Fundraise Your WayFor Health, Hope and Healing

Thank you for your interest in supporting Spectrum Health Foundation, including Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Foundation. Your generosity is launching, expanding and sustaining life-changing and lifesaving services otherwise unavailable to patients and their families. You make health, hope and healing possible!

We want to make it easy for you.This toolkit is full of great ideas to help you increase fundraising and give your donors the best experience. If you need any assistance please contact Taylor Babcock at 616.486.2088 or taylor.babcock@spectrumhealth.org.

We are so excited you chose patients and their families to fundraise for and we can’t wait to see your results. Please submit your event by clicking the red button below.

Thank you again for taking the lead and encouraging everyone you know to come together to provide health, hope and healing to your family, friends, neighbors and community members.

Submit Your Event

Pick a Cause.Choose from over 320 programs throughout Spectrum Health, including Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital that make it possible to improve health, inspire hope and save lives.

Pick Event, Date and Time.Sporting event, talent show, musical, car wash, rummage sale, run/walk, the list is endless. Be sure to give yourself enough time to plan, prepare and ask for donations.

Design Event.Choose how you will fundraise: sell merchandise, entry fee, online fundraiser, etc. Be sure to set a goal. This way you canupdate your audience and use this goal as an extra push.

Start Fundraising. Start working together to reach your goal! Get the community involved and create a buzz around your fundraiser. Be sure to share the direct impact this event will have on patients and families.

Event and Check Presentation.Host your event and see the results! Don’t forget to document your event with photos, videos, patient stories, etc. Optional: Plan a check presentation after the event for a foundation representative to come. Please note, we cannot guarantee a representative will be available.

Start Something Life-Changing Today

6

6

6

6

Athletic Events - Dedicate a game as a special fundraising night (volleyball, basketball, football, soccer, baseball, softball, lacrosse, etc.). Involve local groups or businesses to sponsor the event. Charge an entry fee per guest.

All You Can Eat Lunch/Cook-off – Solicit food vendors to donate items and hold a cook out. You’ll raise money from hungry community members who donate money to satisfy their appetite.

Carnival – Host a carnival including local organizations or businesses. Charge an entrance fee at the door or per game ticket fee.

Car Wash - A car wash fundraiser is simple to organize. Fun to do. And a great way to raise funds.

Community Breakfast or Dinner - Invite your community for a themed meal. Partner with a church or community center and get the space donated. Go the extra mile and ask businesses in your neighborhood to donate food/beverages. You could also hold a fundraiser at a local restaurant and donate a percent of proceeds (if the restaurant permits).

Dance Marathon - The perfect STUDENT COUNCIL activity: High school dances are very popular events! For one of the school annual dances, hold a Dance Marathon where the proceeds, or a portion, go to the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. This can be a student run activity, which will teach your students the value of giving back! Challenge the students to stay until the end and DANCE for the kids!

Giving Day - Launch an online school-wide giving day. Utilize social media and our peer-to-peer online fundraising platform. Engage parents, alumni, staff and students. Appoint ambassadors for promotion.

Golf Outing – Work with your local golf course to organize a fun event for golfing enthusiasts. Solicit local businesses to sponsor a hole and have contests like Closest to the Pin and Hole in One.

Miracle Jeans Day – Have students/staff pay a specific amount to wear jeans on a designated day. If jeans are not an option, have students/staff pay for a sticker and wear to show their support of Spectrum Health and/or Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.

Organize a Run/Walk or Biking Event – Involve local groups or businesses to sponsor the event. Implement a peer-to-peer online fundraiser for participants and/or charge an entry fee per guest.

Penny Wars - Set a goal for your school or classroom to meet over the course of 2 weeks or a month. Have students bring in loose change and empty it into the change canister. Before no time the canister will be filled and students will be able to see their progress. Create incentives for winners.

Penny Wars - Teacher Ambush - Choose two POPULAR staff members from your school who are willing to encourage friendly competition yet able to accept the consequences of winning. Display collection canisters for each administrator (Put their name on the canister, or even a funny picture!) Students may “vote” for the administrator of their choice by depositing spare change in the respective canister. At the end of the predetermined time period, the administrator who raised the most money accepts the consequences during a school assembly. Consequences could include a pie in the face, day in detention, Kiss-A-Pig, shaved mustache/head, or even a dunk tank! Have your students come up with the consequence and vote on it!

Event Ideas

Event Ideas cont ...

Spirit Chain Fundraising - Have a competition within the different classes in the school (senior, junior, sophomore, freshmen, etc.) to see who has the most school spirit. Each class has two colors that their paper chain consists of. Sell each strip of paper for 25 or 50 cents. Keep the chains hidden and then at an assembly have class representatives bring out the huge paper chains that have accumulated over time.

Talent or Fashion Show – Host a fashion show or talent show where participants perform their talent such as acting, singing, dancing, acrobatics, drumming, martial arts, or playing an instrument. Charge entry to the event and give out small donated trophies for prizes. You could also incorporate a peer-to-peer online fundraising campaign for participants.

“Thon” Fundraising – Put together a “Thon” where participants collect pledges fromfamily and friends - either a flat fee or so much per “x” that they complete during the event. Companies may also sponsor the event - especially if it relates to their business. Additional funds can be raised through selling refreshments, advertising or souvenirs. Examples of successful “Thons” include bowl-a-thons, walk-a-thons, swim-a-thon, and much more!

Ways to Fundraise at EventsThese are just a few ideas to get you started. Feel free to get creative with other ideas for your event!

• Bake sale during event

• Donate concession sales

• Donation jars

• Donate entry admissions

• Event sponsors

• Online peer-to-peer fundraiser

• Sell T-shirts and merchandiseo Get items donated or sponsored!

o Sell items prior to event

• Silent auctions o Get items donated!

Click here to complete an In-Kind Donation Form.

These suggestions below are mostly geared toward sporting events but can be tailored for other fundraising events. Please reach out to taylor.babcock@spectrumhealth.org if you have any questions.

Involve the Entire School!

• Work with your schools Public Relations Director, Athletic Director, Athletic Boosters Presidentand any other important school authorities. They should be able to help with publicity.

• Educate the school with facts and information about the beneficiary.

• Invite the band, drum line, or pep band to provide pre-event and during entertainment.

• Invite younger sports teams to come and support the older students. Talk to elementary and middle school coaches to invite those teams and get them involved.

• Ask the choral group to sing the National Anthem.

• Ask the Student Council, Student Government or Pep Club to organize special cheer sections.

• Hang signs throughout the school.

• Throughout the time leading up to the event and especially the week of, ask the school to makePA/video announcements to remind students of the event and how they can get involved. This is a great platform to inform the school about the beneficiary as well.

• Set up a table during lunch in the cafeteria a couple of weeks prior to the event. Promote the event, provide information on the beneficiary program, sell merchandise, etc.

• Start an online Peer-to-Peer Fundraiser: o Spectrum Health - spectrum-health-foundations.everydayhero.doo Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital -

helen-devos-children-s-hospital-foundation.everydayhero.doo Facebook - www.facebook.com/fund/SHFoundations

Involve the Community!

• Educate the community with facts and information about the beneficiary.

• If your school has a webpage, social media accounts or a school newsletter, ask to be advertised.

• Submit Media Releases to local papers or media outlets.

• Depending on beneficiary, invite survivors/patients and their families to attend.

• Hang fliers in community bulletin boards, local businesses, store fronts, etc.

Recruit Ambassadors!

• Find people who are really passionate about getting involved and ask them to be ambassadors foryour event. Their job is to recruit others to the event or online fundraiser through social media and by word of mouth.

• Get influential people involved in the event (i.e. star athlete, local news anchor, alumni, president or superintendant).

• Give event ambassadors any promotional materials you create to share both online and in-person.

Getting the Word Out

Media List

Community CalendarsExperience Grand Rapids - www.experiencegr.com/events

Grand Rapids Magazine - caleditor@geminipub.comTo have your non-profit community event submitted for consideration, send information via email. Include your name, email address, address, phone number, organization, name of event, organization your event benefits, start/end date of event, location of event, address of event, web link of organization and a description of event two months prior to the publication date.

GR Now - grnow.com

MLive - myevent.mlive.com/web/event.php

Women’s Lifestyle Magazine - womenslifestyle.com/add-event

WOOD TV 8 – Two Options1. Log onto woodtv.com/community/calendar to submit your event.2. “Connecting with Community” during noon newsTo have your non-profit community event submitted for consideration send information in writing by email to community@woodtv.com at least four weeks in advance. Include your name, email address, address, phone number, organization, name of event, organization your event benefits, start/end date of event, location of event, address of event, city of event, Web link of organization and a description of event.

WXMI TV 17 - www.spingo.com/submit/?partnerId=2223

WZZM TV 13 - events.wzzm13.com

WZZM TV 13news@wzzm13.com | www.wzzm13.com | 616.559.1300

WOOD TV 8newsroom@woodtv.com | www.woodtv.com | 616.771.9633

WXMI TV 17news@fox17online.com | www.fox17online.com | 616.364.1717

MLivegrnews@mlive.com | www.mlive.com/grand-rapids | 616.222.5455

On The Town Magazinemlive.com/myevent

WOOD Radio news@woodradio.com | www.woodradio.com | 616.458.9663

Media List

The following information will help prepare you to promote your event to the media and/or be interviewed by the media.

• Know your audience. Not all events are appropriate for all media outlets. Do you want media coverage to drive attendance to your event or media coverage at your event? Your event must be relevant to viewers, listeners and readers.

• Start planning early. If you wish to submit your event to a community calendar, some require at leasttwo months notice.

• If you want media coverage at the actual event, send a press release or media advisory two days inadvance. Remember the media is under constant deadline pressure. Keep the five W’s in mind—who, what, where, when and why. Ask yourself “who cares and why should the media cover my event.”

• Identify an event spokesperson. Make their contact information clear on any media advisories ornews releases. The spokesperson should have a warm demeanor and the ability to speak in conversational, layperson terms.

• Speak in sound bites. The average TV news story is no longer than two minutes. Don’t use technicaljargon. Be concise and clear. For TV interviews, look at the reporter, not the cameraman.

• State the most important information first; then provide background information. Avoid saying “yes”or “no” – expand and provide details that help tell the story.

• Remember you are hosting an event to benefit Spectrum Health or Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. You are not representing Spectrum Health or Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. If media are interested in speaking to physicians, staff, etc., please direct them to the Rick Jensen at richard.jensen@spectrumhealth.org or 616.391.5291.

• Keep track of any coverage you receive. Email it to: taylor.babcock@spectrumhealth.org.

Ways to Ask for Sponsorship

• Phone

• Email

• In-person

• Mail a letter

• Email taylor.babcock@spectrumhealth.org for a sample sponsor letter

The most important aspect of fundraising is to know who to ask. When asking for donations, remember to consider all the different groups of people you know. People want to support your efforts—you just need to ask. In addition, providing sponsorship opportunities is a great way to involve local businesses in your event!

Who to Ask

• Prospective Sponsors - Start with the local businesses that are already involvedwith your school and community.

• Family – Consider more than just your immediate family.

• Friends – Consider your friends (parents’ friends and even your grandparents’ friends) from all different times of life: elementary school, high school, college, etc.

• Community Groups – Think about all the clubs in which you, your parents and grandparents participate: religious, political, civic, volunteer activities, alumni, PTA, book club, etc.—both in-person and virtual groups.

• Businesses – Consider asking your doctor, your gym, your hair dresser, dry cleaner, local deli, even the person you buy coffee from every morning may want to give if you just ask!

• Neighbors

• Professional relationships - yours, your parents and your grandparents. These relationships can be more than just co-workers. Business clients, partners, vendors, and even alumni from your alma mater! LinkedIn is a good resource for professional relationship outreach.

Ways to Ask for Donations

• Phone

• Email

• In-person

• Mail a letter

• Social media

When conducting sponsorship asks, we recommend to host a day or a couple days where each player or member of the group calls local businesses for sponsorship or visits the businesses with a sponsorship letter.

• Be sure to explain how they will be making an impact and why this event is so important. • Include your personal impact story if possible. • Have an easy script to use for the phone calls.• Create a personal letter that they can submit to businesses. Click link above for sample letter.

• If a business would like a tax receipt, their check has to be made out to Spectrum Health Foundation.

Making the Ask to Donors and Sponsors

Social Media Tips and Tricks

Facebook facebook.com/shfoundations• Make a Facebook event and invite friends and family to attend. You could also create a

Facebook Fundraiser to raise additional funds.• Share your fundraising page—Include the link where supporters can go to donate.• Share the story of Spectrum Health and/or Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital and why you are

fundraising. Stories of individuals and families who have personally been impacted are great ways to showcase your fundraiser.

• Give a shoutout to your donors. Tag them if possible.• Use a lot of videos and photos when posting.• Facebook Live leading up to the event and/or during the event.• Don’t be afraid to use messanger when asking for donations.• Tag @SHFoundations in your posts.

Instagram instagram.com/shfoundations• Include the link to your fundraising page or website in your Instagram bio.• Take lots of photos of your fundraiser!• Capture memories throughout the planning and implenting of your fundraiser. • Use Instagram Stories. • Share personal impact stories. • Give a shoutout to your donors. Tag them if possible.• Use a lot of videos and photos when posting.• Instagram Live leading up to the event and/or during the event.• Don’t be afraid to use messanger when asking for donations.• Tag @shfoundations and hashtag #spectrumofhope

Share Your Story and Market Your EventSocial media is a powerful tool for fundraising and marketing events. Consider using Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Youtube, a blog, or other platforms when marketing your fundraiser for Spectrum Health, including Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. These are great channels to recognize your sponsors, ask for donations, provide updates and share the story.

Follow Spectrum Health Foundations on Facebook and Instagram. We encourage you to tag us in your posts as well as share, like and comment on our posts.

Will you help to end breast cancer? Join us next week at our Volley for the Cure game benefitting Spectrum Health Betty Ford Breast Care Services. [LINK] #GivingMatters #SpectrumHealth

On [DATE], we will be hosting a car wash fundraiser for Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. Click the link for details - [LINK]. #GivingMatters #HelenDeVosChildrensHosptial

Do you want to make a difference? Sign up to be a sponsor for our 2019 Holiday Talent Show. Proceeds will help to save children’s lives right here in our community at Helen DeVos Children’sHospital. [LINK]

Our basketball team is trying to raise $XX to help save lives and advance the health and well-being of kids—right here in our backyard and around the world! Want to help? Join us at our fundraiser game on [DATE] for Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. [LINK]

Today is the last day to bring in change for Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. Every donation matters! If you can’t donate, please share this with your friends. Together we can end #ChildhoodCancer!

This is Calvin. At 3 months old, his heart stopped beating. It regained its rhythm thanks to people and place, timing and technology. You can help more children like Calvin by attending the upcoming Spaghetti Dinner. Visit the link for details – [LINK].

This is Emily. At 24 years old, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her biggest fear was not dying, but that she might never have children. She now has 2 beautiful children and knows that life is so precious. You can help more women like Emily by making a donation to my fundraiser - [LINK].

Sample Social Media Posts

Calvin Calvin

Emily Isaiah

Michelle

Loretta Maddie

Mark

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can event organizers use the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Foundation or Spectrum Health Foundation logo?A: Logos are registered trademarks and cannot legally be reproduced without permission from Spectrum Health Foundation or Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Foundation. Please contact our office to determine the proper language to use and receive permission for logo usage.

Q: Can event organizers use the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Foundation or Spectrum Health Foundation name?A: Yes, promotional materials that use the Hospitals’ names must use the term “Proceeds to benefit Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Foundation or Spectrum Health Foundation.”

Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Foundation or Spectrum Health Foundation is the beneficiary, rather than sponsor, of all fundraising projects and events. Therefore, our name cannot be used as such: “Spectrum Health Foundation 5K Run” or “Helen DeVos’ Fashion Show” as examples.

Q: Can event organizers request a hospital representative at an event?A: We cannot guarantee a representative will be available, but will determine the need and availability through your request. While we would love to attend each fundraising event, please understand that the volume of requests exceeds our available staff. If a hospital representative is unavailable, you may want to consider inviting a family from your community to share their hospital experience.

Q: Can organizers conduct a raffle at an event?A: We recommend conducting an auction as opposed to a raffle due to the complex gaming laws in the state of Michigan. We cannot obtain a raffle license on your behalf.

Q: Does the Foundation cover event expenses?A: All expenses are the responsibility of the project/event organizer.

Q: What can the foundation do to help?• Answer questions about event planning.• Provide a letter of authorization to validate the authenticity of the event and its organizers.• Provide tax receipts to donors who make checks payable to the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Foundation or Spectrum Health Foundation.

• Promote your event on our Calendar of Events and/or social media platforms.

Q: What can’t the foundation do to help?• Provide reimbursement for event expenses.• Provide contact information and/or mailing lists for corporate sponsor(s), donors and supporters for solicitation purposes.

• Provide volunteers to be at the event.• Sell tickets for your event.

Q: I’m a business, corporation or school looking for a more long term relationship with Spectrum Health Foundation and Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Foundation. Where can I find out more information? A: If your company is interested in partnership opportunities, please visit contact the foundation at foundation@spectrumhealth.org or call 616.391.2000.

Q: Can event organizers request Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Foundation/Spectrum Health Foundation’s tax ID and W-9?A: Yes, our Tax ID # is 38-2752328. Requests for a completed W9 form can be sent to Taylor Babcock at taylor.babcock@spectrumhealth.org or 616.486.2088.

Q: Where do event organizers send the donation after an event?A: Please send gifts to: Spectrum Health Foundation Attention: Taylor Babcock100 Michigan Street NE, MC 004 Grand Rapids, MI 49503Checks should be made payable to Spectrum Health Foundation.

Please accompany the check with a letter including your contact information, event name, date and what program the donation should be designated to.

Q: What if a check is made out to me, not Spectrum Health Foundation or Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Foundation? A: If a donor makes the check out to you, simply endorse the check with your signature and underneath add “Payable to Spectrum Health Foundation” and submit it to the foundation. Please note that the account holder on the check will receive the tax receipt from Spectrum Health Foundation.

Q: Can I accept the bulk of the donations and write one check? A: Checks should be made out to Spectrum Health Foundation, with “Your Fundraiser Name” written in the memo line. If the check is from your account, you, and not your donors, will receive a tax receipt.

Q: My question is not answered here. How can I contact you? A: We are here to help make your fundraiser a success! Please contact Taylor Babcock with any questions you may have regarding your fundraiser at taylor.babcock@spectrumhealth.org or 616.486.2088.

Thank You!We send our most sincere and heartfelt gratitude to you for directing your fundraiser profits to Spectrum Health, including Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. Your generosity and dedication is improving health, inspiring hope and saving lives. Together we continue to deliver personalized health made simple, affordable and exceptional.

Frequently Asked Questions cont ...