Bank Day

 If you’ve walked with us before, you know that our Nashville event is pretty darn big – last year we had 6,000 participants at the walk!  That many people can make for long lines at the registration tables.  Bank Day, held on the Thursday before the march, gives you an opportunity to pick up your registration materials and any t-shirts your team members have earned and to turn in any cash or check donations you have received.  March of Dimes staff members will be set up from 10 - 2 on Thursday, April 14 at the Publix in Cool Springs (8105 Moores Lane, Brentwood), the Regions Bank on West End (3021 West End Ave, Nashville) and at our office (1101 Kermit Dr., Ste. 201, Nashville) to receive your donations and forms and to hand out your materials.  You should receive your bank day forms in your e-mail and snail mail - if you don't please e-mail me at nspeas(at)marchofdimes.com, and I'll send them on to you.

Top Walkers can pick up their special materials, like their VIP pass and their fancy MoD baseball cap, too!  This is the only way to get your VIP parking pass - and trust me, you don't want to miss out on that!

Take care of business at Bank Day – so you can spend more time with your team at March for Babies!  
                                      

                                                                                

Family Teams Specialist

Are YOU a Top Walker?

Well, if you are Lauren Lea from Skip Dee Doo Dah or Ashley from Team Ellie, you are!  Congrats to our very first Top Walkers!

And what is a Top Walker, you say?

A Top Walker is an individual who has raised over $1,000 for their March for Babies team.  (Note that the individual's total has to be greater than $1,000, not just the team's total.)  If a Top Walker turns in their money on or before Bank Day (the Thursday before the walk - more details to follow), they receive VIP treatment on walk day.  In the Nashville walk, this means a nifty March of Dimes baseball cap to wear (and take home with you, of course), a VIP parking pass and access to the VIP tent with a catered lunch.  And, of course, our eternal gratitude.  

We've got several more walkers who are very close to becoming Top Walkers, but it's not too late for anyone to achieve this elite status.  Try to take a few minutes every day to follow up with contacts you've talked to/e-mailed/facebooked about the walk, or maybe talk to a small business owner or two.  Every penny adds up, and it only takes 10,000 dimes to become a Top Walker!
                                                                                                          
     

      

Family Teams Specialist

Getting Businesses on Board

My daughter and I spent a few hours after her weekly therapy and doctor's appointments talking to local businesses about sponsoring our March for Babies team.  After talking with 9 different businesses, we had commitments from 5 of them totaling $1150!  A few of the other businesses are considering donating, so I'll follow up with them in the next few days.  Here are a few tips on soliciting business donations for YOUR team:

• Keep it short.  Before going on visits, practice a 2-3 minute summary of your "ask".  Why are you there?  (To speak with them about their sponsoring your family's March for Babies team.)  Why are you involved with the March of Dimes?  (In a few sentences, describe your connection to the mission.  Feel free to use visual aids!)  What do you want them to do? (Give you money, of course!)  What can you do for them?  (See below.)
• Their donation is tax-deductible, which means that it's a write-off for them.  Businesses love that!  But also think creatively about how a sponsorship can benefit them. What kind of publicity can you give them?  Perhaps a poster to display in their store or office?  Or their logo on the back of your team t-shirt?  I've even heard of teams selling stroller sponsorships - when a business gives a certain amount of money, the team will decorate one of the strollers they are using at the walk with signs featuring the business.  Last year we had about 6,000 walkers - that's a lot of publicity!
• Since it's YOUR team they are sponsoring, you can set the sponsorship amounts!  It's better to have a certain $ amount that qualifies them for specific privileges than to just ask for a donation.  For example, I'm asking businesses for a $150 donation in order to get their logo on our team shirt.  If you think your sponsors can do more than that, by all means, ask more!  If that sounds high to you, bring it down.  It's up to you!
• Start with your friends, family, and associates who own their own business.  They are your most likely sponsors - they already know and care about your family, so if their business can benefit from their support of you, it's a win-win!
• Next, branch out a little.  Some of our company teams do what's called a "vendor campaign," where they ask the companies that they buy their materials, etc from to make a donation to their team.  (The thought is, "Hey, we give you a lot of money throughout the year, so how 'bout you help us out some?"  Makes sense!)  These campaigns can be very successful, and I think the same idea applies to family teams.  Who are your family's "vendors"?  Who do you give your business to?  Chances are, these businesses also appeal to the many of your fellow March for Babies participants, so the publicity is invaluable!  For example, my doctor's office is sponsoring our family team, as is a friend's medical uniform store.  There are TONS of moms and nurses at the walk, so having their names displayed could give them a big bump in their business!  Kid's clothing stores, toy stores, book stores, and family-friendly restaurants are also awesome potential sponsors.
• Of course, if they say no, be gracious and polite about it.  Chances are, as I heard from one owner today, their "hearts are in the right place, but [their] pocketbooks aren't." 
• A couple technical points:
• Always ask to speak to the owner (preferably) or a manager.  If her or she is not available, ask when they will be in.  Still, if you can sell the employees on the idea, they might have a good bit of influence over the owner! 
• Have them make their checks out to the March of Dimes - March for Babies.  Include your team's name in the memo line so that we can make sure that you get the credit for it.  (I recommend team sponsorships be done by check.)
• Develop a simple form for sponsors to fill out.  Include the company's name, your contact's name, their contact information, signature, sponsorship amount, your contact information, etc.  Make sure you leave a copy with them!
• Once you've received their check, you can add it to your marchforbabies.org page by clicking on "View Sponsor Form" and then "Add cash/check donation."  Marking the check as "received" allows you to e-mail them a receipt, which they will need for tax purposes.
• You can turn your checks into the March of Dimes office at any time by mailing them or dropping them off.  Our office is at 1101 Kermit Dr., Suite 201 in Nashville.  You can also hold them and turn them in on bank day (the Thursday before the walk) or the day of the event, but if your house is like mine and things get lost easily, I'd recommended turning them in ASAP just so you don't have to worry about them!

Good luck!  Don't be shy - all they can do is say no!

                                   

                                                                                      

Family Team Specialist

Fundraising 101

Here's some GREAT advice from a friend of the March of Dimes, Brady Banks.  He has had years of professional fundraising experience, and we're honored to have him as a guest author!  Thanks, Brady!

Fundraising 101

                                                                  

One of the great joys of my life is helping volunteers think practically about ways to fundraise and to watch them meet their fundraising goals. In my role with the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation, I have the opportunity to work closely with individuals in all of the 95 counties in Tennessee and find ways to help them support their county’s Imagination Library, a program that gives books monthly, free of charge, to children from birth to age 5.

I have seen a good many volunteers have great success in fundraising. Almost every time I’ve seen those successes, they’ve done a few simple things that really made a big difference.

As the Music City March for Babies gears up and families begin their effort to raise funds for such a great cause, I’d like to share those lessons on fundraising as you ask friends and family for their support:

1.       Set a goal that shoots for the stars. I have been in meetings where volunteers have shared great ideas for raising money and have shown great passion for the issue, but they never talked about fundraising goals. The best results in fundraising come when you make a list of prospective givers, assess their ability to give, and then set a goal that mirrors that ability to give. An example of a goal: $5000. Not an example of a goal: I’d like to raise money for March for Babies.

Remember: Don’t be afraid to push yourself.  If you meet your initial fundraising goal before the march, don’t stop!  Simply raise your goal and keep on working towards it.

2.       Ask for a specific amount. Volunteers sometimes get caught up in the passion they have for the issue that they forget to actually ask a prospective giver to give a specific amount to the effort. If a prospective giver has the ability to give $500, ask them for $500, not a penny less. Asses that level for each individual on your list.

Remember: They may say they can’t give that specific amount, but then you will be able to make a lower amount seem more appealing, and then ask again.

3.       Make it personal. Your friends and family know your stories. They know if you are doing this because you simply love children, you have a child who experienced difficulties during pregnancy, or you are an advocate for the health of mothers.

Remember: Tell your story. Personal appeals are always the most effective way to raise money.

4.       The rule of three. This tip is usually the hardest one for people to do. Most people don’t like to feel as if they are pestering their family and friends. But, trust me, they are your family and friends for a reason, and they should already know how much you are passionate about what you are doing. They love you no matter what, right?

“The rule of three” is essentially this: make an appeal for contributions to each individual on your list at least three times, and at least one of those appeals must be done in person or by phone. You might write a letter asking for a specific amount, then an email reminding them to consider giving that amount, and then make a call or have coffee with them.

Remember:  Don’t let the opportunity pass by to talk to a friend or family member in person or by phone to ask them for their support.

5.       Effort & return on investment. Last, but not least, avoid putting effort into big events or other laborious tasks that drain you emotionally, financially, and physically and aren’t worth the trouble in the end. Remember that your goal is to raise money, not spend money or make your life harder in the process.

For instance, say you want to put on an event at your favorite restaurant for friends and families to raise money for the March for Babies. Let’s say that, after you rent the room, make arrangements with the manager, decorate the tables, and purchase food, the event is going to cost you $500. You’ve invited 20 friends at a ticket price of $50. By my math, you’ve only raised $500, the same $500 you could’ve given personally to March for Babies before you ever embarked on the journey to put together the event.

Remember: Keep it simple. There are more cost effective ways to raise money (see #3 and #4 above).

Now, you have the tools to be an effective volunteer fundraiser. Go out there and make great things happen for the Music City March for Babies. Good luck!

                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                               Family Teams Specialist

Sharing Your Story

One of the most effective ways to raise funds is to connect the March of Dimes’ mission to your family’s story.  Doing so helps your friends and families understand on an emotional level how the money they give can help other families.  Below are some questions to think about that might help you tell your story.  Once you have a short description of your family’s story and why the March of Dimes is important to you, you can share it on your marchforbabies.org page, in an e-mail, on your blog or as a note on your Facebook page.  Always include a link to your team’s fundraising page!

If you had a premature or sick baby:

What was the first part of your pregnancy like?  When did you find out that there was a problem? 

Did you have any warning that your child was going to be born early or sick, or did it happen suddenly?  What was that like for you?   

When your child(ren) was born, what did s/he look like?  How did you feel when you first saw him/her?  Were you able to hold him/her right away?

How long was your child in the NICU?  What challenges and/or complications did s/he face?  Did your child receive surfactant therapy?  (Surfactant was specifically developed by research funded by the March of Dimes.)

Overall, what part of having a child in the NICU was hardest for you as a parent?

If you are walking in memory of your child, what would it mean to you for your friends and family to remember your child with a donation to the March of Dimes?

If you are walking in honor of your child, how is your child doing today?  Does s/he still face challenges?  What is his/her personality like?

If you had a baby born healthy:

You and your child likely benefitted from the folic acid fortification of the grain supply (which has led to a 27% decrease in neural tube defects since 1996) and standardized newborn screening for 29 metabolic and genetic disorders.  The March of Dimes played a role in bringing about both of these advances, along with many other discoveries about maternal and fetal health and development.  Are there other aspects of your personal story that make you want to support the March of Dimes?

What was the experience of welcoming a healthy child into the world like?  Is that something you would like for all parents to experience?

    
I hope this helps!  As always, please let me know if there is anything I can do for you!
                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                        Family Teams Specialist