march for babies blog

Sometimes the hardest part about fundraising is getting started. I know for me, making the initial ask of someone–especially someone I may not have been in touch with for a while–can be a little tough.

This may be the reason why so many people use our animated e-card to break the ice. Have you see it? It’s fun, funny and best of all, you can personalize it with your own message and your own (or your baby’s), slightly out of proportion, head!

Be warned: this may cause laughter and donations!

As spring approaches, it becomes natural for me to start dreaming of tulips, sunshine, green grass, and the March for Babies. March for Babies has become a lifelong tradition; I started walking for the March of Dimes before kindergarten when I was the local ambassador child for the walk.

At the young age of six or seven, I felt like a celebrity when I received the privilege of cutting the ribbon in front of the walk route; I felt like royalty when cheering, “Walk for someone you love!” from my perch in my little red wagon along the six mile trek.

While I knew that being born eight weeks early was something that made me special, I didn’t realize the extent the March of Dimes played in my well being until much later.

Now as I set my fundraising goals and try to sculpt the March of Dimes into a brand new college atmosphere, I realize the greatest contributions I’ve received from others for the March of Dimes are the memories I’ve made in walking annually for over 12 years. These memories outreach any fundraising goal I could ever set.

Thus, I encourage each volunteer to make the March for Babies a tradition in his or her life. Share your March of Dimes memories generously and the sponsorship will naturally follow.

This guest post comes to us from Kelsey, a March of Dimes National Youth Council member.

In this mile-a-minute internet savvy world it is easy to forget that not everyone will see your March for Babies Facebook app or your e-mail signature badge. After the walk last year you said:  “@marchforbabies, sometimes you need some honest to goodness paper reminders.”  Well, we could be paraphrasing that a bit, but your message came across loud and clear.

On our spread the word page we now have printable badges in both postcard and business card size.  Print them, write in your user name that will link people to your personal fundraising page, hand them out and you’re good to go!  These just may be the gentle paper reminder that puts you over your goal!

The March of Dimes hosted a Black History Month breakfast at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles for celebrity volunteers, corporate supporters, and national service partners to discuss the alarming rates of premature birth in the African-American community. Lisa Leslie, expectant mom, retired WNBA/LA Sparks player, and March of Dimes volunteer (first row, second from left) was joined by fellow March of Dimes volunteers Rachel Bervell, National Youth Council member, Harvard College; Densel Fleming, March of Dimes ambassador father; Chef Rahman “Rock” Harper, Hell’s Kitchen winner; Faye McClure, Director of Strategic Marketing, Farmer’s Insurance; Aonika Laurent Thomas, actress; Sean Patrick Thomas, actor; and Camille Winbush, actress (Secret Life of the American Teenager) and March of Dimes Youth Volunteer.

Leaders of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc; Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity; Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity; Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority; and Top Ladies & Top Teens of Distinction are also shown in the group photo.

These guests and others shared their personal stories and connection to March of Dimes efforts to give every baby a healthy start in life. Thanks for all you do by sharing your stories and supporting the March of Dimes.

Way back in 2008, we developed our first Facebook app. The app made it easy to show your support for March for Babies and to fundraise on Facebook. We made some improvements last year and were very excited to see that tens of thousands of people are using it!

This year we’ve made the app even better (with more on the way, but, shhhh! it is still super top secret). You can now register for March for Babies, upload your picture, change your personal story and update your goal without ever leaving Facebook! You can also invite your Facebook friends, see your sponsor messages and see how your help supports babies. The app will even update your status for you if you’d like to let others know you are raising money for March for Babies!

The best part is that if you installed the app already you’ll automatically be upgraded to the new version! Haven’t installed it yet? Just go here.

If you run into any trouble installing the app or you have any questions, just drop us a line here and we will get it all figured out.

Stay tuned, there are some more great improvements on the way!

With the nation’s corporate leaders as her audience, comedienne, actress and author Sherri Shepherd kicked off March for Babies, the March of Dimes largest fundraising event, by ringing the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange.

“As the mother of a premature child, I know first-hand the toll an early birth can have on a family. That’s why I’m here today to open the New York Stock Exchange and kick off March for Babies,” said Sherri Shepherd, Emmy Winning co-host of ABC’s The View and March of Dimes celebrity spokesperson. “March for Babies helped fund research that saved my son, Jeffrey, who was born three months too soon, and helped millions of other premature babies nationwide. I support the March of Dimes and hope my fans do, too, so that one day all babies will be born healthy.”

Each year, about 20,000 companies get involved in March for Babies. These company teams raise $70 million dollars. The goal for this year’s event is more than $100 million dollars. March for Babies is sponsored nationally by the March of Dimes number one corporate supporter Kmart, Farmers Insurance Group, CIGNA, Continental Airlines, Famous Footwear, FedEx, Sanofi Pasteur, First Response and Mission Pharmacal.

Fundraising is important business, not only for charitable organizations, but also for the corporations that sponsor them. Donations are a bell-weather for the larger economy, and the March of Dimes presence at the world’s financial capital is an example of the economic importance of nonprofits.

“We’re here at the center of the world’s financial markets to engage the corporate community,” said Carol Evans, president, Working Mother Media and a vice chair of the March of Dimes national Board of Trustees. Her now college-aged son also was born prematurely. “Corporate philanthropy is critical to improving the health of babies. It helps fund the research and can help reduce everyone’s health care costs. Bottom line, it’s good business.”

Premature birth is a serious and costly problem. More than 540,000 babies are born too soon in the United States each year, costing the nation more than $26 billion annually. Babies who survive an early birth often face lifelong health challenges.

With March for Babies just two months away, now is the time to start raising those dollars. If you’ve walked before, you’ve probably figured out some of the things that work for you. But we can all use a little inspiration, right?

Are you walking with your co-workers?

•       Ask your boss to offer up incentives like a prime parking spot or day off. Raffle them among people who raise $200.
•       Create a “Wall of Fame” and highlight everyone who raises more than $200.
•       Promote some competition between departments – which team has the most walkers and who wins on dollars?

Are you walking with family and friends?

•       Ask everyone on the team to help raise money, even if you know a lot of the same people.
•       Reach out to your Facebook friends, and ask them to share your request with their friends.
•       Dedicate your Facebook status to anyone who gives you a donation over a certain amount.

Speaking of Facebook… have you checked out our active community yet? Everyone is talking about March for Babies. Stop by for tips from folks who are walking – and share your own!

You can also follow us on Twitter!

Today’s post comes from Astrid, a student at the University of Arizona and a member of our National Youth Council. Astrid has been an avid March of Dimes volunteer for years!

How do you plan to kickoff your March for Babies campaign this year? Here are some ideas to help get you started.

Start your personal online fundraising campaign. Hopefully you have already signed up at marchforbabies.org! Personalize your profile and add a March for Babies banner to your email template or Facebook page so that others can see your progress. Set a realistic yet optimistic personal fundraising goal. It is the start of a new decade, but saving babies never gets old. Send emails to your friends, family, teachers, and acquaintances. Every dollar, and even every dime helps, and many people are incredibly generous.

Involve others. If you are part of a March of Dimes club or organization, encourage group fundraising and goal-setting. When I was in high school, we held a very popular ‘Mile of Dimes’ coin drive each year before March for Babies. We not only held the coin drives in our high school, but also in the local elementary and middle schools. Classes became competitive, and we were able to raise thousands of dollars each year. Change can go a long way!

Personalize. Although we live in the era of technology, sometimes it is better to be old-fashioned. Close family friends may appreciate the personal touch of a letter and be more inclined to take action- all through the help of paper, envelopes, and stamps! Be sure to mention that donations can be made online or through the mail, whichever is most convenient for them.

Go farther. Take your fundraising beyond your family, connections and school. Visit local businesses and ask for donations. Even if companies aren’t willing to donate, sometimes they will allow you to place a coin jar on the counter in their lobby or reception area. Dentists’ offices, nail salons, local eateries and other such businesses are great places to approach for this type of fundraising. Be sure to bring a letter along with you explaining your purpose. Also, set a pickup schedule for each location every week.

Don’t be discouraged. Fundraising can be difficult. However, if people see that you are passionate about something, they will be moved. Remember: even if someone doesn’t donate, you have still educated him or her about the March of Dimes and its mission: healthy and happy babies. That is extremely important.

Be creative. Try a new fundraiser. Reach out to others in an original way, and don’t forget to share your success stories with us! Visit marchofdimesyouth.com to not only learn new ideas, but also share your great campaigning tips with others. Good luck!

Kmart has done and continues to do wonderful things to help all babies!

Over the last 26 years, Kmart has raised $79 million dollars for the March of Dimes! Last year alone they raised a record $8.3 million and Kmart hopes to set a new record this year!?

How can you help? Kmart customers can support March for babies and improve the health of babies by making a donation of $1, $5 or $10 at any store cash register through May 31.

So next time you shop at Kmart, make sure to check out the program and don’t forget to say ‘thank you’ for their support in giving babies a healthy start!

One of the great things about participating in March for Babies is meeting all the Family Teams that come out to walk every year.

Check out this video about some of the families who are participating and let us know in the comments why you walk!



For more information on how you can register your family to be part of March for Babies in your local area please e-mail us at familyteams@marchofdimes.com.