Fundraiser Profile

Name: Paul Clements
Occupation: Maintenance Planner in the food manufacturing industry
Age: 45
Status: Individual Fundraiser
Number of Gong Rides: 4
Individual total: $5725

How did you go about raising money to reach your personal target?

In my job I do purchasing with various companies for spare parts, consumables and services used in maintenance work. I approached my regular suppliers (or those who we spent significant amounts of money with) by phone and asked them for a donation. For these companies I had my usual contact so they could give me an answer or steer me in the right direction. For those that I had no relationship, they knew my company well and were more than happy to consider it.

I threw a wider net in 2006 and approached other departments within my company. These departments included marketing and the purchasing department for raw materials. It didn't take long to get a list of names and contacts. Since these other departments deal in bigger volumes or spent more money, their suppliers were more likely to make a donation (as it was supporting a company they have a good relationship with), and many did.

I asked my co workers questions such as:

• suppliers have we had a long lasting relationship with?
• Who helps the company with marketing? This includes merchandising, artwork & promotional materials.
• Which of these companies would most likely give a donation?
• Who should I not ring? Some already donate to other causes promoted by my company.
• Would my own company be willing to make a donation?
• Will the CEO support me in my fundraising effort?
• Can I utilise my companies high profile name to promote the fundraising?
   Darrell Lea is a great name to use!

I also found using my personal online web made it very convenient and easy for my supporters to make a donation. As a matter a fact, my one single biggest donation was by a person I had never met, who I had only ever communicated to via email and phone, and lived in another state probably 1500 km away!

Lastly, I had donations from family members and even made extra donations myself, in particular when I saw my name being overtaken in the top five fundraisers, this was just not acceptable!

I set a high target as my aim was to double any previous personal fundraising efforts and widely advertised this. Whilst I did not reach the target, I was more than satisfied with the result. In addition to the cash, I also obtained gifts which will be raffled off or used in other ways to help MS.

How easy and rewarding did you find making the effort to fundraise?

When you start fundraising it may appear a bit daunting, especially when you have a large target or perhaps you are simply not used to asking people for money. I wanted to fundraise more than I ever had previously, unfortunately time was the limiting factor for me in 2006. My approach was to get the biggest bang for my buck, focussing mainly on corporate donations. I took advantage of co workers contacts within the business to do this. I then contacted these companies making sure I didn't apply too much pressure and at the same time explained my own personal reasons for fundraising. It was also important to remember that I was a representative of my company.

There was no company too big or too small to approach, in many cases I spoke to the business owners, senior managers or the representatives directly. These people are more often than not very approachable and friendly. If you 'prime the pump' and give them notice of your intentions months in advance, they can allow for it in their budget. If you miss the boat, that's ok, let them know you will be doing it again next year. I found also those making a donation in my first year were prepared and more than happy to donate in my second attempt.

The main personal reason for the fundraise was and still is being that I am 40 something and want some real exercise and condition whilst at the same time play my part and help those less fortunate. What could be more rewarding than fundraising for people with MS? I obtain all my objectives at once!

Many people I spoke to also understood the work life balance problem and where I was coming from, so they were more than happy to talk. Some even had there own causes which we talked about and perhaps couldn't donate to MS. I applauded them for there efforts regardless, we swapped some notes and bid each other farewell.

As far as reaching my target was concerned, the MS web site a great motivator too. It was really good fun to see other fundraisers and my name near the top of the leaderboard. At one stage, I thought I had done enough, but upon realising my ranking had dropped, a new surge of energy came out and I worked the phones and email a bit more. I also made a point of following up people who were interested in the beginning but had not yet donated. In many cases, this was simply because time had caught up with them and a simple reminder did the trick. Also, payment by the net made it so much easier for these people.

Communication is also important so I made sure all my donators knew of the MS website to see the history of the event and learn a bit about what MS is and how it effects so many Australians. I also used my MS home page to send out emails and keep everybody informed. The preformatted emails will give you an idea of what to write if you choose to make use of it, or you can put your own together. This website is active for a few months after the event, so you can continue fundraising afterwards too. Perhaps you may need to collect on a bet?

Why do you support people with MS?

Fortunately, I don't know anybody in my immediate circle of friends and family with MS and I hope it never comes to this. I do however know of some indirectly and realise this is a life changing condition impacting heavily the sufferers and on all those around them. The support given by fundraisers in events such as the Sydney to Wollongong can only help to make a positive difference and life more bearable. Hopefully we can all contribute to the advancement in treatment whereby a cure can be found one day. I will continue to support it for these reasons plus many others including helping my children understand how important it is to help others.

What about cycling the 90km?

I love the ride, my first ride was the shorter 55km in 2003, I soon realised that's not all that much of a distance and you don't need to be an athlete to achieve it. The ride through the national park and that first view of the water is breath taking. The atmosphere with lots of happy and friendly faces of like minded riders, especially at the start and finish lines, is great. I now do the full ride every year and plan to do at least 25 rides, only 21 to go! Another good thing too is that after the winter it motivates me to train and by November I am fit and ready for the summer.

Coming back in 2007?

You bet, I am hooked, just in case you haven't already guessed!