Today we bring you a fundraising Best Practice in Action from our new weekly series.  Each week, we’ll highlight an organization that has done an incredible job of promoting its online fundraising efforts with Firstgiving and show you how to do the same.  This week’s Best Practice is. . .

Mobilize your fundraisers by helping them build a team of participants for your event.

Our friends at the Vermont Food Bank have partnered with Harpoon Brewery for the 8th Annual Point to Point event this summer–a day of fundraising and cycling across the fine state of Vermont:

Maybe it’s because two heads are often better than one, but whatever the reason, here’s what the Point to Point folks have figured out:

• Event participants who fundraise = donations
• Event participants who invite their friends to join their teams = more fundraisers = even more donations

Because having more participants who fundraise drives more donations to the Vermont Food Bank, the Point to Point organizers went right to the heart of the matter.  They knew that saying “ask your friends to participate, too!” wasn’t enough.  So they actually created an email for their fundraisers to send to their friends.  Here’s what it says:

Dear Friends,

Please join Team ________ and ride the Harpoon Point-to-Point with us on August 15, 2009.   It’s a great bike ride event, and our fundraising efforts will benefit the Vermont Foodbank.  It’s easy to join us, and simple to raise money because when you join our Team _________, you can set-up your own personal fundraising page to reach out to your friends, family, and coworkers to collect donations for the ride.  For example, check out this page http://www.firstgiving.com/eileenkelly.

So I need to your support, there’s strength in numbers!   Please join our Team; I promise a fun experience, and it’s for a worthy cause!

Just click here to get started:  http://www.firstgiving.com/pointtopoint

1.    Create an account
2.    Join our Team ___________
3.    Make your personal fundraising page
4.    Email your page to everyone you know

It’s that easy!    I hope to see you out on the road riding with us!

Your friend,

__________

Event participants can take this email, fill in their team’s name, and then send it to their friends.  The Point to Point folks have made it easy.

So, to recap:

Ask your fundraisers to get their friends involved in your event, and then show them how.

Happy fundraising, and best wishes for incredible success at your next fundraising event!

Share your own success stories of fundraising Best Practices in Action by sending an email to bestpractices@firstgiving.com.