8. Fundraising Flyer
9. Local Press Release
10. Expanding Your Giving Circle
11. Follow Up

Be Sure To:

Repeat Walkers - here are a few things to keep in mind when approaching your donors again this year!

• When you ask someone for a donation to a cause, you are in effect giving them a wonderful opportunity to be a part of the solution. You’d be surprised at how many people want to make a difference in their own special way. Don’t limit your donors’ ability to be a part of breaking through breast cancer - ask them for a donation every year!
  
• Many donors give to the same charity year after year. Talk to your donors about why they should give to The Aviva Weekend to Breakthrough Breast Cancer every year. In most cases they will not know someone as dedicated to the cause as you are. This will give you a head start in asking them for a generous donation.
  
• If you don’t ask, you won’t get! If you do ask, the worst thing that can happen is they will say no. Remember: breast cancer is not a one year cause. Thanks to the help of people like you, we are making major headway with research initiatives, the availability of Herceptin, and in finding chemotherapies that are less toxic...not to mention hundreds of other breakthroughs! 

1. Set Your Goals High

The minimum fundraising requirement for Walkers is £1,500. This does not have to be the ceiling for your personal goal as the average participant raises much more than that. In fact, many participants set their personal fundraising goal to £3,000 - double the minimum! Think of fundraising as a personal challenge but also as a part of the adventure. Think of the lives you are touching and shoot for the stars. The more money we raise, the more good work that Breakthrough Breast Cancer can do. More research and education mean more lives saved.

So think about a fundraising goal that would be a truly big accomplishment for you. Remember the golden rule of fundraising: If you don't ask, you don't get. You're not afraid to walk 60 kilometres in one weekend to do something bold about breast cancer, so take that courage and get out there and fundraise. Aim high. And go for it.

You can exceed your fundraising goals! Select the image below to hear fundraising advice and success stories:

2. Creating Your List of Potential Donors

Sit down with a piece of paper and write down the names of all of the people in your life. Family, friends, neighbours, colleagues. Go through your address book. Include your doctor, car mechanic, relatives, former classmates, your child’s teacher, everybody you do business with, your dry cleaner, everyone you talk to at your office, place of worship, or school. Think about any people who’ve asked you for money for a charity before and put them on the list. Don’t leave anyone out. You never know who has been personally affected by breast cancer and who might be waiting for an opportunity like this to support this cause.

Next to each name on your list, write the method that you will contact this person for a donation. The options are face-to-face meeting, an email from your Personal Page, a fundraising letter, and a fundraising party. Here are some suggestions as to how to contact the different people on your list:

• Email from Your Personal Page
  Sending an email from your Personal Page is the easiest and most effective way to fundraise. Send a fundraising letter as an email to the people who are comfortable with computers. This is a great way to network because you can ask your donors to forward your email donation request to everyone they know.
• Fundraising Party
  Invite as many people as you want to your fundraising party. The people you invite should live in your area, so it is easy for them to come to your house for the party. Consider hosting a fun theme party, like a disco, masked ball, rags to riches ball, or champagne and strawberries luncheon.
• Face-to-Face Meeting
  For potential major contributors (£1000 or more), you will want to set up a face-to-face meeting. Don't be scared to ask for £1000. If the donor cannot give that much, they are still likely to give a large denomination of £1000.
• Fundraising Letter
  This will be a letter that you type or handwrite and send in the regular post. Use this method for people who do not have a computer and would appreciate the personal touch that this letter will give.

3. Your Personal Page

Create your own Personal Page online by clicking on the "Login" button above. On your Personal Page you can tell your story, post a photo, and request donations. When donors go to your page, they can read your donation request, and donate right there online. Please encourage all of your donors to use the online system. It saves Breakthrough Breast Cancer time, and your donations will be credited to your account immediately, instead of four to six weeks of processing time that paper donation forms require. Your Personal Page also automatically tracks your fundraising balance, so you and your donors can watch your progress.

Here’s how to set up your Personal Page:

1. Login using the username and password you selected when you registered. If you haven't yet created a username and password, please call us on 0870 950 8888 and we'll work it out for you.
2. Click on Personal Page from the tool bar.
3. Personalise your page by selecting "Upload a New Photo."
4. Change the text message to add your own personal note.
5. Now that you have set up your page, click on the Email button, and start your email campaign to friends and family.
6. Enter the email addresses of your potential donors.
7. Compose your email, or use our templates as a starting point.
8. The email will contain a link to your Personal Page, where your donors can donate online safely and securely.
9. You can also view donation reports from your Personal Page or send out thank you emails.
10. Please call us on 0870 950 8888 if you have any questions. We'll even set up your Personal Page for you!

4. Fundraising Parties

Here are the steps to throwing a successful fundraising party:

1. Give us a call on 0870 950 8888 to schedule your party. We have videos that you can show to your guests so they can see what The Aviva Weekend to Breakthrough Breast Cancer is all about.
2. Make your guest list. Try to invite as many people as possible. However, you will not need to invite the potential major donors whom you will ask privately face-to-face.
3. Send invitations to everyone you would like to attend your party. It should be clear that the party is about raising money. Tell your guests that there will be a presentation, and remind them to bring a cheque book or credit card.
4. Make reminder calls to your guest list a few days before your party.
5. Prepare for the party by printing plenty of donation forms (just download them from your Personal Page), set out some food and refreshments, and set up your TV and video so that everyone can see and hear the video presentation.
6. Greet your guests warmly as they arrive and mingle until everyone has arrived. Then turn on the video and enjoy the footage.
7. After the video, give your guests time to ponder their commitment and fill out donation forms. Let everyone know how much was raised when the evening is over.
8. Thank everyone for coming.
9. Send in all donations immediately, or have your donors enter their donation online if you have a computer at home.
10. Send thank you notes to those who donated.
11. Follow up with those who could not attend by calling them and sending them a donation form.
12. Return the video to our offices or pass it on to other Walkers or Crew Members for their use.

Party Tips:

• Fundraising parties are successful when they take place in a controlled environment where the guests can focus on the presentation. Nightclubs or busy restaurants don’t usually work well. Try hosting a Girls Night or Makeover party!
• Do not sell tickets to the event. Your guests will listen to the presentation thinking they have already contributed if they have purchased a ticket. Let your guests rise to the occasion and donate on their own.
• The focus should be on the event, not your birthday or a holiday. Be up front about the purpose of the party. Don’t take your guests by surprise.

5. Face-to-Face Meeting

For your potential major contributors, you’ll want to set up a face-to-face meeting. It can be lunch, dinner, a casual tea or a walk around the block. Make sure you set a definite time and place.

Beforehand, learn as much about the cause and Breakthrough Breast Cancer as you can. You want to be able to educate your donors about where their money is going. Then, when it comes time for your meeting, talk to your donor about your commitment.

Tell them how far you’ll be walking and much time you are giving to the event. If you’ve been personally affected by breast cancer, talk about what this means to you.

Then, tell your donor how much you hope they’ll give. This may seem difficult, but when you are specific, you might be doing your donors a favor. They may have no idea how much money to offer, so ask them to donate £500. By telling them how much money you would like them to give, you have let them know how important this is to you. Don't be afraid to ask to £500 because a donor will not give more than they can afford, but they will not give more than you ask for. Maybe they’ll give £500, and maybe they’ll give some denomination of £500. Always make sure you let donors know that they can make their payments over time in monthly installments, as your donation forms explain. A person who can give £100 right now might be willing to give £100 per month for five months a total donation of £500.

Once you have asked for the donation, remain quiet until the donor has responded. Give them a moment to think about your request. Your patience and silence in the moment after you’ve asked conveys your seriousness. But don’t leave the meeting without a definitive answer. They may give you exactly what you’ve asked for, they may offer less, or they may say no. Either way, it’s okay. Have a donation form with you so your donor can fill it out right away. Make it easy for the donor to act on what they have offered.

6. Fundraising Letters

You’ll want to send fundraising letters to any potential donors that you are not asking through an email, at a face-to-face meeting, or at a fundraising party. Though a fundraising letter campaign can be enormously successful for many fundraisers, it is less personal than a face-to-face request and could result in a smaller donation.

When composing your fundraising letter, remember to personalise it as much as you can. Make each letter different, as if it were any other piece of personal correspondence you were sending to a friend. Address your donors by their first name, and open up with a personal comment.

Then, after your personal opening, explain that you’re participating in The Aviva Weekend to Breakthrough Breast Cancer and are writing to ask for support. Talk about the event and your commitment to it. Explain your own personal reasons for participating. Though you will want to keep your letter fairly brief, try to engage your donors in your personal journey and inspire them to give.

Ask for a specific donation amount, such as £100, and enclose a donation form with a stamped return envelope. Once the donor has made the decision to give, you want to make it as easy for them as possible.

We've created easy-to-use email templates in your Participant Centre that you can use as jumping off points. Make sure you include your own personal information and adapt the style to fit your own personality. Don't worry about adopting a fancy writing style because your readers will be able to sense your sincerity if you write from your heart.

7. Match Giving Schemes in the UK

Does your company or employer match your donation fundraising efforts?  Below is a list of companies that support the efforts of their employees and are making a difference in breaking through breast cancer.

The companies below may change their donation matching programs at any time without informing the Weekend office.  Please be sure to verify your company’s donation matching status even if you see it on this list!

If you don’t see your company on this list but know that it does, in fact, offer donation matching, please notify the Weekend to Breakthrough Cancer office by calling
0870 950 8888.  We’d love to let everyone know how generous your company is!

Anon
Asda
Barclays
BOC Group
BP
Bravissimo
Centria Plc
Chubb Insurance of Europe
Citigroup
Deutsche Bank
Experian
GAP
Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK Limited
HBOS
HSBC Bank
JP Morgan
Lehman Brothers
Price Waterhouse Coopers
Marks and Spencer
Morgan Stanley
Morrisons
National Grid
Network Rail
Nomura
Norwich Union
O2
Royal Mail
Syamore
Symantec
The Economic Group
Towers Perrin
Transco
UBS
Vodafone
Watson Wyatt 

8. Fundraising Flyer

Click here to download and print the new colourful fundraising flyer! Once you print it out, you can personalise it with your name, fundraising goal, and fundraising total-to-date. It’s an easy way to spread the word about the event, let people know how important their donation is to you, and give donors directions to your Personal Page so that they can donate straight to you online. With the fundraising flyer you can let your friends know what you’re doing and maybe even encourage them to join you on your adventure!

9. Local Press Release

A terrific way to spread awareness about your participation in The Aviva Weekend to Breakthrough Breast Cancer is to have your story published in your local newspaper. This way your whole community will find out about the walk and your commitment to breaking through breast cancer. By including your name and participant ID in the article, people you don’t even know will be able to donate to you in your Personal Page. Many community papers and newsletters are constantly looking for human interest stories that involve their residents, and raising at least £1,500 and walking 60 kilometres makes you a local hero. Just give your coaches a call on 0870 950 8888 and we’ll help you write a press release. We even have an easy-to-use template that you can fill with your information and story and then send to your local paper.

10. Expanding Your Giving Circle

You can multiply your donations by giving additional donation forms to your family and friends who have already donated. Ask them to talk to people about the event and your participation in it, and help you ask for donations. With this word-of-mouth in place, you’ll reach people you never even knew before!

Think about all the people you come into contact with on a daily basis that could help you fundraise, like neighbours, colleagues, your hair dresser, dry cleaner or dentist. Ask them to keep some of your donation forms on hand to pass out to others.



11. Follow Up

If you haven’t received a response from someone you’ve asked for a donation, make sure you follow up. Make a phone call or send a quick note to ensure that they haven’t forgotten your request. A good way to keep people involved in your adventure is to send an update newsletter or email. Keep your donors and potential donors informed of your fundraising and training progress.

Once you have received a donation from someone, let them know that their contribution, whatever the amount, is important to you and that you appreciate it. You can also invite your donors to the Closing Ceremony, so they can see the results of your hard work in person. After the event, you may want to send out a newsletter or email with some photos, and an additional thank you for your donors’ support.

There are sample thank you letters in your Participant Centre that you can use to get your letters started.

The Aviva Weekend to Breakthrough Breast Cancer is an event organised by Breakthrough Weekend Ltd, which is wholly owned by and gives all its taxable profits to Breakthrough Breast Cancer, registered charity number 1062636 under the Gift Aid Scheme. We have engaged CauseForce Inc and CauseForce UK Ltd to manage the event.