Getting Pledges
Great Way to Fundraise — Personal Fundraising Pages!
Whether you register online or by mail for the Mississippi River Challenge, you can also set up your own personal fundraising page, including a photo, your own statement about why you are paddling in the Challenge, and an image showing your progress toward your own fundraising goal.
The more people you ask, the more will make a pledge to support your paddle. We suggest waving down random strangers at creatively chosen locations.
Fundraising Help
Why raise the money?
Great cause, great organization.
The Mississippi River is the reason the Twin Cities came to be, provides drinking water for area residents, is a huge part of our culture and a popular recreational destination, a migratory flyway for over 40% of the continent’s waterfowl and millions of songbirds, is home to many rare and beautiful species, provides scenic vistas and more.
Friends of the Mississippi River addresses the many threats to the river’s health in a multitude of ways — land conservation and restoration, water quality work, building community stewardship, working on issues around river friendly development and public access, watershed wide stormwater standards and more. The organization has been around for 15 years working successfully and strategically — and for the last five years the Mississippi River Challenge is one of the key ways we raise awareness of the river and raise funds for our work to protect it.
Your attitude:
You are asking people to support something very important, enabling them to be involved at a grassroots level in work that matters — especially if they live here. Even if the people you are asking to support you don’t live here, the Mississippi is a nationally recognized and internationally known treasure and an ecological resource of incredible significance. Protecting it can and should matter to people everywhere. If you are confident when you ask for support, people will see that. Be relaxed, and use the style that works best for you. Also be prepared to spend different amounts of time with each ask — some people may need or want more info than others.
Share your passion for the event and the cause — and help people feel good about supporting you!
Developing your plan:
Set an attainable fundraising goal and then break it down into smaller goals and daily action steps (and a timeline can be helpful). (See the samples.) Make a list of who you’re going to ask first, and have a second tier ready to go as well. Remember that you’re going to ask people to give at the time you are asking them to save yourself work tracking down unpaid pledges. Keep track of your progress and congratulate yourself for reaching interim goals.
How do you ask?
First, remember that you do have to ask! Use a personal approach — people are giving to you as much as or sometimes more than they are to the cause. Don’t forget things like asking people close to you to ask their connections for you and to ask people if their companies will match their gifts, and don’t forget to take pledge forms and info everywhere you go! Also, don’t sell yourself or the cause short. Try not to decide for people what they should pledge — suggest that they make a pledge that is significant to them, and if asked about a suitable amount reiterate why protecting the river matters. Then ask them what they’d feel comfortable with giving. You may want to remind them that it’s tax deductible.
The primary way to raise pledges is to ask everyone — use networks, holiday card lists, e-mail lists, Facebook networks, where you shop/are a customer, etc. Here are other ideas:
- make your own pledge first
- host a party or special event — or have someone host it for you
- conduct a personalized letter or e-mail campaign (With letters, include a stamped return envelope addressed to you. With e-mails provide a link to your personal fundraising page.)
- take advantage of a holiday, anniversary or birthday (e.g. June is National Rivers Month!)
- make a presentation at your church or rotary club or other organization you are associated with — and ask someone from FMR to help you
- create a button that says something like “Ask me about the Challenge!”
- hold a garage sale, bake sale, car wash, dog wash, pancake breakfast or other fundraiser
- have an auction
- go door to door in your neighborhood — introduce yourself as a neighbor concerned about a community resource
- get publicity — get an article in your community paper or post something at your local community center or coffee shop
- make a display (with a donation jar) to put at your workplace or businesses you frequent regularly
- find a business (your employer or another business you frequent) to sponsor you for a significant pledge — you can wear a t-shirt advertising their sponsorship or devise other creative ways to give them recognition
Thank your sponsors!
We’ll send them a written thank you and tax receipt, but they are pledging for you and need to know you appreciate it. And don’t forget to let them know how the weekend went, and what you ended up raising — they’ll be happy they were involved in a successful effort.
Don’t feel discouraged or rejected by a “no.”
It’s rarely meant personally. Just accept it graciously and move on to someone else who may be more able to give. If you get discouraged, contact Challenge staff — we can help you get enthused again!
Questions?
Contact Heather at Friends of the Mississippi River: 651-222-2193 x20 or through FMR’s web contact form.
Forms & Flyers
Pledge Form – Use this for recording offline pledges you receive and include it when sending pledges in to FMR. PDF (311 KB)
Fundraising Tips — Tips and approaches to asking for pledges. PDF (96 KB)
Sample E-Mail Appeal
Items in [brackets] should most definitely be tweaked to fit the specifics of your participation.
Dear [Name],
This summer, I am raising awareness of an incredible river right here in my backyard and raising funds to protect it. On July 26th [and/or] 27th, I will be paddling 44 challenging miles [paddling 22 miles/biking 30 or 50 miles] through the heart of the Twin Cities in the Great River Energy Mississippi River Challenge -- and I need your support! If that's all you need to know, make your pledge securely on the event's website at:
http://www.mississippiriverchallenge.org/pledge.php
Please consider pledging an amount that is significant to you -- it's a great cause! The Mississippi River is a vital and integral part of our history, our geography, our culture and our lives. It is important to me to conserve it for current and future generations -- and that is why I am [paddling/cycling] the Challenge.
The Great River Energy Mississippi River Challenge is raising funds for Friends of the Mississippi River, a local citizen organization working to enhance and conserve the ecological, cultural and recreational assets of this great river and its watershed here in the Twin Cities. I'd be happy to tell you more about their work -- or you can visit the Challenge website for more information.
To see what your pledge can do, visit:
http://www.mississippiriverchallenge.org/can_do.php
When you pledge online I will be notified of your pledge. If you'd like to give me the pledge directly, or mail it in, please write "MRC Pledge" and my name in the memo line. Pledges can be sent to me or to Friends of the Mississippi River at 360 North Robert St., Ste. 400, St. Paul, MN 55101. Friends of the Mississippi River will send you a thank you and tax receipt.
Thanks in advance for your support! Please let me know if you have any questions or need more information.
[Your name]
“Dollar Can Do” Statements
Here's a list of different pledge amounts and fundraising goals and how each of these can support FMR's work to protect and improve the Mississippi River. Dollar Can Do Statements...