march for babies blog

July 22 is Be a Hero for Babies day!

I won’t watch a scary movie by myself, I’m deathly terrified of spiders and am already teaching my son to fear motorcycles. No hero by any standard.

But this, I can do: go one day without my skinny latte, bring my own lunch to work, skip pizza Friday, have date night at home…

That’s all it takes to be a hero for a little baby.

July 22 is “Be a Hero for Babies” day and starting today, our friends at Farmers are doubling every gift to the March of Dimes.

You can give as little as $1.99 and they’ll match it. And when you’re done, you can pick up our avatar (the cute picture above) and show off your new superhero status to your friends on Facebook or Twitter!

I know you worked hard for March for Babies. But the fight goes on for babies born too soon or very sick. Please give your $1.99 today. Or tomorrow. Don’t wait to long though - Farmers’ match is only good through the 22nd.

What can you give up today to save a baby?

Update 7/20: Only three days left. Time to get out your cape - or your credit card. Be a hero for babies, I know you have it in you!

Our social media leading volunteer, Dylan Conn, volunteered at his local March for Babies event. We interviewed him to find out about his experience as an on-the-ground volunteer.

Allison & Kaylen: What motivated you to volunteer & participate in March for Babies?

Dylan: I may be known for the work I do for the March of Dimes online, but this weekend I experienced “the real deal” - walking in March for Babies.  Walking in  March for Babies was actually my first experience with the March of Dimes, so I love participating in it again every year.

A & K: In what ways did you volunteer at the walk?

Dylan:I left my house much earlier than I usually even wake up on a Sunday morning (6:30!) and headed to the Chicago suburb of Highland Park to volunteer at the Lake County March for Babies.  My job was to work the registration table, which consists of taking the donations from the walkers and making sure their team gets the credit for it.  It may sound easy, but when the walkers began arriving, it quickly turned busy. All of the other volunteers did a great job of working together, and we managed to collect all of the walkers’ money quickly and efficiently!

A & K: Were you able to participate in the walk?

Dylan: Yes! I really wanted to experience the walk, so I ran away from the table just in time to catch the ribbon cutting and beginning of the march.  As we left the park where we started, hundreds marched through Highland Park’s shopping district, which was a very cool sight.  I caught up with the ambassador family and asked them about their story since I couldn’t hear it earlier when I was working registration.  Jack weighed only 1.5 pounds when he was born at 26 weeks because his mother suffered from HELLP syndrome, which can cause premature birth.  Jack’s story is a happy one though, because he came home from the NICU after 115 days.  Now a year old, he suffers from some lung issues, but is otherwise happy and healthy.  It was great to see Jack, his cousins, and many other family members walking in the March for Babies and supporting the March of Dimes!

It started to rain about twenty minutes into the walk, which is something I always dread!  It seems like I always get stuck with bad weather! But another great thing about the March for Babies is everyone is so happy to be there and showing their support, they don’t care if they get a little wet.  I was still relieved when I reached the picnic shelter at the end and got to put on my warm, dry coat! 

A & K: Were there other youth walkers participating in your March for Babies event?

Dylan: There were-special thanks to students from North Chicago and Zion-Benton High Schools who came out to walk - I love seeing youth teams come out when we all know that many would prefer sleeping on their Sunday morning!

A &K: Why do you think it’s important for youth to be involved in March for Babies?

Dylan: March for Babies truly shows what the March of Dimes is all about, and I can’t wait to participate for years to come… but I also like volunteering online.  It never rains on Facebook!

Want to use your profile to turn a March for Babies profit? Follow these tips:

• Put your March for Babies personal fundraising link in your status update. People really rally around a tangible goal so try a message like “I am $150 away from $500. If 30 of my 200 friends each donate $5, I’ll reach my goal!” For extra pep, share with a link, video, or cute baby photo! 

• Add the App. The March for Babies Facebook application provides a dynamic badge for your profile and publishes a story each time you receive a donation. It’s an excellent way to get the word out that you’re helping the babies.

• Create an event. Create a “Help Me Support Healthy Babies” Facebook event and invite all of your friends. Include your fundraising link, an ask for donations and team members, and post motivational pictures and videos.

Have you fundraised successfully on Facebook? Share best practices with us about using Facebook to raise money for March for Babies.

Join the conversation!

Blog not moving fast enough for you? Sounds like you’re ready to join the conversation on Twitter!

 
If you use Twitter already, follow our feed. Talk about March for Babies to your own Twitter friends. And help us spread the word by re-Tweeting any of our messages you like.

Don’t forget to follow proper Twitter etiquette, start any re-Tweets with “RT @marchforbabies:”

 
If you’re new to Twitter, now’s a great time to sign up. Creating a Twitter account is absolutely free. If you follow us, you’ll always hear the latest March for Babies news first - and we’ll keep those tips coming!

Tell your friends about our feed and mention it on your Facebook or MySpace page!

Are you on Facebook? You have to get our great app! This may just give your campaign the push you need.

Our widget sits right on your profile page and shows your goal and progress (updates automatically every couple of hours). If you have 200 friends on Facebook, this probably includes a bunch of people you wouldn’t have e-mailed a donation request to. I’m talking new people to reach and new fundraising opportunities!

This is cool: People can click and donate right on your page - and all these donations show up on your wall where they may inspire other friends to give.

To get the app, you have to log on to personal March for Babies account.

     •     Click on the “get a custom widget” button to the left of your screen

     •     Choose the Facebook option and click “get it now”

     •     Log on to your Facebook account

     •     On the next screen, click “allow”

     •     Add the widget to your wall and Info tab where its most visible

     •     The widget should now show up on your profile page and info tab! 

There’s more you can do on Facebook to help boost your fundraising. You can send the app to 20 friends a day - inviting them to add the app to their page, too. And you can post your March for Babies fundraising video on Facebook.

Let us know how you’re using Facebook to promote March for Babies!