Fundraising Tips by Miriam

Fundraising Tips by TR2E 

Miriam Weiskind

Miriam hails from Brooklyn, NY. She is a brand strategist/designer and Pizza enthusiast in the city (yes, it's a real thing). She gives tours, writes about pizza and teaches people all about it. This is her second year on the Team and she'll be running her first 100 miler at Vermont!

Why did you want to fund raise for Vermont Adaptive? Do you have a connection to the cause? 

 I volunteer with Achilles International in Brooklyn, running with disabled athletes, so the connection to the cause is close at heart. 

What fundraising tips do you want to share with your TR2E teammates? Please share your ideas and what has worked and not worked for you.

 You have to try all ideas, no matter how big or small. I find if you push too hard and ask for too much, you will fall short, coming up with ideas that are unique, fun and require a smaller donation can yield more funds above all else. 

I’ve done some pretty wild fundraisers in the past! One time, I offered up people space on my body to write any message they wanted. The catch? I would run a NYRR race, in February, in nothing but a bikini. I raised $3,000. Another wild fundraiser was during a time when I was unemployed and decided to wear my wetsuit all over NYC while holding a sign that read “pose with me for $1 and help save a life!” Runners World wound up picking up the story and I raised about $5,000 in 1.5 months time while posing with a few thousand people while in my wetsuit. 

Last year I took to pizza and finding a unique way to inspire pizza lovers to donate by offering to buy a slice and then paint it for them for a $25 donation. 

In this day in age, we have matching donations which make a significant difference when fundraising. I find Giving Tuesday to be one of the harder days to fund raise because people have shopped Black Friday and are hit by every other charity. The way to win donations for that day is to start asking early and for people to donate on that day, too you. 

What's the most creative fundraiser you have done to date?

 The Wetsuit Project for Team in Training (see above) (https://youtu.be/qwjRHa2m6w4) . The most random (and successful one)? “Silencing Mirm for 24hrs” people donated to bet against me not talking and if I cracked before the time was up, I had to donate 10% of whatever I raised. That fundraiser brought in $2500!

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Have fun with your fundraising. Be genuine, unique and thoughtful of the time and money others invest into whatever fundraiser you do! I find it key to not overwhelm or ask too much of others. I’d rather ask 100 people for $10 than to ask 100 people for $50. A small amount is so easy to spare. 

Thank you Miriam for sharing your tips with us all! You rock!! We can't wait to see you crush your fundraising and Vermont...see ya on the trails!