Name: Andy Sheats
Status: Team Captain – Realestate.com.au
Number of Members in Team: 17
Fundraising Total for 2008: $17,415
Why do you support people living with Multiple Sclerosis?
I have experienced MS within my own family, and so I appreciate this importance of increasing awareness so that people can detect it early and hopefully, start to manage it. It is such a horrible disease, because it so often strikes and debilitates younger people who often have kids and others depending on them.
How did you go about reaching your team fundraising goal in 2008?
It was simple; we had fundraised just over $6000 in 2007, and wanted to double that. We were very fortunate to have such generous friends, and to have realestate.com.au offer to match donations.
How easy and rewarding did your team find your fundraising?
Fundraising is the easiest thing in the world. Honestly. Asking is the hardest part. Once you do, you realize how generous people are and support starts rolling in the door. I sent an email to about 100 people who I know well, and who I thought would be supportive. Many of them supported me, and then passed the message on further.
The key for us was getting our company to match donation. This is effective because it doubles the money, but even more so because when people know that their donation will have double the effect, they tend to give even more. I would guess that in our case, employer matching meant that we got not 2x, but more like 3x the funding.
How did you go about organising a large corporate team?
Again, just ask. I sent an email to employees asking if anyone wanted in, and soon we have 17.
Do you have any tips for other fundraisers?
Ask early, ask often. Train your friends to expect your email every ear at this time.
How did your ride go on the day?
It was fantastic. I did the ride with my 10 year old son, and we had a super day.
Will you be back bigger and better in 2009?
We will be aiming to double up again this year, but the stakes are much higher!
Name: Peter James
Occupation: Retired
Status: Team Captain – Walking Girls Boys / Top Individual Fundraiser for 2008!
Number of Members in Team: 3
Fundraising Total for 2008: $8,240
Why do you support MS Australia?
MS Australia does wonderful and valuable work in supporting all MS people including myself with services across a wide range of needs MS people can have. Importantly MS Australia also coordinates and funds research projects in finding the key to the diseases cause/s. MS Australia has specifically aided me since diagnosis in 1995 with advice for both myself and my family that has proven very valuable to us all.
How did you go about reaching your team fundraising goal in 2008?
I fortunately have a wide network of friends and former work colleagues after a 40 year career both in and outside Australia in the oil & gas industry. They very kindly responded generously to my e-mail about MS Australia’s work and importance to people living with MS, the event itself and my personal goal to complete the 40 kilometers on my tricycle.
How easy and rewarding did you find your fundraising?
It was very rewarding to see the generosity of my friends, read their comments on the website and exchange e-mails with some who I have not had contact with for some time. The website established by MS Australia really was just fantastic in enabling me to manage all these contacts efficiently; there were 95 individuals who donated in support of the team.
Do you have any tips for other fundraisers?
Prepare an email/notice which tells people succinctly about the disease, some facts and importance of MS Australia, a non profit organization who provide a wide range of services to many MS people who suffer the affects of this mystery disease. If you have MS or perhaps have a family member or friend with MS who you are riding for perhaps share this with potential donors and appeal for their kind support.
How did your ride go on the day?
I was rapt I managed to complete it on my trike with the support of 2 great friends who stuck with me to make sure I was okay and we shared a couple of coffee’s at the rides end. The event itself was well organized with drink and comfort stations placed strategically along the route.
Will you be back bigger and better in 2009?
I will again participate and fundraise in 2009 and will have a stretch goal for time to complete. I have continued to ride every day since the 2008 ride and have benefited greatly in my general health having lost about 12 kilo’s, improved my strength and endurance for physical tasks!
Name: Patrick Curlis
Occupation: Fleet Management
Status: Team Captain – Paddy’s Peddlers
Number of Members in Team: 13
Fundraising Total for 2008: $5,114
Why do you support MS Australia?
I was diagnosed with MS a few years ago and, even though I'm fortunate enough not to require the services of MS Australia, I understand how important it is to support an organisation that performs such a worthwhile and important function. I am proud to help MS Australia attain it's fundraising goal.
How did you go about reaching your team Fundraising goal in 2008?
We used a number of strategies and functions that had different degrees of success. The most successful was an auction night - of items that were donated by friends and local businesses. We held it at a pub with an MC who did silly games, got people in the mood to donate and it was a great night. We had a poker game where half of the money bet is automatically donated to the cause, along with a "garage giveaway" where items were put on the nature strip and people could put 2 cents or $200 to take one of the items.
Other tactics were a "guess how many lollies in the lolly jar", a raffle for a basket of donated chocolates, a bocce competition and then straight out grovelling to the general public. I was fortunate to have a few friends that helped share the workload. In retrospect I would have loved to have started fundraising earlier as time went so quickly up to the ride.
How easy and rewarding did you find your fundraising?
I had a blast fundraising. You find the majority of people are really generous and, if you have a $2 raffle most people will buy a ticket. It's very important to have a goal so you can work towards something. Make the goal a little higher than you think you can get and enlist friends to raise certain amounts each. If your friends don't want to come for the ride, they will quite likely be great fundraisers. Fundraising feels good and it's good to know that you are helping people that really need it.
Do you have any tips for other fundraisers?
Set a goal early so you have enough time to reach it.
Plan a variety of events. You will find some work really well, others may flop but there is no harm in it.
Get friends to help out. Fundraising is a great reason for a bbq with friends.
Set mini goals. Break down your fundraising goal and meet it in stages. You will be surprised what you can achieve.
Good Luck!
How did your ride go on the day?
It was most enjoyable. I had ridden it the previous year and knew what to expect. It was very cruisey, chatting with my mates as we travelled through the suburbs of Melbourne, resting when we felt like it.
Will you be back bigger and better in 2009?
Yep, hopefully with a massive crew, and a whole heap of cash for MS Australia!
Name: Robyn Deckert
Occupation: Account Executive
Status: Team Captain – Quest for a Cause
Number of Members in Team: 20
Team Fundraising Total for 2008: $10,325
Why do you support MS Australia?
Like many, I know people with MS and how it has affected their lives and the lives of their loved ones. MS touches so many, including young adult lives. It’s such a perplexing disease to the medical world with its cause and cure largely remaining elusive, and I was stunned to learn that MS diagnosis is on the increase with an average of five people being diagnosed every business day. I feel it is vital to give as much support as possible to this foundation for this disease which is relatively unknown amongst the broader community.
How did you go about reaching your team Fundraising goal in 2008?
We were late starters in getting together as a team with only 3 – 4 weeks to raise funds before the event. However, with such a large number of Quest franchisees throughout Australia, New Zealand and Fiji we had a major advantage and were able to get great support via e mailing to our franchisees as well as family and friends. We created the emails to be as attention grabbing as possible, explaining about the disease and then lightening up the emails with moving cartoon characters etc.
How easy and rewarding did your team find your fundraising?
With the user friendly MS website, I found that the fundraising became increasingly easier as time went along. This was partly because we copied many of the donator names and their comments onto the fundraising emails. This tended to build the momentum of colleagues and peers seeing who had donated, along with their comments and then wanting to join in.
It was very rewarding seeing the donations pop up on screen while working on the computer, with the donations fast approaching our target!
How did you go about organising a large corporate team?
They had no choice……..I pestered them until they said yes!
Seriously, once everyone knew that this was to be a fun ride and not a race, they were keen to join in! More employees are already putting up their hand to join in on the 2009 event.
Do you have any tips for other fundraisers?
Emailing often, I found to be the biggest key to getting the funds in. Once donations start rolling in, putting the donors names along with their comments (didn’t include the funds donated on email) onto the group emails, also helped. If colleagues and friends hadn’t yet been onto the web site, then after seeing the email with all the various comments, they were enticed to log in and donate, making their own remarks.
How did your ride go on the day?
The day was organized so well. There were so many supporters along the way; we couldn’t help but have fun!
Will you be back bigger and better in 2009?
Yes, we are very committed and keen to out do ourselves in raising funds for 2009!