Hello Challenge Walkers! - March

Hello Challenge Walkers!

March is officially in like a lamb; hopefully the lion has better things to do this time around. To date 28 walkers have signed up for Challenge Walk MS and four individuals have signed on as Crew Members, with a total raised of just over $9,000. This is a great start.

Fundraising is never easy, especially in such difficult economic times. We thought we would share a few strategies we have used in the past to meet the Challenge Walk MS goal.

• We send out an e-mail to past and potential donors that provides an update on Jen’s status, a recap of the Challenge Walk and a summary of our fund-raising efforts from the previous year. We also let them know what our goal is for the current year. In short, this is sort of like an official notification – or warning – to let them know we will be shaking them down (a/k/a pestering them incessantly) until they give.
• For the last three years we have hosted a fundraiser which takes the form of a vendor/craft fair. The inaugural fair was held in our home with 11 vendors; it was a tight squeeze. Last year we held it at the local middle school and had 64 vendors, a bake sale and food booth. The vendors pay a fee to attend the fair and must donate an item to a raffle. We also solicit merchants from near and far to donate items to a silent auction. Last year’s big draws were a Play Station 3 and Guitar Hero video game. We are considering hiring some security this year, because the bidding got a little intense at the end. Of course 100% of the proceeds go to the MS Society.
• We created our own website to provide updates on our fund raising efforts: www.egantocurems.webs.com. Jen also actively posts updates on the vendor/craft show’s Facebook page.

This strategy has worked for us, but we know there are many other creative fundraising solutions. One idea we have (but have not implemented) is to host a movie night with our friends, wherein we supply the snacks, beverages and movie, and the attendees pay premium movie ticket prices (say $20 per family). This seems like it would kill two birds with one stone: you raise money and enjoy time with friends.

That is all for now. We will check back in a month with more ideas on recruiting members and training for the walk.

Hello Challenge Walkers! - February

We are Mike and Jenny Egan. The folks at the National MS Society-Wisconsin Chapter invited us to compose a monthly Challenge Walk update. With this being the inaugural edition, we will kick things off by providing a little background on the two of us.

We live in Port Washington, WI with our three children: Emily (age 10), Elizabeth (age 9) and Aedan (age 6). Jenny was diagnosed with MS in 2005; this will be our third Challenge Walk.

By all accounts, last year’s event was a huge success, with an improved route, two course options (30 miles and 50 miles) and BEAUTIFUL weather. Last year 86 walkers, 16 super crew and 59 crew volunteers participated. Together, we topped the $250,000 fund-raising goal! And although it can’t be precisely measured, our efforts no-doubt increased awareness of the disease.

We expect this year’s walk will be better than ever. The goal this year is to raise $220,000, with 90 walkers, 10 super crew and 25 volunteers. If the past two years are any indication, the 2010 Challenge Walk will be a great success. We are off to a strong start with 16 “veterans” and one new recruit already committed to walk. This is ahead of last year’s pace, but we still have more work to do!

For those of you who have yet to register, we encourage you to do so now at challengewalkMSwi.org. Or better yet, form a team or recruit a friend to join in the effort. We have found that one of the best parts of training for and participating in the Challenge Walk is the social aspect.

We are confident our persuasive prose has convinced you to register. So look out for next month’s e-mail, wherein we will discuss strategies for recruitment and meeting your fundraising goal.

We would love to hear from you. Feel free to send us your questions or comments.