Guest Post: How Sam Became #1.

Hello, PETA Pack team!
I was joking to someone on last Saturday’s training run that I might actually be enjoying the fundraising aspect of this more than the running part (ha ha). OK, only true on some days when my knees would rather have a cat curled up on one side and the newspaper on the other.

But I’ve actually had great luck in fundraising so far, and wanted to share some of my “best practices” if they’re helpful. Feel free to use any and all ideas and/or content!

• Start with your base of family and close friends. I told my family their donations were the only Christmas presents I wanted this year. It worked! And I hear presents are STILL coming my way. (See email #1)
  

• After your initial email, send another sweep. You’ll catch the inevitable procrastinators from your “base,” and you can start adding other targets such as select work colleagues, gym friends, etc. (See email #2)
  

• Be prepared to send yet another sweep. I added a lot of contributions from this third email, with no restraining orders issued to date. People are busy this time of year, and it helps to keep in front of them. (See email #3)
  

• Send direct correspondence. If all else fails, don’t hesitate to send a quick email or IM - ask them directly if they plan to support your run. Tell them you’re reaching out to remind them before the year ends, so they can write it off on their 2008 taxes!
  

• Leverage breaking news to give meaning to their donations. I forwarded PETA’s recent press release announcing the undercover operation at the W.Va turkey farm. (Apparently I “completely ruined Thanksgiving dinner” for quite a few people. :) But these same people then donated heavily.) If you prefer a softer angle, share the doghouses drive PETA conducts every winter.
  

• Use the email function on Active.com. Provides a convenient, centralized tool to broadcast your initial emails, track who you’ve already contacted, and automate follow-ups.
  

I honestly wasn’t sure what response I was going to get when I started this fundraising effort. But I’ve been amazed at how overwhelmingly everyone has been - with most people thanking me for giving them a chance to help animals.

Don’t feel guilty about reaching out repeatedly – just keep it light, with some humor, and most importantly tell them it means a lot to you. Most of us have never passed the hat before this, and they’re aware of this.

Good luck! And stay tuned to this blog for other fundraising tips and techniques as we uncover them before our race.

Happy holidays, all.
Samantha

[Sam said you can copy and paste any of her text if you'd like to use it for your fundraising!  Contact me if you want any recent PETA news or e-mails to send out. --Alex]