The Tools I Use to Fundraise

by Lori Rousseau

This week I am concentrating my efforts on fundraising. The National MS Society has great information and tips on raising funds. Here are the tools I use: the Participant Center, email and letter writing.

Lori (center)  includes self-addressed, stamped envelopes
 with her donation request letters to make it as easy
as possible for people to give. 

The Participant Center allows you to put pictures up, write a personal message to your donors and track donations with a thermometer, all via the Internet. It is very easy to set up and you can personalize it to fit your needs. When a donor pledges online, they usually see this page. So make sure the information is accurate.

I also use email to request donations. There are several different templates you can use or personalize one that works for you. There are templates to request donations, send follow-ups and thank you. Again, very easy to use once you get your contact names and email addresses into the system. You will be able to retrieve this information each year.

The last avenue I use is letter writing. I know you are probably thinking snail mail, but it works best for me since not everyone has a computer. Again there are templates available to help you produce a letter. I even include a self-addressed stamped envelope in my request to make it as easy as possible. (For a sample letter, click here.)

So you see fundraising is not complicated. The Society gives you many tools to be successful. Always be appreciative of the amount you receive. Try to reach out to many individuals. You never know who will support you. Good luck!