Fundraising Tips
Click here to download this Fundraising Tips document as a PDF instead.
How do I raise funds as a Heart Racer™ for the Heart Foundation?
First of all, we'd like to say a huge thank you for supporting the Heart Foundation by signing up as a Heart Racer™ in your chosen event.
Despite great improvements in the treatment and prevention of heart disease, tragically it remains the single biggest killer of men and women in New Zealand. More research into the areas of heart health and heart disease prevention is urgently needed in order to steer the future decline of heart disease in New Zealand.
Trust us, after busting your gut training for and completing your event, you can rest assured that the money you raise will support an extremely worthwhile cause - the Heart Foundation's Heart Health Research Fund. Through supporting this fund, you are helping the Heart Foundation achieve its goal: to stop New Zealanders dying prematurely from heart disease.
You will be provided with a fundraising web page on www.heartracer.org.nz through which your friends, family and colleagues can sponsor you as you train for and complete your challenge.
Setting up your page
Simply visit www.heartracer.org.nz and select the event you wish to sign up as a Heart Racer™ for. If your event isn't listed up there, you can still be a Heart Racer™, just select the 'not listed' option.
After you have completed the registration page you will be sent an email with a login name, password and link through to your new page. Simply follow the link in the message to activate your page. You can then personalise it with your own story and images.
The more personal your appeal - whether it's a heartfelt story or a more humorous approach - the more likely your friends are to support you, so get creative!
Start with a bang
Once you've added all your personal details - don't forget to set your individual fundraising target. Be sure to aim higher than what you think you can realistically raise. You're much more likely to reach your goal if you aim above it.
Make sure the first person on your website gives you a large donation as this sets the level for everyone else. Maybe this first person could be YOU. Show a commitment to your cause.
Getting support
Now that you're all set up with a damn fine looking fundraising page, it's time to get the word out to your contacts. The easiest way to do this is to send an email to everyone you know saying something like "I've decided to sign up as a Heart Racer™ for
There are email templates available for you to use on Heart Racer™ to help make the process really easy.
Fire this out to everyone you know; friends, family, employers, colleagues, clients, suppliers, classmates, businesses, clubs, organisations, neighbours, churches and encourage them to get involved.
Here's a sample plan we cooked up earlier...
Ten Easy Steps to $1,000
- Sponsor yourself for $50
- Ask 2 family members to sponsor you for $50
- Ask 10 friends to contribute $20
- Ask 5 co-workers to contribute $20
- Ask 5 neighbours to contribute $20
- Ask 5 people from your sports club for $10
- Ask 5 people you socialize with (yoga, book club, church, gym, dinner club) for $10
- Ask your boss for a company donation of $50
- Ask 5 businesses that your company works with to contribute $40
- Ask 4 businesses that you frequent to donate $25
There are three key times in which you can email your friends, family, employers, and colleagues.
- In the lead up to your event
- Let your contacts know what you're doing and why you're doing it
- Use the blog on the Heart Racer™ website to keep your supporters up to date with the trials and tribulations of your training - During your event (if it's ongoing)
- Don't hesitate to tell them how hard it is and that your only comfort is in knowing that your fundraising target is being met! - Directly after and the few weeks following your event
- Don't forget to follow up. Many supporters will wait till after your event to donate as they want to be sure you finish!
- Let your contacts know they can still donate after the event is over.
What about other fundraising ideas?
There are all sorts of things you could do to drum up support. Here are just a few ideas:
- You're going to be training hard, so why not get people to sponsor you for doing XX amount of press ups/sit ups at the end of your training?
- Organise a themed morning tea at work and collect donations. How about red food in support of the Heart Foundation!
- Be sure to take a camera/video camera on your training sessions and during your event. It's great to show your supporters how hard you're working out there!
- Think about your own Facebook book or Twitter profile - have you let everyone know about your commitment to your event? Social networks are a great place to encourage fundraising and keep your contacts up to date.
- Does someone have a birthday coming up? - consider making a donation to your page vs. giving a physical present. A gift to the Heart Foundation is a seriously special gift.
- Time to clean out that garage? - have a garage sale or use TradeMe to raise some funds for your page.
- Consider matching every donation you receive $1 for $1 or get a business on board to do so.
Got any other bright ideas? The Heart Foundation can help if it's something spectacular, and don't forget to share your ideas, stories and successes on the Heart Foundation Facebook page.
There are many more fantastic ideas which could help you achieve your goal, so go on, get creative and have fun!
If you have any questions around fundraising for the Heart Foundation please don't hesitate to contact Janna on 571 9195 or janna@heartfoundation.org.nz.
Good luck!
