Virtual 5k 2021 | Gift of Life

Your fundraising will help save lives. At Gift of Life we believe every person battling blood cancer deserves a second chance at life and we are determined to make it happen.

The Gift of Life Steps for Life Virtual 5k is a fun-filled event for the whole family, no matter your level of fitness. Steps for Life brings together communities to help raise awareness of blood cancer. A heroic donor and their recipient will meet for the first time, showing that lives are being saved through your sponsorship and support.

All funds raised at the event are used to underwrite the $60 laboratory cost associated with adding each new donor to the registry. To date, Steps for Life participants have raised more than $2,000,000 and added more than 17,350 new donors to the registry. We have found 389 matches for patients resulting in an incredible 61 patients receiving lifesaving transplants -- and new matches are found nearly every week. Those 61 people got a second chance at life thanks to our Steps for Life participants.

Gift of Life is a 501(c)(3) and donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Cancer hasn’t stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients in need of life-saving transplants don’t have the luxury of time to wait until donor collections become easier or more convenient. During this unprecedented time, our operations have continued without interruption. Your support is needed now more than ever before to help ensure we can continue to save lives every day!

This guide is designed to help you reach your full fundraising potential, which in turn, helps us provide more patients with life-saving transplants.  We’ve included helpful tips to kick off your fundraising campaign. Don’t be afraid to get creative and have FUN with it!

One of the best ways to fundraise is to share the difference every dollar makes.  Gift of Life needs supporters to help us achieve our mission to save lives. Let your network know that:

• Every dollar raised goes directly towards supporting our mission - not administrative costs or overhead
• It costs $60 to process one cheek swab kit and add a new donor to the registry. Every new donor improves the chances that life-saving matches will be found for patients in need of transplants
• Gift of Life has developed a phased approach to streamlining the donation process, a move that will improve outcomes for patients in need of transplants. This includes:
  • The establishment of the first registry integrated collection center at our headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida
  • The opening of our Cell Therapy Lab and BioBank, enabling Gift of Life to provide “off the shelf” cellular therapies and cell products to aid medical research
  • These improvements are costly but will help us save even more lives than ever before!
• Gift of Life has deployed over 360 Campus Ambassadors throughout North America to recruit young, healthy donors onto the registry

Share on your social media, email your network, talk it up on your ZOOM calls!

• Let friends and family know that you are participating in Gift of Life Steps for Life Virtual 5k
• Invite them to join you!
• Make it easy! Provide links so friends and family can register to participate, join your team or simply make a donation towards your team or personal page! One click and they are done!

Fundraisers who personalize their fundraising efforts tend to raise more money because it creates a personal connection to the organization.  Take a few minutes to share reasons why you support Gift of Life and the Steps for Life Virtual 5k! 

• Explain why Gift of Life is important to you
• Are you running in honor of a loved one who has beat cancer? Are you honoring someone’s memory? Do you just love to run and want to support and amazing organization? If people know your connection and the “why” behind your participation, they will be much more likely to support you!
• Personalize your fundraising page
  • Add a photo! Replace your profile photo with one of you and someone you are supporting. That way, when friends and family visit your page to donate, they know they’re in the right place!
  • Share your story! Are you a donor? Did you receive a transplant? Did you run a drive where a match was found? What is your connection to Gift of Life?

Kick-off your fundraising campaign by being the first to donate!

Donating to your own campaign shows your personal investment in our mission to save lives. Challenge your friends and family to match your gift!

The best way to fundraise is to ask people individually. A personal ask is more meaningful than a mass email and you’re more likely to receive a response. Reach out to all the people in your network. We’ll make it easy for you! You can find sample emails on this site that you can use.    

Fundraising takes some persistence. We all forget to respond now and then, so it never hurts to reach back out to people you’ve asked.

The most powerful way to spread the word about your fundraising campaign is to share it on your social media channels! Don’t forget to include photos & videos - they are proven to generate more engagement on social media. 

Also be sure to follow Gift of Life on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and share our posts!

Have fun and think out of the box to raise some extra dollars!

• Check out our fundraising incentives (above) for some fun Gift of Life swag you can get at certain fundraising levels
• Have a garage sale or sell lemonade and donate the proceeds
• Offer an online service in exchange for donations
  • Read stories to young kids
  • Share your talent such as a magic show or other entertainment
  • Lead a workout or mediation class 
  • Do someone’s grocery shopping or pick up their take-out order
• Give up buying coffee for the few weeks and donate the money you saved

We know it can be hard to ask your friends and family to give. You don’t know the answer until you ask, and no matter what, they’ll know that you are working to raise funds to help patients in need. 

Thank You

Questions about Gift of Life Steps for Life Virtual 5k? Email our National Events Coordinator, Jody at stepsforlife@giftoflife.org