Camper Fundraising Guide

Become a Camp Champ!Welcome to the Camp Blue Hawk Family!

Whether this is your first time at camp, or you are a returning camper, we are so excited for this summer, and we can’t wait to meet you! Now that you are registered for camp, it’s time to start fund-raising to get the rest of your registration paid for. You can raise money to support your own camp fees first, and then help others. Let family, friends, and others in your community hear about diabetes and join your efforts to live well. Even if you pay for your own camp fees without fundraising, you can still help other kids who need assistance, and earn great prizes like a “Camp Champ” t-shirt, “Pie Your Favorite Counselor” and credits at the camp store!

Is being a Camp Champ the same as getting a scholarship? No. Anyone can raise funds as a Camp Champ. Scholarships are awarded based on:

- Income level: Financial aid awarded to applicants below 250% of Federal Poverty Guideline.

- Special Circumstances: Having an extenuating circumstance like multiple people with a chronic illness in the household or a recent house fire.

If I get a scholarship, should I still raise funds as a Camp Champ? Yes. Scholarships are only available and possible because of fundraisers! No camper is ever turned away because of a lack of ability to pay. These costs are paid through fundraising. We need everyone to participate to keep camp possible! ANYONE can participate in Camp Champs to raise the cost of their camp, regardless of income.

What if I raise more money than what it costs for me to go to camp? Any amount you raise over the cost of your registration fee will go directly to another camper in need! The total registration fee for camp is $400, and campers who raise $500 or more will be recognized as a Camp Champ!

What do I get for being a Camp Champ?Camp Champs are awarded with different prizes based on the amount of money they raise.

Amount Raised Award $500 - $749 Camp Champ T-shirt $750 - $999 Pie Your Favorite Counselor $1000+ $20.00 Credit at the Camp Store

We hope you decide to become a Camp Champ! If you have any questions about the Camp Champ program please feel free to contact us via email at CampBlueHawk@ouhsc.edu, or by phone at 405-271-7000 ext. 43030.

See you at camp!

Ideas for FundraisingBelow you will find a list of ways that you can fundraise to become a Camp Champ. This is only a few ideas, and the possibilities are endless! If you think of a great new way to fundraise that isn’t on this list, let us know and we will add it to the list for next year!

Quick and Easy Ideas: - Proceeds nights at your neighborhood restaurants - Bake sales: Cupcakes for Camp! - Penny drive at your school or church: a water cooler jug filled with pennies is a lot of money! - Barbeques and crawfish boils at your local park - Softball, basketball or dodge ball tournaments - Chili Cook-Off - Dress Down Day at your office: a $5 donation earns you the right to wear jeans to work - In lieu of birthday presents, ask that donations be made to your camp fund! - Car wash held in the parking lot of your local shopping center - Gift wrapping services during the Holiday Season - Garage sale at your home

Make your own Fundraising Page: Fundraising sites like GoFundMe, Fundly, and GoGetFunding are great personal crowd funding sites to raise money for your cause. All you need to do is choose a fundraising site, create a personal account & profile, and promote your fundraising campaign. Keep in mind: - Some personal fundraising sites might take back a percentage of your total amount fundraised. You should account for this when setting your fundraising goal so that you get the amount you truly need.

- Sharing your fundraising page on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram will help you reach more people and get more money!

Get Creative: People love stuff, and they LOVE handmade stuff from the people they want to support. Find some kind of craft that you are good at making and sell them to raise money for camp! It could be anything, for example:

- Small original painting - Handmade necklace, key chain, or bracelet - Handmade Christmas tree ornaments - Recycled t-shirt dog toys

You could also create an original t-shirt design with a clever saying, or picture, get them printed, and sell them for a profit!

Keep in mind the cost of supplies and time it takes to make your craft! You don’t want to spend too much money or time making it so that you get the most bang for your buck!

Tips & TricksHere are 7 simple Tips & Tricks that are guaranteed to make fundraising easier and more beneficial!

Form a List Put together a list of friends, family, co-workers, work-out buddies, etc. Think creatively here. Do you have neighbors, doctors, or sports club members, that might support you? These people will be your best potential donors because they already know and like you! Remember, it never hurts to ask, so build the biggest list you can by including everyone you can think of!

Set a Fundraising Goal and Continue to Raise It Make sure you set a goal. Having something to aim for always helps. And 9 times out of 10 you’ll end up doing better than you originally thought so aim high! Most supporters will set their personal fundraising goal very high to inspire themselves and their donors (i.e. friends and family). Remember, you’re raising money for a cause you care about. Push your self to raise more than you ever thought you could. Make It Personal People will donate because YOU are asking them to. Simple as that. As you go about setting your fundraising goal and sending out personal appeals to your friends and family try including a personal message about why you’re raising funds and what the fundraising efforts mean to you. The more personal you can make it the better.

Send Hand-written Letter FIRST, Not Emails Email is faster and can return instant results, but good old-fashioned had written letters show a personal touch. Think about making your initial requests via hand written letter. Deliver it personally if possible! It is unlikely that your friends will throw out your hand written snail-mail letters before they open and read them, but even friends with the best intentions can easily lose or forget your email in an overcrowded “inbox.” Use emails as a follow-up to those who don’t respond to your letter.

Get Face to Face When you’re fundraising make it a point to ask the friends and family you see on a regular basis to support you by donating. Dinner parties, soccer games, church, family reunions, etc. They are all great opportunities to make in person requests. Remember, it’s difficult for people to say “no” if you speak with them in person.

Follow Up It’s very common for people to put things off. We all live busy lives and have a lot of other responsibilities on our plates. A little reminder nudge never hurt anyone. If someone has indicated that they want to donate, but hasn’t, don’t hesitate to follow-up with a phone call or reminder email. Especially as the time you have to fundraise for the event runs down. People respond to deadlines!

Send Thank You Notes It’s a simple thing to do, but also one of the most powerful. Make sure to say thank you to everyone who supported you. Send emails, write personal notes and thank people in person. Do it every opportunity you get. This will make sure they are still willing to give to you in the future!

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Sample Camper Fundraising Le�er Dear Friends and Family,

I hope you are all doing great and looking forward to a great spring and summer. As you know, I have type 1 diabetes, and I have been diagnosed for <insert number of years> of years. You have helped me in my efforts to support other diabetes-related causes over the last few years, and I appreciate your support. I have decided this year to raise money for Camp Blue Hawk, The OU Health Science Center’s camp for children and teens with type 1 diabetes.

Did you know that I first started going to camp when I was <insert age> years old? Camp Blue Hawk has been an important part of my life since then. It is the one place I go where all my friends understand what living with diabetes 24 hours a day is like. I learn a lot about managing my diabetes at camp and I also have FUN.

I want a cure for diabetes so that I will not have to stick my finger seven times a day and be attached to an insulin pump all the time. Until there’s a cure, Camp Blue Hawk gives me encouragement to do anything I want to and the education I need to stay healthy until there is a cure for type 1 diabetes!

Last year at Camp Blue Hawk I learned how to <insert what camper learned> which helped me a lot with my diabetes management. This year I hope to learn how to <insert what camper wants to learn>. My favorite part of camp is always the <insert favorite part of camp>. I can’t wait to get back to camp so I can do it again!

Would you consider helping me get to Camp Blue Hawk by making a donation to my camp fund? My registration fee for camp is $400, and any gift you give will help me reach my goal. Also, if I can raise $500 or more I will get to be a Camp Champ, and any money I raise over $400 will go directly to another camper in need of financial help.

If you can make a donation, please send a check made out to <insert name> to our address below.

<Insert personal mailing address>

Thanks again for your support!

Your friend,

<Insert Child’s Name>

InsertCamperPicture

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Things to Remember...Camp Champ Fundraiser Dates: - You can start fundraising to be a Camp Champ as soon as you have been approved to attend camp. You will get an email from CampBlueHawk@ouhsc.edu letting you know that you have been approved to attend camp. You will also be able to log into CampDoc.com and see that the 2018 Camp Blue Hawk Session has been added to your profile.

- All camp funds, including registration fees and Camp Champ monies, is due by Monday, April 30th.

How to Turn In Your Money: - After you are done fundraising, please use the money you raise to pay your remaining account balance in CampDoc first.

- Once you have paid your remaining CampDoc balance, send one check in the total of the extra funds you have raised for Camp Blue Hawk. Example: If you raised $500 total, you will pay $400 in Camp Doc for your camp registration, and you will send a check for $100 to the Camp Blue Hawk office.

- Make your extra funds check payable to “Harold Hamm Diabetes Center - Camp Blue Hawk” and write “Camper Name - Camp Champ” in the memo line.

- Mail checks to the following address: Harold Hamm Diabetes Center - Camp Blue Hawk 1000 N. Lincoln Blvd., Suite 1200 Oklahoma City, OK 73104-3252

- You may also send us the extra funds online using a credit or debit card by visiting haroldhamm.org/give. Be sure to select “Camp Blue Hawk” in the “Use my gift for...” drop down menu. Don’t Forget to type “Camper Name - Camp Champ” in the comment section so that we can attribute the money to your camper!

Expectation of Ethical Behavior: - As a participant in the Camp Blue Hawk Camp Champ program, you are expected to act ethically when fundraising for Camp Blue Hawk. Camp Blue Hawk expects that all funds donated to you for this endeavor will be turned into Camp Blue Hawk.

Have Questions? - Please feel free to contact Elvie Ellis, Camp Coordinator, with any questions, comments or concerns at the contact information below:

Email: Elvie-Ellis@ouhsc.edu

Phone: 405-271-2824