THE LETTER | YOUR WEBPAGE | ALASKA MILES |  MATCHING GIFTS | LOGOS | FORMS

The Fundraising Commitment

Team In Training is first and foremost a fundraising program. The primary goal is to raise funds to support our mission. In light of this objective, we take your commitment to meet the fundraising minimum seriously. We want all Team In Training participants to be successful in raising at least the minimum and have structured the program to provide as much support as possible. 

For your reference the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Tax ID number is 13-5644916

If you are having difficulty, your Mentor or staff coordinator will help you evaluate your fundraising progress and give you advice on how to reach your goal. Take advantage of these support vehicles. We are here to make sure your goals become reality!

Writing an Effective Fundraising Letter | ▲ back to top

This is the most tried and true vehicle for raising funds, and is more reliable than any other, particularly for first time fund raisers. The key is to write a great letter, send it to 100+ people (if possible) and get it out early! Follow the instructions below to get the most from your letter campaign.

Below are some sample letters written by past participants. Please be aware that the information in these letters may not apply to our current program (i.e., dates, minimums, sponsorship levels, etc.). They are merely samples for you to use.

LETTER 1 | LETTER 2 | LETTER 3 | LETTER 4 | LETTER 5 | LETTER 6 | LETTER 7 | LETTER 8 | LETTER 9 | LETTER 10

Below are the elements of a fundraising letter we recommend to ensure its success. Refer to them as you read the sample letters to identify how the various writers have incorporated these elements in their letters, using their own personal styles. Your letter should be your own expression and style. Make sure your letter is only ONE PAGE long. If it is longer than one page, you risk the chance of people just skimming it. One good idea is to “color copy” a picture of you with your honored patient and send it as part of the letter. If you can’t get copies donated and it is too costly to do color copies, black and white works too. State your purpose for writing this letter. Make it as personal as possible. Be sure to describe the Team In Training program and your personal goals. Don’t be shy about the size of the challenge you are undertaking. Most people have never attempted anything this big.

Introduction

If you're writing your letter using a computer, it's not too difficult to change the salutation and introductory paragraph to make the letter a little more personal. In other words, instead of writing Dear Friends and Family, change it to Dear Mary and add a paragraph that is a little personal to Mary like "It was great to see you last month at Joe's party. I hope you and David are still doing well", etc.

Share your fundraising goal. Do not speak as though you “need” or are required to raise dollars, but rather that it is YOUR goal, your commitment. Don’t diminish your request by being apologetic or by saying something like “I hope you will give something,” but rather ask them to give generously, as much as they can. You can address the concerns of those who feel they can’t give “generously” by emphasizing that “whatever they give counts”.

Where the money goes... information about blood related cancers and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Give them information about blood related cancers and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Inform them about how their contribution will be used. People want to know how they are helping a cause and that they are making a difference. Make this an important part of the letter. You may want to print some facts about blood related cancers and information about The Society on the back of your letter. Share information about your honored teammate using their biography.

Matching Gifts

Don't forget to ask them to include a matching gifts form if they work for a company that provides matching gifts. Better yet, include the form already filled out with the name and address of the society. Again, make this part of the letter specific to the recipient. If you know they work at Microsoft, ask for the Microsoft form. Use this website to look up companies that have a matching gifts program.

Set a Deadline

Request that they send their contribution by a specific date (should be within 2–3 weeks of receiving the letter... any longer and they may misplace your letter or forget about it). Tell them this will help you monitor your progress. Be sure to say you will accept contributions after that date so people don’t think they can’t contribute after the due date.

Mention the Alaska Airlines miles

If you have space in your letter. Mention that if they donate $100 or more that they get 1 mile per dollar in Alaska frequent flyer miles.

Make it Easy to Donate

Include a self-addressed envelope for them to send back their donation. If you can afford it, include a stamp on the envelope. This will also help make them feel a little guilty about throwing away the envelope and may be more inclined to donate. Include a donation form so they can submit by credit card. It is very important to include this in your letter. Give people clear dollar amount choices and instructions on what you want them to do. Keep in mind that many people will choose the lowest amount on your list, so choose that amount thoughtfully. (You may not want the bulk of the contributions to be $10!) A space designated “other” will give people the option of contributing less than your lowest amount. Make sure you have space for their name, address and phone number for your records and tell them where to mail their contribution. This is an excellent way to keep records too. For more information on donor forms and a printable sample, click here.

Include the web address to your activegiving.com fundraising page. this gives them another opportunity to donate and allows them to get involved and follow your progress.

Handwrite the Address

A letter size envelope with a handwritten address is much more likely to be opened right away than one with a computer printed address.

Closing

Thank them for considering your invitation. Express your appreciation.

Activegiving.com Personal Fundraising Pages | ▲ back to top

In addition to sending letters, you can solicit donations online using the activegiving.com Online Fundraising tool. You can post your fundraising letter and pictures on your own personal activegiving.com Web page, then send the link to family and friends.

Activegiving.com is the perfect way to broaden your fundraising efforts, and the process is simple. Contributors make pledges online using a credit card and automatically receive email confirmation and tax receipt email. The online system tallies all online contributions and reports all contributions. In addition, you can easily enter and track all of the donations you receive by mail. Donors and friends can watch your fundraising progress and you can report on your training progress on your Web page.

Statistically, the average online donation is significantly larger than donations sent by mail.

Start Today!
Now that you’re a member of TNT, you can set up your own Web site to raise funds and tell others about why you’re training for an endurance event. To set up your Web site, follow these instructions:

1. Visit the following Web address: https://www.active.com/donations/tnt/index.cfm?campaign=tntwaak
   
   

2. Fill out the online form.
   
   

3. After you submit the form, you will receive an email message from active.com with all of the information you’ll need, including your Web site address and how to set up your site.

If you have questions about how to use your Activegiving.com fundraising page, call chapter staff at (206) 628-0777 or (888) 345-4572 or email us at tntwa@lls.org.

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Awards | ▲ back to top

Mileage awards can be used as a great incentive for donation development. As people are always looking for another way to accumulate miles, we have taken a step to help you gain donations through implementing the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program.

The Washington/Alaska Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has a long affiliation with Alaska Airlines, and has recently added the Mileage Plan Awards program to our list of services. We are pleased to offer this service to any donor who gives $100.00 or more to the Team In Training program. Please follow the basic procedures below to allow your donors access to the program.

Procedures For Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Awards

1. Mileage will be awarded on a basis of one mile for each dollar donated directly to a TNT participant. Mileage is not awarded for any money received in return for goods or services, such as bake sales, car washes, garage sales, etc. Due to administrative costs for the program, the minimum donation for which mileage will be awarded is $100.
   
   

2. In order for the donor to receive their mileage, they must supply their Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Number at the time of the donation. The name of the donor must be as it appears on their mileage plan card.
   
   

3. If the donor wishes to use their Alaska Airlines Visa or Master Card, they will also receive one mile for every dollar charged.
   
   

4. Though mileage may be used with any of the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Partners, the actual mileage awarded is only Alaska Airlines mileage.
   
   

5. No mileage will be awarded for past donations.
   
   

6. Once the donation is received with the completed Alaska Airlines Donor Form, it may take up to ten weeks for the mileage to be applied to the donor’s account.

Matching Gifts | ▲ back to top

How would you like to DOUBLE or even TRIPLE your donations to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society without doing any extra work????

It’s EASY!!!
Here’s how…

Corporate matching gift programs make your donations really grow. Check below to see if a company will match the donations made by your donor (some companies double and even triple match). Point your donors to this page or tell your potential donors to inquire at their place of business. If they have such a program, all the donor has to do is obtain a form from the company, fill out the appropriate part and send it to you along with the donation.

When you receive a donation that includes a matching gift form:

1. Make a copy of the donation.

2. Mail the matching gift form and the copy of the donation to the Washington/Alaska Chapter: 530 Dexter Ave N., Suite 300, Seattle, WA 98109. Please write your name and event on the copy of the donation before you send it in.

3. Submit the donation just as you would any other.

4. As soon as we confirm the match, we will credit your account with the matched donation.

Please Note: 1) Be sure that The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is eligible for the match. Some companies are very specific about the types of organizations they will contribute to. The Society is a health care organization, not a hospital. 2) Be sure that the gift amount is eligible. Some companies require a minimum donation. 3) Just because a company’s name is not listed below doesn’t mean that they do not have a matching gifts program. Please inquire with the personnel department.

Team In Training Logos | ▲ back to top

In the course of their fundraising, participants are allowed to use Team In Training® (TNT) logos for personal, non-commercial purposes.  This includes use on personal fundraising letters and event fliers.

Logo Usage Policy: 

• Participants may choose from the two logos included on this page.  Any other logos included on the www.teamintraining.org pages are off-limits due to national sponsorship guidelines.

• The TNT logo should never be stretched or skewed.  Please resize our logos proportionately.

• The TNT logo may not be recolored.  If your printer does not print purple and green in the same shades shown below, please use the black and white version.

• Although some Team In Training logos include our national sponsors, participants may not use national sponsors' logos for any purpose.
  

To copy a logo:

1. Place your mouse pointer over the picture.

2. Click the right-hand mouse button.

3. Choose either 'copy' or 'save as'.

FORMS | ▲ back to top

This area links you to all of the forms you will need for Team In Training.

Paycor Forms:

• The Participant Donor Form is a summary page that identifies you, your chapter, the event you are participating in, and gives a total of the donations enclosed.

• The Credit Card Donation Form is used to list all information for credit card donations.

• The Cash Donation Form is used to record donor information for cash contributions that have been converted into your personal check and/or for listing donor information that is not provided on a check (i.e., no address, or change of address.)
  
  All of the above forms must be sent to the following address:
  The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
  Washington/Alaska Chapter
  Dept # 915

  PO Box 145900
  Cincinnati, OH 45250

Reimbursement Forms

• Use the Fundraising Reimbursement Form for recommitment and final deadline charges.

• Use the Travel Reimbursement Form for travel reimbursement for air or train, hotel, and race entry.
  
  Mail these forms to:
  The Washington/Alaska Chapter
  530 Dexter Ave N., Suite 300,
  Seattle, WA 98109

Other Forms

• The Sample Donor Form can be included with your fundraising letter.

• The Alaska Airlines Mileage form . Fill out donor’s Alaska Airlines Miles account #s, and send to the Washington/Alaska Chapter Seattle Office (address listed above).

• Send the Corporate Sponsorship Proposal to potential corporate sponsors. (See Corporate Sponsorships section for more details).