Scout's Fundraising Tips

Scout was on the Team Run 2 Empower for two years, and raised over $2,700 for Vermont Adaptive in that time.  However, he'll be the first to tell you that he didn't get successful through rich friends or a few large donations - Scout got creative to make his fundraising a success, and worked to get a lot of small donations that ultimately added up.  Here some of how he did it below.

"You don’t have to be rich, or have wealthy friends to have a successful fundraising campaign." - Scout Phillips

(Scout, training up for the VT100 and wearing his Team Run 2 Empower singlet)

Hey there, Amy reached out to me to share with y’all some of my fundraising tricks that I utilized for two successful Team Run 2 Empower campaigns. The thing is, while I was participating in Team Run 2 Empower, I was very much living paycheck to paycheck, and a lot of my friends (potential donors) were in the same boat as me. So, how was I able to be successful? I got creative. Chances are you are more talented than you may realize, and sometimes it’s okay to monetize your talents. Can you bake? Draw? Mow the lawn? Shovel Snow? Basic Carpentry?

(Scout saved one load of his amazing bread to share with  me, and boy was it yummy!)

Make a list of some of the things you feel like you are really good at, that you would be willing to put out there and share with your donors. Then, make a plan to put those talents out into the world. Sometimes people need a tangible reward to justify their donation, so bake some cookies, or create coupons for other services like organizing their kitchen pantry. Chances are you have some talents that your friends and potential donors would be really happy to take advantage of. Personally, I had multiple bake sales, did a few carpentry projects, stacked a lot of wood, and even did some art commissions in order to meet (and exceed) my fundraising goals both years.

Also, consider making a flyer that you can post in community spaces that have a link to your fundraising page. You might be surprised, but there are still some “strangers” out in the world who just want a specific place to share their philanthropic generosity. If you don’t put it out there, no one can say yes. The worst that happens is that you don’t get any donations from it, but if you don’t try, you’ll never know.

Best of Luck to you all, thanks for everything you’re doing for Vermont Adaptive, and here’s to a great race this July!!

(Scout created this flyer with a basic “Flyer” template in MSWord.)