Greetings!  

Whether you welcome or mourn the football season's arrival, NFL stars can offer thon fundraising pros some valuable lessons.    Like those big league players, we must master the fundamentals AND know how to innovate if we want to have long, successful careers.

Today's locker room pep talk focuses on getting your creative juices flowing.  Here are three recent "out of the box" initiatives that should do the trick. 

Using a Group Incentive:  26.2 with Donna is leveraging a $100,000 challenge grant to motivate all of its fundraisers to dig a little deeper.  Could you collaborate with your major gift or corporate colleagues to develop a similar program? 

Developing A Distinctive Voice: Unlike the earnest tone common to most fundraising efforts, the founders of the Crowdrise fundraising platform revel in using an offbeat, tongue-in-cheek persona to "make  philanthropy fun."   Would participants read more of your communications if their wording or design were more distinctive? 

Breaking Out With New Formats:  More than $10 million has been raised since 2009 by people who rappel off buildings for good causes.   The Canadian firm Over The Edge is producing 63 such programs in the US this year, according to a Chronicle of Philanthropy article.   If you're just entering the field or want to expand, have you considered stair climbs, muddy runs, dog walks or other nontraditional events? 

Proud of some of your organization's latest innovations?   Please let us know for our next scouting report. 

David Hessekiel

President

Run Walk Ride Fundraising Council

PS -- We haven't forgotten the fundamentals.   To help you with the building blocks.   During the off season, we're going to offer your teams a series of "back to basics" distance learning programs.  Stay tuned for details