DIY Fundraising Idea – Sponsored Cycle

A sponsored cycle is one of the DIY fundraising ideas that I held to raise funds for film school. And it served me so well!

A mate, Nick Williams, and I cycled 300 miles from his farm in Buckinghamshire to Falmouth in Cornwall. And we did in 26 hours!!! It was such an accomplishment for us both and I also managed to raise £1,500 from it.

Okay, I'll admit, my backside was super sore afterwards and I was totally stuffed. But the elation I felt for finishing that cycle totally overpowered the pain I felt... and the fact that I was able to raise a good amount from it made it so much better!!!

But don't worry; you won't have to ride 300 miles in 26 hours to run a successful DIY fundraising cycle. But you will need to make it a decent challenge for yourself to impress people enough to sponsor you.

I believe that the more WOW factor you have, the more willing people will be to sponsor you.

Alrighty, let's get started... _____________________________________________________________

The first most obvious thing to realise is that all of your funds will come from donations and sponsorships. Whether it's from companies or individuals, that is how you are going to raise your money.

Decide on where you are going to ride:

Your first decision and planning will be on where you are going to ride to. Will it be a one day cycle down your local coastline or will it be a weeklong cross country trip from one major city to the next?

You could also just enter into a cycling competition/race and use that as your fundraising challenge. My mate, Nick, and a few of his friends did just that in a cycling race in the UK and raised £2000 for Meningitis research.

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Plan and prepare:

A DIY Fundraising cycle will not be an easy feat to accomplish... especially if it's a big challenge... which means that the planning and preparation for it is very important!

Please Note: I would highly suggest that you do the DIY Fundraising cycle with someone else and that you have a 'second' following by car! It will be so much safer that way!

Firstly you will need all the right equipment... Consult a local cycling store to make sure you have all the right equipment to accomplish your cycle. Consider what the weather will be like to, you don't want to freeze!

You will obviously also need to train beforehand and be completely fit. Once again get advice from your local cycling store or chat to a competitive/professional cyclist about training.

Make sure that you are also totally confident and able to ride... For example, looking behind yourself or braking sharply. The last thing you want is to have an accident!

Here are some other things to think about...

• Food and Drink – Make sure you have enough quality food and drink for your entire cycle. Foods with high carbohydrates and energy like pastas and potatoes will be good to eat beforehand and for your 'second' to bring along.

  Take energy bars and energy drinks too... Just don't start drinking an energy drink or supplement that you haven't used before as it will unsettle your stomach.

• First aid kit – Take a first aid kit in case of falls or injuries like cramp etc.!
• Enough spare tyre tubes and bicycle fixing equipment – I know I'm repeating myself a bit but here's why... 10 miles into my sponsored cycle my seat collapsed and we realised that we didn't have the right sized Allen key to lift it up again.

  I had to cycle 10 miles with my knees around my head before we found a service station with the right Allen key... It wasn't fun at all... Don't let it happen to you!

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Advertise and take Donations:

You should start by setting up a method for accepting donations both online and offline...

Set up an account with them and then provide links/buttons to your PayPal donation page on your website, Facebook pages, through all your emails and other advertising methods!

For offline donations give people a place they can drop off cheques and cash. You could also give your bank details out for direct deposits, but only give it to people you trust!

Donations boxes at local pubs, restaurants and shops will also work but you will obviously need permission.

The best way to get offline donations... and a great way to advertise... is to use donation sheets. Give them to friends and family who can then go around requesting and receiving donations from their own friends and family.

You will start your advertising by word of mouth, with information of how people can donate to you both online and offline... Also make sure that donation sheets go out with and when the word of mouth starts.

You should than start a Facebook event page (Plus pages on other social media sites like MySpace if you wish) that tells everyone about your DIY fundraising cycle and informs them how to donate! Message and invite all your friends to the page and get them to forward on the invitation... Network!

If you have a website you should also post your DIY fundraising cycle on it... and obviously have a PayPal donations button as well! Email all your friends and contacts about the cycle and ask them to forward it on to all their contacts!

You could also consider an email and letter campaign to companies. Just watch your costs with letters and make sure it will be worth sending them before you do!

The last thing you can consider to do, especially if the challenge is really good, is to send out a press release and get newspapers and radio stations involved! Most radio stations have an online charities/fundraising page which you might be able to get your fundraiser listed on!

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Thank and Update:

Make sure that you thank everyone who helped, advised, collected donations and donated to you. Your thanks will mean a lot and will encourage them to help you out again next time you want to fundraise!

I would also suggest that you update everyone with exactly how well your fundraiser went... If you were doing the DIY fundraising cycle for personal reasons you should also keep supporters updated with how those personal reasons go!

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This Do It Yourself fundraising idea will be fun but tough. It will also be exhilarating and rewarding. Done properly and efficiently it will raise you some great funds...

I wish you all the best of luck with your DIY Fundraising cycle!!!

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