Fundraising GUIDE

1. Get Ready and Get Registered

Boys to Men Mentoring (BTM) provides you with a fantastic fundraising experience that gives you a personal fundraising page and promotion tools. Make sure to set a realistic goal, not too easy, but something attainable.

Register: If you haven't registered yet, visit the REGISTRATION PAGE and follow the directions.

Check your email: You will receive a welcome email titled "Boys To Men Winter Fundraiser - Online Registration Confirmation." In the welcome email you will find a link to your personal fundraiser page.

Save/bookmark the link to your personal fundraiser page. If you lose track of it, it can be found under the "My Fundraising Tools" tab. If you copy the link from your browsers URL, make sure it is a working link before you send it out. It is a good idea to always test links berfore sending them to people.

2. Get your Fundraising Page set up

Sign in to your Fundraising Dashboard: Open your personal fundraising page and use the "Log in" link in the top right to sign in. This will take you to your personal fundraising dashboard.

Upload your phote and customize your page as you like, for example: you can add a text box with a personal message.

3. Stay Connected to the Team

Check the Campaign Info page and add the Zoom-A-Thons and Events. The zooms are intended to support you in making calls to potential donors. A Boys To Men staff member will be on all these Zooms to offer support and answer questions.

Get a team buddy. You can buddy up with one or more members of the team. Having another person on the team that you make a commitment to check in with everyday or every few days is worth it;s weight in results. You can  hold each other accoutable to your fundraising goals, strategize together and celebrate the wins. Set a regular time to make calls. Check in at the beginning and at the end. Send each other text updates throughout the designated call time, like, "I just received a $500 donation!." Fundraising with others is fun and can exponentiate results.

Reach out to Boys To Men if you need tips to make your campaign more effective or you have any questions.

Put the Zoom-A-Thons in your calendar and attend each week. These are a great way to meet other caring men and women as well as get the support to make calls and have questions answered by BTM staff. Find the current list of scheduled calls on the page labeled "Campaign Guide."

If you need any help, don't hesitate to reach out to us: Connect@BoysToMenNorCal.org

4. Time to get going!

Reach out to your personal network: You will reach out to your contacts with a personal message about supporting BTM Mentoring. You may lead with a conversation, a link to the video or your personal campaign page. See #4 below for a list of methods on how to make first contact with your personal network. No matter the method, you will almost always have to make a follow-up call for a donation to occur.

Follow up: After your initial contact and sending them a link to the video or your campaign page you will need to follow up with a call to ask if they watched the 3 and 1/2 minute video and read the Boys To Men Home page? [The BTM website homepage is designed to give a solid overview of the entire program in a 3.5 minute read.]  If they have not, ask them to take three and a half minutes right now to watch it and you will call them back. Call them back in 4 minutes, tell them why you support BTM Mentoring. Then ask: Can I count on you to make a $100 donation or more this year? This last question is the one most people forget, you have to ask for the $. If you don't, you most likely just wasted your time and theirs.

They have limited funds and can't give $100 or more: Tell them you understand and ask what they can give. No matter what someone gives, be sure to be enthusiastic aout it and thank them. Don't be more grateful for a $1,000 donation over a $10 dontation. A donation is a donation. Nobody gets special treatment because they gave more than someone else. Even if all they can do is $2, great, let them know the more donors Boys To Men receives, the better the organization looks when applying for community and corporate funding.

They want more info: If they need more info, you can let them know there is a link to the BTM website on your campaign page or send them a direct link to the BTM NorCal website. www.BoysToMenNorCal.org  You can also email BTM to get answers to questions or get on one of the weekly Zooms.

Already have a charity: If someone says they already have a charity they give to or that they can't make a contribution due to financial reasons, tell them that donating is not just about the money, it is about the cause. The number of contributors, not the amount of each donation, tangibly increases the statistic of how many people in the community support having Boys To Men Mentoring Programs for at-risk youth in our schools. Ask them if they would be willig to show their support for the program by donating $2. Most anyone can do this. 

4. Make it your own

Fundraising is a personal experience, and what's important is you find a method that feels right for you. Consider some of the following options.

How you communicate with your personal network is up to you, but we find if people watch the video they are more likely to donate.  

Lead with Your Fundraising Page Link: Email or text your campaign page link to your contacts with a personal message asking them to watch the 3.5 minute BTM video that appears on your page.

Lead with a Conversation: Simply call your contact and tell them you are volunteering for a fantastic organization that is changing the lives of teen boys. Tell them you would like them to take three and a half minutes to watch an amazing video and that you will call them right back. Get off the phone, send them the link to the video and call them back in 4 minutes to follow-up, ask for a donation and send them the link to your campaign page.

Lead with the Campaign Video: Consider sending just the video link by itself wiht a message asking them to watch the 3.5 minute video and that you will be reaching out to them later to talk about it. Have the follow-up conversation and then send them the link to your fundraising page so they can donate. 

Lead with a Color Flyer (like the one at the top of this page): You can lead with an electronic version of the flyer or a hard copy of the flyer you hand to someone (full size or 5"x7" versions). Text and email the campaign flyer to your contacts with a personal message asking them to check out the your page and watch the video. Make sure you mention that you will be calling them soon to talk about it. If texting, remember you cannot open a QR Code from a text with the phone it was sent to. So you will need to additionally send a direct link to your fundraising page with the flyer image.

Get a copy of the COLOR FLYER at the top of this page with a QR Code to your personal campaign page. We can send you a JPG for texting as well as a PDF for email and printing. If you like 4x5 handouts, we can send you a 4 to a page version that you can print and cut out. Send your request to: Christopher.Love@BoysToMenNorCal.org   

5. Multiply your Reach

Consider asking people if they would be willing to send your personal fundraising page link to their contacts and/or post it on their social media. If yes, make sure you send them a fresh link to share. 

You may want to ask certain members of your network if they would like to fundraise with you. After they have reviewed our materials and want to join the campaign they can register just like you did. Send them the REGISTRATION page link.

6. Remember the Cause!

Last and most important, remember what a magnificent, life-changing, life-saving cause you are supporting!  Boys To Men is actively addressing the "Boy Crisis" and it is up to all of us to support this amazing program. There is no shortage of boys to mentor or schools who need services. If you remember how important our work is, and reach out in that spirit, people will respond positively, even if they they do not contribute.

Thank you for Supporting Boys To Men Mentoring and Good luck!