May 02, 2009
From the President's Desk
Carrie Nolan
Dear Friends,
We just completed 10 walks with 10,000 walkers, rollers, strollers, runners and furry friends (yes, we love dogs too!). I have now personally participated in three walk seasons and I am continually moved by the community of support. It is inspiring to see teams rally around persons living with MS – each team brings their own uniqueness and identity to the event. I am moved by the unity of teams as they don team shirts, hats, costumes and the creativity of tent decorations. It is such a festive and loving atmosphere.
We are well on our way to raising $1 million. But, our work is not yet done. We still need to raise more than $250,000 by September 30, 2009 to meet our budget goals. We are confident we can attain this goal as we raised this amount last year between May and September. As you can imagine, these additional dollars are more critical than ever as our demand for services has increased by 300 percent and there is approved research projects that currently are unfunded. By going the extra mile, you will help people affected by MS, especially those impacted by these tough times.
I know that it may feel uncomfortable to ask for a gift during this economic climate. History tells us that Americans are generous, even during recessions. In fact, charitable donations have grown every year, except during the 1987 recession and even then, donations dropped by only 1 percent. Think of our walks as a tradition – just like Thanksgiving. It comes every year and we walk and we raise money until we find the cure. It really is okay to ask. The number one reason people do not give is…no one asked. Feel comfortable asking for a gift.
We have a few tips to help you, help your Chapter meet our goal:
- Remember to thank your donors. We have updated the THANK YOU message in your participant center (it is called Thank You For Support Me & Walk MS 2009).
- Send another email to those who have not yet donated and share your experiences of the walk. Our experience shows that people need reminders to give and that additional gifts are raised post walk. Share your own fundraising goal or the Chapter’s goal and ask for their help to meet the goal.
- We have created another incentive…. Raise an extra $50 in the month of June and you will be registered to win a fabulous mountain vacation. If only half of our 10,000 walk participants raise an extra $50 in June we will hit our goal of $250,000 in post walk fundraising.
Please know and let your donors know that any size gift will be greatly appreciated – it's not the amount, it's the volume of gifts that make our walks so successful.
Thank you again for continuing your fundraising efforts. I am so proud of our Chapter, our community, our commitment to freeing the world of MS.
Sincerely,
Carrie Nolan
Colorado Chapter President
To make a donation to Walk MS click here.