1) Personalize your fundraising page with a heartfelt description and good photo of yourself

Tell your story. Explain to your donors what you are raising money for and why it is so important to you.  If your friends and family see that you are passionate about the cause, they are more likely to give and give generously. 

2) Make Sure to Get off to a Good Start

Tell everyone you know about your Climate Cycle fundraising page.  But before you send out that mass email to everyone in your contact book, first send out a personalized email to your absolute closest friends and family. Only after you get the ball rolling with a few donations from your inner circle should you then send out the mass email to everyone you know.

Why? Because your inner circle of friends and family are likely to be the most generous and will help you build momentum for your fundraiser.  If your first five donors each give you $50 or $100, subsequent friends and family who visit your fundraising page be more likely to give this amount as well. 

On the other hand, if the first couple of people, though having the best intentions, give you $5 and $10 your fundraising efforts may suffer by setting the bar low for subsequent donors.

3) Promote, Promote, Promote!

The more you promote your fundraising page, the better it will do. Here are the best ways to promote.

• Send personalized emails to your friends and family. Ask them to share your page with their friends by forwarding the email on to others or posting it to their Facebook wall.

• Message your friends on Facebook or set up a Facebook group that includes a link to your fundraising page.  If you have a Facebook account, create a Facebook group page where you can keep your friends and family updated with developments in your training/fundraising efforts.  If you engage your donors and make them feel like they are part of your journey, they'll feel more inclined to give to you.
  

• When you email your friends and family, ask them to forward your page to their friends and co-workers who they think would want to support you.

• Add the URL from your fundraising page to your email signature.

• Add the URL to your Facebook status message, Gchat, AIM as a way to keep friends reminded. 
  

• Have a party! Work with your favorite restaurant or bar to host a fundraising party for you or your team. Ask for a donation to attend the party. If you can get 10 or 20 people to come, most bars will split the door fee with you 50/50. Have a cool raffle prize if you feel so moved! Parties at your own abode are equally successful too!
  

While some people will donate the first time you ask them, the reality is that it will take at least 3-4 friendly reminders before the majority of your friends and family open up their wallets for you.

Find opportunities to send an update about Climate Cycle to your circle. Send them funny email updates about your training or photos of you sweating it out on your bike. 

5) Send Reminder Emails.

People only give when you ask. The more often you email them, the more likely they are to give. Here are a few reasons to send an email.

• You hit a fundraising milestone - e.g. 25%, 50% or 75% of your fundraising goal

• You want to update your friends about your training - e.g. you got some new snazzy spandex that you want to show off; you did your first 20 mile ride; you started riding your bike to work everyday to prepare for the Ride 

• You want to share news from Climate Cycle or news about Climate Change - Check the Climate Cycle Fan page for updates or if there is relevant news in the general media about climate change, share it with your friends as a reminder about why you are supporting this cause!

•  Anything Funny - People love funny stories and pictures.  So, if anything humorous has happened to you during your adventures in saving the planet, share it with friends.

Lastly, don't be discouraged if people do not donate at first. If you remain upbeat and grateful, most people will come around in the end.

6) Thank Your Donors

Make your mom proud by displaying your good manners and thanking the people who have supported your fundraiser.  Sending individualized thank you emails is an especially good idea if you ever plan to fundraise again for Climate Cycle (or any cause for that matter) and hope to ask the same people.

7) Have Fun!

Last but not least, always remember to have fun. If you're having fun with your fund-raising campaign, your positive energy becomes contagious and will encourage friends and family to donate.

Ex: I am halfway to my $1,000 goal for the Climate Cycle ride on 5/15. Please help me reach my goal! www.yourfundraisinglink.com Ex: Only need $300 to reach my Climate Cycle Ride fundraising goals! Wanna help? www.yourfundraisinglink.com

Ex: Chicago schools spend more on energy than textbooks & computers combined! Help me raise $ for solar on schools! www.yourfundraisinglink.com

Ex: Love Climate Cycle! I'm riding on 5/22 to help them with their cause - solar & eco projects for Chicago Pub Schools! www.climatecycle.org

Ex: [Pic] The new Team Princess Unicorns' mascot! Our horns will pierce the sky! www.yourfundraisinglink.com

Ex: [Pic]: Check out the funny sign I saw training for the Climate Cycle Ride on 5/22! www.yourfundraisinglink.com

Ex: Big shout out to my friends at Dunder Mifflin for your donations to my Climate Cycle Team! You are the best! www.yourfundraisinglink.com

• More than 2 months out: Once every other week
• 2-8 weeks out: Once per week
• One week out: Twice per week

• Post updates in your profile in the "What's on your mind?" section.
• Dedicate a portion of your "About Me" section (on the left-hand side of your profile) to Climate Cycle with a compelling statement to donate to your page. Include Climate Cycle's URL and your fundraising link.

• Update your profile with a note saying that you are fundraising for Climate Cycle. If you are a returning rider, be sure to tout it!
• Add the Climate Cycle URL to your list of preferred websites.

Ex: Help John & I raise $1,000 for the Climate Cycle Ride on May 22! Click here to give: http://www.firstgiving.com/teamlovesolar

Purchase a limited edition 2011 Climate Cycle jersey for only $60 (25% discount) to strut your Climate Cycle pride. Jerseys are made by Voler, one of the best known and respected makers of cycling clothing. All jerseys are handcrafted in Grover Beach, CA. Buy a jersey while supplies last! To purchase, go here.

Polaris Charter Academy - WINNER
Ward 27 Recycling Website
Students learned that some wards do not have curbside recycling and developed a website to explain how people can recycle without curbside recycling which is linked to their alderman's website. They surveyed their families to understand why some do not recycle and developed recommendations based on this data.

Walter Payton College Prep High School
Idling- A Silent Epidemic
Students decreased air pollution by encouraging parents to turn off their engines while waiting in the car for their children. The distributed informational "tickets" to idling cars and collected data on the effectiveness of their efforts.

Waters Elementary
Save a Watt! Kill a Watt!
Students investigated energy used by common electric appliances and then created recommendations on how to decrease the amount of energy used through alternative appliances and use reduction.

These installations were made possible through the fundraising efforts of riders and generous support of sponsors such as Nike and the Motorola Foundation.

Curie Metro High School

We are thrilled to announce that this year Climate Cycle will award Curie:
• A five fold increase to their existing solar energy array from 1 KW to 5 KW.
• $7,500 for the purposes of starting a bike club and other active outdoor education pursuits.
This $7,500 stipend is a top fundraising award from our friends at the Motorola Foundation.

Kudos, Curie, for your incredible dedication! We can't wait to see what comes from our continued collaboration.

Lincoln Park High School

Lincoln Park's leadership and desire to partner with other schools is illustrated here in an excerpt from their Solar Schools application.

We at Lincoln Park High School would like to model ecologically sound practices as well as open the door for our students to become future leaders in the growing green economy. And, because of the nature of the Climate Cycle organization, we can do so in concert with other schools embarking on the same mission, with the support of an organization with a vested interest in our disseminating correct information in meaningful ways.

Al Raby High School

This excerpt from Al Raby's Solar School application illustrates their commitment to instilling their students with a sense of citizen-based solutions to climate change.

It is our vision at Al Raby to be a 'green school', starting from the inside-out. First, to engage and educate students around conservation and climate issues in their school curriculum and afterschool programs. Then, to empower them to have an impact at their school level, by informing decisions, impacting facilities changes, behaviors and cultural changes at their school. Finally, to support them to carry the messages they have learned out to the community.

Armstrong Elementary School

Armstrong's commitment to excellent teaching and passing it on through their students is apparent in this excerpt from their Solar Schools application.

Armstrong's vision for conservation and use of energy is to develop a curriculum that will promote awareness of the adverse affect of wasteful energy usage. In addition, we would like to provide students and their families with useful tips that they can use at school and at home to reduce their carbon footprint.

Students will also be asked to keep a log of their energy usage at home. A chart will be provided for them that will include rooms, appliances used, and length of time. This will help us track students' application of what they are learning. These are reliable and valid ways to measure the students understanding of energy, conservation, and resource management.

Walter Payton College Prep

This excerpt from their Solar Schools application shows their dedication to sharing solar knowledge across the world.

Walter Payton College Prep strives to provide opportunities for students for international travel and making global connections. During the 2009-2010 school year there have been six student international trips including France, Spain, Prague, Guatemala, Japan, and Eastern Europe. Through the relationships and connections made on these trips, Walter Payton College Prep will share our solar panel experiences and knowledge at a global level.

Curie Metro High School

Address: 4959 South Archer Avenue
Solar installation: 1 KW array complete
Live monitoring of Curie's solar panels: click here

Lindblom Math and Science Academy

Address: 6130 South Wolcott Avenue
Solar installation: 1 KW array complete
Live monitoring of Lindblom's solar panels: click here

Perspectives/IIT Math & Science Academy

Polaris Charter Academy

Talcott Elementary School

Address: 1840 West Ohio
Solar installation: 1 KW array complete
Live monitoring of Talcott's solar panels: click here

Waters Elementary School

Since 2009, Climate Cycle has inaugurated ten solar schools. These schools are recipients of solar systems and a dynamic school curriculum to maximize hands-on learning. The selected schools share a vision of climate solutions and energy independence from the students, faculty, administration, and beyond. Climate Cycle utilizes renewable energy because it is an available technology that provides tangible learning opportunities.

Our annual Ride to Recharge is an opportunity for community members, teachers, and students to demonstrate support for increasing environmental education in our schools.

Click here to learn more about our team.

- Arne Duncan, US Secretary of Education and Former CEO of the Chicago Public Schools

Cassie Freeman - Director of Schools Programming
Cassie is a researcher at the University of Chicago's Center for Elementary Mathematics and Science Education. While researching learning in non-human primates she developed a more global appreciation for habitat destruction and climate change. This appreciation became a call to action when she worked with students in New York City's Harlem and Washington Heights neighborhoods, where few children are given the opportunity to learn about environmental issues. Now that she lives in Chicago, she is dedicated to developing actionable awareness about the environment, especially in children. She holds bachelors degrees in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology and Educational Studies from Emory University and a master's in Educational Leadership from Columbia University's Teacher's College.

Steering Committee

Ethan Austin - Fundraising Coordinator
Ethan is the Co-founder of GiveForward.org, a website that provides individuals with personal fundraising pages to raise money online for the causes and organizations they care about. When he manages to step away from the GiveForward office, Ethan can likely be found scouring the aisles of Trader Joe's or training for marathons in a banana costume.

David Curtis - Treasurer
David brings over 25 years of experience in consulting and professional services management to Climate Cycle. Most recently, David served as a management consultant where he acted in key leadership roles for several health care companies. David has sold and delivered solutions that exceeded 100 million dollars in the pharmaceutical, utilities, telecom and banking industries. As a VP at Oracle, he was instrumental in converting client specific solutions into products, specifically in the area of banking and telecom. He also created and implemented Oracle's worldwide professional services method for delivering on all types of engagements. As an Executive Vice President at march FIRST (formally USWeb/CKS), David managed both internal and customer facing organizations.

Rob Eiseman - Public Relations
Rob's broad-based public relations experience spans more than 20 years. Prior to opening Eiseman Associates, he worked with a variety of public relations agencies, as well as broadcast and association groups. He served as creative director for Dome Communications, earning creative agency of the year honors in 2000. Rob has also served as vice president at Selz/Seabolt, Ketchum Public Relations (Chicago) and Laughlin/Constable Public Relations (Milwaukee). He spent the early part of his career as director of communications for the National Roofing Contractors Association, and as promotions director for WBEZ-FM Radio.

Rob has worked with a variety of nationally-recognized clients, developing award-winning campaigns for Wendy's, Harley-Davidson, Bombardier (Ski-Doo/Sea-Doo recreational products), Jim Beam Brands, Encyclopedia Britannica, Motorola, ConAgra, Disney Regional Entertainment, ESPN Zone, Sara Lee, Sargento Cheese Company, Fannie May, Mayflower, the American Iron and Steel Institute and many others.

Nancy Goldstein - Marketing Committee Chair
Nancy is the Chief Strategist at Compass(x) Strategy, a brand strategy and marketing firm that helps companies that are inspired to make a better world through business. With experiences as a brand strategy consultant and a leader in brand management, Nancy has developed a 20 year track record of successfully growing businesses of all shapes and sizes. Her specialties include: marketing strategy development, value propositions and positioning, brand communications, new product launches and business model development. Nancy honed her business building and marketing skills running some of the world's most iconic brands including Pillsbury Cookies, Old El Paso Mexican Food, and CorningWare.

Rachel Lowen - Event Producer
Rachel Lowen comes to Climate Cycle from the faced-paced world of event production. Focusing primarily in the eco and music industries, she embraces chaos management with open arms. Rachel has coordinated exhibitor logistics for Green Apple Music Festival, America's Largest Earth Day Celebration, and trade show appearances for Mountains of the Moon Eco-Fashion, veteran eco-fashion designer. In the music realm, Rachel coordinates event logistics for 100+ musicians at major festivals like Austin City Limits, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo and Coachella. Most days, you'll find her at the Umphrey's McGee headquarters, a Chicago-based rock n' roll band for which Rachel oversees Brand Development and Merchandising, and most evenings you can find her out seeing live music around town.

Hanh Pham - Operations Assistant
Hanh's passion for waste reduction, creative reuse, and making eco-smart choices is infused into her role at Climate Cycle. Hanh has "greened" conferences, where 1,100 pounds of food waste was diverted from the landfill, and festivals, where the waste diversion rate was over 90%. Dedicated to assisting Climate Cycle operate sustainably, Hanh strives to support local green businesses in procurement of products and services. In her free time, Hanh enjoys bringing beauty to waste through a project called Pretty Dirty. Hanh has an MBA in Sustainable Management from the Presidio School of Management and a BA in Anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis.

Marise Robbins-Forbes - Director of Sponsorship
Marise is currently a freelance event planner/fundraising consultant. She has lived in Illinois for the past 12 years, currently residing in Decatur. With 19 years of experience working for diverse clients including Fortune 500 companies, universities and nonprofits, she brings her professional fundraising experience along with a long-held passion for the environment to Climate Cycle. Over the past three years she created a ride called Rolling on the River from the ground up. With the backing of the Lumpkin Family Foundation and Grand Victoria Foundation this ride for the environment raised funds for three statewide charities (Prairie Rivers Network, Illinois Environmental Council Education Fund and Stewardship Alliance). Rolling on the River quickly became known for its high level of participant support and beautiful route, growing 200% in just three years and advertised to more than 3 million households. Although she holds three degrees in the sciences and spent her early years as a field biologist in the wilds of the Adirondacks and Florida swamps, she discovered through her work with Rolling on the River a love of event planning and a talent for partnership development. With her event on hold until 2010, she is pouring her passions into growing Climate Cycle. She encourages all the cyclists, sponsors and volunteers from Rolling on the River to join her in supporting Climate Cycle in 2009.

Designers

Nick holds an MBA in Sustainable Management from the Presidio School of Management and graduated with a BA in History from Washington University in St. Louis.

Abigail Dean - Designer
Abigail is a graphic designer residing in Chicago's Portage Park neighborhood. Abigail's passion for environmental causes aligned her with Climate Cycle in the early stages of its development. With 10 years of commercial print and multimedia design experience, Abigail's diverse list of clients include: national trade associations, local rock bands, corporate coaches, business consulting firms, industrial manufacturers and energy transmission companies. Abigail brings to the table extraordinary enthusiasm for Climate Cycle, a welcome journey into a greener realm of design, which is very close to her heart.

Anya Traisman - Video Director
Anya's educational background is in environmental studies, multimedia journalism, media management and marketing. She is the owner of Natropolis, a consulting and media company that focuses on sustainability.

As the photo editor for the Planet Magazine, Anya was given the opportunity to follow her passion for the great-outdoors and photojournalism. As a freelance photojournalist at the Bellingham Herald, she learned alongside Pulitzer Prize winning and nationally recognized photographers. The editors of America 24/7, DK Publishing, recognized Anya as one of the top student photographers in the nation, publishing her most notable photograph in a double-page spread, hardbound book.

Contributing to her outlook, Anya is an international and wilderness backpacker, long-distance backpacker, and has owned a Mercedes Benz that ran on vegetable oil. She believes in thinking big and the pursuit of daily happiness.

Jimmy Watkins - Designer
Jimmy is a graphic designer who holds a BA in Advertising from Michigan State University, and he currently works for both Murdoch Marketing in Lansing, MI and Cramer-Krasselt and Hoffman York in Chicago. His career path runs from Michigan to Chicago and back.

Advisory Council

Throughout her career, Sarah Elizabeth has traveled to 64 different countries across 6 continents, extensively examining educational philosophies and world languages as well as creating international alliances that have contributed to the design and culture of the Academy for Global Citizenship. In addition to studying the application of the International Baccalaureate approach in various cultural contexts across the globe, her most recent initiatives have been the development and implementation of globally cooperative literacy programs for orphan children in northern Tanzania.

As current vice president of education on the governing board of the United Nations Association, Sarah Elizabeth is committed to fostering implementation of The Growing Connection, a globally collaborative organic gardening initiative established to cross-culturally connect children and educators. She also serves on the United States Green Building Council Green Schools Advocacy Committee for the Chicago Chapter, Chicago Public Schools Environmental Action Plan Taskforce, and the Steering Committee for Climate Cycle. Sarah Elizabeth's additional leadership and civic contributions have included executive board memberships with Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Nancy Himmelfarb
Nancy is a corporate attorney with more than 15 years' experience in leading efforts to create and implement meaningful change within organizations. She is passionate about advancing environmental initiatives and encouraging companies, schools and community groups to be successful by helping the environment. Nancy created a comprehensive and successful environmental program at Williams-Sonoma. She currently works with local schools and other community stakeholders in Highland Park, IL, while serving on the city's Natural Resources Commission. At all levels of an organization, Nancy turns skeptics into participants and enthusiasts into true champions and collaborators to drive results.

Andrew Kay
Andrew moved to Chicago in 2006, after graduating from New College of Florida. He has served on Climate Cycle's Steering Committee since 2008, assisting the organization with strategy, event development, technology, and operations. Andrew's enthusiasm for the environment is only matched by his passion for cycling. He maintains broad interests in urban planning, especially transportation and livable communities, and encourages you to trade in four wheels for two!

Hunter Lovins
Hunter is president and founder of the Natural Capitalism Solutions (NCS). (www.natcapsolutions.org) NCS educates senior decision-makers in business, government and civil society to restore and enhance the natural and human capital while increasing prosperity and quality of life.

Trained as a sociologist and lawyer (JD), Hunter co- founded the California Conservation Project (Tree People), and Rocky Mountain Institute, which she led for 20 years. Lovins has consulted for scores of industries and governments worldwide, including the International Finance Corporation, Royal Dutch Shell, Interface, Clif Bar and Wal-Mart. Governmental clients include the Pentagon, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and the governments of Jamaica and Australia. She also serves as an advisor to the Energy Minister of the Government of Afghanistan.

Michael Orlove
Michael is a senior program director for the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. He joined the Department of Cultural Affairs in 1993 as an intern in the Public Programming Division assisting on a number of performing arts series at the Chicago Cultural Center. Over the years, Michael has worked at transforming the Chicago Cultural Center into a prime venue for a variety of musical forms including jazz, blues, folk and world music. Additionally, he created two summer festivals that have become staples in the Chicago summer festival season. Chicago SummerDance, an 11-week outdoor dance/concert series (now in its 12th season) and World Music Festival: Chicago, a multi-day festival highlighting both traditional and contemporary music from around the world in a variety of venues throughout Chicago (now in its 10th season).

In 2004, Michael was instrumental in organizing the opening weekend events at the new Millennium Park in downtown Chicago and is now responsible for programming a majority of the non-classical events including a series of jazz, world music and rock concerts this season. Currently, Michael serves as senior program director for the Department of Cultural Affairs and collaborates with many additional city agencies including the Mayor's Office of Special Events, Chicago Office of Tourism and the Chicago Park District on a variety of seasonal events. He was selected as one of the "Chicagoans of the Year" by the Chicago Tribune in 1999.

Richard Ross
Richard is an award winning marketing and strategy professional with over 18 years of experience in the consumer packaged goods and technology sectors working for and consulting with start-ups, small entrepreneurial firms and Fortune 500 firms such as The Coca-Cola Company, Kraft Foods and Intel Corporation. Over the course of his career he has launched or helped launch an IT consulting firm, a promotional goods company, an internet startup and most recently various sustainability-related businesses and organizations. His areas of expertise are branding, positioning, new product and small business development, communications, consumer insights and multicultural and grassroots marketing. He often presents at industry conferences and has written for and is often quoted in trade magazines.

He holds an MBA in Marketing from the University of Michigan and a BS in Biology from Emory University. He sits on the advisory boards of Climate Cycle and Steppin Out Adventures, serves as the Chicago city ambassador for The Couchsurfing Project and volunteers with a variety of other organizations including the Notebaert Nature Museum, Junior Achievement and the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center. He is an active member of the Chicago Sustainable Business Alliance and Net Impact Chicago. His passions include adventure travel (which has taken him to nearly 50 countries on 5 continents and 48 U.S. states), sustainability, hiking, art, education and photography.

Jason Smith
Jason is the vice president of key accounts for ClimateCHECK, a greenhouse gas (GHG) management services and solutions provider. In this role, he manages the company's marketing strategies and customer relations, as well as its operations in the U.S. Prior to ClimateCHECK, Jason was the founder and executive director for LiveNeutral, a non-profit organization (where he currently serves as board chair) that is centered on educating individuals and companies on how to reduce their carbon emissions. During his tenure at LiveNeutral, Jason helped facilitate numerous CO2 offset and climate change education initiatives at major organizations, such as TransGroup Worldwide Logistics, American Electric Power, Williams-Sonoma and DuPont.

Jason earned an MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio School of Management and a bachelor's degree in Ethics and Religion at the University of Oklahoma, where he focused his studies on environmental ethics and economics.

Lisa Brin Spewak
Lisa has been a teacher of early childhood for 16 years. She is also the director of the Jewish Council for Youth Services (JCYS) Sunflower Day Camp in Highland Park, a northern suburb of Chicago. Lisa is interested in bringing the great big ideas of renewable energy to small children in order to help them understand they can be an active part of a global solution. She continues to seek innovative ways for children to be active partners in changing our climate for the better.

We are currently looking for assistance at public outreach events and communications support. If you are interested in volunteering or interning for Climate Cycle, please email hanh@climatecycle.org. Many thanks for your generosity in time and talent! ]]> http://www.climatecycle.com/2009/04/volunteer.php http://www.climatecycle.com/2009/04/volunteer.php Volunteer Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:28:12 -0600