march for babies blog

As long as you’re sitting behind your computer… click through to do some good this summer!

These three great companies are giving away a total of $60K to the charity of your choice. Just think of the good that this money could do for babies and families.

1. Enter Kenneth Cole’s Big Change Giveaway here and win $25K to fight premature birth and other problems that threaten our babies.

2. Visit delicious cookies on the Web: Christie Cookies is also giving out $25K!

3. Check out Capital One’s Connect One campaign to win $25 instantly ― plus a shot at the $10K grand prize. Make our babies the winner!

Thanks to all these companies for showing some love in the summer of ’09. And thanks to you for taking a couple of minutes to support your favorite charity. Share the love and invite others to click to help us also!

The Hall Family - Our National Ambassadors

Michael Hall is the March of Dimes National Ambassador Dad. Every time Michael speaks out about prematurity to raise money for the mission, he lights up with joy and pride talking about his wife, Ashley, and daughter, Katelyn. Michael is leading Team Katelyn to victory for March for Babies. And, oh yeah, Michael was also named Dad of the Month by iParenting.

Want to know what this volunteer dad extraordinaire is doing for Mother’s Day? Michael is shopping online to benefit the cause! Flowers, photos, jewelry and more. Take a few more steps for babies – get something for your mom! Or, is your mom the mom who has everything and is also allergic to flowers, just donate in her honor – it’s a priceless gift of love and hope.

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.

FDR and Basil O Connor

During the Great Depression, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt asked America to help defeat that era’s biggest threat to our children – polio. He called on all families to collect dimes, just dimes. Did you go door to door? Did your grandparents? Times were tough, but millions of people sent millions of dimes to the White House. Those dimes added up fast and helped researchers find the cure.

Now, $10 can help defeat prematurity. Just ask for $10 for babies. And then ask if your sponsor could ask two others to give $10, too. That’s what I’ve always done, and I’ve watched my fundraising total go up and up.  And, in more good news, I’ve always been amazed by how many sponsors donated more than $10 – much more!

America remembers polio. America needs to know about prematurity. Try connecting the dots. Then tell us if it works for you!

Springtime, March for Babies time!

Donor fatigue, giver burnout… what they mean is “hey, you’re not the only one asking me to help out.”

While you’re sending out your e-mails for March for Babies, people are getting plenty of other appeals in their e-mail and mailbox. So how do you break through the clutter?

Make them feel special: True, yours is only one of many requests. But you have a huge advantage over anonymous direct mailers: you know you these people. So, don’t send letters or e-mails in bulk. Personalize them! If you can make your donors feel they are being asked especially, they will be more likely to help.

Know what you’re talking about: Everyone’s hitting them up, but, with a little ready knowledge, you can stand out. And I’m not talking stats. Use your own story, or emphasize a project or goal of the March of Dimes that you care about - like supporting families in the NICU, or finding ways to prevent prematurity.

You know what? I don’t like being asked for money. But when I do decide to donate, I really enjoy the good feeling of giving that gift. It’s not that different from giving a present you know someone will really enjoy.

Have you experienced donor fatigue? How are you combating it?

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!

March for Babies '08 in Jacksonville, FL

I learned asking for donations in a bad economy is not business as usual. More than halfway to go to reach my goal, I decided to adjust course. So, I’ve been talking to some of our bigger fundraisers here at the national office.

 
“Think of every ask as a sales call,” was one person’s advice. “You have to sell the benefits of their donation to the March of Dimes.”

That may make sense if sales are, say, what you do for a living. For the rest of us, let me break it down:

Get personal: E-mail is great, but when the donations stop coming in, approaching people in person is your best tactic. One good thing, it gets much harder to say no.

Think positive: And smile when you’re asking: it’s contagious. Your positive attitude and enthusiasm for the cause will inspire people to give.

Make the sell: Explain how their gift will help babies and families. Talk about the work the March of Dimes does. And remind everyone of the tax deduction next year!

The biggest thing right now is to just ask. If someone helped you before, give them the opportunity to help again. All you can do is be sensitive and acknowledge hard times. People can say no. They don’t need us to do it for them.

Have you changed tactics to raise money this year? Post your advice here!

Around the country, Pampered Chef representatives are hosting March for Babies parties for walkers to help raise money, donating a portion of proceeds. Fabulous chef or quick and easy cook, there are wonderful kitchen gadgets and cookwear for all! The March of Dimes National Office Team had great success with this - and so can you.  Bon appetit!

Looking for a cool way to raise money for March for Babies? Check out what Long Island is doing with schools and districts – challenging them to raise a mile of dimes this spring!

One mile has 5,280 feet – and if you raise a mile, you can raise as much as $10,560 for your March for Babies team! Class challenges, grade challenges, and asking local businesses to sponsor a few feet are just a few of the ways the students will be participating.

Students are encouraged to sell a quarter mile of dimes, $2,640, and become an official member of the Quarter Mile Club. They will seek out their teachers, friends, parents, relatives, coaches and others to buy feet of dimes, yards of dimes, and maybe even a whole quarter mile to join the club.

Every time a sale is made, a student has the opportunity to educate the public about healthy babies and prematurity and its effect upon the community. Check out some of our resources for Mile of Dimes on the Team Youth site!

What creative ways are you raising money for March for Babies this year?