Fundraising Friday: A Few Tips For Success

Successful fundraising campaigns involve many hours of thought, planning, and execution of those plans. Following are some tips on how to run a successful fundraising campaign...

• Invest your time wisely. Before your TNT season officially begins, you can start your fundraising campaign. Give yourself a very specific goal not only for the amount you hope to raise, but for the timeline in which you'd like to achieve that goal. Spend your time talking about the mission, emailing, making pitches, posting on social media and blogging. Do this daily.
• Build your targeted audience. Before you even send that first email out, create a list of potential donors (individuals and institutions). Begin talking with them about your campaign, not about your targeted TNT event, but on the mission and the fundraising campaign. Ask them if they would be willing to partner with you as a sponsor or as part of your team.
• Build a campaign team. Find a small group of friends, family, neighbors or co-workers who will back your campaign and work with you to achieve your goals. Just as someone who is running for political office has a campaign team, you can have a team helping send out communication, creating ads, posting on social media, etc.
• Make a video. YouTube is free so use it. Seek the help of someone you know who can produce a high quality video for your campaign. Speak clearly, letting your audience know about the LLS mission and your goal.
• Have a goal. Be creative. Tell everyone you hope to be the top fundraiser nationally or that your goal is to be the top TNT fundraising participant of all time! Write your goal on your Facebook page or blog and on your fundraising web page: "$3,000 in 30 days" or "$5,000 in 5 weeks" or "$50,000 in 50 days", etc. Make your goal and mission known right away and give the audience a limited time to get this done. With a sense of urgency, they will donate!
• Start a blog. And create a Facebook fanpage and twitter account specifically for this campaign. Have someone on your campaign team help out as an administrator. Post weekly or even daily on your blog with updates on your honored teammate, on your workouts, and on the topic of cancer research. Get the audience to interact with you, posting comments on photos or stories. Stir their hearts for the mission while you fundraise.
• Seek corporate sponsors and large backers before you launch! Find a corporation willing to sponsor your entire fundraising campaign. Place their company logo on your blog and other social media sites. Place their logo on your emails/letters and any printed materials you send out. Mention them on your YouTube video. Get those sponsorships before you even launch your fundraising site for the public.
• Offer incentives to donors. Small rewards are all that are necessary. These "prizes" serve as a token of appreciation. Think about ordering in bulk. Get a T-shirt or hat made for your campaign. Or have a keyring or pens made that say "Proud Sponsor Of ___".
• Brand yourself. Just like TNT teams can have team names, you can have a fun "name" as an individual. You can even design a logo for yourself and place it all over your websites/social media, shirts, hats, car decals, etc. (for example, "Marathon Mary" or "Miracle Matt").
• Create some serious buzz. Get people excited about this campaign. Have them turn their profile picture red for you. Have them follow you on twitter and get their friends to follow you too. Be fun, funny, and interact with your audience so that they really enjoy this campaign and feel very much a part of it.

Fundraising Friday

Each week during the fall season, the top fundraiser for the week will win the TNT Headsweats visor pictured above. The winner will be named each Monday and will be determined based on cumulative fundraising totals from the previous week.

Looking for some fundraising ideas? Check out our FUNDRAISING PAGE. Good luck!

Alumni Referral Program

Texas Gulf Coast Alumni Referral Program

SAVING LIVES, IT’S A TEAM THING! When Team In Training began in 1988, it all started with one man’s idea. Bruce Cleland had an idea that has since sparked a movement in the endurance sport community. He understood that when one person works toward a goal that it is a good thing, but bring a group of people together to rally around that same goal and you create magic and make progress. At that first Team In Training event, Bruce and 37 of his friends, family and community members came together to train for the NYC Marathon and raised over $322,000 for LLS in the process. Since that first event, the TNT magic has spread to over 600,000 alumni and over $1.4 billion raised to support the mission of LLS.

As alumni of the Team In Training program you have the power to help us keep this magic alive and our progress moving forward.

I am excited to announce the Texas Gulf Coast Chapter’s new TNT Alumni Referral Program.

How does it work? It is as easy as 1, 2, 3……

1.  If you would like to participate in the Referral Program, please e-mail teamintraining_txh@lls.org to receive a customized coupon code (with no expiration date). This coupon code will allow you to offer friends, family, co-workers, and strangers in line with you at the grocery store $25 registration for a Team In Training event.
2. Spread the word and keep the TNT magic going, and as you do, you can earn awesome Team In Training incentives along the way.
   a. 10 coupon codes redeemed = an LLS Hero technical tee
   b. 15 coupon codes redeemed = a TNT Headsweats visor or hat (your preference)
   c. 20 coupon codes redeemed = a TNT Performance Pullover
   d. 25 coupon codes redeemed = a TNT Alumni Jacket
3. Celebrate being a HERO in the fight against blood cancer!

Houston Marathon Run For A Reason

Dana-Susan Crews, Jason Berger and Amanda Payne gratefully accepting
the award for Top Charity With A Training Program at the
Houston Marathon Run For A Reason Awards luncheon

Each year since 1996, our local Leukemia & Lymphoma Society chapter has proudly participated in the Houston Marathon's Run For A Reason charity program. This amazing program includes now 60 charities in the Houston area. Runners in both the Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon can participate in their race and raise funds for one of the non profit organizations in the program.

The January 2015 race marked the fifth year in a row that together, charity runners raised more than $2 million! The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society was the "Top Charity With A Training Program". Thanks to our Houston runners including Team Super Sue, we raised almost $200,000 and received our top fundraiser award at today's luncheon.

To everyone who continues to make the LLS a successful part of the Run For A Reason program, we thank you! Let's keep up the great work. Registration for the 2016 Houston Marathon is online now HERE.

April Fools Fundraising

April Fools Day began in France following the reformed calendar by Charles IX in 1564. Before that time, the New Year's celebration began on March 21 and ended on April 1. When New Year's Day changed to January 1, there were still a few people who celebrated on April 1 and they became known as "April fools".

Today, we celebrate the day by playing practical jokes on our friends. But you know, this day would be a great day to raise funds for your Team In Training account! Here are some ideas for your April Fools Fundraiser...

• April Fools Party- the "practical joke" part of the party is that there is no party at all. It's a non event. The concept is to ask donors to use the money they would spend attending a ball or major event on a tax deductible donation instead. You can even send out e-vite invitations to this non event.
• April Fools Parade/Costume Contest- host a party with an April Fools theme. Check out your party supply store for some festive items. Invite guests to dress like "fools" and parade in the neighborhood. Be sure to have plenty of fun practical jokes ready for your guests.
• Pink Flamingos- Stick pink flamingos in the front yards of your friends homes. For a donation, you'll gladly remove those and clean up their yard.
• Oreo Speedwagon- stick Oreo cookies all over friends' cars and tell them that for a donation, you'll pull those off and clean their car.
• Meatloaf Cupcake Bakesale- bake meatloaf cupcakes and sell them at your office (recipe can be found HERE).

Fundraising Friday: Make Someone Happy Today!

Here's a little experiment for you to try. Jump in your car and head over to your favorite coffee shop. Pull a $5 bill out of your wallet and hand it to someone walking in and say "I just wanted to buy you a coffee today."

Now, did that make you feel kind of good about yourself? When that person smiled, did that make you feel like smiling? Giving feels good. It makes you happy!

So why not give someone the chance to feel good and happy today? That's right! Give your friends and family the opportunity to give! Ask for a donation for your fundraising account and know that when your donors log on and give, you have been a part of making their day special. When we give, we're just happier. Now, go ahead... make someone happy today!

Earn Your HERO shirt today!

Earn your Hero shirt today! Raise $100 or more for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
and you become one of our heroes! Learn more about Reason2Race & TNT Your Way today!

We are thrilled to welcome a youth triathlon club, SelecTri of The Woodlands as one of our fall fundraising teams! In the past, no one under the age of 16 could participate in TNT events. But thanks to our partnership with Reason2Race, kids can now do youth endurance events and raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!

Reason2Race and TNT Your Way are options for adults too. There are no fundraising minimums. You can do any race or activity of your choice. When you raise at least $100, you receive our awesome LLS Hero shirt (photo above). And for every $1,000 you raise, you can be reimbursed $200 for qualified race expenses. Read more about Reason2Race and TNT Your Way HERE.