YMCA CORPORATE CUP CAMPAIGNER FUNDRAISING GUIDE GETTING STARTED Thank you for participating in the Corporate Cup Team Challenge. We are incredibly excited for this year’s event and hope you are too. We are also excited to introduce a new personal fundraising tool that will help you and your team more easily track donations, engage donors and tell the Y story. In this fundraising guide you’ll find instructions for setting up your personal fundraising page and helpful fundraising tips. You should also feel good about the cause you’re supporting: life-changing Y programs for those in need. Best of luck fundraising and competing for the coveted Corporate Cup! If you have questions or need support, we’re here to help. Contact: [email protected] l 704 716 6406

SETTING UP YOUR TEAM PAGE Step 1 Visit www.ymcacharlotte.org/races/corporatecup/team-challenge.aspx to view Team Challenge information. Click on the FUNDRAISING button at the bottom of the page.

Step 2 Once you’ve landed on the YMCA of Greater Charlotte site for personal fundraising, click on the orange JOIN A TEAM button near the top of the page. On the next page, click the SEARCH FOR A TEAM button. All active teams should appear in the search results. Click the JOIN button associated with the team you would like to join.

Step 3 On the next page, enter Your Fundraising Goal. The system defaults to $500 for an individual goal but you can enter your own goal based on the amount of money you are aiming to raise. There is no fee to sign-up as a fundraiser, but if you would like to make a donation to jump-start your campaign, enter the amount in the Additional Gift field. If you do not want your name to display publicly in your fundraising honor roll, uncheck the “Yes, you can display the amount of my donation publicly.” box. No one will know it was you who made the first gift to support your campaign! Click the NEXT STEP button.

Step 4 On the next page, enter your contact information, and create a user name and password for your personal fundraising page, i.e. Participant Center. **For the Email field, please use an email address that you check frequently. All event information and updates, as well as gift notifications, will be sent to this email address.** Click the NEXT STEP button.

Step 5 On the next page, confirm that your registration information is correct and click the COMPLETE REGISTRATION button. If you chose to make a donation, you will be asked to enter your credit card and billing information before completing your registration. If you did not choose to make a donation, the THANKS FOR REGISTERING page will appear immediately. Click the ACCESS YOUR PARTICIPANT CENTER button. If you are not ready to set up your Participant Center at this time, no worries. You should have received an email from [email protected] with your username, password and link to your Participant Center.

Step 6 Once you’ve accessed your Participant Center, you’re ready to start personalizing your page, and asking your colleagues, friends and family for support!

On the HOME tab you’ll find step-by-step WHAT TO DO NEXT instructions. This is also where you can change your personal fundraising goal at any point if you achieve your original goal and want to aim higher. **Disregard the DAYS LEFT countdown. That is NOT counting down days until the event on March 4, 2017. The YMCA of Greater Charlotte uses this software for multiple fundraising initiatives; therefore the countdown is associated with the number of days remaining in 2017.** The EMAIL tab allows you to send emails using the personal fundraising page software. Generic YMCA fundraising email templates are provided with the ability to customize as needed. If you prefer to send emails on your own through your regular email account, that is completely fine. The tool is simply available if you choose to use it. The PROGRESS tab allows you to track your fundraising progress including donation history.

Step 7 The PERSONAL PAGE tab is most important! This is where you can personalize your page, tell your story and give donors a compelling reason to support your cause. You have the ability to add your own story, photo or video, and even your very own blog! The content on the page defaults to sample YMCA of Greater Charlotte fundraiser messaging. You will need to update this information to tell your own story. See below for sample messaging. SAMPLE PERSONAL PAGE I’m excited to compete in the 2017 BB&T Corporate Cup as part of Team XYZ. In addition to [running the race / volunteering at the race / cheering on my colleagues], I am helping raise money to support the Center City YMCAs and those in need. All funds raised by me and my team will help the Y address critical community needs and deliver life-changing programs that inspire young potential, promote academic success, prevent drowning, and ensure access and belonging for all. Plus, we’re competing in the Corporate Cup Team Challenge, and we earn five team points for every $100 we raise to support the Y. Our goal is to raise [INSERT TEAM FUNRAISING GOAL] as a team so that we can help those in need and bring home the Corporate Cup championship! Support my campaign and Team XYZ today and help make a difference in our community!

Step 9 Start fundraising! Below are some helpful tips to help you get started. And don’t forget to have fun! Fundraising doesn’t have to be difficult or scary. Just speak from your heart, tell a great story and the donations will add up in no time!

FUNDRAISING TIPS Tip 1: Connect! E-mail colleagues, family and friends at least three times:  As soon as you register  2-3 weeks after you register  1 week prior to the fundraising deadline Let them know that by raising money you’ll be helping address critical community needs and deliver life-changing YMCA programs. SAMPLE EMAIL: Subject Line: Help Me Support the Y and Families in Need Dear (Name), As you know, I am crazy about running and decided to take on my first halfmarathon this spring! I am participating in the BB&T Corporate Cup, along with XYZ Company, to raise funds for the Center City YMCAs Annual Campaign to support kids and families in need. The Y is a great organization that does critical work in our community. In addition to helping others, as I raise money, I am also helping XYZ Company compete in the Corporate Cup Team Challenge. We earn five team points for every $100 we raise to support the Y. Our goal is to raise [INSERT TEAM FUNRAISING GOAL] as a team so that we can help those in need and bring home the Corporate Cup championship! Please consider making a donation to support my fundraising efforts today. Donating is really easy. To donate, visit my personal fundraising page: [INSERT YOUR PERSONAL PAGE LINK HERE] Thank you so much for your support!

Tip 2: Share Your Cause Make sure to tell all of your donors that their donations will benefit the Center City YMCAs Annual Campaign and help address critical community needs such as third grade literacy,

drowning prevention, and ensuring access and belonging for all. You can learn more about the Center City YMCAs Annual Campaign and the Y’s philanthropic work by visiting ymcacharlotte.org/give.

Tip 3: Make it Personal Tell your story! Explain why it’s important to you to raise money for a charitable cause and your personal connection with the Y.

Tip 4: Ask Often & Freely It sounds simple, but people will only give if they are asked to give - so make sure you ask! And, best of all, the worst thing that can happen is they say no. That’s it! Make each “ask” personal, and reach out to everyone you know. Be persistent and follow up your emails with phone calls.

Tip 5: Show Your Gratitude Every donation is acknowledged and thanked by the YMCA of Greater Charlotte within 48 hours via email and snail mail with an official tax receipt letter. We strongly encourage you to also send personalized thank you notes to your donors, update them on your progress and show them the impact they are making.

Tip 6: Get Social Make sure you promote your fundraising efforts on all of your social media pages. For extra impact, make a fundraising video!

Tip 7: Follow Up Many people need to be reminded to give. Don’t be discouraged if your first contact doesn’t get a response. It’s okay to follow up!

Tip 8: Match for More Some of your donors may work for companies that will match their donation. Whatever amount your donor gives, the company will give the same! Make sure you mention this to your donors.

Tip 9: Special Events Consider donating money from your birthday or other special occasion to support your campaign.