Bowl For Kids' Sake 2023

FUNDRAISING TIPS

Now that you are registered for BFKS, it's time to raise some moo-la for the kids in McHenry County! Need some inspiration? Check out these tips and tricks to share with your circle of friends, family, and coworkers!

​PERSONALIZE YOUR FUNDRAISING PAGE

Add a profile pic, give your "Why" and connect your social media accounts! The more people know about WHY you support BBBS, the more likely they will feel connected to make a donation to your page/team!

You can fundraise individually OR create a Team. Make it a friendly competition, and whichever Team Member that raises the most money gets to go to dinner on the "loser's" dime... (not that there are any losers when raising funds for BBBS!)

​SOCIAL MEDIA SHARING

We have videos, photos, and logos you can share via Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter! By registering online, a fundraising page will be created for you,  pre-filled with messaging that is ready to share immediately. All you need to do is connect the social media channels of your choosing (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) You can choose to edit the messaging and customize it as much as you want to make it personal when asking for donations!

There are also built-in tools to help you fundraise and you can choose to receive text messages when someone donates to your page!

Here are some "extra" blurbs you can use to share on your social channels to ask for donations! 

  1. Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County serves​ over 500 Littles in their 3 mentoring programs. These programs create life-changing relationships between Littles and their mentors, Bigs, to help every child realize their potential. I am raising funds for BBBS and I challenge you to donate to my page and help me reach my goal! 
  2. Did you know there are kids on the Big Brothers Big Sisters wait list, waiting to be matched with the future mentor? Donate to my page to help me raise funds for those kids to be matched with a mentor!
  3. Big Brothers Big Sisters creates life-changing relationships in our community. I am participating in BFKS and would love for you to help me reach my fundraising goal by donating today! All money raised stays right in McHenry County to help build stronger communities through our youth!


​Consider tagging a donor and thanking them on a social platform to thank them publicly for their generosity! It may encourage others to donate to your page as well!

Photos/videos get more attention on social media than large text-only posts. Include a photo of yourself, your fundraising activity, or your fundraising team gathered together to garner attention on social platforms. Photos posted and tagged with our event hashtag #bforkidssake will connect and appear on the main fundraising website for everyone to see. 

​EMAIL BLASTS

An easy way to reach a large number of your personal and professional contacts is in an email blast. This also makes it SUPER easy on your donors - they can simply click on the link to your fundraising profile and make a donation online quickly.

Your fundraising page has a built in feature to send an email to any contacts you type in to the "Send To" box. If on a device connected with an email account (computer or cell phone), the "Send To" field will auto-populate with some of the contacts already saved on your device.

A default email message is already built in to send to your contacts, however, you can edit and customize it to be more personal to you if you choose. 

SET A STRETCH GOAL

As we at BBBS like to say, GO BIG! Set your goal high to encourage more & BIGGER donations! The $75 minimum each participant must reach is to get to your "B" Activity/Adventure, but the sky's the limit! Set a huge stretch goal and encourage your circle of supporters to continue giving. We have incentives for our fundraisers who like to set the bar high!

Check out our incentives in the About/Incentives tab of the navigation menu bar.

​ASK ABOUT COMPANY MATCHES

Many companies care about their employees - and care about what their employees are invested in. Look into a possible company dollar-for-dollar match to see if your place of work will match your fundraising success!

​HOST YOUR OWN MINI FUNDRAISER

If you don't feel comfortable asking for donations outright, think about hosting a mini event to help you collect funds. Your fundraising page has the option to promote your own fundraiser through a pre-made option, or make up your own! Run a Bake Sale and ask for donations in return for a tasty treat; Raffle off a cool prize or Amazon gift card to individuals who make a donation to your page; the possibilities are endless!

​SPRING CLEANING/GARAGE SALE

It seems it's spring cleaning time, ALL the time! Instead of throwing away your unwanted items, consider selling that old china cabinet or record player on Facebook Marketplace, Offer Up, or at a garage sale. Take the proceeds from your sale and donate them to BBBS to reach your fundraising goal!