Holiday gatherings provide the perfect opportunity to tell people about your marathon fundraiser for Mercy Home
The Bank of American Chicago Marathon is a little less than ten months away. While that might seem like all the time in the world to fundraise, the big day will be here before you know it. That’s why I like to encourage our “early-bird” registrants to get started as soon as possible, so they can really focus on training.
Trust me—you’ll be glad you did.
The really good news is that the holidays also provide you with the perfect opportunity to make a lot of headway. Use this time to create your ask. Not sure where to begin? The article 8 Steps to Charity Running Success is an excellent guide on how to get started. Write a few paragraphs explaining why you chose to run for Mercy Home for Boys & Girls and what it is about our mission that resonates with you. You can find more information (and usable verbiage) on our website about our work with kids and families in crisis. But also, be sure to make it personal—why are you doing this? This is where you’ll want to really speak from the heart in your own words.
Once you have some talking points, you’re ready to hit your holiday gatherings! Let everyone know what you’re doing and how they can help. Believe it or not, your family and close friends are your best donor prospects. They are likely to give just because they love you and want to see you succeed. Thankfully for you, these are the people you’re likely to see in person over the next ten days.
If asking people for money is a little out of your comfort zone, I get it. But it might help you to remember that you’re not asking for yourself, but rather, on behalf of some very deserving children at Mercy Home for Boys & Girls. Kids who might be lost to adversity and hopelessness if not for the work that you help make possible at Mercy Home. Kids who will be empowered to build brighter futures because of your marathon efforts.
Donating to such an important mission makes people feel good. This is another reason why I always suggest starting with your family and close friends. They are likely to be the most responsive to what’s important to you, and they can help you get your fundraising off to the strongest possible footing.
And if you make it easy for them to support your cause, you’re even more likely to be successful. Consider one good idea a past Hero had to create a QR code for their fundraising page so they could have it at the ready when speaking with anyone about their marathon fundraiser. There are several sites where you can find free QR code generators which can be found through an online search. I typically use Adobe. Just add the URL for your fundraising page, and presto! Your QR code is created. Download it, print it out, or have it accessible on your phone.
Your friends and family can help get your fundraising off to a great start this holiday season and into the new year. If you need more motivation, our first fundraising milestone is February 2nd, Groundhog Day. All Mercy Home Heroes who have started their fundraising and have achieved at least $250 by that date will receive a pair of Mercy Home Heroes custom running socks. Perfect for those winter runs! Be on the lookout for other terrific prizes as we hit certain milestone dates and rewards for Heroes who raise $500, $1,000, $3,500 or $7,500 over your minimum.
Also remember you get a $250 fundraising credit for each new Hero you bring to the team. Your referral code can be found in your fundraising portal. You can keep, gift it to your recruit(s), or split it with them. Regardless, it adds up and counts towards the total needed to reach fundraising minimums and incentive prizes.
On behalf of Mercy Home, thank you once again for being a Hero to our boys and girls. And have a happy, healthy holiday season.