Team Firstgiving

It’s not too late to run Boston!

BethP — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:14:55 +0000

If you’ve been on the fence about running the 2010 Boston Marathon or trying to find a number, here’s your chance! Our friends at Horizons for Homeless Children now have two more bib numbers available.

For more information, please contact Events Manager Alisha Atlas-Corbett at 617.445.1480 or by email at aatlascorbett(at)horizonsforhomelesschildren.org.

FirstGiving’s 12-week Boston Marathon fundraising plan

BethP — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:04:42 +0000

Here comes the Boston Marathon. Get your fundraising in shape.

Week 1: Coming soon!

2010 Boston Marathon: Raise money without breaking a sweat

BethP — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:58:16 +0000

It’ll be here sooner than you know it. And we know you’ve already begun your training. (You have begun your training, right?)

But whether you’re training to win or to just finish the big race, it takes a lot more than good old determination and willpower to get to the finish line. Having a plan helps you train smart and safe.

The same goes for the fundraising side of your marathon training. And this is where we can help. With FirstGiving, you can use your personal giving page to tell your story and inspire your friends to give.

Welcome to our free, fun, and effective 12-week Boston Marathon Fundraising Plan.

Every week for the next 12 weeks, we’ll post a fundraising tip with you in mind - from setting goals to being creative to teaming up with others to multiply your efforts. So that every week, just as you’re physically training for the race, you’re also doing your best to pull in as many donations as possible.

Keep your eye on your inbox for your first tip, in just a few days!

Until then, if you’d like more information, visit us at help.firstgiving.com/runboston.

Injury prevention for Boston Marathon runners

BethP — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:52:06 +0000

Muscle, knee and foot injuries are very common for marathon runners in training. Help your team get through this year injury free, with information from the pros.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in collaboration with Sports Physical Therapy and Marathon Sports, is offering a series of free running lectures with top specialists. They’ll discuss common injuries and ways to prevent them.

Lectures are scheduled for:

Beth Israel’s West Campus on Wednesday, January 20th from 6-8pm.
Children’s Hospital on Longwood Saturday, January 23rd from 10am-12pm.
Beth Israel Lexington campus on Wednesday, February 3rd from 7-9pm.

Runners can register here, so pass the word along to your marathon team!

For more Boston Marathon tips and resources, visit http://help.firstgiving.com/bostonmarathon.

Running the Boston Marathon? Keep track of your miles with a free online training log.

BethP — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:08:55 +0000

While you’re training for the Boston Marathon, it’s a good idea to keep a training log. Not only can you look back to see how much you’ve accomplished, you can also keep track of things like your favorite running routes and miles you’ve put on your shoes.

Of course, you can always keep track of those miles on paper, but if you spend a lot of time online, a free online training log could be the way to go. We’ve done a bit of research on three popular training logs so that you can start right away with the one that’s right for you.

Running-log.com

Best for: runners who want to keep track of their training as quickly and easily as possible.

Running-log.com is a no-frills log where you can track your mileage, heart rate, and wear on your shoes. If you like, you can also keep track of cross-training workouts and weightlifting sessions. Choose to share your workouts with other teammates, or keep them private. Running-log.com also provides a simple statistics tool that allows you to track your workout history (quantity, duration, and mileage).

Pros: Simple, clean interface, privacy
Cons: Limited functionality, can’t see what other people are doing, no route mapping

Join at: http://running-log.com.

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Runner’s World

Best for: runners who take a scientific approach to logging their workouts

The training log at Runner’s World is created for runners who love data. Map your route and enter mileage, time of day, how you felt, intervals. . . just about everything you can imagine. Then graph it, or export it to excel. The Runner’s World log also allows you to track your placement in 5Ks, 10Ks, and other events you might take part in during your training.

Pros: lots of data and graphing capabilities, route mapping, privacy
Cons: advertising, complicated navigation

Join at: http://traininglog.runnersworld.com.

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Daily Mile

Best for: runners for whom social networking is everything

Are you the social running type? Want to share all your workouts and see what other athletes are doing? Daily Mile was made for you. Like Facebook for athletes, Daily Mile lets you map and post your workouts and thoughts to an online network of athletes. Make friends, upload photos, send motivation, find popular running routes near where you live, post your FirstGiving page URL, go wild.

Pros: Facebook and Twitter integration, local race postings, good navigability
Cons: Public, big time-investment

Join at: http://www.dailymile.com/

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Using one of these logs or another one? What do you think? Post a comment below.

Need a number for Boston 2010? Run with Team Eye and Ear

Ashley — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:33:12 +0000

The 114th Boston Marathon is still over 100 days away, and if you or someone you know is itching to run the 26.2, numbers are still available!

The Massachusets Eye and Ear Infirmary still has some spots available on their 55 person marathon team. Team Eye and Ear raised over $100,000 for the 2009 Boston Marathon to benefit world-renowned research and clinical care, offering hope to those suffering from vision, hearing, voice and balance problems, and helping in the fight to combat head and neck cancer.

For more information pleace check out the Join the Team page at teameyeandear.com or contact Kristina Sym at (617) 573-6364 or kristina_sym@meei.harvard.edu if you are interested.

Fundraiser Spotlight: Terrie Hayward

Congratulations marathoners! Tell your race story to keep your fundraising momentum going

BethP — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:42:59 +0000

The work of a champion online fundraiser is never over, not even when the race ends. So as soon as your ice packs come off, it’s time to get back on the fundraising trail for your cause! Here’s what you should do as soon as you’re able:

Thank everybody. Everybody who helped you, not just your donors. Thank your coach, your training buddies, the volunteers, the academy, everybody. You can thank them privately or publicly. And mention your fundraising when you do, which leads us to…
Report your results. That means your race results as well as your fundraising results. Tell everybody (see above) how it went for you, your time, funny or not so funny stories of your adventures along the way, how it felt, how you feel now, the works. You can even share pictures of your blisters. And then tell them how your fundraising went and how much you raised, how much that will help your chosen cause, and how much more still needs to be done…
If you met your goal, raise it. Just because you finished the race doesn’t mean your cause is finished too. Especially this year, worthy nonprofit causes need help. If you haven’t met your goal yet, that’s all the more reason to ask everybody again.

So congratulations again to all those Boston Marathon runners and everybody who helped them along the way. We salute you, and we encourage you to keep doing great things for the cause!

From the Finish Line

BethP — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:20:11 +0000

Ria at the finish line

What a day! We caught a few of our marathon fundraisers, Ria, Beth and Anne, for a quick photo at the very blustery finish line. Congratulations to everyone who participated in the 2009 Boston Marathon! You accomplished quite a feat in running those 26.2 miles, and many of you raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for all sorts of good causes. The impact of your online fundraising (and offline fundraising) on behalf of dozens of charity organizations will be felt in Boston and all over the country. Now go and relax those muscles!

Marathon fundraisers Beth and Anne-ecstatic!

Team World Vision supporter Ryan Hall is Boston-bound this Monday

Beth — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:56:27 +0000

Professional runner Ryan Hall will toe the line with 26,000+ other runners this Monday at the 113th running of the Boston Marathon.

Like the 900 Boston-bound runners fundraising on Firstgiving, Ryan and his wife Sara (also a professional runner) have a fundraising page, too.

If you can’t be in Boston to cheer Ryan on, show your support by donating to their fundraising page.

Good luck, Ryan!

26.2 April 20th

BethP — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:00:19 +0000

Well, the big day is almost here. You’ve covered hundreds of miles in training runs in wind, snow, sun and rain. You’ve raised money online and offline–thousands of dollars–for almost 100 non-profit organizations. You may have worn out a pair of shoes or two. Your family and friends are supporting you. And on Monday morning, you’ll step across the starting line in Hopkinton and arrive several hours later at the finish line in Copley Square.

To all our 2009 Boston Marathon fundraisers, we salute you! You have worked so hard, and we are inspired by your online fundraising success.

We’re athletes and fundraisers like you. Team Firstgiving’s own Beth L. and Mark are running on Monday, and Beth P. will be at the finish line. If you see us, please stop and say “hi!”

In the meantime, seven-time Boston Marathon Men’s Wheelchair Division Champion Ernst van Dyk is speaking this afternoon at the Museum of Science on behalf of the Spaulding Rehab Team. Swing by at 2 pm to hear Ernst lead an inspiring discussion about setting goals and overcoming adversity.

Three - no four - Boston Marathoners in the news

BethP — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:20:10 +0000

Our RSS feed overrunneth this week with great Boston Marathon fundraising stories. Here are three from the local media. Please join us in saluting their athletic and fundraising efforts!

In Hingham, Mike Haggerty is running Boston to support the Hingham Education Foundation with the purchase of a Smart Board, a piece of educational technology too cool for us to explain here, but check out this picture from Mike’s fundraising page.

The Westborough Community Advocate carries the story of Becky Tripp of Shrewsbury , who is running the Boston Marathon to benefit the Michael Carter Lisnow Respite Center which provides emotional and physical support for individuals with disabilities that include learning disorders, autism and cerebral palsy, and their families. Cheer Becky on, or better yet, donate to her fundraising page.

Over in Belmont, we have a twofer. David Harmon and Phillip Amrein are running to support Mass General Hospital. They are colleagues at this hospital too. You can try to pick the winner by looking at their fundraising pages (Phillip here, David here) but we won’t know until race day next week for sure.

If you’re running Boston or supporting a friend or just watching from the sidelines, watch this space and also check out Team Firstgiving’s blog for more Boston Marathon fundraising news this week!

Fundraiser Spotlight: Terrie Hayward

BethP — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:00:23 +0000

Terrie and her training buddy

Here at Team Firstgiving, we are continuously inspired by marathon fundraisers like Terrie, who not only accomplish the amazing feat of training for and running a marathon, but also take on the challenge of fundraising several thousand dollars for charities like Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary. Originally from Boston, Terrie has been living abroad this year and training for the marathon on an island we’ve heard is only 7 miles long by 3 miles wide! She was kind enough to take a break from training to share some insights with us on both her running and fundraising:

Why are you running the Boston Marathon?

It’s been something that I’ve wanted to do for as long as I can remember. I found the qualifying times quite daunting, however when I discovered the possiblity of running on behalf of a charity it seemed the perfect solution-I get to fulfill a lifelong goal AND run as part of a team working to help others-it’s a win-win!

Why are you fundraising for Team Eye and Ear?

I have a personal connection with Team Eye and Ear, as I have family members who have been fortunate enough to receive superiour service under the care of physicians at Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary.

What is your best training tip?

As this is my first marathon (I ran a half in February in Coamo, Puerto Rico), I found a plan and stuck to it! Having a plan all laid out (on paper) helped me to stay focused, move forward and note progress.

What is your best fundraising tip?

Sending out regular email updates (with photos/links/etc.) helped keep my goal at the forefront of people’s minds.

How has Firstgiving helped you fundraise?

Use Firsgiving! Honestly, I have found it easy to use and update. Allowing people to donate online with a link that I could provide made things easy.

Is there anything Firstgiving could do better?

Some folks who donated offline wished they could have appeared online with a comment.

Thanks for the feedback, Terrie. We’ve heard this from other fundraisers as well, and we’re always listening and thinking about how we can make our site better. In the absence of this functionality at present, some fundraisers have added comments from offline fundraisers in the personal text section of their fundraising pages.

Anything else you’d like to share about your training or fundraising experience?

It has been an amazing few months. I’ve run further than I EVER thought possible and have been humbled by the generosity of those giving in support of my run. It’s been a great experience, and I hope to do it again!

Kudos, Terrie! Thanks for sharing your story with us, and congratulations on having met (and exceeded) your fundraising goal. See you in Boston!

Fundraiser Spotlight: Mike Abare

BethP — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:00:44 +0000

Here at Team Firstgiving, we are continuously inspired by marathon fundraisers like Mike, who not only accomplish the amazing feat of training for and running a marathon, but also take on the challenge of fundraising several thousand dollars for charities like Doctors Without Borders. Mike was kind enough to take a break from training to share some insights with us on both his running and fundraising:

Why are you running the Boston Marathon?

I have been inspired by marathon runners ever since my mom decided to train for one when I was in elementary school. In junior high, I got into track and started running on my own for fun. I found it was a great way to take in the world, to reflect and relax, and to get in shape for football.

I was on the crew team in college but kept running with friends once in a while. Then I heard about two members of the women’s crew team that were training for Boston while doing crew. I thought they were crazy, but it made me start thinking about training. Eventually I decided to do it because I knew it would be a great challenge and experience.

Why are you fundraising for Doctors Without Borders?

I studied international relations in college and am particularly fascinated by economic development and globalization. Through my study and travel experiences, I caught glimpses of how widespread the lack of basic necessities is in our world and how fortunate I am to have been born where I was.

Most importantly, I am fundraising because I admire Doctors Without Borders (MSF), and I want to raise awareness and inspire others to contribute to an amazing organization. MSF operates in some of the most forgotten and dire global conflict zones by delivering emergency medical care to our brothers and sisters who are often without basic needs for survival or a voice. The courage and determination of MSF’s volunteers and staff is a constant source of inspiration to me. They assist in over 70 countries, dealing with some of the world’s most acute crises, while adhering to humanitarian principles of medical ethics and impartiality.

What is your best training tip?

Don’t stretch before you run; it’s a waste. Do some calisthenics or push ups to get you going. Eat lots of green vegetables and drop most of your fat intake a month before the race.

What is your best fundraising tip?

Don’t be afraid to ask for donations, and use your network. It’s a great way to get in touch with old friends, and a great reason to have a party!

It is a great reason to have a party! How has Firstgiving helped you fundraise?

Using Firstgiving has been much easier than what I did before: a mail campaign and a spreadsheet. Having a page for people to donate online makes it a lot easier to ask for donations by email, Facebook messages, and word of mouth.

Is there anything Firstgiving could do better?

Have a matching gift program or incentives to reach higher fundraising goals.

Spoken like a true competitive athlete, Mike. Since we work with so many non-profits and fundraisers on so many different types of initiatives and campaigns, this isn’t something we do on our end. However, many non-profits provide incentives for their fundraisers, and many of the companies your donors work for have matching gift programs. You should definitely go after these, and if you need help, we have information on how to get matching gifts here.

Anything else you’d like to tell us?

This fundraising campaign has been a blast and I’m psyched to have raised so much for Doctors Without Borders in a short time.

Thanks Mike, we are thrilled for your success! We’ve made a donation to your page in support of your efforts. See you on April 20th!

The 2009 Boston Marathon is only 3 weeks away, and we’ll be featuring a few more stories about marathon fundraisers here at Team Firstgiving. Do you have a story you’d like us to highlight or know a runner we should know about? Post a comment below.

It’s taper time!

Beth — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:23:46 +0000

Runners - great job on Saturday! Team Firstgiving was honored to be a part of your last push before the big day.

Click this photo to see more photos from the day

Early Saturday morning, we set up our water stop on the corner of Washington Street and Commonwealth Avenue in Newton - just before you tackled the hills. Special thanks to Newton Fire Department Station #2 for letting us hang out.

We had a blast cheering you on, meeting and chatting with you - you continue to inspire us.

Enjoy your taper!

So far, 775 Boston Marathon runners have raised $1.3 million for 90 nonprofits using Firstgiving. Check out some of our top fundraisers:

Yuki is raising money for Achilles Track Club
Michael is raising money for Friends of Ladders
Katherine is raising money for Horizons for Homeless Children
Robert is raising money for Horizons for Homeless Children
Kristen is raising money for Massachusetts General Hospital

Want to raise more money? Follow these fundraising tips.

Now that you’re tapering, tell your supporters about your training milestones and let them know you’re still fundraising. If you’re close to your fundraising goal? Tell them. Already surpassed it? Raise your goal.

Learn more tips

Doing the charity run in Boston this Saturday?

Beth — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 18:03:27 +0000

Firstgiving will be hosting a water stop along the Boston Marathon course this Saturday, March 28 over by the corner of Rt 16 and 30 in West Newton.

If you’re out running, stop by and say ‘hello!’

Team Eye & Ear Hits $100,000 Fundraising Goal

BethP — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:00:32 +0000

If our office wasn’t in the basement, we’d be shouting this from the rooftops!

Our friends at Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary announced this week that their Boston Marathon Team has reached its $100,000 fundraising goal. With the marathon a month away, this leaves them with plenty of time to finish their training runs and raise even more money than they thought possible.

Congratulations, Team Eye and Ear, for all your hard work training and fundraising. We are thrilled for your success. See you at the marathon!

Fundraiser Spotlight: Mary McManus for Spaulding Rehab Hospital

BethP — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:07:30 +0000

Team McManus after a training run

Here at Team Firstgiving, we are continuously inspired by marathon fundraisers like Mary, who not only accomplish the amazing feat of training for and running a marathon, but also take on the challenge of raising several thousand dollars for Boston Marathon charities like Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.

April 20th is only five weeks away, and like so many Boston Marathon charity runners, Mary has a remarkable story about how she came to train for the 2009 Boston Marathon:

Several years ago, Mary was diagnosed with post polio syndrome. Spaulding Rehab Hospital gave her physical therapy and the tools that she needed to regain her independence and functioning. Then, after working with a personal trainer and friend to determine what her health and fitness goals were, Mary decided to take on the challenge of running the Boston Marathon. In her own words:

I traded in my polio shoes for running shoes. From running for 30 seconds to having completed the Hyannis Half Marathon and 19 miles on our long training runs, I am ready to run the 113th Boston Marathon. When my husband and daughter heard my plan, they decided to join in the fun and so we became Team McManus.

You can read more of Mary’s’s inspiring story at her fundraising page and her teammates’s fundraising pages. In addition to the support of friends and family, Team McManus has also raised over $3500 with two community benefit concerts. We applaud the courageous steps you are taking, Mary, and we’ve made a donation to your fundraising page in honor of your run.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be featuring more stories about Boston Marathon fundraisers here at Team Firstgiving. Do you have a story you’d like us to highlight or know a runner we should know about? Post a comment below.

Fast Forward Through the Boston Marathon

BethP — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:12:43 +0000

Via our friends at Team Mass Eye & Ear, a thrilling ride through the Boston Marathon course, only 6 weeks away.

Mark and Beth from Team Firstgiving are running this year for Cycle Kids and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

We’re getting excited, are you?

Fundraiser Spotlight: Wayne Hewlett

BethP — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:09:31 +0000

Here at Team Firstgiving, we are continuously inspired by marathon fundraisers like Wayne, who not only accomplish the amazing feat of training for and running a marathon, but also take on the challenge of fundraising several thousand dollars for Boston Marathon charities like Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary.

Wayne has a particularly remarkable story. For the past 10 years, he’s been treated for 2 optical neuropathy diseases that are slowly degrading his vision. Wayne has been seeing a world-class physician at Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary for treatment, and this year decided to join MEEI’s Boston Marathon team and raise money for optical neuropathy research. And guess what? Wayne’s doctor is running the marathon with him.

You can read more of Wayne’s inspiring story at his fundraising page and follow updates on his personal blog and the Team MEEI blog. He’s already pretty close to reaching his fundraising goal, thanks to the support of his friends and associates. We applaud the courageous steps you are taking, Wayne, and we’ve made a donation to your fundraising page in honor of your run.

Run4NF: 5 Boston Marathon Charity Spots

BethP — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:24:39 +0000

Our friends at Neurofibromatosis Inc. have 5 charity spots for the Boston Marathon through their Run4NF program.

Always wanted to run the Boston Marathon?

Know someone affected by NF?

Willing to fundraise a little?

Contact Debbi at debbi@run4nf.org

One Marathon for Every Decade

BethP — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:11:01 +0000

The historic Boston Marathon is happening right in our backyard, and we’ve been keeping up with lots of Boston Marathon fundraisers and charities as April 20 fast approaches. So far over 800 charity runners have raised almost $700,000 online with their personal fundraising pages.

Larry is just one of many marathon fundraisers we know with an incredibly inspiring story. He turned 60 last month and has decided to take this milestone and, well. . . run with it. Not only is Larry running Boston this year, he’s also running 5 other marathons: one for every decade. And to boot, he’s raising money for his favorite non-profit, Evergreen Commons.

You can read more about Larry’s story at his fundraising page, where he’s posted the following donation suggestions for his fans:


$26.20 = 26.2 miles per marathon
$157.20 = 6 marathons
$60.00 = My age
$100 = What can I say…..a nice round number
$500 = 500 training miles per marathon
$________ = Your choice…..every $ helps

Larry’s received some fantastic local press coverage, too Kudos, Larry! We’ve made a donation to your page in support of your fundraising goal.

Wordle

BethP — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:53:34 +0000

Via Wordle.net. Make your own by typing in the address of your blog or website here.

More Boston Marathon Numbers Available

BethP — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:01:41 +0000

Our friends at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children just received about 20 more bib numbers for the Boston Marathon and are looking for charity runners to join their team.

Interested? Contact Tom O’Toole by phone at 617.587.1533 or email totoole@mspcc.org.

Adidas Countdown Widget

BethP — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 18:38:33 +0000

Bill is running the Boston Marathon in 2 months, 1 day, 22 hours, 44 minutes and 12 seconds. . . and counting. He’s fundraising for Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary, and he’s met 32% of his fundraising goal. How did we get this info so fast? Bill has a couple of nifty widgets on his blog, so anyone who visits can instantly get moment-by moment information on his marathon training.

We’ve seen a lot of our fundraisers use the ever-popular fundraising widget, which you can post to your blog to show your fundraising progress. But this is the first time we’d ever seen the Adidas Countdown Widget:

It’s so fabulous, we wanted to share it with all of you. You can customize it for any race–just visit the widget generator site and type in the name, date, and time of your race. If you have a fundraising page, type in the URL! The “Sponsor Me” button on the widget will link to your page. And if you like, the widget can send you running tips based on whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced runner. How cool is that?

Climb Up So Kids Can Grow Up Champions the Virtual Event

BethP — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:17:06 +0000

What is a virtual event, you ask? Well, we’ll tell you. A virtual event is one that doesn’t require its participants to be in the same place at the same time in order to participate. It can take place anywhere in the country (or the world), in any time zone. It could be a hike, bike, or run. It could be for a specified distance or not. Are you getting the picture? It’s flexible.

The beauty of running a virtual event, from a non-profit’s perspective, is that administrative costs are terrifically low. You don’t have to pay for a venue. You don’t have to spend time organizing volunteers or employees to be on site. You don’t have to pay for medical staff or law enforcement. All you have to do is spend some time getting the word out.

Our friends at the American Foundation for Children with AIDS have got the virtual event down pat. Their “Climb Up So Kids Can Grow Up” event invites people to dedicate the third weekend in September to a hike, bike, or climb of any distance, wherever they are, to raise money for children living with AIDS in East Africa. Some of last year’s virtual participants put together events like a 114-mile bike ride through the Cascade Mountains, a church youth group hike, and a climbing day at a local gym. You can read more stories on their website.

This NPO has exhibited a lot of other fundraising best practices, too, so it’s no wonder that they are successful. For example, they have a whole page of great fundraising ideas on their website. And check out how they’ve connected donors to their work and thanked them with their excellent YouTube video:

One More Thing

BethP — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 12:00:57 +0000

Last week we posted a mini-series on tips from our marathon fundraising panel experts. If you missed it, you can find it here.

One of our experts, Beth from Samaritans, mentioned a method of thinking about your networks and extended networks called “treasure-mapping.” This concept is so useful, we thought we’d give you a visual:

Think of yourself as being the center of your immediate network (shown in green). This network will include groups of people such as family & friends, your religious community, and other social circles you belong to. You probably have a bunch of groups within your network, which may or may not include these ones (though we sure hope you have family and friends!), so don’t let your thinking stop there. What does your professional network look like? Are you an alum? You get the point.

Naturally, since this is your immediate network, this is a great place to start when asking people to support you and donate to your fundraising page.

But remember, each of these people is at the center of their own network (shown in blue). If people in your network get excited about your cause, they will share it with people in their networks and reach people you wouldn’t have thought to ask. Part of the beauty of online fundraising is that the donation process is so easy. All someone has to do is email a link to your fundraising page to a friend, put a widget on their blog, or post your fundraising page to their Facebook profile. Bam, you’ve got another donation, and your NPO receives more money to keep doing the good work it is doing.

As our friend Beth reminded us, you never know what is going to strike a chord with someone. Spend some time thinking about your network and how you might extend your reach. Draw your treasure map. Talk about what you’re doing with enthusiasm, and don’t apologize. People will consider it a privilege and a gift to make a donation to support your efforts for such a great cause.

Fundraising is Not a 4-Letter Word: Part 3

BethP — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:00:17 +0000

Part three in a mini-series on nuggets gleaned from our marathon fundraising panel experts.

NPO directors and marathon team coordinators learn from fundraising veterans

Even more expert advice from Ashley, Beth and Kristina. If you missed them, Part 1 is here and Part 2 is here.

6. Remind your fundraisers not to apologize when asking for donations

Very few people will sign up to run a marathon, let alone to run and fundraise for charity. Your fundraisers are doing an incredibly inspiring thing.
Donors will consider it a gift to participate in something bigger than themselves. They will be inspired and excited to give. Encourage your fundraisers to talk enthusiastically about what they are doing and why.
Fundraising is not a 4-letter word!

7. Don’t forget, you’re working with ATHLETES. Harness the spirit of competition!

Inspire some friendly competition among your team by creating awards, silly or serious, related to both the athletic and fundraising aspects of the race.
Consider offering incentives to top fundraisers or those who exceed their fundraising goals.

8. Thank-yous are very important.

Be a cheerleader for your runner-fundraisers and thank them during and after the training and fundraising process. Encourage them to thank their donors.
Have your runners send out an “I did it!” email after the race. It should include a fundraising update and ask for a final donation to meet the goal.
Hold a post-race event in honor of your fundraisers. Share personal stories from training, fundraising and racing. Have the president of your organization speak about what their efforts mean to to your organization.

Thank you Ashley, Beth, and Kristina for your wisdom and insight!

Have other thoughts on how to make your marathon team fundraising a success? Post a comment below. And if you want to know more, attend our free webinar, “The Endorphin Effect: how athletic fundraising events raise more money” tomorrow, Jan 28 at 3.30 pm EST.

Fundraising is Not a 4-Letter Word: Part 2

BethP — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 12:00:11 +0000

Part two in a mini-series on nuggets gleaned from our marathon fundraising panel experts.

NPO development directors and marathon team coordinators listen to panelists

Expert advice, continued: here are more tips for success and getting the most out of marathon fundraising from Ashley, Beth, and Kristina. If you missed Part 1, it’s here.

3. Help your runners coordinate their marathon training schedule with their fundraising schedule.

Training begins 4 months before the race, so should fundraising! Encourage your runners to set up their fundraising pages right away and ask for donations early and often.
Encourage your team to send out periodic updates on their training and fundraising progress to their network of supporters. This will often motivate people to give.

4. Teach your marathon fundraisers to “treasure-map” their networks to think about their broadest reach for fundraising asks.

Running a marathon is a huge, inspiring thing, and people will respond! Think beyond immediate networks like family and friends to religious communities, alumni associations, etc.

Fundraisers should invest a significant amount of time in thinking strategically about who is in their networks and how they can tailor their message to those people.
Thinking about extended networks allows fundraisers to reach their networks and their networks’ networks. You never know who will be inspired by what your runners are doing.
Fundraise both offline and online, depending on your audience.
Emphasize the importance of one-to-one or person-to-person asks
Research corporate matching opportunities, and pursue them! Donors are even more motivated to give when they know their gift has additional impact.
If your fundraisers are already using online social networks and media tools, they can use them to publicize their fundraising goals. For example, a fundraiser can post the URL to their fundraising page in their Facebook “status.”

5. Use your organization’s resources to support and give additional legitimization to your fundraiser’s efforts.

Make your runners feel good about fundraising and give them the tools they need.

Create a page on your website or blog with your runner-fundraisers’ profiles and links to their fundraising pages. It could look something like this.
Create a blog for your team. Include links to your runner’s own blogs and fundraising pages, a discussion board, announcements, and training links. Team Mass Eye & Ear Infirmary has a great one here.
Ask your general donor database to make a special one-time donation to your marathon runners. Receiving support in the form a donation from someone they don’t know personally is a powerful motivator!
Include your marathon team’s achievement in your general fundraising plan. Be sure to mention their success in your organization’s videos, newsletters, etc. This is great for publicity and may even garner support for your team in the future.

Jan 28 Webinar: The Endorphin Effect

BethP — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 12:00:44 +0000

Did you know that the average charity runner raises more than double what a walker does, and that a marathoner raises 50% more than that? Do you want to put that kind of dedication to work for your organization?

Let Team Firstgiving teach you why endurance athletes raise more money and how your organization can participate, even without organizing your own race. We will discuss:

finding and choosing a marathon
working with race directors and coaches
promoting your endurance fundraising

Firstgiving’s webinar, The endorphin effect: how athletic fundraising events raise more money, takes place on Wednesday Jan 28 at 3.30 pm EST. Register here.

Fundraising is Not a 4-Letter Word: Part 1

BethP — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:10:51 +0000

Part one in a mini-series on nuggets gleaned from our marathon fundraising panel experts.

Ashley, Beth & Kristina, marathon fundraising team gurus

Last week Firstgiving hosted a Marathon Fundraising Panel for local charities interested in endurance event fundraising. We’ve got photos here. Successful Boston Marathon fundraising team coordinators Ashley, Beth, and Kristina shared their wisdom on how to get the most out of marathon fundraising. They shared so much good stuff with us, we can’t fit it all in one post! Here are some of their tips for success, with more to follow:

1. Tap into your network of supporters:

It takes a lot of passion to want to run 26.2 miles, and even more to fundraise several thousand dollars while doing it. Where do you find these people?

Start looking for your team early, 6-8 months before the event.
Look internally and externally. Tell everyone in your office you’re putting a team together, and then tell your entire database of contacts. (For some more ideas on how to build your email list, see notes from our webinar on the subject).
Get in touch with your donor community, with people who are already passionate about your organization’s mission. Chances are that among these people, you’ll find some athletes or aspiring athletes.
Our experts tell us that posting flyers at local gyms and sporting goods stores is not the most effective method for getting team members. You might still want to do it, but invest most of your energies in tapping into your existing network.
Include Team Firstgiving in your contact list! Email us at endurance@firstgiving.com, and we’d be happy to post on our blog.

2. Talk about fundraising at your kick-off meeting

A marathon team kick-off meeting is par (er. . .qualifying) for the course. Use this opportunity to train your athletes to fundraise as well.

Invite people who have been impacted by the work of your organization to share their stories with your runners. This can set the tone for the entire training and fundraising season.
Talk about the mission of your organization and not only meeting but exceeding the fundraising minimum or goal.
Ask your marathoners to share their stories with each other about why they are running for your organization.

Stay tuned, there’s more to come!

Last Chance to Run Boston

BethP — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:22:58 +0000

Time is running out! The following charities still have a few numbers available for the Boston Marathon:

Gay Men’s Domestic Violence Project - Learn more
To apply, email Jeff Newton

ReadBoston-Learn more
To apply, submit applications toErin.Smith.JCS@cityofboston.gov. Or, fax them to Erin Smith, 617-918-5475. Questions, please call 617-918-5289.

Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries-Learn more
To apply, click here

Marathon Fundraising Panel

BethP — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:42:39 +0000

This morning’s Marathon Fundraising Panel in Boston was a great success! Over 30 attendees representing 27 Boston charity organizations gathered to exchange ideas about how to make the most of their fundraising efforts through endurance events.

Panelists Kristina, Beth, and Ashley from Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary, Samaritans, and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, respectively, shared their experiences working with successful marathon fundraising teams.

Stay tuned! During the next week we’ll be posting additional resources from the session to this blog, including answers to frequently asked questions, photos and video clips.

Attn Boston runners, Burren Fun Run, every Monday

BethP — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:07:42 +0000

Getting up the motivation to run during the winter can be hard, especially if you’re a treadmill-hater. Last week we posted some valuable winter running tips to help you keep going through the ice and snow.

Here’s another opportunity if you are a local: just around the corner from FG towers, the Burren and the Somerville Road Runners are hosting a weekly Bur-Run Fun Run. It’s open to everyone, and it’s happening every Monday evening at 6.45 pm in Davis Square.

You’ll probably finish up the run just in time for the Burren’s Irish Step Dancing Lessons. And you might see some of us there!

RSVP Today: Marathon Fundraising Panel Jan 14 in Boston

BethP — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:28:02 +0000

Learn how to help your supporters raise money online for your nonprofit.

Do you have supporters fundraising and running in a spring marathon? If they haven’t started their training and fundraising yet, they’re about to.

Firstgiving is hosting an expert panel discussion on Wednesday, January 14 from 8:00-10:00 AM at the Hyatt Regency Boston.

Learn from and share with some of our most successful charities on what has made their marathon fundraising program so successful, such as how they’ve helped supporters exceed their fundraising goals, rallied their team together, and many more tips and ideas. The format of this get-together will allow all attendees to share their ideas and experiences, too.

On the panel

Ashley Bronson, Special Events Coordinator, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
Beth Schultz, Director of Development, Samaritans
Kristina Sym, Special Events Coordinator, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary

Firstgiving will be there to help facilitate the discussion and answer any questions you may have.

Details
Date: Wednesday, January 14th
Time: 8:00-10:00 AM
Location: Hyatt Regency Boston, One Avenue De Lafayette, Boston (map and directions)
Format: Discussion with 3 panelists, 1 facilitator
Refreshments: Complimentary breakfast will be served

Space is limited, reply now to reserve your seat or if you have any questions.

We look forward to seeing you!

Team Firstgiving

Need a number for Boston? Run with Team Esplanade Association

BethP — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:10:11 +0000

One of the most exciting things Team Firstgiving gets to do is connect athlete-fundraisers with charities who use endurance events to raise money online. As marathoners and triathletes who fundraise ourselves, we know a lot about training and fundraising, and we love to help athlete-fundraisers achieve their goals. Check out the fundraiser spotlight section on our blog to read some inspiring Team Firstgiving stories.

Training season for the Boston Marathon is getting underway this month, and we’ve had a bunch of athletes contact us to ask how they can run for charity. We’ve put them in touch with non-profits looking for runners for their Boston Marathon charity programs. It’s a win-win.

This week Team Firstgiving attended a marathon kick-off meeting for the Esplanade Association, a local non-profit and part of the Boston Marathon Charity Program. They still have a couple of numbers available for their team. If you are interested in running for charity, contact Christopher Murton at cmurton@esplanadeassociation.org or by phone at (617) 227.0365.

As part of the team, you’ll get coaching for both your running and fundraising. Lace up your running shoes; they start training together this week!

Inspiration for Fundraisers: Will Weidman

BethP — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:50:16 +0000

Will Weidman says he was born to run and completed a 100-mile endurance run last summer. He’s raised over $2,000 in support for Organs ‘R’ Us with his fundraising page. How does he do it? We were fortunate enough to catch Will out of his running shoes for a few moments and ask him.

Why are you running?

I run for a lot of reasons. What first drew me to running was the challenge of it. It’s great to be able to do something you never thought was possible. When I first started running I set my sights on completing a marathon. Since then, I’ve continually challenged myself to see how far and how fast I can go. I also really love nature and getting outside every day. This is what has drawn me to do more trail running over the last few years. Running is also a great way to stay healthy, which is really important to me.

Why are you fundraising?

After several years of running, I decided that I really wanted to use my running to do some good and help other people. I really enjoy racing, but I’ve come to realize that setting a PR or finishing a tough race isn’t really that important in comparison to helping raise money for great charities like Organs ‘R’ Us.

What is your best training tip?

Train by doing what you enjoy most. This will make you a happier runner and will ultimately help you get out the door and train more frequently and consistently. I really like running on trails but am not a big fan of track workouts or tempo runs, so I do more long trail runs and less speedwork. I have a lot more fun this way, I’m less likely to get injured, and I’ve actually gotten a bit faster even with fewer fast workouts.

What is your best fundraising tip?

I’m still pretty new to fundraising and have a lot to learn myself, but I found it has worked well to start fundraising early and send a few friendly reminders along the way. Lots of people want to help, but everyone has hectic lives and it may slip their mind at first.

How did you hear about Firstgiving?

I came across Organs ‘R’ Us and decided I really wanted to help them out. Even though the race I was doing wasn’t one of their official races, they directed me to Firstgiving and we were able to get everything set up.

How has Firstgiving helped you meet your fundraising goals?

It’s great to have such an easy way to set up a page that has all of your information. It is also very easy for people to contribute through Firstgiving, and making everything so simple definitely helps get more people involved.

We’re also impressed with Will’s training blog, where he posts regular updates on training and fundraising for his fans to see. Go Will!

Did you know that marathoners like Will typically raise an average of $1450 with their fundraising pages? Want to do the same? Send an email to endurance@firstgiving.com and we’ll help you get started.

Week 11: How to get donations from people you don’t know

Beth — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 13:00:34 +0000

Do you feel you’ve tapped into your network of family and friends and you’re still shy of your goal? Ask people you don’t know for a donation.

Don’t worry, it’s much easier and takes less time than standing outside a grocery store with a jar asking for change (although, I’ve done that before - man, that’s tough work).

So, how do you ask people you don’t know?

Ask your supporters to spread the word - When you ask your family and friends, ask them to support you by telling their communities.
Add your fundraising page link to a website - this can be your own or a friend’s website or blog, your company’s website, or your nonprofit’s website
Email signatures - include your fundraising page link in your email signatures.
This is what my work and personal email signature looks like:

Post a message in a forum - specifically a forum you frequent, or one that’s related to your cause or event.
Utilize other social media services - Do you use Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn or other social media services? If so, add your fundraising page link to your comment or profile. Read our tip on Facebook and fundraising
Get it in the media - Send your story and fundraising page to newspapers, magazines, radio, and tv stations by writing a press release.

Keep in mind
You never know when a cause is going to resonate with a donor. Perhaps they love the nonprofit you’re raising money for or someone they are close to has had an experience that your nonprofit addresses. It could just be that the donor is amazed by what you are doing or find your fundraising efforts creative.

Tools to help you spread the word
On your fundraising page, in the upper right corner, supporters can click Share this page. They can choose from emailing their community, adding a widget or badge to their website or blog, and adding the your page to their Facebook profile.

Tell us what’s worked for you

Winter Running Tips from Team FG

BethP — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 18:41:43 +0000

Outside Team FG headquarters

The first big snow hit Boston this weekend, and as the clouds came rolling in, out rolled my motivation to venture outside in my running shoes. When it comes to wintery mixes, I’d much rather be wearing these:

My colleague BethL, however, is a bit more adventurous. She’s training for the Boston Marathon right now and will run in anything New England throws her way. An experienced marathoner and triathlete, Beth was kind enough to offer up some great winter running tips on behalf of Team Firstgiving. So if you are unperturbed by the New England winter or just a treadmill-hater, here’s some advice to help you get over the river and through the woods:

Dress as if it is 20-30 degrees warmer
Wear layers so that you can remove a layer if you get hot. When the temp is in single digits I wear two layers of pants, a fleece vest, windbreaker, and long sleeve shirt, gloves, hat. If negative numbers, I wear my balaclava (not to be confused with baklava). Here’s a good resource at Runners World
If there is wet snow, be sure to wear water proof jacket (cotton kills)
Run with a buddy – nothing like peer pressure!
Snow shoe or cross country ski as a nice alternative to running
Run for time instead of distance. Snow will slow you down and work different muscles (similar to trail running)
If you’re cold, run for the hills! Hills get your heart rate up
Be careful of snow plows and wear reflective gear in the dark. It’s harder for cars to see you especially if the snow banks are high

By the way, Beth is running the Boston Marathon this year for Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Check out her fundraising page here.

Training for Boston? Tips on staying motivated from Firstgiving’s BethL

BethP — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:00:24 +0000

One of the great things about a blog (and our blog is no exception), is that a lot of the content stays relevant after it’s posted. Beth wrote this post when she was training through the winter in 2007, and we thought we’d re-post these useful tips for those of you training through the winter this year.

Original post at the Online Fundraising Blog

If you live in the Northeast and you are training for the Boston Marathon (or any other Spring marathon), staying motivated on days like today can be very difficult!

I have been in your running shoes many times. As an endurance athlete (7 marathons, 3 Ironmans, etc) and Run coach for Team Envision (my triathlon team), I have found that the following tips have been helpful for getting me out the door…

1. Dress for the weather.
If you are comfortable, you are less likely to bail or cut your run short. I have found that recording the temperature and weather conditions, as well as what I wore on a run and how I felt, helped me figure what works. For example, when the temperature dips below 20°F, I know I will be comfortable wearing: long sleeve technical shirt, fleece vest, wind breaker (waterproof is best!), leggings, hat, and gloves. Sometimes if I am doing a recovery run (where my heart rate is lower), I will double up on my leggings.

2. Use the buddy system.
Plan to meet a running buddy for a run. It’s so much harder to bail when someone else is expecting you. My running buddy and Firstgiving colleague Maggi can attest to that!

3. Just try!
It is easy to bag a run when you are warm and cozy inside and it is dark and cold outside. So many times, the hardest part is actually getting out the door. One strategy that has worked for me is to run for just 10 minutes. If I do 10 minutes, and despise it, I allow myself to turn around. For the record, I have never turned around.

4. Get creative with your runs.
Mix it up — it keeps you on your toes (pun intended). Here are some ways I have spiced up my runs…
* Make up a new route (check out this awesome tool: www.gmap-pedometer.com).
* Run your old route backwards.
* trail run or snow shoe.
* Cross train (if you are a gym rat, try doing circuits - e.g., 10 minutes on the treadmill, 10 minutes on the stationary bike, 10 minutes on the elliptical, repeat for as many times as the duration of your scheduled run).
* Run an errand, literally. Need to run to the grocery store? Need to drop something off at a friends? Run there!

5. Attitude is everything.
You may not be able to control the weather or sunlight, but you can definitely control your attitude. Now is the time to appreciate the fact that you can train and run a marathon. Think about the fitness and strength you are gaining, all the people you are inspiring, new friendships, and how each run gets you closer to your goal. Also, if you are fundraising for charity, think about all the awareness you are bringing to your worthy cause, not to mention funds that will help your charity do more good and reach their goals.

Next time, the couch looks better than your run, think about these five tips and get out that door!

If you have any tips not mentioned here or you want to add on to my thoughts, please leave a comment and share!

Week 10: Facebook Fundraising, FTW

GrantH — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:35:29 +0000

Facebook is a huge deal to us here at Firstgiving. It provides about 10% of all our incoming traffic, and thousands of people are using it to fundraise every day. And it’s getting bigger.

It’s a good time to share our knowledge of the platform as it is, and how you can use it to tell your fundraising story

1. Status Updates

Status updates are so easy. It’s the bread and butter of Facebook - telling your network what you’re up to.

Maybe you’ve had a big donation, or gone training, it could be anything. Tell us. We wanna know.

Update. Be rigorous and organized about it. Three times a week is acceptable. After all, you’ve got something to promote that can be a discussion point. It’s a surefire way to be omnipresent on your friend’s newsfeeds so there’s no possible way they won’t know what you’re up to. Maybe enlist a couple of your closest friends to share your page URL on their status too.

The golden rule is don’t just post the URL all on its own. Link-baiting alone is kind of annoying and we’ve all seen it (and they’re normally linking to ‘hilarious’ YouTube videos).

2. Post Photos

The Facebook photo app is pretty cool. The one thing that really elevates it over other photo apps is the ability to tag people. Make sure you try and capture as much of your story on camera and regularly upload photos, tagging yourself and anyone else in them as necessary. Also, make sure your profile pic is related to what you’re up to.

3. Do Video.

There’s almost no excuse to not make a video of what you’re doing. Cameras do video. My phone does video. I’m pretty sure the toaster will do video soon enough. You’ve got a few options with Facebook video:

use the Facebook video app. This is great for short videos, especially if your friends are in it. It has the same tagging functionality as the Photos app, so can spread through newsfeeds effectively.
use a dedicated video site like YouTube or Vimeo. Both YouTube and Vimeo have pretty awesome Facebook integration. If you’re already using them then make sure you share the videos in your newsfeed or you can use the dedicated applications.

4. Events

If you’re actually doing an official event, like a marathon for example, then search for it and see if it’s listed on Facebook. If it is, add yourself to it.

If you’re doing your own thing and you want others to take part, then you can build your own event on Facebook and send it to your friends.

5. Groups

You should definitely build a group. Invite everyone to it. Those who actually join are the ones who you can lean on a bit harder. Get some forum discussions going, don’t let it stagnate. The other good thing about Groups is they act as the bridge to other Facebookers who you might not be friends with.

Just do a search for ‘firstgiving’ on facebook and have a look through some of the groups. There are some great examples in there.

6. Facebook Mail

The internal messaging system in Facebook is really, really powerful. It’s really good. It’s a lot more effective than standard email because it threads messages properly and integrates well with your registered email address too.

So this tip is an easy one. Use it.

Nine times out of ten it works better than your normal email. It works great for group, too!

Don’t underestimate the power of writing to people individually. It will yield much better results than sending the same message to everyone.

Plus you get to track it all from the comfort of your Facebook account.

7. Don’t forget to say thanks

Say thanks.

Wall-post a thank you note when somebody sponsors you. It acts as a thanks and a reminder to others in the newsfeed that they need to sponsor you because other people are.

When your activity is over don’t forget to thank people collectively and individually. Let them know in as much detail as you can how much of a difference everyone has made together through your activity. It’s the end of the story. Make sure it gets told.

Do you have a tip to share?
Leave a comment below.

Santa Speedo Run update: $143,000 raised online

BethP — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:44:03 +0000

Maggi of Firstgiving with Ben and Maggi's mom

Hundreds of runners clad in their holiday finest stopped traffic this weekend in the 9th Annual Santa Speedo Run.

It was a crisp 29 degrees, but that didn’t stop them from running merrily, merrily through the streets to raise money for local charity Cradles to Crayons. You can watch the video here.

Highlights:

Runners raised over $143,000 online, compared to last year’s $90,000 (which included both online and offline fundraising).

Top fundraising team the Philly Boys raised $4,473 online. They get bragging rights for raising $1100 online in the 24 hours before the run.

Anne and Claire registered last-minute and surpassed their fundraising goal in less than 8 hours. Claire wrote about it on her blog.

Online fundraising pages helped Cradles to Crayons far exceed their fundraising expectations, allowing them to extend their services and provide more winter coats and shoes to keep kids warm this winter.

Santa Speedo Run blows online fundraising out of the water

BethP — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:00:07 +0000

From the official Santa Speedo Run site:

It was 2:23 pm on Saturday, December 16th, 2000 and the crowd of holiday shoppers erupted into earth-shattering applause, screaming and cheering as five brave men ran past them on Newbury Street wearing nothing but Santa hats, Santa beards and Speedos.

Fast forward to 2007, and the Santa Speedo Run had become an iconic local event in Boston. 400 people joined in to run in their skivvies in 2007, and since the event’s inception, runners had raised $240,000 for 8 different Boston charities.

But it gets better. This year, 450 runners have created personal fundraising pages to raise money online for Cradles to Crayons, and they’ve almost hit the $120,000 donation mark for this year’s online fundraising alone. The runners, including Firstgiving’s own Maggi Berwind-Dart will be taking to the streets in their suits this Saturday, December 13th at 1.00 pm.

an enthusiastic bunch

Feeling the holiday cheer? Head down to Newbury Street to give them a shout-out. Or join them!

Have Firstgiving Help at your Next Boston Marathon Charity Team Kick-Off Meeting

Beth — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:53:18 +0000

Do you have a Boston Marathon charity team? If so, please take Firstgiving up on our offer for a free fundraising training session.

Many of your runners are more nervous about raising $3,000+ than they are about running the 26.2 miles.

Firstgiving can help alleviate their concerns by attending your kick-off meeting and showing your runners how to create their personal fundraising pages and exceed their fundraising goals.

We’ll also cover best practices, tips, and tricks to help them raise the most money possible for your nonprofit this year. It’s free - just tell us when your kick-off meeting is, and someone from our staff will be there. The session will cover about 20 minutes of your kick-off meeting.

In years past, Boston Marathon charities have found these to be very helpful and successful - let us help you!

Fundraiser Spotlight: Paul Kapellas

BethP — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:55:36 +0000

Not only did Paul finish the Chicago marathon back in October, he fundraised $33,550 for Spinal Muscular Atrophy Research with his Firstgiving page. This probably goes without saying, but neither the running nor the fundraising was a small feat.

Like many of our successful fundraisers, Paul was inspired to use the Chicago race as a springboard for a cause he cares about. And while it wasn’t Paul’s first marathon (he’s run 7 of them), it was his first marathon fundraising experience. We pulled some more info. from his fundraising page:

Why Paul is running:

In years past, my goal has simply been to better my time. This year, I have decided to try to use my running to help others. I am raising money and awareness for Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy, or FSMA. Please visit their site: http://www.fsma.org/

Why Paul is fundraising:

In June of this year, my co-worker and friend Ken’s baby boy Cruciano was diagnosed with SMA Type 1. Cru and his family have an extremely tough battle ahead of them. Please help me support FSMA as I run for Cru to help find a cure through research.

How Paul met. . . and exceeded. . . his fundraising goals:

My original goal this year was to raise $3,000 to help find a cure for SMA. After an amazing first day, we raised the goal to $7,500. We smashed through that goal on Day 3. We then decided to raise the goal to $20,000. We broke that mark in mid-July. We reset the goal to $25,000 and surpassed that in late July. We have reset the goal to $30,000.

Paul also created a marathon blog to keep his fans up to speed on his training and racing. Well done and congratulations on your success!

No Related Post

Running for a reason this Thanksgiving

Beth — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:02:53 +0000

My friends and I at the 2005 Gobble, Gobble, Gobble Thanksgiving Day Race in Davis Square

It’s that time of year again where if you’re a runner, you give thanks for your health and celebrate by running a local turkey trot.

This Thanksgiving, some runners have decided to make their turkey trot a little more special by raising money for a cause that is dear to them.

For example, Wayne has raised $2,345 for Burroughs Community Center. While Natalie’s charity of choice is Hopelink and she’s raised $1300 so far. Some other turkey trotters include Steve who’s raised $1327 for Caring for Carcinoid Foundation and Emilio’s fundraising page for Doctors Without Borders is at $314.

Collectively, 92 runners have raised $29,998 for 9 different charities.

Thank you for giving back to your communities.

Happy running and Thanksgiving!
Team Firstgiving

Ryan Hall to Run 2009 Boston Marathon

BethP — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:37:35 +0000

If you’ve been following Ryan Hall’s marathon career, you may have heard: he’s running the 2009 Boston Marathon as part of the John Hancock Elite Team.

Hall finished 10th at the Beijing Olympics with the best U.S. finish in 32 years, inspired a bunch of Firstgiving fundraisers to raise money online and run the Chicago Marathon with him, and now has his sights set on Boston, where he hopes to become the first American winner of the race since Grey Meyer won it in 1983.

Ryan and his wife, Sara, also a marathoner and pro-runner, have been using their passions for running and for the work of World Vision to raise money online. See their fundraising page here.

Charities looking for Boston Marathon runners

Beth — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:08:03 +0000

Runners, meet the charities with 2009 Boston Marathon numbers. They’re looking for good people like you - runners who want to make a difference.

Boston Partners in Education - Learn more
To apply, email Matthew Allen or call him at 617-451-6145

Brigham and Women’s Hospital - Learn more
To apply, email Suzanne Leidel or call 617-424-4309

Charlestown Lacrosse
To apply, email Bob Cutler or call 617-242-1813

Cycle Kids - Learn more
To apply, visit their website and click Marathon

Esplanade Association - Learn more
Apply for a number

Gay Men’s Domestic Violence Project - Learn more
To apply, email Jeff Newton

Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary - Learn more
To apply, email Kristina Sym or call 617-573-6364

If you’ve been on the fence about doing Boston, apply today - spots are filling up fast.

Already have your Boston number and on Facebook? Join the Boston Marathon Facebook group.

If you’re a charity with Boston Numbers - tell us and we will add it to this post.

Week 9: Start a training blog

Beth — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:27:53 +0000

Back when I was training for Ironman Canada, I started a blog (or online diary) of all my adventures leading up to the race. It was a great way to keep in touch with family and friends who lived in another state or outside the country. It also kept me honest with my training, after all, if I blogged about my next killer workout, I better do it.

Blogging is also a great forum to communicate your fundraising goals, challenges, and milestones. Similar to tip #7, it’s a way to connect people with your fundraising and training.

How to get started
Get a free blog. For example check out:

For a about $10 a year, you can get your own domain. For example check out: Go Daddy or Network Solutions.

Tell visitors about your fundraising
Add a link to your fundraising page in your header and a widget or badge in the side column. For example, check out Libarian on the run

Write about anything. For example:
• Thoughts you have on a training run
• Funny or interesting things you observe when you’re out
• How you’re feeling after a race or big training day
• Your fears or joys
• What your charity means to you and why you’re fundraising

Tell us your story or share your blog with us

Inspiration for fundraisers - Ricky Lai and the Global Runners

Beth — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:51:29 +0000

On May 12, 2008, a major earthquake destroys the Sichuan region of China. Photo courtesy of Half the Sky Foundation.

Meet Ricky Lai and the Global Runners - On November 30th, they’ll be running the Shanghai Half Marathon to raise money and awareness for the Half the Sky Foundation (HTS) and the May 2008 Sichuan-region earthquake relief efforts. So far the group has raised $18,382.

They’re fundraising and running because
The ‘Global Runners’ was started by a couple HBSC colleagues who wanted to run for fun, fitness and a good cause. Eventually, more colleagues joined in, even though it wasn’t an official HSBC event. Now the Global Runners has grown to 3 teams that’ll travel to and run the Shanghai Half Marathon - Team Hong Kong, Team Shanghai, Team Taipei.

Originally, they planned to challange each other to see which team was the fastest. But now, they’re so focused on their fundraising that they forgot to set a team speed challenge. Instead they’ve challenged each other to raise $100,000.

They decided to fundraise for Half the Sky Foundation because
A Shaghai team member had heard of HTS’ good work, so Ricky and the team did some research online, called HTS, and then Ricky met them in their Hong Kong office to understand their work with the Sichuan-region earthquake relief efforts. The team decided to fundraise for this organization as the destruction in Sichuan is huge and the road to recovery will be long and challenging, particularly when the media is no longer reporting the story.

The Global Runners’ goals are
Their goals are to fundraise $100,000 - this will cover the cost of a “Big Top” day care centre and its 1-year operating costs, and to meet their varying personal running goals - some runners are aiming for a 1:15 half marathon while others just want to finish.

Firstgiving has helped the Global Runner’s raise money
Firstgiving made it convenient for the Global Runners to communicate and collect funds from all over the world. So far the group has received money from donors in UK, Ireland, Mexico, India, Japan, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, and other locations and has reached supporters world-wide by emailing their fundraising page link to as many people they know.

Firstgiving Celebrates World Run Day

Beth — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 01:00:46 +0000

Waiting for all our friends to join us

This past Sunday, 20 fundraisers, friends and employees of Firstgiving met-up to run around the Charles River in Boston to celebrate World Run Day.

Some of us ran blistering paces, while others walked the 3.8-mile course, enjoying the sunny, crisp fall day. Afterwards, we shared our journeys, caught-up and got to know each other over delicious eats and drinks at the Miracle of Science in Cambridge.

In addition to running, 34 people have added to their World Run Day celebration by raising more than $12,850 for 34 different charities using Firstgiving.

What did you do on World Run Day? Tell us your story by posting a comment below.

World Run Day this Sunday!

BethP — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:42:38 +0000

Reminder–World Run Day is this Sunday, November 9th. It’s an international day of running and charitable giving (and fundraising!). Where are you running? Here’s Team Firstgiving’s 3.8 mile route through Boston:

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It’s not too late to join us if you’re in Boston. Team Firstgiving is meeting at 10 am at the corner of Mass Ave and Memorial Drive, and we’re stopping by the Miracle of Science for eats/drinks after the run. Shoot us an email if you’d like to meet up, and look for us in our green t-shirts.

60 runners have created World Run Day fundraising pages on Firstgiving.com. Have a look at our top fundraisers, and best wishes for a great run on Sunday!

New York Marathon Stars

GrantH — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:11:41 +0000

The New York Marathon is this Sunday. Moving along with Posh Spice and David Beckham and the assorted hoi-polloi of celebrities are some real stars, those running for a cause.

Together, 169 runners have raised $368,085 for 44 charities on Firstgiving.com.

Check out these star fundraisers that have each raised over $5000:

Marisa has raised $8891 for Propionic Acidemia Foundation

Lindsay has raised $8100 for Miami Childrens Hospital Foundation Inc

Jonathan has raised $7702 for The Boomer Esiason Foundation

Michael has raised $6991 for Achilles Track Club

Timothy has raised $6545 for Achilles Track Club

Pete has raised $6456 for The Boomer Esiason Foundation

Elena has raised $6418 for Team World Vision

Joe has raised $6177 for The Boomer Esiason Foundation

Megan has raised $6176 for The Boomer Esiason Foundation

Richard has raised $5978 for The Boomer Esiason Foundation

Rolf has raised $5583 for Achilles Track Club

Danny has raised $5365 for Good Sports, Inc.

Kevin has raised $5261 for Achilles Track Club

Congratulations to these and all the fundraisers participating! Best of luck this Marathon Sunday!

Run Poverty Out of Town: Tips from Grameen Foundation President Alex Counts

Beth — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:00:59 +0000

It’s marathon season, and this past weekend the 33rd Annual Marine Corps Marathon took place in Washington, D.C. For Alex Counts, President of Grameen Foundation and friend of Team Firstgiving, the race was an opportunity to “run poverty out of town.” We caught up with Alex to hear his thoughts on training, fundraising, and microfinance.

This is your second marathon; why did you decide to run again?

Despite the agony of the last 4 miles of my first marathon last year, I found the training process invigorating and had a vision of getting my time down closer to 4 hours, so I decided to try it one more time. Also, last year’s marathon-related fund-raising was quite successful for Grameen Foundation so I wanted to see if we could build on that in order to bring more resources to support our anti-poverty mission.

What does Grameen Foundation do?

Grameen Foundation works on a global basis to spread the self-help strategy known as microfinance that was pioneered by the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. Through this strategy, poor people – mostly women – get access to financial services, especially loans, that allow them to start or expand tiny businesses and earn enough money to slowly get out of poverty.

Why is microfinance so important as part of the international development discussion?

Many anti-poverty programs indirectly address poverty, through building infrastructure that in the long term benefits the society. Microfinance is a more direct approach. It makes the poor economic actors themselves by working directly with them to allow them to create their own jobs. While many poverty strategies address the poor’s weaknesses, this builds on their strengths – their ability to make a small amount of resources go a long way by hard work.

How do you think the current economic climate will impact international development initiatives, and what role can microfinance play?

This climate will prompt everyone to prioritize and only support the most effective approaches. Microfinance can benefit from that. Microfinance is a kind of ethical version of sub-prime lending. It can show the world what happens when the poor are provided funds for investment (rather than consumption) from lenders who are incentivized the right way and who maintain a close relationship with the borrower.

What is your best training tip?

Turn training runs into meditations – don’t talk or listen to music. It makes the runs good for the soul as well as for the body.

What is your best fundraising tip?

Realize that giving someone an opportunity to contribute to a good cause is a favor, not an imposition. Have fun!

How did you hear about Firstgiving?

My staff recommended it when they heard I was doing another marathon fund-raiser.

How has Firstgiving helped you to fundraise?

Its user-friendly site has allowed people to support my run, and Grameen Foundation, easily.

Read more about Grameen Foundation, social business, and creating a world without poverty on their blog.

Marine Corp Marathon is Less Than a Week Away

GrantH — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:31:52 +0000

The Marine Corp Marathon this Sunday. The marathon has 70 official charities, and you can raise money for any of them on Firstgiving.com.

To all the runners, we want to congratulate you on your success so far, and wish you good luck this Sunday.

I also want to remind you that most of our fundraisers collect at least 20% of their donations within a week of the marathon, so while you taper your training, you should kick your fundraising into high gear!

Want fundraising tips? Send out updates!
Already reached your goal? Then raise it!
Need inspiration? Check out these Marine Corp Marathoners:

Stephanie has raised $5290 for Ovarian Cancer Research Fund

Natalie has raised $5100 for Running Strong for American Indian Youth

Bill has raised $4469 for National Lung Cancer Partnership

Alex has raised $4231 for Grameen Foundation USA

Suzanne has raised $3380 for Organization for Autism Research

Please get in touch with us, or click ‘feedback’ on the left, if you have any questions about maximizing your marathon fundraising.

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Inspiration for Fundraisers: “I’ve Raised an Obscene Amount of Money”

BethP — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:38:24 +0000

Skydiving in stilettos? That’s one item on Melissa’s life list of to-do’s and the title of her blog, where she also claims to have raised “an obscene amount of money” with Firstgiving.com

After crossing #1 (run a marathon) off her list last year, Melissa has been training for marathon #2 and will be racing in NYC on November 2. She’s raising money for the Achilles Track Club, a New York-based non-profit whose mission is to enable people with all types of disabilities to participate in mainstream athletics.

Melissa is at 90% of her fundraising goal and looking good to succeed in both fundraising and beating her PR in the next couple of weeks. If the comments left by her donors are any indication, she’s quite an inspiration to her family and friends, and she’s an inspiration to us as well.

Melissa’s done several things which have helped her to be successful in her fundraising:

Included a personal story on her fundraising page about how she and her family support and are involved with the Achilles Track Club.
Written a description of why she is passionate about the work that this organization does and why she is running 26.2 miles to raise money for them.
Posted regular updates to her fundraising page about her training and past races.
Linked her Firstgiving page to her blog with a widget.
Blogged about her training, fundraising and racing.

Best wishes, Melissa, as you pound the NYC streets. We applaud your gusto!

Head of the Charles and Fundraising for CRI

BethP — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:08:07 +0000

If you were in Boston this weekend, we hope you caught some of the action at the 44th annual Head of the Charles Regatta, the world’s largest 2-day rowing event. With 55 different racing events and over 7.500 athletes from around the world, it is quite a sight to behold, especially when the weather is perfect!

Large athletic events like the Head of the Charles are often associated with some kind of charity work, so I did some digging on their website. Turns out that a program started in 1998 has raised over $650,000 for charity, including matching contributions from the Regatta.

One of the Regatta’s official charities, Community Rowing, Inc., (CRI) is a public access rowing club and educational center–the largest in the U.S.! [The Regatta's two other official charities are Access Sport America and the Cambridge Community Foundation.] CRI has developed several particularly innovative programs for the Boston community, including beginner rowing classes, G-Row, an after-school program for girls enrolled in Boston Public Schools, and a partnership program with the Perkins School for the Blind.

Firstgiving fundraisers have raised over $40,000 for CRI on Firstgiving.com. One of these fundraisers is Gina Navia, who raced this weekend in a quad event and has collected over $1500 in donations for CRI’s new Adaptive Rowing Program, which launched last month. You can read more about the program on her fundraising page.

We’re happy to see that Gina is fundraising so successfully rather than catching crabs. Her page is a great example of a fundraising effort that will have impact for a small, local charity. Power ten, Gina!

Tufts 10k for Women: Start Strong, Finish Stronger

BethP — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:00:07 +0000

Over 7,000 women from all over the country gathered on the Boston Common this Columbus day to run the 32nd annual Tufts Health Plan 10k for Women. Which, according to the emcee, meant 7,000 reasons to do any number of race-related activities (run fast, cross the finish line, cheer each other on).

One of the 7,000 reasons for me to finish the race was fundraising, and thank goodness for easy editing on Firstgiving.com! After trying unsuccessfully to compete in two sprint triathlons (they were both cancelled due to hazardous weather conditions), I transformed my Firstgiving fundraising page for the 3rd time and signed up for a road race I was pretty sure couldn’t be flooded out.

I ran with my friend Lydia, an experienced runner who reminded me to lengthen my strides and take it easy going down the hills. Thanks to her encouragement and coaching, I ran all 6.2 miles and even had a last burst of energy left to pick up the pace between mile 6 and the finish line!

Allison, friend of Firstgiving, preps for the race.

As for finishing stronger, I’m looking forward to more races and more fundraising opportunities in the months to come. Be sure to swing by Team Firstgiving for up-to-date news on what’s going on with the endurance sports community.

Chicago Marathon Results

GrantH — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:44:11 +0000

The Chicago Marathon was this past Sunday. $1,009,503.15 was raised by 1040 runners for 45 different charities, and donations are still coming in!

Check out our top five fundraising finishers:

Paul raised $31,615 for Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Jacquelyne raised $20,431 for Cure JM Foundation

Tom raised $16,875 for Caring for Carcinoid Foundation Inc

Raymond raised $5,775 for Team World Vision

Darlene raised $5,730 for Organization for Autism Research

Congratulations to these and all the fundraisers participating!

Boston Marathon Charity Program Application Tips

GrantH — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:14:10 +0000

The deadline for most official Boston Marathon Charity program applications is Friday, October 31, 2008.

These applications can be daunting, and may induce flashbacks to college application essays in some marathon hopefuls. Don’t worry; the charities aren’t interested in the quality of your prose. They just want honest answers, so they can be sure you will be successful, both as a runner and fundraiser.

Most of the applications are pretty much the same, and can be broken down into a few parts.

Your connection to the charity. Why are you raising money for this cause? This is arguably the most important set of questions. Charities want to see that you are connected to and passionate about the cause. If you have a person connection the cause, this is the place to talk about it.
Previous running experience. Your best marathon time? Oh no! If you are a couch potato, don’t sweat it. Be honest, and speak more about your motivation to get fit than your current condition.
Previous fundraising experience. This can be intimidating if you have never fundraised before. Again, be honest. Passion and a sincere interest in doing will outweigh any lack of fundraising prowess. And, by next April, you will be a fundraising juggernaut.
Your credit card info. Don’t worry; they won’t need it. It’s easy with our fundraising tips.

Applications are available on the Boston Marathon’s Charity Program page. You can see a list of participating charities here.

If you or your training buddies need a tool to raise money online, use Firstgiving. It’s easy, fast, and so much more effective than a snail-mail letter-writing campaign! Learn more.

Drop us a line if you have any questions or want to share your story.

Inspiration for fundraisers - Michael Ellis

Beth — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:30:04 +0000

Need some inspiration? Learn from one of our successful fundraisers.

Meet Michael Ellis - On October 5, he ran the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon to benefit the Special Friends Foundation. As a first-time fundraiser, he reached his initial goal of $2500 in less than 2 weeks after his Firstgiving page went live.

Now, a couple months after he started fundraising and a week after his marathon, he’s at $10,842.

Michael ran the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon because
After last year’s heat wave altered his first marathon experience, Michael decided to run the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon again, but this time he wanted to give his run a bit more significance.

Michael is fundraising because
His youngest daughter, Addie was diagnosed at 2 ½ years old with Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome (RTS), a rare condition that impacts physical and cognitive development, and can incur a variety of different medical problems such as respiratory infections, cardiac abnormalities, etc.

After receiving the diagnosis, Special Friends Foundation was the first group he and his wife turned to – it made perfect sense to give back to the organization that had given so much to Michael and his family.

Also, it made it easier for Michael to strengthen his “Why I should run another marathon” case to his wife.

Michael is raising money for the Special Friends Foundation because
In addition to being the go-to organization for information and resources on RTS, Special Friends Foundation provides assistance to cover expenses for individuals with RTS and their families.

The Special Friends Foundation also connects families with other families under similar circumstances so that they can share resources and information.

Michael’s has raised more than $10,842
Getting started was simple. “Firstgiving made it so easy to go from an idea to putting my page up,” he said.

“It’s easier to go thru the training and run the marathon when you’re working for a cause and have raised $10,000,” said Michael. “My fundraising experience reminded me that I have a great life and wonderful people around me.”

Fundraising tips Michael used to raise money

Don’t be afraid to ask for donations – people are always looking to help
After you send your initial email blast, send updates and remind people that you are still fundraising. People want to donate, but sometimes they forget.
Ask your family and friends to share your fundraising efforts with others.
“My wife forwarded my email to her friends and colleagues and also placed a Firstgiving widget on her blog to give exposure, while my eldest daughter went around the neighborhood with a pamphlet on the Special Friends Foundation and link to my fundraising page,.” Michael said.
Remind people about matching contributions - many employers offer matching donations on charitable contributions so this is a great way to get you to and beyond your goal.
Send a post race or event recap letting everyone know how you did and how the fundraising has gone. It gives you another opportunity to thank everyone who’s given, but is also another reminder to those who may yet give.

Everything is Connected - Remembering Emil Kossev

Beth — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:00:24 +0000

By Margaret Berwind-Dart

Years ago, while walking home from work, I passed a church with a message on its signboard. The white lettering, stark against the black felt background, read, “Nothing unconnected ever occurs.”

Last night, an email my father sent me brought this forgotten quote to mind:

I learned with great sadness today that one of my rowing heroes has died of cancer. I went onto the Pocock Rowing Center’s web page for more info and found out that they are using Firstgiving to set up a memorial fund for him, http://www.firstgiving.com/KossevEndowment .

He took me under his wing while I was in Seattle, and I learned so much from him. The relentless drive for excellence and perfection. I will make a contribution in his honor, and I thank you for helping me do this.

I love you.

Dad

I’ve been with Firstgiving for over four years, and in that time I’ve seen so many compelling fundraising pages. This email from my father brought home to me the personal meaning of interconnectedness, and underscores for me all the reasons I love working here.

This fundraising page for the Kossev Endowment honors a great man, raises funds for an endowment to help future athletes, and brought a father and daughter on opposite coasts together in celebration of a life well lived.

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3 days to go… Chicago Marathon!

Beth — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:46:23 +0000

All the long miles, the aches and pains, the sacrifices away from family and friends - is about to pay off! Three more days and you will be celebrating all your hard work.

Runners World featured a great video of the course, which points out all the landmarks. Check it out!

As a fellow marathoner, I know what it is like when you get to the late miles and you are in need of some energy. So, I just wanted to share with you what keeps me going:

High-five all the kids you see
Thank all the volunteers
Encourage fellow runners as you run by or they run by you
SMILE - you are amazing!
Remeber and be proud of your fundraising efforts - you are making this world a better place!

Good luck Chicago Marathoners - be sure to enjoy your journey!

Tell us your story
See what other Chicago Marathoners are up to

Week 8: Raise your goal… again!

Beth — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 18:40:22 +0000

Here at Firstgiving we regularly perform usability tests - as the better our site is, the more money you raise. One thing we regularly see during these tests is that donors want to help fundraisers reach their goals.

In fact, during a recent usability test where the total raised on the fundraising page was $40 away from the goal. The donor said, “I want to help the fundraiser reach his goal, so I will donate $40. Typically, I would have just given $25.”

Attention Fundraisers, log into your account and add a goal (if you haven’t done so already).

Next, inform your supporters what your goal is and when you need to reach it by.

Following Week #7 tip, send regular updates on:
a) how close you are to your goal
b) how much time you have left to reach your goal

If you reach your goal, increase it. Then continue to update your supporters. You will be amazed how much you can raise.

My colleague, David raised money for his birthday this summer. He was amazed how quickly he reached his initial goal of $1000. So he increased it, increased it again, and again… now, 3 months later, he has exceeded his goal by more than 150%.

Good luck with your fundraising and feel free to drop us a line - we love to hear from you.

Chicago Marathon Fundraising Update

GrantH — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:35:22 +0000

With the Chicago Marathon just over a week away, the runners may be tapering, but they are kicking their fundraising into high gear for the home stretch.

The total raised though Firstgiving by Chicago Marathon runners is almost $750,000!

Three outstanding runners have topped the $10,000 mark.

Paul has raised over $30,000 for the Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy
Tom has raised over $15,000 for the Caring for Carcinoid Foundation
Jacquelyne has raised over $10,000 for the Cure JM Foundation

Congratulations to these and all of our Chicago Marathon Runners!

World Run Day Throwdown

GrantH — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:51:15 +0000

The competition is heating up for World Run Day. Two friends of Firstgiving, Ryan and Allison, are not only competing on the course, but finally settling the long running dispute over who has the cutest kitty. The debate will be settled by a fundraising throwdown, benefiting the Animal Rescue League of Boston. Whoever raises the most will walk away with the title of Cutest Kitty of World Run Day.

You can vote by donating to the respective fundraising page.

Fall Fundraiser Spotlights

GrantH — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:11:04 +0000

Fall is prime event season for the endurance athletes among us at Firstgiving.
This year more than ever, we are astounded by the variety reasons our members complete some fantastic events for charity.

There’s Beth P dedicating her first triathlon to the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, though nature had other plans. Sarah L is biking for Hope for New York, and has raised over a thousand dollars doing so. John Z is fighting cancer with the Lance Armstrong Foundation by running the Kiawah Island Marathon, and is almost to his $3000 goal. And be sure to read Veteran marathoner Susan Hurley’s story on now running a marathon takes on so much more meaning when raising money for charity.

Tri-Newbie Dives Into Fundraising

BethP — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:24:50 +0000

I started swimming/biking/running because. . .

I’ve been swimming for a long time and was inspired by friends and co-workers who train and compete in triathlons and marathons. I was even more inspired by people who involve and engage their friends by fundraising for charities while they race. The sprint distance seemed doable to me, so I registered for my first sprint triathlon and trained for a couple of months. It was easy to find all kinds of resources for “Newbies,” and I discovered a highly enthusiastic, supportive and welcoming community of athletes. Even though I’m not formally a part of a team, I definitely sensed a camaraderie among other athletes who were training for this event and others.

My favorite race was. . .

That’s actually sort of a funny question to answer because, as it turns out, my attempts to compete have been foiled thus far. My first tri was cancelled due to a flooded road, only 45 minutes before we were set to start. Disappointed, I registered for another one 3 weeks later, which was subsequently cancelled due to more hazardous weather conditions. I suppose at this point my favorite race will be one that actually happens! Now that the tri season is over and my dreams unrealized, the next most reasonable thing seemed to be to sign up for a 10k that some of my friends are running. I think it’s safe to say that I’ve been sucked in! I used to hate running, and here I am registering for a run of my own volition.

I started fundraising because. . .

I am personally connected to and invested in several causes, including economic development, clean water solutions, ending human trafficking, and breast cancer research. One of the most effective ways for me to contribute is to donate to organizations that are working responsibly and efficiently in these areas and need to leverage funding in order to carry out their work. And I can have much more impact as a donor if I can involve other people who know me and who would be interested in donating to these causes, but might not think to go to the organization’s website to make a donation.

I currently have 2 fundraising pages on Firstgiving.com, www.firstgiving.com/bapbwm and www.firstgiving.com/triathabeth. I created the “triathabeth” page for my race because I received a very enthusiastic response from my friends when I told them I was training and competing, and creating a fundraising page allowed my friends to participate and support me while donating to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. My mom is a Breast Cancer survivor, and this disease has impacted my family in significant ways, so I saw a great opportunity to fundraise for Breast Cancer research.

My best training tip is. . .

Train with a buddy, at least some of the time. The camaraderie and community I have felt since I’ve started training have really helped to motivate me.

My best fundraising tip is. . .

Be creative. Your family and friends are already in your fan club and will support you, but creative energy has incredible power-it inspires and gives hope, and people respond. Put a fun twist on your fundraiser, do something “out of the box,” and give your donors the opportunity to participate in something exciting (in addition to supporting your athletic habit). Also emphasize the significance of small donations and the idea of sacrificial giving. Any one of your friends is probably willing to part with $5 or $10 (or $1!) for a charity organization, and it can be meaningful to think of taking the opportunity to forgo a cup of coffee or a movie ticket in order to donate.

One thing I did to fundraise for my tri was to host a pasta party before my race. I invited my friends to a meal, their ticket “in” to the party being a donation to my fundraising page. It worked out great!

Inspiration for Fundraisers - Sarah Lewis

BethP — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:00:50 +0000

Looking for some inspiration? Meet one of our successful fundraisers, Sarah Lewis. Sarah recently biked 70 miles with a team in the Hope for New York Bike-a-Thon, and has raised over $1,000 with Firstgiving.com. We caught up with Sarah to hear more about her story:

Why are you fundraising?
I am fundraising for Hope for New York, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to the physical, social, emotional, and spiritual healing of the poor, defenseless, and marginalized in New York. Hope for New York is an amazing organization that has a real impact on the city, and the best part about fundraising for them is that I get to bike for it!

How did you choose to fundraise for Hope for New York and why?
I saw an ad in my church bulletin about the bike-a-thon team that was forming to raise money for Hope for New York, and since I love biking, and have given much of my own money in the past to Hope for New York, I knew I had to get on the team.

What are your fundraising goals?
At first my fundraising target was $1,000, but I quickly raised $500 in one week and then was supported by an anonymous donation to match the $500 I had already raised so I reached my target in just one week! I attribute the speed at which I reached my goal to the ease and friendliness of Firstgiving’s online fundraising page.

What are some of the things you have done that have helped you raise money?
Firstgiving’s site definitely made it easy for my friends and family to see what it was I was fundraising for, why I was fundraising, and how to donate. I also like to think that my funny picture helped.

Sarah’s fundraising page is still accepting donations! And 22 other people have raised over $17,000 for Hope for New York with Firstgiving.

Boston Marathon & Firstgiving

GrantH — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:40:44 +0000

The start of fall can mean only one thing for runners here in Boston: time to start planning for Boston Marathon 2009. Last week Beth wrote about how to get a Boston Marathon number, and it was our most read post to date. Needless to say, it seems we’ve hit a nerve with our running community. Check it out if you still need a number.

Some of you may be wondering why we are so keen on the Boston Marathon. Well, besides being in our own backyard, Firstgiving has been honored to power the fundraising of hardworking athletes and charities over the last few years.

With stand outs like Marc Turgeon running for autism, Doug Barton finishing his fifth Boston Marathon, and Michael Kinveay stepping up for literacy, it’s hard not to get attached.

See what fundraisers on Firstgiving have done:

2004: 176 runners raised $278,487 for 9 organizations
2005: 307 runners raised $598,075 for 35 organizations
2006: 444 runners raised $892,940 for 50 organizations
2007: 599 runners raised $1,477,068 for 75 organizations
2008: 699 runners raised $1,846,985 for 98 organizations

With trends like this we have high hopes for 2009.

And remeber, even if you aren’t part of an official charity program, you can run and raise for any nonprofit with Firstgiving.com.

Firstgiving’s World Run Day Get-Together

Beth — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:44:06 +0000

Sunday, November 9, 2008 - World Run Day

Attention Boston folks!

Come join us on World Run Day - Sunday, November 9, 2008 for a 3.8-mile jog along the banks of the Charles River with your friends at Firstgiving.

All levels and abilities are welcome! Bring your friends, too. We have some speedy gazelles, experienced marathoners, beginning runners, and folks who will be run-walking. It’s a great opportunity to meet area runners, training buddies that run your pace and have similar goals, and fellow fundraisers. Details below.

Sunday, November 9, 2008
Meet at 10am
On the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Memorial Drive, Cambridge
3.8-mile loop around the Charles River

Please let us know if you can join us!

Not up for running, but want to hang out with us?

Meet us at the Miracle of Science (321 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge) at 11am for drinks and appetizers.

World Run Day Update

GrantH — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:48:25 +0000

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27 runners have raised $2,633 for 25 nonprofits.

See what our top fundraisers are doing:

Kendra has raised $500 for the Mary Claire Satterly Foundation.
Rosemary has raised $400 for School on Wheels.
Margaret has raised $290 for American Brittany Rescue.

If you haven’t created your page yet, Get Started!

Run for charity - “personal best” takes on a different meaning

Beth — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 18:04:56 +0000

by Susan Hurley

To all who ever thought about running the Boston Marathon may I make a suggestion based on personal experience - run for a charity.

For many years, I ran many marathons and even did the Ironman in Hawaii. Each achievement was more memorable than the next - but it wasn’t until I ran the Boston Marathon ( which I had previously run many times) representing Lazarus House in Lawrence that I really felt success.

I work as the program coordinator for Lazarus House choosing and managing their Boston Marathon team. Upon taking the job, I hadn’t planned on running but leading this team wouldn’t seem the same unless I laced up my shoes too and ran on behalf of the homeless in Lawrence, MA.

I can’t tell you how important the mission to succeed became - and it wasn’t about me like it had been for so many years in the past. It was truly about Lazarus House and the team that grew to mean so much to me.

This year is the final year of Lazarus House being an “official charity” of the Boston Marathon. So this year is incredibly important to raise as much money as possible for our program which benefits the food pantry at Lazarus House. I am pleased to say - almost our entire team is planning on returning to the program.

What made our program even more special was all 27 runners - started and finished the race - for the second year in a row this due to our incredible personalized coaching and communication network.
I encourage all runners to try running for a charity just once in your lives. “Personal best” takes on a very different meaning.

——

About Susan Hurley

Susan Hurley resides in North Andover, Massachusetts with 2 boys, Ryan and Max where she is an avid runner. She has competed in many marathons including Boston and New York City. Susan ran the Boston Marathon 2008 with a broken hand after having surgery 3 weeks before and is an accomplished triathlete and Ironman Hawaii finisher. Susan is also a former New England Patriots Cheerleader. She works as a team coordinator and fundraiser for official charities of the Boston Marathon Program - Lazarus House Hunger Strikers and UMASS GoKids Boston. She is also coordinating a 24 hour relay on May 16 and 17 for UMASS GoKids Boston.

Teams are currently being recruited for all 3 programs. For more information email Susan.

Fall Marathon Update: One Million Dollars Raised For Charity

GrantH — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:11:15 +0000

Our Fall marathoners have cracked the one million dollar mark!

2,332 runners have raised $1,000,000 for 276 non-profits using Firstgiving.

Need inspiration? Check out these top fundraisers:

Fundrasing Page	Raised so far
Achilles Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans	$6,891
Colleen Shinners’ Fundraising Page	$4,740
Jane Chun’s Fundraising Page	$3,745
Tom Payne’s Fundraising Page	$16,775
I will Previve!	$4,266
Run Keith Run - Chicago Marathon Oct 12th 2008	$4,056
Vince and Karie Smith’s Fundraising Page	$3,875
Joe Dee’s Fundraising Page	$4,052
Bethany Vedder’s Fundraising Page	$3,791
Paul Kapellas’ Fundraising Page	$30,460
Richard Bennett’s Fundraising Page	$4,325
Tim Esler’s NYC Marathon / Achilles FREEDOM TEAM	$5,350
Michael Ellis’s Fundraising Page	$5,030
Team Bailey for Epilepsy Fundraising Page	$4,137
Bradley Gendell’s Fundraising Page	$8,182
The Girolamo’s Race to Beat Ovarian Cancer	$4,270
Rock-N-Roll Marathon walk for Cleo Warren	$4,125
Jonathan Greller’s Fundraising Page	$6,622
Kevin Purcell’s Fundraising Page	$5,161

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Updates, Boston Marathon Numbers, and Fundraiser Spotlights

Beth — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:56:30 +0000

The lastest from Team Firstgiving is out in our September newsletter.

Learn more

Raise more money by following our fundraising tips
Run boston without qualifying
Meet 3 fundraising athletes and their amazing stories
Congratulations Ironman Wisconsin racers and happy recovery

Check it out!

Tell us what you think or share your story with us

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In Boston? We need your help

Beth — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:17:14 +0000

If you are in Boston and would like to participate in an endurance athletes’ focus group - read on.

Listening to your stories, why you do what you do, and what works and doesn’t work for you, is one of the many reasons I LOVE my job - I’m continuously inspired and humbled by you.

On Tuesday, September 23rd, we’re conducting a focus group on endurance athletes at our office in Davis Square. If you’re in the area and would like to help out, please contact us.

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Ironman Wisconsin 2008

Beth — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 19:46:54 +0000

The 140.6 mile journey begins

Jessica, me, and Tania "Iron-sherpas" for the day

Joni on the first lap of the run

If you ever get the opportunity to see an Ironman (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run) live, I highly recommend it.

I have raced 3 myself, and have been a spectator or volunteer at many more – yet it doesn’t get old.

Each time, I am truly amazed and inspired by the people that make up this community.

Racers, volunteers, spectators, and event organizers are all in this together. We want to see each athlete cross the finish line, and we will do whatever it takes to get them there – whether it’s pointing them in the right direction after a tough swim, handing them a water bottle as they crest a hill, or high-fiving them at mile 18 of the run.

Ironman Wisconsin was no different. Initially, I went to Madison to spend time with and watch my community of friends’ race. In fact, three of my close friends were there (Joni was racing while Jessica and Tania were cheering her on with me), so it was a good excuse for a girls’ weekend.

During race weekend, my community naturally grew – I met my friends’ families and friends, triathletes’ who shared their stories and emotions with me, and volunteers and race organizers who kept racers safe, motivated, and moving throughout the 140.6 mile course. Even though I had a small role, I was apart of something much bigger.

To say I was inspired is an understatement.

So, to my Ironman Wisconsin community – thank you for a wonderful weekend and I look forward to many more with you.

Happy recovery racers!

Congratulations Firstgiving fundraisers and Ironman Wisconsin racers!
Alain De Leon
Amber Ault
Mark McGennis
Triabetes team

Lance Armstrong’s Return: Any Run, Any Ride, Any Walk

GrantH — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:22:47 +0000

Lance Armstrong, cancer survivor, founder of the Lance Armstrong Foundation and cycling champ, released a statement regarding his return to professional cycling.

“I am happy to announce that after talking with my children, my family and my closest friends, I have decided to return to professional cycling in order to raise awareness of the global cancer burden. This year alone, nearly eight million people will die of cancer worldwide… it’s now time to address cancer on a global level.”

If you want to join Lance and contribute to the Lance Armstrong Foundation you can raise money for the organization by doing any event. $3,583 has been raised by 12 people for Lance Armstrong Foundation

Any run, any ride, any walk, you can raise money.

Need ideas? Check out these fundraisers on Firstgiving -

John is running the Kiawah Island Marathon and has raised $2,410.
Bayne did the Ironman Coeur d’Alene and raised $208.
Susan did the Windsor Half Marathon and raised $175.

Inspiration for fundraisers - John Zeidner

Camaraderie and Pride - Boston’s Tufts 10K for Women

Beth — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:03:13 +0000

That's me (in red) turning onto the Mass Ave bridge heading into Boston at the 2005 Tufts 10K

The Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women is fast approaching. If you are a woman and love to run, this is a “must do” on your race schedule.

You will be inspired - women of all ages, cancer survivors, first-timers, moms, daughters, sisters, aunts, and grandmothers will be running alongside of you. Woman-power will carry you through the 6.2 miles.

Feeling excited and inspired already? Raise money for a cause that is important to you.

These women already have:
Marta Kagan
Samantha Swanecamp

Week 7: Send updates, updates and more updates

Beth — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:51:31 +0000

Training for a big race takes up a lot of time and can take you away from many loved ones who aren’t putting in the miles with you.

Joni’s Iron tale
As a way to connect with her family and friends who are not training for Ironman Wisconsin, my friend Joni sends a weekly email called Iron tale. The updates describe her accomplishments, funny stories, obstacles, and photos, while training for her big race. She also calls out key people who she dedicates her workouts to or who affect her training (eg a friend battling an illness or a training buddy who puts a smile on her face after a tough bike ride).

Fundraisers - this is a great way to help your family and friends connect with and invest in your training, and “gently remind” them that you are collecting funds for your favorite charity, without being too aggressive.

How to write an update
1. Answer these basic questions:

What did I accomplish this week?
What did I learn?
Who helped me reach my goals?

2. “Gently remind” folks about your fundraising efforts (see suggestions below)

Add a footer
eg “I’m raising money for [insert charity name]. Please support me” and link to your fundraising page.
Work your fundraising efforts or status into your training updates
eg “In addition to hitting the half-way mark in my training, I’ve also reached 70% of my fundraising goal…” or “Digging deep on my 18-mile training run can’t compare to people enduring weeks without food. A $25 donation helps feed a family of four for one month…”
If you are dedicating your race or a training week to someone associated with your charity, tell people about it in your updates
eg “This week, I dedicated my long run to Grandma, as she underwent treatment on Thursday…”

If once-a-week email updates seem too much for you, try every 2 weeks or even once a month.

You don’t have to send email updates, but it’s one of the most direct and cost-efficient ways to get your family and friend’s attention. Also, as Joni can attest to - they LOVE to hear from you, especially since you are so busy training.

In addition to sending emails, try:

Blogging – post updates as often as you like; add movies, photos, and links.
Facebook – create a group, invite your supporters, and post updates there.

Good luck with your fundraising and feel free to drop us a line - we love to hear from you.

Inspiration for fundraisers - John Zeidner

Beth — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:33:47 +0000

John with his sister and mother this past August on Kiawah Island

Need some inspiration? Learn from one of our successful fundraisers.

Meet John Zeidner – within 24-hours of creating his fundraising page, he raised $1300! Read on to hear how he has raised more than $2300…

John is fundraising because
Unfortunately, John is no stranger to cancer - his father, aunt, and more recently his mother have battled or are still battling it. Raising awareness and funds to the Lance Armstrong Foundation tied in nicely with his passion for running.

John chose to fundraise for the Lance Armstrong Foundation because
The Lance Armstrong Foundation has been a great practical resource for John and his family as immediately after the diagnosis, they provide support, tips, and resources.

Over time, John has become a huge advocate for the Lance Armstrong Foundation by volunteering, participating in the Livestrong Summits, and raising funds.

John is running the Kiawah Island Marathon because
As an avid marathoner, Kiawah Island is John’s race to get a personal best of 3 hours and 45 minutes. It’s close to his family’s vacation home and is a fast, flat and beautiful course.

John has raised more than $2300
John is a busy guy - he has a wife, two kids, two dogs, works full time, trains, and is a caregiver in his Mom’s cancer fight. So, when it comes to fundraising offline, John has “bandwidth problems”.

John has done all of his fundraising online by sending off email blasts. He has tailored messages which he has sent to 4 different groups of contacts. Within the past couple weeks, John has raised more than $2300, only $700 away from his goal.

John said, “The key is to make giving easy for people, and your site makes it easy for me to raise funds and easy for my supporters to donate.”

Fall Marathon Update: Closing in on the Million Mark

GrantH — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:17:06 +0000

The kids are barely back in school, and Firstgiving’s fall marathon fundraisers are already heading towards the million dollar mark! As of Labor Day 2,134 runners have raised $877,633 for 310 different non-profit organizations.

Chicago Marathon - $477,823 raised so far.

Top fundraisers:

Paul has raised $28,860 for the Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy
Tom has raised $16,775 for the Caring for Carcinoid Foundation
Colleen has Raised $4,740 for the Organization for Autism Research

New York Marathon - $170,673 raised so far.

Top fundraisers:

Michael has raised $6,841 for the Achilles Track Club
Jonathon has raised $5,350 for the The Boomer Esiason Foundation
Bethany has raised $3,590 for Team World Vision

Athens Marathon - $18,048 raised so far.

Top fundraisers:

Janelle has raised $2,745 for Bolder Options
Richard has raised $1,980 for Bolder Options
Ann has raised $1,635 for Bolder Options

Congratulations and happy running to these and all of our fundraisers. Stay tuned as we keep you up to date on Firstgiving fundraising success!

Update: World Run Day

Beth — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:42:53 +0000

We have 20 runners committed for World Run Day and already over $1000 raised, with two months left until the event!

If you haven’t set up your page yet, what are you waiting for? World Run Day is November 9th. Get Started!

Ironman Wisconsin bound

Beth — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:07:41 +0000

This weekend is Ironman Wisconsin and I am headed there to cheer on my friends. If you are out there, too - drop me a line.

To those racing - have a wonderful journey and tells us all about it when you return!

Want a Boston Marathon number?

Beth — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:04:18 +0000

The official charities for the Boston Marathon have been announced. There are 6 new and 19 returning BAA-official charities and a number of undisclosed charities that you can raise money for to gain an official number for the 113th Boston Marathon, which will take place on Monday, April 20th, 2009.

If you know of another charity that you can fundraise for, tell us and we will add them to the list.

New charities

CYCLE Kids

GoKids

Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress

Perkins School for the Blind

Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital

WalkBoston

Returning charities

Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary

American Liver Foundation, New England Chapter

American Stroke Association - Tedy’s Team

Boston Living Center

Boston Partners in Education

Bottom Line

Children’s Hospital Boston

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Good Sports

Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston, Inc.

Home for our Troops

Lazarus House Ministries

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children

Melanoma Foundation of New England

Michael Carter Lisnow Respite Center

National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Central New England Chapter

The Esplanade Association

The New England Center for Children, Inc.

Directions for how to apply are available on the Boston Marathon’s Charity Program page. From my personal experience, I encourage you to apply soon - spots fill up fast! (I did the 2004 Boston Marathon - see my page)

If you or your training buddies need a tool to raise money online, use Firstgiving. It’s easy, fast, and so much more effective than a snail-mail letter-writing campaign! Learn more.

Drop us a line if you have any questions or want to share your story.

Week 6: Who’s on Your Team?

Beth — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:31:00 +0000

Back to 12 week marathon fundraising plan>>

It’s no secret. Running with other people make your long runs easier and more pleasurable. Chatting with a running partner definitely makes the time go faster, so your run won’t be as mentally challenging.

The same goes for your fundraising efforts. You are fundraising as part of a team, so be sure to use them as a resource. Think about who is on your fundraising team…

Your donors - think of your donors as part of your team. In your thank you letters and training updates (you do send them, don’t you?) be sure to use ‘we’ as in ‘We have raised’ and ‘We finished’ so they know you think of them as part of the team. Don’t be afraid to ask donors to pass the message on to people in their network that might want to join your effort.
Your training buddies - at your next run, ask your marathon training team what has worked and what hasn’t. They may have firsthand tips to put you over the top.
Team Firstgiving - our fundraisers have raised almost $70 million dollars for over ten thousand charities. We’ve learned a thing or two in the process, and want to share with you.

If you’re running and fundraising by yourself, you’re missing out on lots of benefits of group training, from improved motivation to expanded social circle. Not sure how to go about finding people to run with?

Here’s How:

Most local road running clubs offer group runs during the week and on weekends. Check out Road Runners Club of America to find the club closest to you.
Head to a running specialty store in your area. Many of them offer group training runs that start and finish at the store. Even if they don’t host runs, the employees are part of the running community and can probably suggest local running groups to you.
If you’re a mom, check out seeMOMMYrun.com, a free walking/running group for moms of all ages and stages (and their kids).

Read on - Week 7: Send updates, updates, and more updates

Olympic Inspiration

BethP — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 16:43:06 +0000

Last week we highlighted Olympic marathoner Ryan Hall’s fundraising page for World Vision on the Team Firstgiving Blog. (By the way, Hall finished 10th in Beijing, helping the U.S. team to its best finish in 32 years).

At Firstgiving, we know that endurance sports events have extraordinary power to inspire, especially when athletes are also fundraising for great causes. Ryan’s racing and fundraising have recently inspired a group of Chicago marathoners to join Hall as part of Team World Vision.

One of these athletes is Carol Dakai. After an injury which left her unable to compete in Boston earlier this year, Carol is back on track to run through the windy city on October 12, her fourth marathon. She’s set up a fundraising page for Team World Vision, and donations to her page will fund a clean water project in Zambia.

Go Carol! Kudos for carrying the torch of inspiration!

Running or want to run the Boston Marathon 2009?

Beth — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:20:39 +0000

If qualifying for Boston is not in your cards this year and you really want to run the Boston Marathon – fundraise for a nonprofit.

Next Wednesday, September 3, the 2009 Official Charities List will be posted on the Boston Marathon website.

If you have qualified for Boston, make it even more special. Use this year’s race as a way to raise awareness and money for a nonprofit that is important to you by creating a fundraising page.

Need fundraising tips or inspiration? We’re here to help you raise more money online faster and easily for causes you care about. Try our tips or read our fundraiser spotlights.

Lace Up Your Shoes (but not the white ones)

BethP — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:45:33 +0000

For you fashion-savvy fundraisers out there, this weekend traditionally marks the end of the summer and the end of white wardrobe pieces.

Flickr image courtesy of eye capture

Labor day weekend also marks the beginning of a host of fall 5k fundraising runs and walks. In our own backyard, the Massachusetts Arc of East Middlesex (EMARC) is kicking off a year of work with a 5k fundraiser to benefit EMARC’s recreation programs for children and adults with developmental disabilities and Autism.

EMARC has gone the proverbial extra mile for this cause by raising awareness and garnering community involvement on a number of fronts. They’ve partnered with local businesses and a huge community event to maximize the impact of their fundraising efforts:

Phase 1: The annual Sneaker Campaign for EMARC begins this weekend at local supermarkets Atlantic Food Mart and Jonnie’s Foodmaster. Paper sneakers can be purchased for a donation at the checkout. Donors sign the sneakers, and they are posted around the grocery store to show community support for EMARC.

Phase 2: One week later, the 5k Run/Walk and Kids’ 1/2 Mile Fun Run in Melrose, MA take the Sneaker Campaign a few steps further. Participants can register online and create their own fundraising pages for the event; team Spicy Spruce has already raised over $700 online. EMARC’s annual 5k is also strategically scheduled to kick off the Melrose Annual Victorian Fair. Over 14,000 fair attendees will gain exposure to EMARC through this partnership!

Beware, if you dare to wear white after Labor day, you may be identified as a fashion disaster. Then again, you could be identified as an innovator, an agent of change, a mover-and-shaker. Might be worth the risk.

Attn Boston runners, Burren Fun Run, every Monday

Four runners: which one are you?

dkarp — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:20:18 +0000

What’s really interesting about working at Firstgiving is that we get to see such variety in the people who are raising money for the same cause at the same event. Today I noticed that four people who work here are all raising money for very different organizations but doing the same event, World Run Day.

First off, there’s Beth. She’s our product manager, and her cause is Shoe4Africa, an organization that provides Africans with HIV/AIDS awareness and testing, and running shoes, too. Click on her picture to learn more. Next to Beth is Mark, our lead web developer. You might know him from other programming projects such as the Firstgiving Facebook application, and you probably won’t be too surprised to learn that his charity of choice is the Mozilla Foundation.

James is our business development guy and his cause is Oil Change International, an organization devoted to research and advocate for clean energy. And finally, there’s Grant. No, he’s not a vegetable, he’s our marketing analyst, but he’s a great cook and he’s running to support the Federation of Massachusetts Farmers Markets. Yum.

World Run Day is an event where you can run as far as you want for any cause you want. If the four examples here don’t inspire you, I don’t know what will. There are 1.5 million nonprofit organizations int he USA and you can raise money for any one of them with Firstgiving.

The Best U.S. Finish in 32 Years

GrantH — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:13:39 +0000

A big congrats from Team Firstgiving to the US Olympic marathon team! Dathan Ritzenhein and Ryan Hall gave the United States a pair of top-10 finishers for the first time since 1976, when Frank Shorter was second and Don Kardong fourth in Montreal. The third American in the field, Brian Sell, was 22nd in 2:16:07.

You can help Ryan & Sarah Hall meet their fundraising goal at http://www.firstgiving.com/ryanandsarahall.

Calling Ryan and Sara Hall fans

Beth — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 23:21:57 +0000

This Sunday, Ryan Hall will compete in his first Olympic marathon.

If you’re like me, it’s hard to imagine running a 2:09:02 marathon – this was Ryan’s time at the US Olympic Trials in New York City last Fall. His wife Sara is also an amazing middle distance professional runner for Team Running USA.

However, there’s one thing we have in common with Ryan and Sara – they fundraise, too.

World Vision is near and dear to Ryan and Sara’s hearts and they use running as a way to share their passion and raise awareness for what Team World Vision does.

Feeling inspired?

Inspiration for fundraisers - Marcus Ronaldi

Beth — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 21:32:04 +0000

Need some inspiration? Learn from one of our successful fundraisers.

Meet Marcus Ronaldi – he has raised $370 for the Parkinson’s Institute. Read on to hear more about his journey…

Why are you fundraising? I am fundraising to raise money and awareness for Parkinson’s disease. My Mom has had Parkinson’s Disease for the past 6 years and last year I decided to run and raise money for a Parkinson’s Disease-related organization. I was referred to Firstgiving and raised $540.65 for Parkinson’s Action Network . This year, I decided to raise money for the Parkinson’s Institute.

How did you choose to fundraise for your nonprofit and why? I found the Parkinsons Institute when I drove to work and saw an advertisement for them on a Route 101 billboard. Then, I looked them up on Firstgiving, found them, and got in touch with them. I told them about Firstgiving and they joined.

What are your fundraising goals? My goal is to raise $2000 for Parkinsons Disease and to run 1000 miles this year.

What are some of the things you have done that have helped you raise money?
I put a link to my fundraising at the bottom of my e-mail and I also did a fundraising event at the Sports Basement in my town. Occasionally they host events for people raising money for charities, where they provide drinks, snacks, and promotional prices. They also donated a portion of the sales made that day to the charity.

How has Firstgiving helped you raise more money? I like using Firstgiving because it allows me to fundraise, get people involved, and raise awareness about Parkinson’s Disease. I am excited about the small donations that have come from people in my extended network, because it confirms that I’m getting the message out about this disease which has affected my family so deeply. The fact that Firstgiving makes it easy for people to get involved is of tremendous, tremendous importance to me.

Fundraising Tips and Tricks: Make the Most of your Personal Fundraising Page

Beth — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:19:53 +0000

What we have learned
Through our experience, donors contribute because:

they know and want to support you
your nonprofit resonates with them
they’re amazed by your fundraising efforts or the event you’re tackling
they can see the direct impact their donation makes

With this research, we have found there are steps you can follow that contribute to successful fundraising.

The essentials for successful fundraising

Tell your story. Not sure how to start? Try answering these questions in your personal message on your fundraising page:

Why are you fundraising?
Why is this cause important to you?
What impact will each donation make? (eg $10 feeds a child for a week)

Set a fundraising goal. Donors want to see their friend succeed. In fact, some will donate again if they know their friend is close to their goal.
1. Set a fundraising target when editing your fundraising page
2. Give updates on the status of your fundraising goal
3. Raise your goal once you reach it. Then update your donors again

Add a picture. Add an image that speaks to your donors, eg photo of you in your event, or who or what donations are helping.

Tell your contacts. Share your fundraising page with family, friends, colleagues, parishioners, or anyone in your community. Firstgiving provides email templates you can use in your account.

Thank your donors. Firstgiving automatically emails a “thank you” message to your donors. When editing your fundraising page, personalize it. Tell donors what it means to you or how their donation is helping your nonprofit.

Keep sharing. Send updates on your fundraising, life, or training. Sharing your stories about challenges and achieving milestones makes donors feel a part of your fundraising efforts. Firstgiving provides an email template you can use in your account. Who knows - you may inspire some donors to join or advocate for your efforts.

You can also try some of these other fundraising ideas.

Talk about your fundraising efforts on your blog. A blog is an online journal. This is a great place to update donors on your progress and a subtle way to tell blog visitor’s that you are accepting donations for a great cause. Be sure to add a widget or link to your fundraising page.

Link to or add your page to your social media sites.

On Facebook? We are too. Talk about and add your fundraising page to your profile via our application and then join our group.
On MySpace? Talk about your fundraising page and add a badge to your space, then become our friend.
On Twitter? Tweet about your fundraising efforts and link to your fundraising page, then follow us.
On other social networking sites? Talk about your fundraising efforts and link to your fundraising page.

Celebrate your birthday. Ask friends to make a donation to your fundraising page in lieu of presents.

Offer your services. In exchange for a donation to your fundraising page, you could:

Babysit
Drive a friend to the airport
Rake leaves, shovel snow or cut the grass

Throw a party. Get your family and friends in on it and divvy up the tasks.

Set a date.
Ask your favorite restaurant, bar, or coffee shop to donate some space.
Have guests RSVP via making a donation to your Firstgiving page, this way you don’t have to collect donations at the door and you will have an attendance list
Host a raffle. Ask local business to donate products, services or gift certificates that you can raffle off at your party. Use your fundraising page as a way to collect money for raffle tickets.

Do you have a fundraising tip that has helped you?
Please share by leaving a comment below.

Team Firstgiving Newsletter

Beth — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:57:43 +0000

For any of you that missed our August Team Firstgiving Newsletter, you can check it out here!

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Week 5: Optimize the Matching Gift

Beth — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:38:56 +0000

The early miles of the Bermuda Marathon 2002

Matching gifts will help you reach your fundraising goal faster than you thought possible.

A matching gift is a benefit that many companies provide, where they match all or part of their employees’ charitable donations.

The first marathon I ever participated in (The Bermuda Marathon 2002), I did so with Team in Training and raised money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Massachusetts.

My fundraising goal was $3200 - this scared me! How was I going to raise this? I had never raised that much money before.

After expressing my concerns to a friend, she told me that her company had a matching gifts program. She explained that she would make a donation of $50, fill out and submit the proper paperwork (which she got from HR), and her company would send $50 on my behalf to my nonprofit.

This prompted me to change my approach to the way I asked for donations. In the end, I raised more than $4000 for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Massachusetts.

Below are some tips to help you optimize the matching gift:

Don’t be afraid to ask - When you ask donors to make a contribution, ask them if their company provides a matching gift program.
If they donate through Firstgiving, we ask them for you
Stay on top of your fundraising - If a donor tells you they have a matching gift program, follow-up with them to see if they need any information about the organization, such as:
* Tax ID number (also known as EIN)
* Nonprofit name
* Nonprofit address
* Nonprofit contact and contact information
If a nonprofit provides this information to Firstgiving, we pass it along to the donor. Also, feel free to contact us if you need your orgranization’s information.
Tell the nonprofit - Help your nonprofit by keeping them in the loop about your matching gift. Pass along the donor’s and company’s name so that they can be on the look out.
If your donor makes a donation via Firstgiving, we pass this information along to your nonprofit.
Share the good word - Be sure to highlight any donors when you give your fundraising updates, but don’t forget to include companies who provide matching gifts - they’re donors, too. This serves a few purposes, such as:
* Promote the company who gave back to your community
* Remind other donors about their companies’ matching gift programs
* Encourage other companies to match gifts
On your Firstgiving fundraising page, you can highlight your donors in Your personal message text area.

If you have tips on how you have optimized matching gifts, or want to share other fundraising tips with us, please add a comment!

Week 4: Stay flexible, Stretch your Imagination with Creative Fundraising Ideas

GrantH — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:32:20 +0000

It’s time to stretch your imagination and get creative with your marathon fundraising. Here are a few creative tips Firstgiving has seen that are sure to put you over the top.

Go metric. Many of our fundraisers ask for a dollar per mile, and have no trouble getting the $26.20 from friends. Why not step it up ask for a dollar per kilometer? That’s $42.20 per donation!
Let your donors sponsor a mile. Decide what your marathon is worth per mile, and let your donors buy a mile. Keep your page up-to-date as to how many miles you have left to sell so they can make sure they get in before they’re all spoken for. 26 miles x $100 = $2600!
Sell a body part. Tell potential donors that they can buy an arm or leg, then write their name or message on it come race day. Not only is it a great way to encourage donors, but it makes your sponsors feel like they are crossing the finish line with you.
Use your social network. Put a link to your fundraising page in the footer of any forums you are active in. It’s a great way to get the word out about your cause and pick up a few donations. If you’re not, you’re missing out on a great way to talk to the community about running, fundraising, and everything else. Join in:
- Fastloop.com is the gathering place for runners to meet, great, share and compare. If the founder of Facebook had gone to the University of Oregon instead of Harvard, this is the site he would have created. There’s now a section in the forums just for fundraising, so help kick it off by sharing (or asking for) fundraising help.
- Cool Running
- Runner’s World

If you have any tips to share, or are looking for ideas, leave a comment below or on Fastloop.com. Happy running!

Firstgiving on Facebook

BethP — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:15:22 +0000

We’ve created a Firstgiving Facebook group, and it’s already boasting over 100 members!

You are cordially invited to join; we’ll be updating the group page often with Firstgiving news, events, photos and tips.

Week 3: Cross-training for Fundraising Success

GrantH — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:31:33 +0000

Don’t just rely on emailing out the link to your page. It’s an easy way to ask your immediate family and friends, but won’t help you reach out to (and grow!) your network of supporters. Here are a few ways to turn people in your network into donors:

Add your fundraising page to you Facebook profile. Rally your Facebook community for support by installing our Facebook app. Go to http://apps.facebook.com/firstgiving, click “Add Application” and enter the address of your Fundraising Page. Now everyone can see what you are doing for charity. You can even ask your friends to add your page to their profile.

Change your email signature at work. After your name and title etc, add a line at the bottom including the address of your Firstgiving Fundraising Page and why you’re raising money. This is an easy way to raise awareness of your event and ensure every email you send has the potential to prompt a donation. It’s also a great way to ’softly’ ask for donations from co-workers you may not feel comfortable approaching otherwise.

Blog about it. If you already have a blog, great, you’re ahead of the curve. Update it regularly with your training milestones and keep communicating why you’re running the marathon. It will help people keep up with what’s going on, and keep you on track.
If you haven’t entered the blogosphere, it’s easy to get started. Any of the big blog sites will do, such as blogger. For a more marathon focused blog, you can get started easily at realbuzz.com. If you’re more the 140 character type, Tweet your success. Be sure to include links to your Fundraising Page in each post!

Some cool marathon training blogs:

http://got2trotlibrarian.blogspot.com

http://eastcoastrunner.blogspot.com

http://www.getyourserenity.com/blog

Next week: Stay Flexible. In the mean time, check out some other marathon fundraising pages.

Week 2: Build Your Base

GrantH — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:31:05 +0000

Do the speedwork first, build endurance later

Start with your close friends and family. They’re your core group of supporters, after all. Be sure to communicate why you’re doing this. Maybe you’re particularly passionate about the cause you’re running for, going for a specific time, or trying to qualify for Boston.

Whatever your reason, tell people! Put your story on your fundraising page and email the link to your friends and family. Even if they don’t make a donation, having their support will make reaching your marathon goals that much easier. At the least, you’ve now made your goals public, which is the best way to make sure you reach them.

Hopefully this group will also be some of the most generous donors you’ll have. It’s always intimidating to see zero donations, so make sure that before reaching further out in your network, your close friends and family have made some good donations to your page.

Before you know it, you should be well on your way to your goal.

Check out some runners off to a great start:

http://www.firstgiving.com/meghanmcevoy
http://www.firstgiving.com/katejohnson
http://www.firstgiving.com/jeanniefong1

Week 1: Set your goal

GrantH — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:53:29 +0000

Whether you are training to win or to finish, it takes a lot more than good old determination and willpower to get you through the big day. Having a plan helps you train smart and safe.

The fundraising side of your marathon training takes the same commitment and planning as the physical aspect. The days of just “gutting it out” are long gone. Firstgiving is here to help you raise more money for charity. Without further ado, may we present the 12 Week Firstgiving Marathon ~~Training~~ Fundraising Plan.

Week 1: Set your goal

Just as you set the goal for your marathon finish, put some thought into your fundraising goal. Decide on a goal you would be proud to achieve, but remember you don’t want to come short at the finish line.

If you’re running for an official marathon charity in exchange for a number, you probably have a fundraising minimum. But you’re a runner and you know that ‘minimum’ and ‘goal’ are not synonymous. Your marathon might also have a cut-off time of 6:00, but you would never set that as your goal. You aren’t afraid to go above and beyond, so set your goal above the minimum.
Running with friends or coworkers? How about some friendly competition? Ask around as to their fundraising goal, and then set yours a little higher. Maybe you can’t cross the finish before them, but you can certainly raise more money.
Looking to set a PR? Great! Why not try and top last year’s fundraising total? Add $500 to what you raised last year. With a $50 average donation, that’s only ten more people you need to reach out to. Challenge yourself.

What are you waiting for? Get Started!

Team Firstgiving

It’s not too late to run Boston!

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