PARTICIPANT FUNDRAISING KIT GREETINGS FUTURE OUTWARD BOUND PARTICIPANTS, PARENTS, SUPPORTERS & CAREGIVERS! At Outward Bound Canada, our goal is to encourage you to make extraordinary efforts before and after your expedition. You have decided to start early! We are very excited that you have decided to raise money towards your Outward Bound Experience. Congratulations on making this important commitment to your future! We are sure that you will be glad that you made the effort and we will help you as much as we can to make this trip a reality! Fundraising is hard work, but you will learn a lot and have great success if you are determined and follow the guidelines in this kit. YOUR ENCLOSED KIT INCLUDES: 1. A fact sheet about successful fundraising............. PAGES 2-3 2. Fundraising suggestions............ PAGE 4 3. A fundraising start-up sheet for you to fill out............... PAGE 5 4. A fundraising letter that you are to copy and give to donors. Be sure to fill out the date, and the salutation. After that, we have left space for you to compose the first two paragraphs. The first should be about who you are: details about your grade, where you go to school, favourite subject, future goals and hobbies. In the second paragraph, explain how you heard about Outward Bound, and why it appeals to you. Tell the potential donors about the program you want to attend, explain why you want to participate and how you think it will help you in the future. Be sure to sign the letter, and print your name. 5. A letter from our Executive Director that you are to give to your potential donors, confirming your.. application to participate. Be sure to fill in the date and salutation. There are also two places on this letter where you need to fill in your name. PAGE 6 PAGE 6. Information on how to raise funds on-line.............. PAGES 8-11 7. A donor contribution form which each of your supporters must fill out and send to Outward Bound Canada... PAGE 12 with their contribution. 8. A donor form that must be filled out and mailed to us at the end of your campaign...... PAGE 13 We hope that you find this fundraising kit helpful and wish you much success with your endeavour. Some people reach their goal early and decide to keep raising money for Outward Bound Canada. Please let us know if this happens to you! If you have any questions or concerns, don t hesitate to contact us for more information. Best of luck! The Outward Bound Canada Admissions Department 1
FUNDRAISING FACT SHEET MAKING YOUR PLAN Answering the following questions will help you to make a plan: How much money do I need to raise? Do I want to raise more money so that I can help someone else participate too? How much time do I have to raise the money? What do I want to get out of the trip? How can I explain that to people? Do I think that Outward Bound will help me learn about myself? What is great about Outward Bound? Who do I know that could contribute? How will I let everyone know? How can I impress them with my commitment? What am I afraid of doing and how can I find help? WHO CAN HELP YOU? Family members parents, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles, grandparents, cousins, godparents Your friends and classmates Friends of your family Neighbours Your principal, teachers and librarians Your place of worship and faith leader Doctors and dentists Stores where you or your family shops Local community organizations (ask an adult for help coming up with a list) Anyone who you think will help you! SAFETY Regularly review your plan with an adult that you trust, like a family member or teacher. Always have an adult with you if you are going to a meeting at someone s house or office and never go into someone s house or office if there isn t an adult with you. You can politely let them know that it is against Outward Bound policy. Make sure that your parent / guardian is always aware of your schedule and make sure you check-in with them regularly! ASK FOR A REFERENCE LETTER TO INCLUDE IN YOUR FUNDRAISING PACKAGE Reference letters are a great way to find support and to learn about how other people see you. A reference letter will be very helpful to you with your fundraising campaign. Choose someone that thinks that you will benefit from this adventure it could be anyone: someone in your family, a teacher, a neighbour, a social worker, a faith leader, your doctor... someone who knows your great qualities and can write about them. 2
Here are some things that you should be able to tell the person writing your letter: How much money you plan to raise If you hope to make a contribution to someone else s trip after you have reached your goal How you hope that this program will help you What you think is special about yourself Which trip you are going on and for how long MOST IMPORTANTLY! Thank the people who help you to reach your goal. Make sure to send a letter thanking anyone who helped you with your fundraising campaign, even the people who didn t give you money but helped in other ways. People will also be very curious to know how your trip went make sure to let them know when you get back! 3
FUNDRAISING SUGGESTIONS Call your local newspaper or radio station to see if they can help you. Tell them all about your campaign and why it s important for you to participate. Let them know what you are doing and how you ve done so far. Visit businesses and community groups in your neighbourhood. This could be the local pizza place, your corner store, a business association etc. An adult can help you come up with a list. Make sure the owners name is on the envelope of your donation package and follow up personally. Give your city counsellor and/or mayor your donation package and follow up personally. Give your principal your fundraising package and let her/him know that you d like to give a short presentation at the next staff meeting. Get friends, family or teachers to help you with a fundraising event such as: A car wash A jellybean count at your school or church A school dance at lunchtime A talent night Get a job like a paper-route or raking leaves for neighbours. Ask a family member to help you find one. Do you get an allowance? You could put that towards your fund. 4
FUNDRAISING START-UP SHEET SAMPLE FUNDRAISING PLAN: ACTIVITY DATE TASKS PROJECTED INCOME Example: Paper route Every Saturday Deliver paper weekly $960 Example: Ask School for a donation Staff Meeting, September 1 st Give them fundraising package Go to meeting and tell them about the trip $200 Example: Ask everyone I know for a donation Any time I see someone I know Arrange for a buddy to help me Give them fundraising package Ask them to contribute $800 MY FUNDRAISING PLAN: ACTIVITY DATE TASKS PROJECTED INCOME MY TOTAL: 5
[INSERT DATE HERE] Dear [INSERT NAME HERE], Each year, with the generous support of many people and organizations across Canada, Outward Bound is able to help students find the skills, confidence and resourcefulness to pursue meaningful life goals. I hope that you will help me to become one of the many Outward Bound alumni who have benefited from such support. I would be very happy to meet with you in person to talk about the possibility of contribution to my participation in an Outward Bound course. I will contact you next week to discuss a meeting time. Thank you very much for your time and consideration. Sincerely, [INSERT YOUR SIGNATURE HERE] [INSERT YOUR TYPED NAME HERE] 6
Date Dear, This is to confirm that considerable task of fundraising to support their Outward Bound expedition. has applied to participate in one of our programs. This applicant has taken on the Outward Bound Canada (OBC) is dedicated to helping young people realize their fullest potential through leadership, education, and personal development. Through a challenging adventure-based curriculum, our outstanding participants learn that they have the personal skills and resources to live productive and fulfilling lives as inspiring members of their communities. Our courses provide participants with the confidence, skills and inspiration to transform their lives. The ability of OBC to provide these programs depends on the continued commitment of generous donors, businesses and communities across Canada. We hope that you will consider OBC as a recipient of your charitable giving by sponsoring At Outward Bound Canada, we believe everyone should have the opportunity to learn their potential - we work hard to offer bursaries so that everyone can participate, regardless of financial need. Thousands of students would not have been able to experience Outward Bound had they not received full or partial bursaries. We truly hope that you will assist your canvasser in this honourable quest for self-development. Thanks to people like you, thousands of students have been able to participate in a life-changing experience that encourages them to reach beyond what they thought possible. Sincerely, Sarah Wiley Executive Director, Outward Bound Canada 7
HOW TO RAISE FUNDS ONLINE FOR OUTWARD BOUND CANADA Thank you for fundraising for Outward Bound Canada. You can raise funds online through Canada Helps (www.canadahelps.ca) easily and securely by setting up your personalized fundraising webpage. The benefits of creating a personalized fundraising webpage: 1. Your donors can make safe and secure donations online 2. Your donors receive a tax receipt automatically for their donation 3. You can track the donations that have been made easy and efficiently 4. You can update your webpage with pictures and personalized messages The following document outlines a step-by-step guide to setting up your fundraising webpage: STEP 1: Click on this link: http://www.canadahelps.org/givingpages/givingpages.aspx It will bring you to this webpage: 8
STEP 2: You need to create a CanadaHelps Giving Pages login first: STEP 3: Enter your personal information to set up your account. This will include an email address and password for the webpage. 9
STEP 4: Now that you have created an account, you can set up your GivingPage by clicking here: STEP 5: Fill in the required information to create your personalized fundraising webpage 10
STEP 6: Once completed, the next webpage will ask you to search for the charity you are raising funds for. Enter: Outward Bound Canada STEP 7: Finally, you will be given a URL (website address) that will link directly to your fundraising page. For example: http://www.canadahelps.org/gp/15256 STEP 8: Use this URL (website address) in the emails that you send to your friends, family and networks to raise funds. People can make donations on your personalized fundraising webpage. Send out emails to your network to ask them to support your Outward Bound adventure. Good luck and thank you again for raising funds for Outward Bound Canada! 11
DONOR CONTRIBUTION FORM OUTWARD BOUND CANADA APPLICANT: 12
Applicant s Name Phone Number Address City, Province, Postal Code *THE FOLLOWING IS TO BE FILLED OUT BY EACH OF YOUR SUPPORTERS: DONOR NAME ADDRESS EMAIL PHONE # SIGNATURE 13