Fundraising 101

Meeting up at the chapter yesterday for 3+ hours was somewhat great.

One hour as preparation and sort of business meeting with the CEO LEB, JB and EE. We covered many different topics from teammates to logistics of practices to uniforms and finally race day preparations.

This is our first year and we are slowly learning and working out some logistics of how the system goes. We have made some mistakes along the way, although some were a huge unknown and we are rolling with the punches.

As the preparation meeting finishes, members of the Run 2 Remember team start filing in. Some members we have not seen at practices and some members are frequent faces. It's great to see the unfamiliar faces (or rather familiar faces and names, yet unknown personalities - in the flesh!)

It was great and everyone got to chat before we got on with our key noted speakers:

1) Jeff Jones, Vice Chair for the NYC Chapter Board of Directors
2) Stewart Post, All-Star Fundraiser
3) Sandra Martinez, Development Officer
4) Kim, Public Relations Specialist
5) Caitlyn Smith, Jeff LeBlanc and Brian Hsia (coaches and captain)

The night was a collaboration of back and forth conversations in expressing different ideas and asking questions about fundraising.

Of course, from my perspective I was thinking more of the out of town runners who always missed these meetings, so I taped it and would later on post the video through our team's website on Flotracker.

The night ended with the staff's own fundraising initiatives. We brought and shared how we actually fuindraised in our own ways and told our runners to publicize freely to us, so we could get the word out to our team members.
I have been fearful of sending out that huge e-mail telling people about my story and wondering if it is appropriate or not...I feared not to bother people and feared that people would noit care...

Just do it! It's amazing the differences that you will find where people would relate. I have found that my story has brought other's to speak of their loved one's who has the disease that I had not known about. It's an amazing story and it's amazing how people would relate to the Alzheimer's disease or any other disease. (So, don't be afraid to "disturb" people...this is very meaningful, dear to your heart and you REALLY ARE DOING SOMETHING GREAT!

Secondly, we are all in this together and what people do not dawn upon is the awareness factor. Yes, your parents, your siblings, and family members know your story. They may be living out the same lifestyle that you are and know the pure struggles of this disease. BUT it is the other people that you can voice your concerns to, others that you can bring to other people's events and make these events work, where groups of friends become friends with each other and help one another out to go to other teammates events. The main thing is spreading the awareness to different people in a "fun" matter and getting people to help out with the cause and know how dear it is to your heart.

It was a pretty amazing evening, as JL and I went over a few last minute touches in an e-mail preparation. We are always congoring up something as we keep busy from now till marathon day....

We make a great team...as he calls me and talks to me so frequently....like 5-50 times a day! Haha...

I can't wait till he get's married... (Just Kidding!)