Thank you for joining the Nationwide® Pet Cancer Awareness Walk in support of Animal Cancer Foundation! We greatly appreciate your participation and partnership as part of a national community of animal lovers walking to benefit Animal Cancer Foundation and community-based pet organizations. This guide is designed to provide you with resources, tips and templates to support your fundraising efforts.
EVENT SUMMARY
The Nationwide® Pet Cancer Awareness Walk is a virtual fundraiser running from November 1-December 31, 2020. Participants raise money for Animal Cancer Foundation while earning weekly product rewards and cash donations to their local rescues and shelters.
WHO’S INVOLVED:
The Walk benefits Animal Cancer Foundation – a 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1999 that is dedicated to finding a cure for cancer by funding research in and increasing public awareness of comparative oncology, the study of naturally occurring cancers in pets and people www.acfoundation.org
Title Sponsor is Nationwide® pet insurance – America’s #1 pet insurance provider www.petinsurance.com
WoofTrax is the Walk’s official event platform and leading pet parent engagement app, that gives pet owners a chance to support their favorite local animal charity just by walking their dog www.wooftrax.com
YOUR ROLE:
As a Nationwide® Pet Cancer Awareness Walk fundraising partner, your role is to engage your personal networks in getting involved in the event: signing up to walk and donating. The following information in this guide can help you maximize your fundraising and engagement efforts.
FUNDRAISING STEP-BY-STEP
Now that you’ve created your personal or team fundraising page, the following steps are a guide to planning your outreach activities:
1) Set a goal. Do you want to raise $1,000? $500? $250? Whatever you feel is achievable – any amount benefits Animal Cancer Foundation and advances the ACF mission.
2) Build your list. Friends, family, neighbors…the possibilities are endless! Think about who shares your love of animals and cares about the Animal Cancer Foundation’s mission. Also…who do you know who has a dog and is already walking on a regular basis? This Walk challenge is perfect for them!
Great News! Thanks to our Title Sponsor, Nationwide® pet insurance, your contacts can have an impact just by signing up for the Walk – when they do, Nationwide® will donate $10 to Animal Cancer Foundation in their name! This is a great entry point for engaging potential participants.
See below for sample e-mails to send to your contacts.
3) Craft your communication plan. How will you communicate with your networks? Will you use e-mail, Facebook, Instagram or some other way to reach out? How often will you reach out? How much time can you comfortably commit each week to fundraising? These are some of the basic questions to answer as you craft your plan.
See below for a sample plan/calendar.
4) Reach out! Using your plan as your guide, reach out to your contacts through a combination of communication tools. Don’t give up if you don’t receive a response after your first attempt. People are busy and typically need more than one message (or “ask”) to act.
5) Get creative and have fun! This toolkit is meant to be a guide – create your plan using the tools you’re comfortable using and think will motivate the people you know to get involved and support your fundraising goal.
SAMPLE PLAN/CALENDAR
The following weekly communication plan can help guide your outreach efforts and fundraising asks. Again, this is a suggested calendar; you should develop your plan to best fit your available time and the tools that are the most appropriate for communicating successfully with your contacts.
Week 1 (approximately 30 minutes):
- Create your contact list
- Follow event partner social media accounts (Facebook & Instagram):
Animal Cancer Foundation (@animalcancerfoundation); Nationwide® pet insurance (@NationwidePet); WoofTrax (@Walkforadog)
Week 2 (approximately 20 minutes):
- Share your first social media message about the Walk. Include the direct link to your fundraising page; use the official Walk image and hashtag #curepetcancer, and tag the three event partners.
- Send your first e-mail appeal to your contacts. Include the direct link to your fundraising or team page and share other ways people can get involved in the Walk.
Weeks 3 & 4 (approximately 20 minutes):
- Send a minimum of two follow-up communications each week – a mix of social media posts and e-mails.
- Potential post/e-mail topics: An update on your/your team’s fundraising progress and prompt to donate (link to your fundraising page); how many walks you and your pet(s) have taken since the Challenge launched on Nov. 1; link to the Walk’s official Spotify playlist; a reminder about ACF’s mission and why you’re supporting the organization. Photos are great! Don’t forget to use the hashtag #curepetcancer and also tag the three event partners in any social media posts.
- Send thank you e-mails to donors.
Week 5 (approximately 20 minutes):
- Assess your progress – where are you in your fundraising? What has been successful and what hasn’t?
- Make any adjustments to your plan based on this assessment.
- Send a campaign update to all contacts (Examples: Almost there! Reached my goal!); include a thank you to all who’ve donated.
- Send a follow-up e-mail to specific contacts who you haven’t yet heard from or who expressed interest but haven’t yet donated. Include the direct link to your fundraising or team page.
SAMPLE APPEAL E-MAILS
1) For individual fundraisers to send to potential supporters:
Family and Friends,
I’m excited to announce that I’m participating in the 2020 Nationwide® Pet Cancer Awareness Walk! This virtual event supports Animal Cancer Foundation, and I’d love it if you would make a donation through my fundraising page (INCLUDE DIRECT LINK).
Why support ACF? Because the most common cancers in our dogs are also very common in people— with a particular similarity to childhood cancer— deepening understanding of these naturally-occurring canine cancers allows researchers to more effectively discover new treatments for both pets and people. Our millions of beloved pets with cancer can be our best friends in discovering more scientific information to help us all.
It’s because of your generosity, these discoveries are possible. And thanks to you, we will one day unleash a cure.
You can also support Animal Cancer Foundation and their mission to find a cure for pet and human cancer by joining the Nationwide® Pet Cancer Awareness Walk and get those feet and paws moving!
Nationwide® will make a $10 donation to Animal Cancer Foundation in your name simply for signing up for the Challenge on the WoofTrax app. Use the app each time you grab your leash to walk your pup. As you step up with WoofTrax, you will unlock prizes and incentives along the way including rewards for a local rescue or shelter in your area.
Go to: acfoundation.org for more info.
Thank you!
2) For team captains to send to potential supporters:
Family and Friends,
I’m excited to announce that I’m leading a fundraising team for the 2020 Nationwide® Pet Cancer Awareness Walk! This virtual event supports Animal Cancer Foundation, and I’d love it if you would make a donation through my team fundraising page (INCLUDE DIRECT LINK).
Why support ACF? Because the most common cancers in our dogs are also very common in people— with a particular similarity to childhood cancer— deepening understanding of these naturally-occurring canine cancers allows researchers to more effectively discover new treatments for both pets and people. Our millions of beloved pets with cancer can be our best friends in discovering more scientific information to help us all.
It’s because of your generosity, these discoveries are possible. And thanks to you, we will one day unleash a cure.
You can also support Animal Cancer Foundation and their mission to find a cure for pet and human cancer by joining the Nationwide® Pet Cancer Awareness Walk and get those feet and paws moving!
Nationwide® will make a $10 donation to Animal Cancer Foundation in your name simply for signing up for the Challenge on the WoofTrax app. Use the app each time you grab your leash to walk your pup. As you step up with WoofTrax, you will unlock prizes and incentives along the way including rewards for a local rescue or shelter in your area.
Go to: acfoundation.org for more info.
Thank you!
SAMPLE THANK YOU E-MAILS
1) For individual fundraisers to send to supporters:
Thank you for supporting Animal Cancer Foundation through my fundraising page for the Nationwide® Pet Cancer Awareness Walk! Feel free to check back on my fundraising progress as I attempt to reach my goal!
Wanna further unleash a more hopeful tomorrow for curing pet and human cancer? Join the Walk as well, and get those feet and paws moving! Use the app each time you grab your leash to walk your pup. As you step up with WoofTrax, you will unlock prizes and incentives along the way including rewards for a local rescue or shelter in your area.
Go to: acfoundation.org for more info.
Thank you again for your support!
2) For team captains to send to supporters:
Thank you for supporting Animal Cancer Foundation through my team’s fundraising page for the Nationwide® Pet Cancer Awareness Walk! Feel free to check back on our fundraising progress as we attempt to reach our goal!
Wanna further unleash a more hopeful tomorrow for curing pet and human cancer? Join the Walk as well, and get those feet and paws moving! Use the app each time you grab your leash to walk your pup. As you step up with WoofTrax, you will unlock prizes and incentives along the way including rewards for a local rescue or shelter in your area.
Go to: acfoundation.org for more info.
Thank you again for your support!
SAMPLE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS
Your Facebook page is a reflection of who you are, so the best approach is to keep your fundraising posts in line with everything else on your page. Use your existing voice to your advantage! Following are some tips for creating FB appeals:
- Tailor your message to who you are asking – who do you primarily interact with on FB? Make sure the message resonates with them.
- Make it easy to donate – include the direct link to your individual or team fundraising page in every post.
- Be specific in your ask – depending on your fundraising goal and audience, make a suggested donation amount (Example: “I’d love it if you supported me by donating $20 today” or “I can reach my goal if XX of you donate $50”).
- Get creative with how you ask – videos are a great way to make an appeal personal and engaging. Consider uploading a video of yourself or your pet(s) and share why you’re involved in the Walk.
- Share relevant posts from Animal Cancer Foundation and Nationwide® pet insurance. They don’t always have to be an ask for donations! News from the organizations or facts about pet cancer keep the mission top of mind with your contacts.
- Always include the hashtag #curepetcancer and tag the three event partners in your event posts.
- Consider the sample appeal e-mails for potential FB appeal content.
As with Facebook, your Instagram account is a reflection of you – let your existing personality and voice shine through in your fundraising posts! Consider posting photos of you and your pet(s) out walking. Maximize your reach by including the hashtag #curepetcancer and tagging the three event partners in your event posts. Also include the direct link to your individual or team fundraising page in every post.
Keep the copy short and fun; some examples:
- I’m asking friends and family to support me and (pet’s name) as we walk to #curepetcancer!
- Me and (pet’s name) have already walked XX times as we raise money to #curepetcancer!
- Help me reach my goal of raising $XXX for @animalcancerfoundation!
- I’m halfway to my fundraising goal of $XXX for @animalcancerfoundation! Learn more and contribute at (link to fundraising page).
RESOURCES
- Visit the Animal Cancer Foundation website for news, event updates, and general information about the organization to use in your outreach: acfoundation.org
- We’ve created a Spotify playlist of fun and energizing songs to listen to as you and your pup walk! Link to it here and share via social media or e-mail once you’ve liked it in Spotify: acfoundation.org/music
- Get the official Walk image here: VIEW | DOWNLOAD
- Branding: Refer to the event as the Nationwide® Pet Cancer Awareness Walk
- The team at Animal Cancer Foundation is here to support your efforts! Don’t hesitate to e-mail or call with questions or if you need help as you fundraise: [email protected]; (516) 858-4960
