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Fundraising for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

Each walker commits to raising a minimum of $1,800 in donations. With the right approach, you will be surprised at how quickly you can meet -- and even exceed -- that amount. While crew members are not required to fundraise, organizers encourage you to do so and will provide you with the same great support and fundraising tools available to walkers.

Your walker coach is your first and last stop for any help you need to prepare for the walk. Through regular check-in calls and e-mail newsletters, you’ll get fundraising tips and other practical advice, plus the encouragement that everyone needs from time to time. Your walker coach will also help you put together a personalized fundraising plan, breaking it down into steps and easy-to-reach mini-goals.

Your "My Avon Walk Center" on www.avonwalk.org/charlotte is the fastest and easiest way to collect online donations. Very little technical experience is required, and your participant handbook gives you step-by-step instructions for setting up and using your personal page.

Social networking is also the fastest way to spread the word on the internet. Highlight your participation in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer by joining the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer group on Facebook, post why you are walking on MySpace or blog about it on Twitter. You can even use your very own personal blog on your My Avon Walk Center page. Contact your local office to find out more.  The more you let people know about your commitment to the prevention and cure for breast cancer, the more your donations will rise.

The Avon Walk community is strong and growing. For two days, we walk as one, but we support each other for months. We gather often at pre-walk activities and training walks, and our online message board is available 24/7. Avon Walk Ambassadors and other walk participants are eager to help others succeed by sharing their knowledge and strategies with the community.

Orientation meetings will provide you with a wealth of information to kick-start your fundraising. This meeting will give you a general overview of how to set goals, how to get organized, how to find donors, how to define your fundraising strategy and how to host creative activities such as fundraising parties.

Fundraising clinics offer you tools, suggestions and a forum to exchange ideas. Whether you’re a first time fundraiser or a seasoned pro, these clinics will help you brainstorm ideas, learn the ins and outs of the website and get promotional materials.

Letters and emails are a great way to ask for donations, and you will be provided with a variety of samples geared toward individuals, businesses, teams or whatever audience you might wish to approach. You can change the letters around a bit and personalize them, or use them just as they are.

Organizers will prepare you, because it’s important to understand just why you’re asking for donations. They provide all the information you need, about the current state of breast cancer, the need for funding and awareness, and an overview of some of the exciting (and critical) areas where the Avon Foundation beneficiaries are already putting your donations to use.

Organizers have ideas literally, hundreds of them. They will show you how big your “fundraising world" can be. They will teach you about how matching gifts can double or even triple your donations. You’ll learn how to make your potential donors a part of your journey by showing them how much you appreciate their gift. They will help you shake those fundraising fears and teach you how to be persistent in your mission.

You can find more fundraising resources by logging into your participant center.