peloton so you can share ideas and motivate one another. Interact with your audience personally (this applies not only to GivenGain, but also to Twitter and Facebook) - respond to comments, tweets and donations. 13
Bank deposits Should you receive sponsorship for your race by cash or by cheque you can pay the money in to our bank account. You can also make an EFT deposit: WWF South Africa Absa Bank Account number : 410720086 Branch: Stellenbosch Branch code: 63 26 56 SWIFT code: ABSA ZA JJ CCT Reference: Panda Peloton Cheques payable to: WWF South Africa and can be posted to : EFT deposits can be made to: 14
Sponsorship form Sponsors full name Home address City Amount pledged (R) Date paid Amount given (R) Cheques payable to: WWF South Africa and can be posted to : EFT deposits can be made to: 15