Fundraising
Guide
Did you know that a regular water bottle filled up with dimes
adds up to $100?? Ask your coworkers, family and friends to
each fill one up for you. 10 Friends + 10 bottles = $1000!!!
Do you know the number one reason why
people don’t give? THEY WERE NOT
ASKED! So ask away!
Did you know that many companies will match a donation
made to a non-profit? Ask your company and be sure to have
those that donate to you do the same. Paperwork involved? No
problem-send it to us at the CCFA!
Did you know that teams who raise more than $500 will get to enter our banner decorating contest and
teams that raise $5000 or more will get their own private team tent at the walk for their team to gather and
celebrate together? Want to know what teams between $500 and $5000 get?
What about teams OVER $500? READ ON!
WHERE THE MONEY GOES
Welcome to the Take Steps program! We are so excited to have you on the team to help us raise money in support of
the mission of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA). The commitment you have taken on is one that will
help many people now and in the future who battle inflammatory bowl disease (IBD).
The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, tax ID 13-6193105.
Mission: To cure Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by
these diseases.
Your Dollars at Work
The American Institute of Philanthropy gave the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation one of only 6 "A" ratings (out of 44
charities) in its most recent watchdog report. The Foundation also consistently meets the standards established by the
Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance.
Expense Breakdown
80% Research, Education, Support Services
9%
Fundraising
11% Administrative
DID YOU KNOW:
• Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are painful, medically incurable illnesses that attack the digestive system.
• Approximately 1.4 million American adults and children suffer from Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
• Most people develop these diseases between the ages of 15 and 35.
• More than 80 cents of every dollar goes directly toward research, education, and support services.
Research
Since its inception, CCFA has funded more than 1,100 grants. We invest our dollars wisely, funding the highest-quality
IBD research anywhere in the world and implementing a peer-review process to ensure that only the most promising
and relevant grant applications are funded.
In 2007, nearly $16 million was invested—over two and a half times the amount spent just two years ago and our largest
investment in medical research to date. Your gift goes a long way—for example, a gift of $250 sends a child to Camp
Oasis for one day or can buy 25 test tubes for a lab.
Research Highlights:
• CCFA has provided more than $150 million for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis research.
• Over 1,100 research grants have been funded by CCFA.
• CCFA receives more than 250 research grant applications per year and funds more than 200 new and
continuing projects annually.
WHAT TEAM DO YOU WANT TO BE?
$500: Entrance in the Team Banner Decorating Contest
(Banner and dowel rod included)
$1000: Entrance in the Team Banner Decorating Contest and a Team
Recognition Sign at the walk
$2000: Banner Contest, Team Recognition Sign at the walk, Umbrella
and table for you to gather and use to celebrate the day of the event
$3500: Banner Contest, Team Recognition Sign at the walk, Umbrella
and table for you to gather and use to celebrate the day of the event and
a Take Steps Megaphone filled with items to celebrate and remember
your experience
$5000: Banner Contest, Team Recognition Sign at the walk, Team Tent
and chairs for you to gather and use to celebrate the day of the event
and a Take Steps Megaphone filled with items to celebrate and
remember your experience
$10,000: Banner Contest, Professionally Printed Team Banner and
Private CATERED Team Tent and Chairs for you to use to celebrate the
day of the event AND Take Steps Megaphone
*Teams must raise the above funds prior the banner printing deadlines.
FUNDRAISING CHECKLIST
If you complete this checklist you will be a very successful Take
Steps Fundraiser!
Set-up your personal fundraising website
Make your list of 100
Send out your emails
Write and mail your fundraising letter
Post your fundraising badge on your Facebook page
Attend at least one fundraising clinic or meeting with a CCFA
staff member
Plan a fundraising event
Set up Your Webpage
If you need support or instructions on how to access your participant center and set up your webpage, contact the CCFA
office.
Personalize your webpage
1. Add a photo (you can even add a video!!) of yourself (or your honoree), you can touch up or resize photos at
http://photoshop.com/express.
2. Post your fundraising letter on your website.
3. If you need help, call Jo!
Meeting with CCFA Staff
Meeting with a member of the CCFA staff and/or attending a fundraising clinic is important so that you can get the
support you need to set and meet your fundraising goal. The CCFA staff can help you set a goal that is manageable for
you and your team, as well as help you build a plan to meet that goal. The staff also has experience with small events
and fundraising activities that they can provide materials on and support for should you choose to make that part of
your fundraising plan.
Make Your List of 100
Try to make a list of at least 100 people to contact. If you don’t have addresses handy, don’t get bogged down, just write
as many names as you can think of. When you think you just can’t come up with another name STOP and give your brain
a rest. Sleep on it and take the list out the next day. Do this for a couple of days.
DO: Ask your parents for the names and addresses of relatives and people who knew you as a child.
DO: Send your letter to everyone on your holiday card list.
DO: Look through your checkbook or bank statements to identify the people and places where you regularly spend money
or have spent a large sum of money in the past.
MAKING THE ASK
Email or Letters?
Ideally, use a layering approach by sending both email and letters. Some people you know will respond better to
a hardcopy letter stuck to their fridge as a reminder to make a donation. Others prefer the ease of clicking on a
link in an email and quickly entering in their donation online. Many people need more than one request to
donate, so it’s okay to send your invitation via both email and letter.
Emails
Email is a simple and quick way of directing your contacts to your online fundraising website. The content of your emails
should be similar to that of your letters. Be sure to include a personal story of why you are participating in Take Steps. It
can also be usedto send reminder or follow-up emails, as well as updates on your progress. Send emails via your
Participant Center by clicking on “Send Emails”. You can also upload your contacts from any source (outlook, yahoo,
excel, etc.) If you prefer to send emails from your personal account you can set up a unique website for your fundraising
page, need help? Call the office we can do it in two minutes!
*Tip: Use a “Signature” on your outgoing emails, and a special outgoing voicemail or answering machine message to
constantly and passively remind people about your endeavor.
Letter Writing
Elements of a successful letter:
• Introduction
• Why you are Taking Steps
• “The Ask” or request for a donation
• How to donate (your website address)
• Where to send donations (self addressed return envelope)
• Closing
Write a Rough Draft
Using the sample letters provided (Appendix A), write a rough draft letter. Don’t get bogged down, it
doesn’t have to be perfect. Your Take Steps staff person is here to help. If you’d like, send a copy of your letter
via email, we’d be happy to proofread it. Two sets of eyes are better than one!
Return Envelope
We recommend including a self-addressed return envelope. Although it is not essential, we have found that
participants usually get a better response when they do this. (Some participants might choose to stamp the
return envelope for the donor). If cost is an issue, determine who would most likely donate online and do not include a
return envelope (or stamp) in their letter.
FOLLOW UP
Send a reminder. Keep a list of those who send in donations. Send a reminder to those what have not yet donated.
Include updates in your reminder, and let them know that fundraising is going well, but you still have a bit farther to go.
Sometimes, reminder letters are more successful than original letters for bringing in the money.
Send Updates. It is always important to send updates on your progress and your goals to your entire list, those who
have responded to previous communication AND those who have not. Sometimes people will even donate more than
once ☺
Send a “thank you” card. Thank yous are like pancakes, they are better served warm!! Send thank you notes as soon as
you get donations. It is nice to receive a note acknowledging the importance of a donation, no matter how small the
amount. Staying in communication develops a rapport that will have many added benefits, from closer bonds of
friendship to continued support for another season of Take Steps.
SOCIAL MEDIA!!! USE THE FACEBOOK BADGE!!!
Maximize your fundraising for CCFA’s Take Steps for Crohn’s & Colitis using Facebook.
Change your status update often – even multiple times a day.
• Try the weekends and weeknights when people are more likely on Facebook.
Talk about your goals.
• “Our team is $250 short of my goal to find a cure for digestive diseases. I need 25 people to give $10!”
Share pages on Facebook
• Share pages on Facebook. You can copy and paste links to your Facebook page to share them.
Make your status updates creative!
• “I’ll send an autographed photo of myself (or cookies, mix-tapes, etc.) to the next 10 people who
donate $10 or more to help me fight digestive diseases.”
• “Thanks to John Doe, my donor-of-the-day, for putting me closer to my goal! Who will be tomorrow’s
highlighted donor?”
Be specific.
• “I need at least 50 friends to donate in the next 2 days.”
• “I want to reach my goal by May 1, the anniversary of my diagnosis with ulcerative colitis.”
• “Look at the Take Steps badge on the bottom left of my profile page. Click on it and take 3 minutes to
donate. It’s secure and every amount helps!”
Tell a story.
• “I’m walking this year because my aunt …”
• “I just got an email from someone who told me she donated to my efforts because she ….”
• “I want my mom to celebrate birthdays until she’s 100 so …”
• You can also tell a story by tagging you or your friends’ photos and notes, to connect your friends, and
grow your network.
Be bold.
• “I don’t want Crohn’s disease to affect another year of anyone’s life.”
• “I’m taking steps for Crohn’s & Colitis because I don’t want my children to ever get this disease.”
Send Facebook Messages if people aren’t responding to your emails.
• You can send messages individually or to groups of up to 10 people at the same time on Facebook.
• Direct friends to the Take Steps badge on the bottom left of your profile page and to click on “support
me” or “join me.”
DON’T FORGET ABOUT TWITTER AND MYSPACE!!
MATCHING GIFTS and CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS
Many corporations and businesses will match funds raised or donated by their employees. Talk with your human
resources personnel to find out your employer’s policy and encourage your donors to talk with their HR departments as
well! Most companies require the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America to complete a form to verify that the
donation was received at the chapter. The matching gift paperwork should be mailed or faxed to your CCFA office along
with proof of the donation (copy of the check or online confirmation). Once CCFA receives the matching gift paperwork
we will complete our portion and communicate with the company to receive the company match.
What You/Your Donors Need To Do
• Ask your potential donors to inquire if their employer matches donations to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of
America, and if there is a minimum donation. Individually approach people you know who work for companies
who you know have matching gift programs.
• If they have such a program, the donor obtains the matching gift form from their company usually from their
Human Resources Department.
• The donor makes a donation to you, either online or via check/cash/credit card.
• The donor fills out their company’s matching gift form.
• The donor gives you the form and the donation.
CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS
How to inquire within the company
• Find out what department would handle your inquiry (Marketing, HR, Community Relations, CEO, etc). The
larger the company, the more digging required.
• Research your company’s giving history & focus.
Contact CCFA
• Contact a staff member at CCFA so that you can work together to strategize your next steps.
• Set up a meeting with a decision maker for you and the CCFA Staff Member. The CCFA has lots of materials to
help you through this meeting.
• Follow up!! You and the staff member should work together on the next steps (i.e. a proposal, formal ask letter,
online submission, etc.)
WRAP AROUND EVENTS
Wrap Around Events are fundraising events that help you raise funds for CCFA.
Wrap Arounds are are an excellent way to raise money and a way to bring out the FUN in fundraising!
Here is a list of ideas to help you brainstorm:
bake sale
car wash
Oscars party
hot dog stand
garage sale
snack bar at work
Valentine carnation sale
candy sales
silent auction
pancake breakfast
March Madness tournament
golf tournament
pub crawl
bowling tournament
Monday night football party
bingo night
karaoke night
scrap book party
Volleyball tournament
hot cocoa sale
wine & cheese party
dinner party
craft show
bachelor & bachelorette auction
art auction
holiday bizarre
grocery store collections
ice cream party
Super Bowl party
Key elements of a Wrap Around:
• Contact a Staff member at CCFA and let them know you are planning a Wrap Around so they can provide you
with any guidance and materials you might need.
• Start planning early.
• Do something you enjoy. Only host a dinner party if you enjoy cooking! Only organize a volleyball tournament if
you love playing volleyball!
SAMPLE FUNDRAISING LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER 1
Dear Friends and Family,
When I was in middle school my mom was always sick. She was in and out of the doctor’s office and the
hospital. She was on a lot of medication and she always seemed to be in pain. She also always had to go to
the bathroom every time we went anywhere. I remember being embarrassed of her because I didn’t
understand what was happening. Later in life she had a large portion of her intestines removed and though
she has been able to manage her disease with medication for quite some time recently she has had a bad flare
that currently they have been unable to control.
My mother and my grandmother both have/had colitis. On June 13 I will participate in a walk to find a cure
for IBD because I do not want colitis and I don’t want my children to go through what they went through. I
walk because it wasn’t fair that my mom’s little girl was embarrassed by her or that she had to miss a day of
my life because of her colitis.
Please consider sponsoring me and if you can joining me in my mission to raise $5000 by joining my team and
fundraising yourself I would greatly appreciate it. Together we will find a cure!
One in every 200 people suffer daily with digestive diseases. For those who live with these chronic diseases,
life is a roller coaster of active and remitting disease. However, the opportunity to make life more manageable
for patients who live day to day with intense pain, the threat of long term hospital stays and multiple surgeries
has never been greater.
I am asking you to help by supporting my fundraising efforts with a donation. Your tax-deductible gift will
make a difference in the lives of the 1.4 million patients suffering with digestive disease! You can make your
donation online by simply clicking on the link at the bottom of this message. If you would prefer, you can also
send your tax-deductible contribution to the address listed below.
Any amount, great or small, helps in the fight. I greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on
my progress.
Sincerely,
Stephanie
www.myURL.com [insert webpage].