2025 Fort Bragg Polar Plunge

Fundraising Tips

Email and social networking are incredibly effective fundraising tools, reaching people all over the world with the click of a button. They are great ways to spread the word about your participation, to ask others to join your team, and to make a donation to support your fundraising efforts.


Tips & Tricks

  • Make it personal: Tell your story. Share with others why you participate, whether it’s because you are participating for fun, someone double-dog dared you or simply because you love Special Olympics!

  • Be sure and share the mission of Special Olympics, to enrich the lives of children and adults with intellectual disabilities through sports, health and educational program for free. Our program and the funds raised will help us continue to create a positive impact in our communities. 
  • If you have participated before, share a picture of you at the event.
  • 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. Or think of something else that might motivate your donors!
  • Set a reasonable fundraising goal. Donors want to see their friends succeed. In fact, some will donate again if they know their friend is close to their goal.
  • If you reach your goal, increase it and send an email to everyone you reached out to for donations. It's a great way to give a gentle reminder to those who haven't given yet, and a nice way to thank those who have supported your efforts. 
  • Share your page: Send your page to everyone in your address book and all your social media channels. The great thing about your personal fundraising page is that you don’t have to go door-to-door to ask for donations. Instead of spending days on phone calls or visits, you can send an email or post your fundraising page link in just a few minutes.
  • Don’t be timid about asking for support: Because you are not asking people in person to donate, it takes the anxiety off of both parties.
  • 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.
  • Be creative and have fun!  Think of crazy ideas to encourage donors to support your fundraising efforts!