Monday, January 25, 2010

Share Your Efforts with the World!

People can’t support you if they don’t know you’re what you’re doing! In case you forgot, you’re training unbelievably hard for three months, pushing yourself to run 10 or 20 or even 30 miles a week in all weather conditions, all so you can run a race with the PETA Pack for animals.

Furthermore, people won’t support you if they don’t know WHY you are doing this and why their support is so important to you and the animals! These reasons may be different for each of us, but the bottom line is that we are doing this in an effort to get help for the animals that need it so desperately—to spread awareness about animal abuse and exploitation and to inspire people to help and to donate.

Many of us are doing a fantastic job spreading the word to your friends and family—and it’s clearly paying off. We’ve already raised over $11,500! That’s HUGE. But we’ve still got a way to go to reach our individual goals and $100,000 collectively. Lucky for us, there are literally endless opportunities to share your PETA Pack fundraising page with the world.

BUT FIRST—Perfect Your Page! Before you ask people for their support, make sure your fundraising page is presenting everything you want your friends to know. What are you doing? How much time and effort are you putting into this and most importantly, why? Where will the donations go? Why are these donations so important to you and to animals? How is training going so far? Are you planning to accomplish things you never thought you could?

10 Ways to Share Your Efforts with the World (and raise money!):

1. Email. Write a really powerful email and send an email to everyone in your address book. Friends, family, family friends, friends of family friends, co-workers, neighbors, the parents of the child you once babysat, old friends from school—anyone. Personalize the emails to the people closest to you, so they have to at least respond. First email them to let them know you’re doing this, again to give them an update about how it’s going, and a final time right before the race!

2. Email Signature. Include a link to your fundraising page below your email signature or as a P.S.! For example: “I’m training to run a half-marathon for animals and your support would mean the world to me.” This is a super easy way to send gentle reminders to the you communicate with that you’re still huffing and puffing away and still want their support!

3. Post to Facebook. So easy! It takes literally 30 seconds. Post your fundraising page to Facebook by copy-pasting the link into the status update box. Update your status whenever you run an impressive distance, have a PETA Pack story to share, receive a donation, discover a new running location, etc!

4. Blog. Have a blog? Write a post about the PETA Pack and ask your readers for support!

5. Website. If you have one, we’ve got an awesome little icon you can include that links to the PETA Pack site.

6. Twitter. If you’re one of the 18 million people on Twitter, tweet about @PETAPack2010 and your training adventures!

7. Go door to door. I never was a girl scout, but I do appreciate that with the right approach, going door to door can be a very successful fundraising technique. Dress professionally or in a PETA shirt. Explain what you are doing and why, and tell them that you would really appreciate their support. Ask for checks made out to PETA, not cash, to prove you are credible. Carry PETA leaflets with you if you have some. Send the checks to Michelle at the Oakland Office and we will add the money to your fundraising page!

8. Collection Boxes. Create some donation collection boxes and ask if you can put one at work, in stores, at the vet’s office, a library, a grocery store, etc. Have children in school? See if their class will have a change drive for animals. Just be sure to follow up and collect the donations from the boxes regularly!

9. Host a Fundraising Party/Event! Make a delicious vegan dinner, host a vegan drinks night, have a dance party, a Super Bowl party… anything! Get creative. Invite friends and ask for a minimum donation to attend. Your fundraising page can serve as your guest list!

10. Help with PETA Pack Fundraising Events! We are organizing a Popcorn and Movie Night, Vegan Bake Sale, and Wine & Dine event with a very special guest. We will ask for a minimum donation from guests, and the PETA Packers who to come to the events, bring food, spread the word, and bring friends will receive a portion of the money raised on their fundraising page!

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