Tom said: March 23, 2007 6:17 pm PST
Q:
How do I link a fundraiser to my next ultra run?
A:
It appears to be a three-step process.
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1) choose your charity
Some of the sites use Network For Good's charities, so that is a good place to start to see if your charity is online. As example, type in FOOD BANK and then select your state on their search feature - it will list the food banks that are already set up to accept donations online.
http://www.networkforgood.org
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2) Create your personal fundraising page for your charity.
I used firstgiving.com which is VERY easy to create a page within MINUTES. The fundraising sites appear to take a % of the donation to cover their hosting of the personal fundraising site. Note - some people don't like to donate online, so I have a PO Box at the post office they can send check donations to... or just use your home address if you are comfortable with that. Some fundraiser hosting sites you can start with:
http://firstgiving.com/
http://www.active.com/activegiving/
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3) Spread the word about your fundraising effort and charity !
Email your friends and co-workers, have t-shirts printed up with your personal fundraising site on it (or Run100forCharity.info - I've contacted a printing company for a good deal on shirts - stay tuned !), contact your local newspaper and TV stations, radio stations, local running clubs, hang signs with your personal fundraising site on them, see if your workplace will get behind you, and finally - have it listed here to spread the word!
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I've started contacting major publications etc. to have it listed / raise awareness about ultra-marathoning fundraisers. I am paying for this site out of my own pocket so there is no cost for this 'service.'
Good luck to everyone - I'm honored to be consolidating your incredible ultra-fundraisers!