Fundraising
The American Cancer Society is committed to saving lives from cancer. But we can't do it without YOU. Your donations help us fight all types of cancer, for all types of people. Each person who joins ACS Bike-A-Thon can take pride in knowing that they are working toward ending cancer as we know it, for everyone.
Your donations help the American Cancer Society fund groundbreaking cancer research, critical patient care services, education and prevention initiatives, and so much more. We are the leading nonprofit organization working to ensure everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer.
Please consider joining the ACS Bike-A-Thon and fundraising or donating today.
Kick-Start your Fundraising
Step 1: PREP!
- Identify your Audience - think big about who you know, the world is your audience.
- Don’t be afraid to ask people - You may be thinking, “That person won’t donate to me” but how do you know? Have you asked yet? Probably not! You don’t know the answer unless YOU ASK!
- Share your WHY - Share why you're participating in the ACS Bike-A-Thon and what it means to you to support the American Cancer Society.
Step 2: ASK & REMIND!
- Time to make the ask - don't procrastinate from the time you sign up, start reaching out to potential donors.
- Reach out in multiple ways - use email, mail a letter, Facebook message, text, or call someone to ask.
- Reach out at different times - when you first sign-up, when you share updates on training, updates on progress to your fundraising goal, after the ride, etc.
- Remind - if someone told you they would donate at a later time, follow-up with them!
Step 3: GIVE THANKS!
- Congratulations you did it - Now it's time to thank your donors
- The most important part - taking time to give a heartfelt and gracious thank you means the world to those who supported you
- Be creative - make personalized cards and use photos of you during the ride, make a personalized thank you video and share, bake cookies for your donors, etc!
Fundraising Tips
The most effective way to raise money for Bike-A-Thon is simply to ask for it. But that's certainly not the only way. Fundraising is only limited by your imagination. Consider holding a bake sale, yard sale, or book sale. And don't forget, reaching out through social media is one of the most effective fundraising strategies. Check out more tips below.
- Use milestone fundraising: For example, "please donate $10 to celebrate my 10th year participating in the ACS Bike-A-Thon." Or "please donate $66 to celebrate the 66 miles I will be riding during Bike-A-Thon"
- Dedicate a milestone moment: This could include your birthday/anniversary/holiday/baby gender reveal. You can ask for donations to the ACS Bike-A-Thon in lieu of gifts or drink.
- Create a dare fundraiser: Commit to doing the dare of your donor's request if they donate above a certain amount.
- Create an online voting contest: Ask for submissions and have people vote (their number of votes will be determined by their donation amount) and provide a prize to the winner. Examples include, cutest pet, best nature photography, etc.
- Create cancer ribbons for your donors to wear: They can be cancer colors, or colors indicating the level they donated.
- Challenge your friends: Challenge 10 friends to donate $10 and you're already halfway to our $200 fundraising minimum.
- Host a Dine-to-Donate event: This could be at a local restaurant, bakery, coffee shop, teahouse, or bar. Talk to owners of local establishments in your area or use Groupraise.com to find locations near you.
- Ask for Pledges: Pick a period of time, such as the month of May, and ask donors to give based on the number of training miles you will ride.
- Use tangible giving statements: Your donors want to know where their money is going, and how they are making an impact. Use language such as "Will you donate $50 to support the American Cancer Society's 24/7 hotline?"
