Last month, I wrote in our enews about a fundraising event to benefit my client, the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters. The Election Cycle took place last Sunday (9/18). I’m pleased to report that my buddy Lew, the kid that extracted a donation from me through his contagious enthusiasm, raised $1450!
I checked in with WLCV’s development director, Angela West Blank, to find out how it went. To date the event has raised $14,050, which is a 43% increase over last year – and this is in spite of recall elections and rain on the day of the event.
“The personal fundraising pages played a big role in our success,” Ms. Blank remarked. “Riders were better able to communicate their goals with friends, family, and co-workers; and donors were able to make pledges more easily online.” She said next year, they’re going to make it even better, “we’ll concentrate on recruiting more teams and encouraging more of that friendly competitive team spirit that brought so much great positive energy to this year’s Election Cycle.”
Riders could register individually or from teams. Then, they set a fundraising goal and ask friends and family to support them by donating. On the web site, participants could create their own page with a photo, goal, and custom text.
The organization did a great job of providing tips and incentives for participants, and building momentum with engaging email messages about the riders and top fund raisers. “Promoting the idea of rider teams (like Team COWS which “mooooved” into first place and won our Team competition) was also key, helping us generate more riders, more pledges, and more enthusiasm for the ride,” said Blank.
What’s your experience with event fundraising? Do you have any tips?
– See more at: /blog/post/2011/09/27/Election-Cycle-Fundraising-Event-a-Success-for-Wisconsin-LCV.aspx#sthash.UavLufcM.dpuf
thedatabank, gbc is technology for change, and we walk the talk. 
