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FUNDRAISING GUIDE

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Thank you for participating in the Walk to Cure Arthritis and helping the Arthritis Foundation change lives.

When you think of serious chronic diseases, arthritis might not be top of mind, but it should be. It is

the nation’s number one cause of disability affecting more than 50 million adults in this country, and

contrary to popular belief, it is not just an “old person’s” disease. Kids get arthritis, too, 300,000 of them.

That’s more than cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy.

By participating in the Walk to Cure Arthritis and raising funds to help cure arthritis, you will make an

impact on the lives of the men, women and children who live with one of the 100 forms of this painful

and debilitating disease. In fact, you are the key to success for the Walk and to helping the Arthritis

Foundation keep its commitment to cure arthritis.

Curing arthritis is a very important goal, not just to those who have the disease, but to this nation’s

economy as well. Osteoarthritis alone is the second-most expensive condition billed to private insurance

and Medicare, and arthritis as a whole costs this nation’s economy $128 billion annually.

As a Walk to Cure Arthritis participant, you have committed to raising funds to help support the Arthritis

Foundation in its commitment to a cure. Start by setting a fundraising goal for yourself. Aim high, there

are 50 million people counting on you.

This guide will help you get started with your fundraising. You and your team can work together to

raise funds (see tips on page 10); you can raise funds online (see tips page 7); and there are also some

fun, and easy, ways that you can raise money on your own (see tips page 12). Top fundraisers use a

combination of all three methods. However you choose to raise funds, get started early and start asking.

Again, we want to say thank you for stepping up and committing to raise money to end the pain of

arthritis and to change the lives of the people who suffer from arthritis.

Ann M. Palmer Meagan Fulmer

Chief Executive Officer Chief Development Officer

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More than 50 million Americans suffer from arthritis, including 300,000 children.

ASK personally

Share your own story, not just statistics. Connect with your donors through your personal relationship with them.

ASK everyone

And we mean everyone! Your neighbors, doctor, barista, grocery store clerk, colleagues, clients, hair dresser — everyone you see or contact.

ASK big

If you ask someone for $100, you might get $100, maybe you’ll get $75 or $50. If not, at least you’ve set the bar high.

ASK confidently

You are not asking for money for yourself; you’re asking for funds to help find a cure for arthritis.

AN ASK IN 5 EASY STEPS

1. Identify the need you are trying to address. Example: “More than 50 million American adults have been diagnosed with arthritis.”

2. Explain why it is important to you. Example: “My husband is one of those people. Every day, I watch him struggle with the pain he endures from this disability.”

3. Share what you are doing about it. Example: “I joined the Walk to Cure Arthritis and am raising funds to help find a cure for arthritis.”

4. Ask your donor to take a specific action. Example: “Will you make a $50 donation in support of my husband and the more than 50 million Americans living with arthritis?”

5. Stop talking and let your donor answer.

HOW TO FUNDRAISEUSE SOCIAL

MEDIA TO

FUNDRAISE!

FACEBOOK, TWITTER

AND MORE

The number one reason people give is simply because someone asked. Thus, the GOLDEN RULE OF FUNDRAISING is just as simple: YOU RAISE MONEY WHEN YOU ASK FOR IT. SO ASK EVERYONE YOU KNOW.

www.arthritiswalk.org

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ARTHRITIS FACTS

Your support of and fundraising on behalf of the Arthritis Foundation is critical to

the success of the Walk to Cure Arthritis. It is important because arthritis is a costly

disease-to the people who have it and to the nation as a whole.

When you are asking others for a donation, here are some arthritis facts and

figures that you can use:

• Arthritis is the #1 cause of disability in the United States

• More than 50 million Americans and 300,000 children fight arthritis every day

• Arthritis costs the United States economy $128 billion annually

• One out of every three people has difficulty with the simplest of tasks such as

buttoning their shirt, tying their shoes or picking up their child

• Arthritis is the second most expensive condition treated in U.S. hospitals

• Arthritis is the second-most expensive condition billed to private insurance and

Medicare (Cancer, heart disease and diabetes do not make the top five.)

• Without your financial support, this will only get worse. By 2030, it is estimated

that 60 million people will have to face arthritis

We need your support to end this crippling disease, which attacks more than 50 million Americans, including 300,000 children. You can help us fight and cure the nation’s #1 cause of disability.

OUR MISSION IS TO CHANGE LIVES

Fund CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH, creating better treatments today and working tirelessly for a cure tomorrow.

Fight to ensure that people have ACCESS to medications and treatments they need to feel better.

We are THE VOICE

of people with arthritis

— leading our 70,000-strong

advocacy network.

Advocate for PEDIATRIC RHEUMATOLOGISTS to take

care of the 300,000 children with arthritis.

Lead the effort to PERSONALIZE MEDICAL TREATMENTS so that they are patient centered.

WHAT WE DO

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ONLINE TOOLS

To help you raise funds for the Walk to Cure Arthritis, there are online tools that you can

download from our Committee Corner.

Download Team Captain tools: http://www.arthritis.org/programs-events/arthritis-walk/aw-

volunteer-resource-center/aw-team-captain-tools/

Download Participant tools: http://www.arthritis.org/programs-events/arthritis-walk/aw-volunteer-

resource-center/aw-participant-fundraising-tips/

Some of those tools include:

Team Goal Poster General Event Poster

Social Media Banners

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ONLINE FUNDRAISING

What is online fundraising?

Online fundraising gives you the ability to raise event funds online through the Arthritis

Foundation Walk to Cure Arthritis website. Participants can use the online fundraising tool to:

• Register online

• Create a free personal and/or team fundraising page

• Email your friends and family to ask for donations

• Recruit team members to join you

• Track fundraising progress

• Share your passion for the cure via social media

How do I get started?

To get started, visit walktocurearthritis.org. Click on your state on the map to find a Walk to Cure

Arthritis in your area. Then, follow the step-by-step instructions to start a team, join a team or

join as an individual.

How do I set up my personal or team page?

Once you have registered, you can set up both your personal and team HQ pages by clicking

the My Webpage tab. Follow the step-by-step instructions to change the title, upload a profile

picture and share your fundraising progress. It is a best practice to update your personal and

team pages on a regular basis, so your donors can keep up with you.

How do I start fundraising?

Once you register for the event and edit your personal and team pages, you can use the Email

Center tool to compose your first email campaign to recruit teammates and raise money. Click

on the blue Email tab at the top of the page to get started.

What do you mean by ‘email campaign’?

An email campaign is a proven method of fundraising and recruiting teammates online. You

should share that you are participating in Walk to Cure Arthritis with your entire network of

contacts: family, friends, coworkers, etc. The Email Center tool is an effective way to share your

message with many people at one time.

Start by sending an email announcing your participation in Walk to Cure Arthritis and asking

others to either join your team or donate to your campaign. Later, send a reminder email letting

your network know that you still need their help or share your fundraising progress. The Email

Center offers sample email copy to get you started!

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Do I have to type in all of my contacts’ email addresses separately?

No. You can upload your personal address book from Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo or a .csv file. The

import wizard will then guide you through the process.

How can I use social media to help raise more money?

Using social media is a great way to expand your reach when asking for donations and recruiting

teammates. When posting to Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, be sure to always add a link to your

Walk to Cure Arthritis fundraising site, and make sure the page is up to date. Keep your followers

updated by posting, tweeting and sharing photos of your fundraising efforts while engaging and

asking them for support. Continue posting updates of your progress until you reach your goal!

Is it safe to use my credit card online? What about privacy?

In order to prevent unauthorized access and protect our users’ personal information, the

Arthritis Foundation strives to maintain physical, electronic and administrative safe-guards to

secure the information we collect online.

How do donors know if their credit card donation went through?

Your HQ site will automatically generate a donation confirmation email when the transaction is

processed. The donor will receive this email and should print it out for tax purposes.

How will I know if someone has donated online to support me?

Your HQ site will send you an email notifying you when someone makes a donation. You can

also log into your HQ and view your fundraising progress under the Reports tab. Here, you can

view your fundraising total to date, how many people have viewed your page, and how many

emails you have sent.

Some people are not comfortable donating online. Can they still send their donations?

Yes. Although donating online is often more secure than sending money through the mail,

many people feel more comfortable sending a check. You can enter any offline cash or check

donations that you receive by clicking the Tools tab and using the Pledge Entry tool. The

donations you enter will be included in the total on your personal fundraising page. This feature

is not available for all events. Check your Participant Headquarters for availability.

When you are finished entering donations, you have the option to print a report to keep a record

of the donations. You will want to mail or drop off any cash or checks at your local Arthritis

Foundation office on a regular basis.

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When someone makes a donation online, will they receive an automated thank you letter from the

Arthritis Foundation?

Yes, everyone who donates online will receive a thank you email on behalf of the Arthritis Foundation.

For donations under $250, this email notification will serve as their tax receipt (stated in the email). For

many donations, your local office will send a hard copy tax letter in the mail. You should also send them

a personal email thanking them for helping you get one step closer to your goal!

How do I use Social Networking to help raise more money?

The Arthritis Foundation provides you with a free Facebook fundraising tool that can be found on your

online fundraising HQ when you register. Simply follow the instructions to connect your Facebook

community with your Walk to Cure Arthritis efforts.

To use Twitter, we have a number of pre-written “tweets” for you and on the Volunteer Resource Center

Fundraising Tips page of www.walktocurearthritis.org. Simply copy and paste and add a Tiny URL for

your fundraising page to get your message out!

Also on the Fundraising Tips page of the Volunteer Resource Center is an entire guide to help you

fundraise and spread the word through various social media outlets. If you try something new and want

to tell us, please do! Call your local office and share your successes.

Sample Facebook and Twitter Messages:

• We need a cure to end this crippling disease! Please make a donation to my Walk to Cure Arthritis

team: (Tiny URL)

• 50 million Americans suffer from arthritis. Do you? Make a donation to my Walk to Cure Arthritis

team: (Tiny URL)

• Help me reach my goal of $(GOAL) for my Walk to Cure Arthritis team. Click (Tiny URL) to make a

donation now!

• Help me fundraise for a cure at the Walk to Cure Arthritis! Join my team today: (Tiny URL)

• Did you know 2/3 of people with arthritis are under the age of 65? We NEED a cure! (Tiny URL)

Use all of your social media outlets to spread the word!

• If you have a video blog, talk about your campaign and the reason why you’re walking for the

Arthritis Foundation

• Use the various badges and images posted on www.walktocurearthritis.org to put on your blog,

website, or other personal page

• For more ideas and information, visit the Volunteer Resource Center on www.walktocurearthritis.org!

• Use Social Share in your Participant Headquarters! Just one click can send a personal message and

your donation page link to Facebook, Yahoo!, LinkedIn and Twitter.

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INDIVIDUAL FUNDRAISING

Everyone can fundraise even if you don’t have a team. Register online and try to do as much of your

fundraising online as possible – participants can raise three times as much money fundraising online!

In addition to fundraising online, try these fun ideas to boost your bucks and make an even bigger

impact in the lives of those with arthritis!

Schedule a game night: Host a Monopoly, poker, bingo or other game night and charge admission.

Cut out arthritis: Ask your hair salon or barber shop if they will donate $2.00 of each hair cut over a

weekend to your fundraising goal.

Schedule a share-the-profit event: Many local restaurants will give a portion of a day’s profits to a

specific cause. Set this up with restaurant management and notify your friends, family, etc. to visit the

establishment on the scheduled day.

Host a spring cleaning yard sale: Sell your unwanted items and put the profit towards your goal. If

family/friends don’t want to give money, suggest that you sell their unwanted items and donate the

profit towards the Walk to Cure Arthritis.

Turn a gift to you into a gift to the Foundation: Ask family and friends to donate money on your behalf

to the Arthritis Foundation instead of giving you presents at your upcoming birthday or anniversary.

Host a party: Throw a great party and charge admission! Have the party at your house or partner with a

local bar/lounge/club that gives you a portion of the evening’s cover charge.

Host a block party: Invite your neighbors to a neighborhood block party. Sell food and charge admission.