Click here to download a 2008 donation form. Mail your check to ESAR, P.O. Box 984, Planetarium Station, NY, NY 10024

Fundraising 101

Almost 11 months before her first AIDS ride, Jenny Rosetti called the ride office for a pep talk.

"I don't know if I can raise $3,200," said Jenny, a New Jersey mom who was already juggling a family, a job and college classes. She was concerned that the fundraising challenge might keep her from joining the ride.

Jenny went on to raise more than $11,000 with a gutsy combination of persistence and creativity.

• She asked everyone to support her, friends, family, co-workers, strangers, her dry cleaner and locksmith, even the mayor of her New Jersey town. He wrote a check and forwarded her story to two local newspapers.That generated more contributions. A local car dealership donated $1000 after she offered to wear their logo on her bike jersey.
• She was creative. Jenny set up her bike on a trainer outside a supermarket and at a school event, and posted a big sign "I'm riding 560 miles to raise money for AIDS." She collected more than $400 from passersby.
• She never went anywhere without donation forms!
• She made a commitment to succeed.

Most people struggle to fit a trip to the drycleaners into their packed schedules. We bet most of the people you know are like that. So what does it say about you that you're fitting trips to the gym, morning bike rides, and long weekend bike rides into your schedule? That you care enough about the AIDS crisis in New York State to commit a week of vacation time to a ride? That you're brave and determined enough to take on a mountain range and 560 miles of open road?

We think it says that you're extraordinary. We think your friends and your community will feel the same.

Fundraising is about commitment. It's about conveying to others why your cause is important and asking them to support your commitment.

On this page, we've pulled together the tools to help you write a fundraising letter, track your progress and develop creative fundraising ideas.

No time like the present

When should you begin fundraising? Today!

We've heard all kinds of theories from riders who have found creative reasons to delay their fundraising "People are still paying their Christmas bills," or "I thought I would wait until people get their tax refunds," or "The ride isn't for months. It's too soon."

The most successful riders who have done the most for our AIDS beneficiaries mail a well-written letter as soon as they register. That gives them plenty of time to follow up with an update on their training and a second --- and even third or fourth --- request for support.

(We've also learned from our riders that it is next to impossible to ask for support after the ride is over. Don't wait until the last minute! )

Don't forget to write, or...*

* everything you need to know about writing a good letter

Your fundraising should begin with a one-page letter. If this is your first letter, here's a step-by-step guide.

1. Start by composing your mailing list. If you have a computer, create a list on MS Word and you can generate labels and personalize your letters with mail merge. It's also an easy way to send follow up letters and thank you notes!

Put everyone on your list.

• Your relatives.
• Your friends. Your friends' parents. Your friends' friends.
• Local merchants and professional practices.
• Your co-workers.
• Your neighbors (One rider slipped a letter under every apartment in his building. A suburban rider mailed a letter to all his neighbors with a few block radius. Even neighbors she had never met. She began with... "I'm the crazy biker lady you see riding at 6 a.m. every day. Here's why I'm out there..."
• Old classmates (or current ones if you're still in school)

2. Find a quiet spot, grab some paper and a pencil (or your wireless laptop) and take a minute to think about why you're taking on this extraordinary challenge.

Some of us are riding to honor the memory of lost friends or partners, some of us are living with HIV/AIDS, some love the opportunity to take on a physical challenge and do some good at the same time.

Start by answering four questions. Keep your responses brief, no more than three or four sentences each.

• What will you be doing on August 13th?
• Why?
• How has AIDS affected your life?
• How much time will you devote to training and fundraising in the months leading up to the ride?

There's no right or wrong way to answer any of these questions. Just write from your heart.

Finished? Here's your chance to help our great beneficiaries educate the public about HIV/AIDS by answering one more question.

Why should you support organizations that battle to prevent new HIV infections, provide HIV testing, and help people with HIV/AIDS get food, shelter, jobs, mental health counseling and access to medicine and medical care?

Here are some of our answers:

Because those of us who survived the ravages of the epidemic before the advent in the 1990s of the drug cocktails believe we have a moral imperative to continue to fight the disease - especially as it strikes vulnerable populations including women of color, IV drug users, and young gay men who don't remember the death tolls of the 1980s.

Because New York State leads the nation in new infections, in AIDS deaths and in HIV/AIDS cases.

Because funding for programs to help people with HIV/AIDS is being slashed at the state and federal level. That means that many of the people served by our four beneficiaries could lose the programs that keep them healthy and functioning.

Because by supporting the fight against AIDS in 2006 I am honoring the memory of the friends I've lost.

You may also click on the "beneficiary" link to the left of this page to read interviews with the executive directors of AIDS Rochester, AIDS Community Services and AIDS-Related Community Services. That will provide you with even more information about the funding crisis and why your work is so important.

Close your letter by asking your friends to support you with a generous check.

This is a good time to slip in a famous story about the late U.S. House Speaker Tip O'Neill. During his first political race for Cambridge City Council, he just assumed he had the support of his neighbor, Mrs. Elizabeth O'Brien.

But on election day, she called to him: “Tom, I’m going to vote for you even though you didn’t ask me.”

“Mrs. O’Brien,” O'Neill replied, “I’ve lived across the street from you for eighteen years. I cut your grass in the summer and shovel your walk in the winter. I didn’t think I had to ask for your vote.”

“Tom, let me tell you something. People like to be asked.”

No one wants their generosity to be taken for granted. That includes your sister, your brother, your partner, your husband, your wife, your parents and your best friend. Don't wait for them to volunteer. They're waiting for you to ask.

Now you have your great letter.

3. Type it, copy it or write it out in longhand. Make sure you sign your name at the bottom. (We like to further personalize our letters with a handwritten "thank you!") Put it in an envelope with a donation form and a self-addressed, stamped envelope and mail a copy to everyone you know.

A few more tips:

Personalize your salutation! We prefer Dear Mom or Dear Uncle Joe to "Hi everyone."

Proofread your letter for typos!

Ask a friend to read your letter before you mail it!

Need some more ideas? Click here to read letters sent last year by ESAR2 rider Kevin Judge and volunteer Paula Silvestrone. Do you have a letter that has been effective? Send it to us at day2inc@aol.com and we'll share it here.

4. When your donations arrive, and BEFORE you mail them to us, make sure your name is written on the lower lefthand corner of the check.

Next, please go to your personal web page and enter them there. (Log on to your personal web page and click on tools.)

Make sure you include email addresses, particularly for donations of more than $250. We do NOT sell our mailing list, so your supporters don't have to worry about spam. Our system automatically generates an email receipt which is the only record your supporters will get for tax purposes.

5. AFTER you enter your checks, mail them to the Empire State AIDS Ride, P.O. Box 984, Planetarium Station, New York, NY 10024-0541.

Now, a special request from our volunteers: No staples, please!

If at first you don't succeed

Here's where persistence comes in.

A month has passed since you sent out your fundraising letter, and some of your friends still haven't responded. Now it's time to send a follow-up letter.

Here are a few ideas we like:

• Send a training update and tell your friends just how many hours you've spent in the saddle or at the gym. Remind them why you're working so hard. Tell them again how much you appreciate their support.
• Send a donation form and a photo of you on your bike!

And if you still don't hear from them...

Internet donations

You may also offer your supporters the option of contributing online.

We love the convenience of the internet. Riders agree, sending an e-mail on the Kintera system is easy.

Start by writing a personal note to your friends.

Follow the same rules for writing a regular letter.

• Make it personal! Make it interesting! You're doing something great!
• Keep your note brief. No more than four paragraphs.
• Check for typos!
• Print it out and have a friend read it first.

Donors who support you by e-mail will automatically receive a thank you generated by the website. (That's a nice start, but they'll also appreciate a phone call or a good old-fashioned thank you note from you.)

New York is a BIG state and other creative fundraising ideas

Tape a New York State topographical map to your office wall and mark in the general route from Niagara Falls to New York City. It's a terrific conversation started and a great way to impress upon your colleagues or classmates just how far you're riding.

Your back is great advertising space! Offer to wear a company jersey (no cotton, please!) across the state in exchange for a generous donation. Ask your local car dealerships, sporting goods shops, and banks to be your sponsor.

ESAR1 rider Eric Thomann let his sponsors sign his three-speed bike. Other riders purchased solid color bike jerseys and let sponsors write dedications in indelible marker.

Team up with another rider and throw a party. Have a barbecue in your backyard, partner with a local bar, get a merchant to donate an item for a raffle (but please, make sure it's legal in your area!), team up with the fire department and sponsor a pancake breakfast.

Ask your friends to sponsor you by the mile. A 10-cent donation will equal a $56 donation, at $1 a mile they'll sponsor you for $561.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

We can't say it enough, and neither can you!

Your donors will appreciate a sincere thank you, and they'll remember your effort when you ask them to support you in the future.

Print a postcard using a picture of you and your bike and mail it with a note of thanks.

Send a note describing your training efforts.

Print out address labels or hand write address labels with the names and addresses of all your donors. Bring it with you to Niagara Falls along with a packet of stamps. Send your donors a postcard from the starting point and thank them for their part in helping you get there. Or send them a postcard from New York City of the Statue of Liberty, which you'll see at the end of our 560 mile journey, and tell them you made it!

Corporate fundraising

The Empire State AIDS Ride is dedicated to offering an event that is sustained by the generosity of our riders, whose entry fee covers about half the costs of food, road support, permit fees, and campground charges. We're grateful to the many small businesses and corporations who are donating goods and services to allow us to guarantee a minimum 82-percent return to our beneficiaries, among the highest for fundraising events.

Contact the ride office at day2inc@aol.com or by phone at (917) 817-5775 (between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, please!) for more information about sponsorship opportunities.

We'll thank our corporate sponsors by adding their names to our website and ride jersey!