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Asking Sponsors

FUNDRAISING IDEAS
  • Tell people specifics about what their money is supporting. Many people *want* to give back to the environment.
  • Research has shown that Wednesdays/Thursdays are the better days to "ask" and 1:00 or 2:00 pm is the better time to "ask" someone for a donation!
  • Write a humorous "ask" letter and send (or email) it to potential supporters.
  • Tell your sponsors about our free local chapter membership for those who donate $25 or more.
  • Let people know it's OK to say "no".
  • Offer a bird-walk to your sponsors. Many of them may think you are "crazy" for getting up early to go birding, but they may be willing to join you for a morning if you offer donuts.
  • Ask the same people who sponsored you last year. Some may want to increase their pledge.
  • Encourage Creative Pledging. For example, ask if they would like to give a bonus if you see your sponsor's favorite bird or if you see more species than you did the previous year.
  • Remind people that their donation is tax-deductible and that you can give them a receipt.
Did you know?

  • People like supporting non-profit organizations that do good work.
  • People will catch your enthusiasm and be glad to participate in a cause for which you are willing to volunteer your own time and energy.
  • Shortly after your "Big Day", write a fun story about the highlights (or mis-adventures) of your quest and send it to everyone who sponsored you. They will feel more involved in the Birdathon. Come spring of next year - they may be asking you, "When's that birding thing you do?"
  • "In the end, nothing can replace the value of building relationships over time, perseverance, being sincere and having a passion for your cause"......"If you communicate a passion for the cause, and sincerely believe you have the ability to change life for the better through this effort, your asking will be sincere." (Excerpts taken from Nonprofitexpert.com).

SAMPLE LETTERS

Many of our birders send email to their friends and family when it's time to do the hard work of asking for sponsors.  Here are some sample letters that have been used in the past.

Letter from John Stein, 2001 Birdathon!

Hello all.

I know you've been watching your email each day, thinking it must be about that time again -- time to hear from Stein about the Birdathon!  Well, wait no more!

The annual National Audubon Society Birdathon is about to take place for 2001.

For those of you who know what a Birdathon is, you can move on to the next paragraph.  For those of you who are strangers to a Birdathon, I know, you're asking, "WHAT is a BIRD - A -THON???"

Those of us that are birders and list makers (enough of the strange looks already! :) include among our lists a list of birds we see, in a day, in a year, in a lifetime.  A Birdathon is yet another chance to make a list (yippee!!!) of the species of birds seen in a 24 hour period.  A walkathon is a walk to raise money for a cause; a birdathon is a birding trip to raise money, and have fun doing it.

Once again this year, I will be birding with other members of the Nationwide Birdwatchers Club.  We're doing this mostly for fun, and to help others learn more about birding.  We expect to see somewhere between 30 and 50 species.  (There are a few groups of birders who record over 100, and the two leading groups usually find about 170!!!  -- in Ohio)

I am asking for your sponsorship of this quest.  There are two ways you can be a sponsor:
  • by pledging an amount per bird (10 cents a bird)
  • or a total amount $1, $5, $10, etc.
Either form is appreciated.  Sign up today by sending me a note.

The money collected will be given directly to the Columbus Audubon Society. Half of the proceeds this year will be used to build bird blinds for the new Columbus Audubon Calamus Swamp south of Columbus.  The other half is used for Audubon activities around Ohio.

If you have any questions, please ask.  If you'd like to join us, please ask!!!!  We'd love to have more birders.  We'll be birding on Saturday, May 5, and I'll collect after that.

THANKS!!!

John


Letter from Katryn Renard, 2000 Birdathon!
Would you like to go birding?

For years now, many of you have been supporting me in the Columbus Audubon Society's Birdathon.  This year I'd like to show you why I like doing the birdathon so much.  Yes, yes, it's for a cause I believe in, but I probably wouldn't be doing it if it weren't so much fun.

So, in the hopes that you, too, will enjoy birding, I am offering a bird walk to my sponsors and their families.

I hope you can join me the morning of Saturday, May 13.  I'm still working on the details, but I think it's going to be at Hoover Reservoir.  I'm still working on the time, too - can I really expect to meet you all at 7:30 or 8:00? Or should we wait for everyone to roll out of bed for a 9:00 meeting time?  The birds are active early, so I'm tempted to make it early.

I'm hoping we'll see several different warblers as they migrate through.  Also, if we're lucky, we'll see a brilliant Scarlet Tanager, or a bright orange and black Baltimore Oriole, or perhaps even a Rose-breasted Grosbeak.  You never know just what you'll see on any one day.  Hopefully, everyone will see a bird they've never seen before (sorry, no guarantees on that!).

Please let me know if you'd like to come, because I plan on having donuts or some other goodies after the bird walk.

If you come, you may want to bring
  • binoculars if you've got them
  • bird identification book (doesn't everyone own at least one??)
  • any family members you think might enjoy this
Oh yes, this is my plea for you to sponsor me again this year.  Someone recently donated a wonderful piece of land called Calamus Swamp to the Columbus Audubon Society.  Half of the money we raise will go toward building boardwalk at the swamp so people can visit it without sinking up to their knees.  The other half will be used for conservation projects in Ohio.

Our birdathon route will be a bit different this year.  We plan on starting at Calamus Swamp, perhaps in canoes, and then (in our cars) moving on to other small ponds and fields in the area.  We're not quite sure how it will work out, but we're hoping to see about 65 different species of birds.

Thanks for your support, I hope you can make it for the bird walk.

Katryn

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Page updated 04/9/07

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