2019 PLUNGER TOOLKIT

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Marsha Harvey
5 years ago
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1 2019 PLUNGER TOOLKIT

2 CONTENTS Polar Plunge Overview 3 Polar Plunge Locations 3 Plunge Tools..4 Fundraising Tips and Tricks.5 Sending s Social Media Plunge Day Checklist.. 8 Pledge Tracker...9 Donor Receipt Questions or Concerns

3 POLAR PLUNGE OVERVIEW Party like it s 32 degrees. You may have heard about the Polar Plunge from a friend, seen it on TV or even read about it online, but what exactly is this Plunge everyone is talking about? Each year, the Polar Plunge presented by Westerra Credit Union challenges thousands of brave Coloradans to take a dip into icy water in support of Special Olympics Colorado and the thousands of athletes that we serve. Plunging is a great way for everyone individuals, families, organizations and businesses to get involved in supporting this amazing organization and thousands of athletes-coloradans with intellectual disabilities. Think you have what it takes? The concept is simple: participants raise a minimum of $75 ($50 for students and SOCO athletes) and take a dip into some icy water. All of our plunges have their own unique twist and all are 100% fun! So whether you are sprinting into the chilly waters of the Boulder Reservoir or doing the 5K dash and plunge at Aurora Reservoir or in Denver, you are guaranteed to have some awesome wintertime fun. Grab some friends, get pumped and register today! Visit for more information. You can also contact AVanderPol@SpecialOlympicsCO.org with any questions or concerns. POLAR PLUNGE LOCATIONS February 23 February 23 March 9 March 9 March 10 March 16 April 19 Aurora Reservoir (Dash & Splash), After Splash Bash at Dry Dock Brewing Lake Pueblo Cheyenne Mountain Resort, Colorado Springs Ft. Collins Location TBD Wash Park, Denver (Dash & Splash), After Splash Bash in Wash Park Boulder Reservoir, After Splash Bash at The Rayback Corporate Plunge Challenge, Improper City, Denver (new!) 3

PLUNGE TOOLS Special Olympics Colorado will supply many of these tools to you at no cost. Email AVanderPol@SpecialOlympicsCO.

Postcards & Posters Postcards & posters are a great way to help spread the word about the Plunges or your plunge team.

join your team. 4 Special Olympics Colorado will supply either of these to your team at no cost.

Email AVanderPol@SpecialOlympisCO.org with your team name and mailing address.

4 PLUNGE TOOLS Special Olympics Colorado will supply many of these tools to you at no cost. with your desired items, team name and mailing address. Postcards & Posters Postcards & posters are a great way to help spread the word about the Plunges or your plunge team. They are perfect for displaying in public areas so that people can easily grab the information they need to know to register to join your team. 4 Special Olympics Colorado will supply either of these to your team at no cost. We have postcards and posters for all plunges so just let us know which plunge and where to mail them! AVanderPol@SpecialOlympisCO.org with your team name and mailing address. Plunge Icon Consider adding the Plunge logo along with an tag to the bottom your s. You just have to right click on the logo to the right and save it. You can then add a sentence or two about what you ll be doing and why you are doing it! You can even hyper link the image to your personal Plunge page. Click here for a step by step on how to do! Plunge Business Cards Polar Plunge business cards are a great way to encourage people to join your team or donate to your plunge. Special Olympics Colorado will supply these to your team at no cost.

5 with your team name and mailing address. FUNDRAISING TIPS AND TRICKS How to raise $150 in a week! o Day 1 Start with a $20 donation to yourself Day 2 - Send an to three friends asking them for a $10 contribution Day 3 - Ask one parent and one sibling for a $10 contribution Day 4 - Bring a pledge sheet to work and ask co-workers for $10 to support your fundraising goal Day 5 - Send an to four family friends and relatives asking for a donation Day 6 - Ask two people at your favorite hangout, restaurant or tavern for a $5 donation Day 7 - Post on Facebook asking for a $10 donation to help you reach your fundraising goal Other Fundraising Ideas Send a fundraising or letter to your friends, family and neighbors. If you are sending a letter, be sure to include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Link your fundraising page to your Facebook and Twitter account asking for donations. Send personalized s or Facebook messages rather than mass s. Always follow-up via phone. Ask your supporters about matching funds from their employers. Workplace Giving Before hitting up your co-workers for a donation, see if you can form a company team instead. It s a fun team building opportunity, and wearing your company t-shirts is a great way to maximize exposure! Find out about matching gift policies at your company. Some companies match employee fundraising, while others match donations made by employees. This is an easy way to double your donations! Have your donors find out about their companies matching gift policy to see if their donation will be matched. Host a Casual for a Cause day at work. Employees can donate a set amount to wear jeans and funds raised support your Plunge. Additional workplace fundraising ideas include: o Set out a candy jar and ask for change each time they take a piece o Most breakrooms include free coffee and tea so change it up and start charging. Charge $0.50 for coffee or tea and any profit can go to your fundraising efforts. 5

6 SENDING S Letter writing is a great way to raise a lot of money in a short amount of time! Write personal s to your family, friends, and co-workers and let them know you are plunging, ask for a donation or ask them to join your team. Tips & Tricks Make it easy for people to donate! Send everyone an with a link to your fundraising page. Make it personal, rather than sending a mass . Tell your story. Share with others why you participate, whether it s just for fun or because you love Special Olympics Colorado. If you ve Plunged before, share a picture of your previous jump to frozen glory. If it s your first time, share your nerves and excitement! Have fun with it! Make a contest or game out of it - the first person to donate, or the largest donation gets a gift from you! Follow-up. Be sure to say thank you to donors after they make their donation, and again after you take the Plunge. Send them a picture of you Plunging with the results from the event. Make the ask early and often! Sample Dear [Insert Name], This winter I will be participating in the Polar Plunge to Support Special Olympics Colorado. I have decided that it s cold enough, and I m bold enough to take the plunge into the icy waters! I have set a personal fundraising goal of $[insert amount], and I need your help to reach it! Any amount would be appreciated and every little bit gets me that much closer to my goal. All of the money raised supports Special Olympics Colorado and their yearround programs that impact more than 25,000 individuals with intellectual disabilities from across Colorado. There are three easy ways to support my Plunge: 1. Online donation: Visit [insert personal donation page URL] 2. Offline donation: Cash or checks. Make payable to/mail to: Special Olympics Colorado: E. Arapahoe Rd. Suite C, Centennial, CO **Be sure to include my name in the memo area so it will be credited to my plunge!** 3. Join my team at [insert team page URL] If you want to learn more about this exciting winter event, visit Think warm thoughts for me as the Polar Plunge approaches. Can you believe how much WARMTH can come out of so much COLD? Your support changes lives! 6

7 SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDE It has become common practice for Plunge participants to do all of their fundraising entirely through social media. They are easy tools to use and a personal way to connect with friends and family all over the world with a minimal effort. Facebook Like us and share our posts! Post your personal fundraising link which helps your friends donate directly to your page Make your Plunge an event on Facebook and invite friends to join. That way they ll have a reminder before your Plunge! Update your status: Share why you are Plunging and what your goal is Update you fundraising progress each time you continuously until you take your Plunge Don t forget to share your training (i.e. how you are preparing for your plunge). Set your profile picture and timeline photo to a picture of you taking the Plunge, or the costume you ll be wearing to Plunge. Shout outs: post a shout out to your donors when they pledge! Use Hashtags: you can now use hashtags like #PlungeCO on Facebook Don t forget to thank your friends after your Plunge! Instagram Follow us on Add a link to your online Plunge page in your profile to send people directly to your fundraising page from your Instagram account Use Hashtags like #PlungeCO If you ve Plunged before, post photos of your previous Plunges! Twitter Follow us: Retweet a tweet from SpecOlympicsCO and/or your followers Use the hashtag #PlungeCO to follow the chatter about the Plunge. Upload Photos: tweet a photo of you taking the Plunge, if you ve done so before. If you re a rookie, tweet a photo of your costume. Don t forget to ask for support! Shout outs: tweet each time you receive a new pledge. Don t forget to mention them in your status Set your profile picture and twitter header image to a photo of you Plunging. Don t forget to thank your followers after your Plunge! 7

information for team captain or team members *All Plungers make sure to wear your event

8 PLUNGE DAY CHECKLIST Plunge costume Shoes to plunge in (no flip flops) Change of clothes for after plunge Towel Any offline donations Plastic bag for wet clothes Contact information for team captain or team members *All Plungers make sure to wear your event wristband that you ll receive when you check-in. You ll need this to Plunge and enter the After Splash Bash. 8

9 PLEDGE TRACKER Name Address City Zip Team Name NAME OF DONOR Fundraising Goal: DONATION AMOUNT TOTAL 9

10 DONATION RECEIPTS Use the donor receipts for cash or check donations that are less than $25. Checks of $25 or more will get a receipt from Special Olympics Colorado in the mail. Online donors will automatically receive a receipt via . Questions? Contact us at or AVanderPol@SpecialOlympisCO.org. Polar Plunge Receipt Special Olympics Colorado E. Arapahoe Rd. Suite C, Centennial, CO Donor Name: Address: Participant Name: Donation of: cash check Donation Amount: Date: Special Olympics Colorado is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Tax ID#: Your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Polar Plunge Receipt Special Olympics Colorado E. Arapahoe Rd. Suite C, Centennial, CO Donor Name: Address: Participant Name: Donation of: cash check Donation Amount: Date: Special Olympics Colorado is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Tax ID#: Your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Polar Plunge Receipt Special Olympics Colorado E. Arapahoe Rd. Suite C, Centennial, CO Donor Name: Address: Participant Name: Donation of: cash check Donation Amount: Date: Special Olympics Colorado is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Tax ID#: Your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Polar Plunge Receipt Special Olympics Colorado E. Arapahoe Rd. Suite C, Centennial, CO Donor Name: Address: Participant Name: Donation of: cash check Donation Amount: Date: Special Olympics Colorado is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Tax ID#: Your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. 10

11 QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS? Contact: Alexandra Vander Pol Special Events Manager Special Olympics Colorado Phone:

As the food drive coordinator for your organization, you will serve as the liaison between your organization and Northern Illinois Food Bank.

As the food drive coordinator for your organization, you will serve as the liaison between your organization and Northern Illinois Food Bank. Food Drive Guide As a team captain you can customize your team page, determine the overall team fundraising goal, and recruit fundraisers who will work to reach their individual, and the team s fundraising