Reaching a fundraising goal may seem intimidating if you think that you don’t know enough people to ask in order to reach it. You probably know more people than you realize. Most people know at least 400 people on a close basis. Many people have networks that extend into the thousands.

Consider this list:

• Family and Friends: The people closest to you are the most likely to support your efforts. Be sure to include aunts, uncles, cousins and family friends. Don’t forget about your old college friends, sorority sisters, youth group connections and old camp friends.
• Your Employer: Many employers are eager to encourage their employees to participate in charitable events. In fact, many corporations offer matching funds for the donations you receive from colleagues at work, or even your total donations. Contact your human resources director to see how they can help you.
• Colleagues at Work, School, etc: The workplace is a great venue for fundraising. If you work in a large organization you have plenty of options.  Get permission from your employer and spread the word to all the departments in your workplace. And remember to include your fundraising goal and a link in your email signature.
• Business Contacts and Suppliers: If you are in business, you can approach colleagues, clients, suppliers and even competitors to sponsor you. People of all backgrounds care about building bridges in the Middle East and creating a sustainable world for all.
• Your Synagogue: Ask your rabbi, synagogue president, and committees where you can most successfully fundraise within the synagogue. Many shuls have a “Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund” so ask your Rabbi to sponsor you. And check to synagogue directory for names of people you can contact.
• Clubs, Committees, Alumni Groups and Associations: Bring information with you when you go to sports, recreation clubs or other volunteer work. People admire those who fundraise, especially since you have to Ride for it.
• Major Donors: Review this list and highlight the names of the people whom you believe are potential major donors. (someone who might be able to make a donation of $500 or more). Take him or her out to lunch or dinner to catch and share why this challenge mean so much to you.

Different people are attracted to Hazon for different reasons — to get in shape, to challenge themselves, for the sustainable food issues, to channel their Judaism toward environmental healing. In writing your fundraising letters, the important thing is to connect with your sponsors. Tell them why you are doing the Ride and ask them to support you. Here are some tips.

Be Personal
Make your letter personal and specific to you. Tell your potential funders what the Ride is all about, and tell them why you’re so excited to do it. Consider writing personalized letters to different donors to address their specific needs.

Convey Your Enthusiasm
People are inspired by enthusiasm. Talk about the ride. Talk about your training and why you have decided to take on this challenge. Your enthusiasm is contagious — it will encourage your sponsors to be generous in their support.

Share Your Goals
Another way to involve your sponsors is to let them know about your goals. for example, riding your first century (100-mile ride). In your fundraising letters, share your training goals and report on the progress that you’re making during the summer. People feel motivated to give when you are working toward a goal. Consider including pictures of you training or on the previous Hazon Rides as a way of demonstrating your commitment
to the cause.

Be Specific
Include your fundraising goal, and make it ambitious. Put it in bold! The more you ask for, the more people give. Share what your personal financial commitment will be. People are often inspired to see your personal financial commitment and might even be willing to match it. “In addition to training, I am pledging $500 towards my fundraising goal.” Ask for a specific amount and aim high. Say “Please consider a gift of $180″—they can choose to do so, or choose to give you more/less.

Make It Easy for Them to Donate
Give simple and specific instructions about how they can sponsor you. Include the link to your personal page and provide instructions for paying by check. If you are sending a letter, enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope for people to send you a check.

Thank Your Sponsors
Acknowledge the people who have donated to you. Send out emails thanking people by name which encourages those who have not yet given. If your sponsor writes a company check, acknowledge their business as well.

Choose your communication method(s)
So, you know what you want to say but how do you go about doing it? There is no one right way. Find the method that works for you:

• Emails: Many people use email as their main means of soliciting sponsorship. Tools on your Rider page will help make composing, sending and tracking emails very easy (Log in to your personal page).
• Letters: Although email is quick and easy, some have found that letters–sent via “snail mail”–are more personal and often get better results. Be sure to include a return envelope, stamped and self-addressed envelope to help your donor to respond to your request.
• Personal appeals: Some people are comfortable with the most direct approach: asking for money in person or by phone is usually every effective.
• Get creative: There are lots of creative ways people have used to raise funds. For example, the “curse jar”: put a jar on your desk at work, and every time someone curses within earshot, they have to put a dollar in the jar. Pair it with a graph so your colleagues can watch your progress toward your goal.
• Other options include: Organizing events. • Including a link on your Facebook or Linked-In page. • Writing about the Ride and your training progress on your blog. • Including a link to your fundraising web page in your e-mail signature.

What should I say?
Your email, letter, or personal appeal should be personal and specific to you. Tell your potential donors what the Ride is all about (physical challenge, great community, a fun, wild thing to do, a great way to be Jewish). And tell them why YOU are so excited to do this Ride. Some people do the Ride in honor of someone special or for an event–if you have a kavanah (intention) for your Ride, tell your potential donors about that, too. In 2003, for instance, filmmaker Judith Helfand rode to celebrate her 12th anniversary (the bat mitzvah) of beating cancer. She told her friends that this was how she wanted to mark the occasion–and raised over $2,000 in sponsorship.

Share the specifics about the Ride. Explain where the money goes, and explain how they can make a donation (either by credit card online, or mailing in a check — for more info on this, see “How Kintera Works” below). Make sure you tell them that donations are tax-deductible.

The more personal and interesting you make your request, the better donors will receive it. If you have done the Ride before, send pictures with your letter. If you have never worn bike shorts before, joke about that. Remember that people have to read a lot of boring stuff all the time–a fun letter will be welcome and will encourage them to support you.

After you send out your first letter – don’t stop there
Don’t hesitate to follow up with those who have not contributed several weeks after you contacted them; they may want to contribute but may have misplaced your letter or email. Send out 1 or 2 update emails over the course of the summer. Tell people about your training, or thank those (by name) who have already given-and encourage those who haven’t yet (“Oh, Aunt Martha gave-I should too”). Seeing names of others who have given encourages giving.

After the Ride
Within a week or two after the Ride, contact everyone who supported you to thank them again and tell them about the experience. Like your fundraising letter, this note should be personalized. Tell your donors what the Ride was like, your personal highlights, how you felt, what you learned, etc. The sooner you write this after the Ride the easier it will be-all your stories and emotions will be fresh. Include photos if you have them.

Accessing Kintera
To access your Kintera page, follow this link or select Register/Log In from the menu on the right.  If you have forgotten you password, e-mail nyride@hazon.org and we will send it to you.

Build/Edit Your Web Page
On your webpage, be sure to set your goal (see below). We strongly encourage you to customize your page by uploading a personal photo and changing the basic text.  If you need help, email your photo to david@hazon.org. Personalizing your webpage is an easy thing to do and can lead to increased donations to your webpage. Share your personal reasons for participating in the ride, they might inspire your donors to give you more. People use at the Participant List to see who is participating in the ride. Your picture and personal story on your web page will inspire others to join us on the New York Ride.

Send Out E-mails
The Kintera system allows you write and send emails as well as track donations and see the progress toward your goal. As you create successful fundraising and thank-you letters, save them and reuse them as templates. This step will save you a lot of time and allow you to distribute your thank you letters in a timely basis. We have developed two sample fundraising e-mails for you to send to your friends and family. You can customize them and add your contact information.

Collecting Donations Online
Donors can make a contribution by credit card online or send a check. Hazon uses an online database system called Kintera which allows each rider to set up a personal webpage to collect donations online. You can set your fundraising goal, send out emails and view donation reports. It is easy to use, and we highly recommend you use it.
When you register for the Ride you are given the opportunity to set up a personal URL address that you can give to your friends and family when you ask for their support. Donors can also reach you through the Participant List and click on your name to get your personal secure donation page. Kintera accepts Visa, Master Card, AMEX, and Discover. Donors who contribute online will receive an e-mail receipt of their donation. Printed letters are mailed for donations $250 of higher.

Collecting Donations by Check
Your supporters can also contribute by check which can be mailed directly to the Hazon office. Encourage your donors to print out a copy of the off-line donation form to ensure that you receive the credit for the contribution. Ask your donors to fill out the form and mail it with their check to:
Hazon, 125 Maiden Lane, Suite 8B, New York, NY 10038
OR If you prefer, you can collect the checks. Once you receive the form and the check from your sponsor, go to your homepage and enter the amount of the donation: click on Enter Offline Donation). You can then mail the check, the Offline Donation form and your confirmation printout to the Hazon office. You can wait until you have a few checks and send them all at once if you like. Please send them in a secure way, such as Fedex or registered mail.

Reports
All participants can view reports showing donations they have received. Riders who have participated in a NY or DC ride can also view reports from previous years to see who has given and the amounts. View the Reports section of your webpage. Take advantage of this tool when contacting these donors