Fundraising Fodder - Three Great Stories!

We know it’s not easy to ask for money, especially in these times, but let us share with you three inspirational stories from our very own Echelon Gran Fondo participants.

Story #1: Team Crankmasters – This is way more than beginners luck!
Team Crankmasters is a group of close friends that work in the financial industry, and on a whim they decided to take up cycling just one month ago! When they stumbled upon our event, it was a perfect match. All the team members had a cancer story and felt our cause was one they could easily support. This new team sent messages to their friends and family announcing their participation and why the cause is important to them. Three weeks later, they have collectively achieved their $3,000 goal and continue to get contributions, exceeding their own lofty expectations.

Story #2: Don Pontes – A winning individual for sure!
I met Don at a bike race a few weeks ago. He was intrigued by the event and said to himself, – “I can do this – I can fundraise.” Though cancer had not struck Don, it had affected his family, and he was very familiar with how LIVESTRONG™ had become a major resource to them. Don crafted personal messages as to why he decided to do this benefit event and began to send out his email story to friends. He also would pick up the phone as a more personal way to ask for money. The net-net is that his average donations are $200 and within three weeks, Don has raised $6,565! His secret sauce was making the message personal and expressing why the event is important to him.

Story #3: David Duncan – A taste of success!
When I had the opportunity to visit David Duncan, CEO of Silver Oak Cellars in Napa, I could not help noticing photos of Lance Armstrong on his wall. Lance is Armstrong rumored to have more interest in wine than riding when he visited Napa. David Duncan is also a huge LIVESTRONG™ supporter and offered to put up a team for Echelon. While David started with a most admirable fundraising goal and is personally at $10,000 his intention was more to get his employees and his wine buddies to join his team. He has succeeded. Silver Oak has over 25 riders now who are together approaching $20,000.

Remember, fundraising for Echelon is not mandatory but it is easy. Whether you raise just the minimum $125, or thousands, it is all greatly appreciated! Please do try.

All you need to do is find your name in our system (assuming you registered as a fundraiser) and send your link around to some friends with a short personal note. If you are not registered as a fundraiser and want to try, we will set up your page for you at no cost.