What is Steps for Sleep?
It is a community celebration of My Very Own Bed's vision – that all children have beds so they can sleep well, dream, and find comfort in a place of their own. We are bringing together families who've received beds, volunteers, donors, health and wellness-related organizations, and anyone interested in learning more about how to improve their sleep and overall health and well-being. Steps for Sleep includes a 1.5 mile walk, a Wellness Fair, and fun activities for all ages. You can see more details and information under the "Event Home" and "Wellness Fair" tabs.
How do folks participate?
- We encourage everyone to register now to attend in person Saturday, May 18 from 9:30 -11:30 a.m. at DeLaSalle High School.
- If folks are unable to attend in person, they may register to "Walk Anywhere" any time between May 1-18. They can still request our event backpack be sent to them, and we will share some of the vendor resources with our Walk Anywhere participants via email.
- Walk Anywhere participants could consider hosting their own Community Walk Anywhere event.
- Anyone can help us fundraise between now and May 18th, using this platform.
Why do you need help fundraising?
A successful peer-to-peer campaign has the potential to spread awareness about our work extensively, as supporters share their fundraising pages with their friends and family. This heightened exposure allows us to expand our audience and attract more donors than we could achieve on our own.
When would I fundraise?
Any time between now and May 18. Most successful campaigns take 2-4 weeks to really gain traction. Pick a window of time that works for you to focus your outreach work.
How do I get started?
Click on the above "Fundraise Now" button to register for peer-to-peer fundaising. From there, you will be given access to your personal fundraising page that has a templated message that, quite frankly, you could just send out directly. But we encourage you to personalize your page a bit with your own experiences with My Very Own Bed or why you choose to support us. You can also add your own pictures (or ask us if we have one of you to add). People who personalize their page raise 7-18x more than those who do not.
How do I set a fundraising goal?
We have set the default fundraising goal at $300 because $300 provides one more child with a new bed and Dream Kit. We encourage all of you to strive to raise at least that much. Collectively, we hope to raise at least $20,000 through peer-to-peer fundraising, so we hope you'll consider increasing that goal, perhaps in a multiple of $300.
To determine if you want to increase your goal, create a list of the people in your network who you are willing to reach out to directly – friends, family, coworkers, neighbors. Consider that only a fraction of those you reach out to will respond with a gift (perhaps 25%). Do your best to estimate what an average gift from this list of people might be and multiply that by the fraction you estimate will respond. We encourage you to set a realistic, but optimistic goal. Your friends and family may be motivated to help you reach it!
You could add some sort of gimmick to your campaign: If I reach $X, I will . . . . [wear a chicken costume to Steps for Sleep]. Creativity is the limit here!
How do I reach my fundraising goal?
Many fundraisers suggest you start with your own gift. It demonstrates to others that you are committed to the cause. Many of you already donate in other ways, so this is certainly not required.
Here are the two main strategies for getting others to donate:
- Send an email to your list of potential donors with a link to your fundraising page. We provide suggested language for you in the "resource" section of your fundraising page. Again, the more personal the message, the more successful you will be. We recommend that you send at least two emails to the same group (excluding those who responded to the first), perhaps one week apart.
- Post on social media. We have set up our tool to integrate with Facebook, so that will be the easiest to do, but you should be able to link to your fundraising page on any platform. We encourage you to do this at least every five days during your personal campaign to raise 3x as much as those who post just one time.
Consider breaking down the tasks into chunks. What is my strategy for raising my first $100? Do I have one friend who I know would give that amount? Do I have four who I am confident would each give $25. It helps to have some traction in your thermometer to encourage others to help you keep moving toward your goal.
What if my friends prefer to donate via check, cash, or their employee-giving sites?
That's great! And maybe their employer would match their gifts. Checks should be mailed to or dropped off at My Very Own Bed, 34 13th Ave. NE, Suite 106, Minneapolis, MN 55413. Collect the cash and deliver to My Very Own Bed directly as well.
Reach out to Meg, and she'll help add those donations to your campaign: meg@myveryownbed.org or 612-384-7219.
Can I win any prizes for fundraising?
Of course! Check out the local, sleep and youth-related organizations we are promoting as part of our incentives below.
Who do I contact with more questions?
Meg Hobday at meg@myveryownbed.org or 612-384-7219. I am so excited to work with you!