Over 70 members strong and 10 years long!

Co-captains Marion and Sharen are no strangers to the MS Bike. Team Doug and Marion’s MS Erasers formed 10 years ago and has been growing in number ever since! The team currently has an extraordinary 78 members, and they are hoping to reach 100+ in time for the tour. When asked how they grew their team so large, the enthusiastic Team Captains say it is a matter of friends asking friends and the momentum carries on from there, “We invite someone once and they usually get hooked! It’s kind of addictive team members invite a friend and that friend invites a friend and so on. There are so many smaller groups/families within our team, but once we are at the ride, we all join together and have a blast.”

Marion and Sharen also believe that a contributing factor to their ever-growing team is in large part due to the emphasis they place on having a good time and enjoying the whole experience of the event, “We have lots of fun and great laughs. We aren’t competitive or have eligibility criteria other than raising the fundraising minimum, but as a team we end up raising more! We are also very welcoming of new participants, and have a few team members with MS who add an extra level of motivation for us."

The team has another great recruitment tool as Marion and her husband own Doug and Marion’s Bike Sales and Repairs, a cycling shop based out of Strathroy. “We have members from the Strathroy, London, Waterloo Region, Guelph, Fergus, Woodstock, Barrie and Hamilton area. Doug and Marion’s is great for recruiting new members as they are always promoting the ride in their store. They are so dedicated to giving to the community in everything they do they promote the MS Bike to every customer that comes in,” says Sharen.

For more tips and information on participating as a team, check out the Team Tools page on msbike.ca

Easy and effective fundraising on Facebook

The new era of fundraising is here. Thanks to the social web, websites like Facebook and Twitter are changing the way fundraisers reach their donors. Asking for donations in person is no longer the only way to campaign for your cause.

Rob, an MS Bike participant, uses Facebook to raise awareness and encourage his friends and family to sponsor him for the MS Bike. Here are some of the tips Rob shared with us,

 

Highlight your MS Bike tour and why it matters

Update your Facebook status describing which MS Bike you are participating in and why it is an important event to you.

Highlight your training

Start sharing regular updates on how you are preparing for the event. Demonstrating your enthusiasm and eagerness to be prepared will show that you’re passionate about the event and cause.

Always remember to link to your personal fundraising page

Be sure to include the link to your personal event page when posting anything about your ride on Facebook.*

*To link your personal fundraising page on Facebook, first log into your Participant Centre via msbike.ca. Once there, click on the ‘Personal Page’ tab in the menu along the top and then click on the ‘View my personal page’ hyperlink beside the ‘Personal Fundraising Page’ title. Once you’re on your public ‘Personal Page,’ copy the link in the browser and paste it into the status box on your Facebook wall.

Thank your donors

A simple but important action you can take on Facebook is to publically thank your donors by tagging them. Tagging your donors in a status update along with a thank you message will highlight their names to the rest of your network and act as a reminder for others who have not yet supported you.

 

For more of Rob’s tips and to stay connected with MS Bike news, DOWNLOAD the latest issue of Gearing Up http://bit.ly/1351RCQ

Fundraising made easy with social media tools!

 Fundraising requires both optimism and realism. Without the first, few if any gift solicitation efforts would be made. Without the second, few if any would succeed.  - Howard L. Jones

One of the most important parts of fundraising is getting the word out and reaching as many people as possible. Unfortunately this is can also be one of the hardest parts of fundraising. However, with the help of social media, fundraising can be a breeze!

There’s no faster and easier way to let everyone know you’re raising money for MS Bike then by sending out a message through Facebook, Twitter or your personal blog. At msbike.ca, we’ve got some great tools that can help add a little pizzazz to your online fundraising efforts, such as logos, badges, videos, banners and more! 

Here are some ways to get the most from your social media interactions:

Update the profile picture on your Facebook and Twitter accounts with an MS Bike badge

• Change your timeline or cover picture on Twitter and Facebook to an image you took at last year’s MS Bike
• Highlight one of your MS Bike Facebook posts so it appears at the top of your profile page
• Embed an MS Bike banner ad onto your blog, personal website or even your company’s website (with permission of course)
•  Create a Pinterest board where your team can post pictures and information about MS Bike
• Upload an audio file to your Tumblr blog that tells people about MS Bike and why you’re fundraising
•  Create a short video of yourself talking about MS Bike and post it on YouTube

                                        

We would love to hear about the unique ways you’re gathering donations. Share your ideas for online fundraising with us on Facebook and Twitter, and have fun!

Fundraising Tip – Motivating your team

Working with a team is a great way to get the most of your MS Bike experience. Here are some tips on keeping your team motivated and enthusiastic about fundraising.

•    Keep your team informed. Use newsletters and/or emails to keep team members motivated and inspire them to keep fundraising.

•    Communicate openly with your team. Meet with your team, in person or by phone, periodically to discuss your team’s fundraising progress and plans for the future.

•    Create team business cards. Include each member’s name, the team name, the event, contact information and your mission. These cards are great tools for fundraising and recruitment.

•    Get creative with your team outfits. Plan to wear matching costumes, hats or colours while biking and during fundraising events to stand out from the crowd.

•    Organize friendly contests between your team members.  Compete to see who can raise the most in set amount of time or at a specific event.

How is your team’s fundraising going? Do you have any tips? Let us know on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Fundraising Tip – Recruiting a team

Forming your own MS Bike team is a great way to increase your fundraising and have a lot of fun! The first step to forming a team is finding some recruits. Here are some tips to help you get the word out and grow your team!

•    Ask anyone and everyone. Ask your friends, family, neighbours and co-workers to join the team. Even if they say no, odds are they’ll support your team with a donation.

•    Ask each person who joins your team to recruit 4 additional members. If you start with only 4 team members, and they each recruit 4 more team members, and those people each recruit 4 new team members— you’ll have 64 team members!

•    Identify a co-captain who can assist you with recruitment efforts. As your team grows larger, consider appointing a committee in charge of recruitment.

•    Advertise you team on social media. It’s a fast way to spread the word and let people know you’re looking for members.

•    Create a recruitment pitch. Be ready to tell people why ending MS is important to you and how their help will raise even more money to help Canadians living with MS.

Now you know how to recruit team members, head over to msbike.ca to register your team! If you’ve already registered for the MS Bike and would like to join or create a team, please login to the Participant Centre and select the black "Join or create a team button" to complete a request form.
Let us know about your team on our Facebook and twitter pages and let us know what recruitment methods you’ve used!

Fundraising Tip - Start Your Own Team

If you’re a seasoned MS Bike participant, or even a new one, why not try starting your own team? It’s easy to get started. Just gather four or more friends, family members or co-workers and start fundraising. Working with a team means you’ll have more support and encouragement. Click here to register your team today!

Here are a few tips for a creating a successful team:

• Build a network. Ask your friends, family, neighbours and co-workers to join the team
• Come up with a team name. Wear team hats or shirts with the team name on them for your fundraising events.
• Keep your team informed. Pass on newsletters and emails to keep your members motivated and inspire them to recruit others.
• Create a fun atmosphere for your team before and after the event! Encourage everyone to come up with fundraising ideas and work together to make them a reality.
• Hold fundraisers as a team. It’s a lot easier to organize a fundraising event or activity when you have help! Cooperate with your fellow team members to think up fundraisers you can all contribute to.

Not yet registered? Click here to register for your local MS Bike.

Let us know on the MS Bike Facebook page or the MS Bike twitter page if you try this tip!

Fundraising Tip – Engage local businesses!

Is there a café, bakery, grocer or other local business that you visit frequently? Why not ask them to get involved in your fundraising? Here are a few ways local businesses can help you raise money!

•    Request prize donations. Having a trivia night, sports tournament or photo contest to raise money? Ask a local business to donate a product or service you can use as a prize in exchange for handing out their business cards or mentioning their name at your event. This helps raise their profile in the community while giving your contest a bit of extra flare!

•    Hold a silent auction. If you can get enough in-kind donations from local businesses, consider holding a silent auction. Set up a table at your workplace, school, place of worship or community centre where people can write down bids for the various products and services donated by local businesses – all the proceeds with go to your MS Bike fundraising.

•    Set up a donation box. Ask if you can set up a donation box on the front counter at a local business. This is an easy way to reach a wide audience and collect a lot of extra money. Make sure it includes a sign that states the money is going towards MS Bike and a short description of what the event is about. Ask the store owner or cashier to mention it to customers.

•    Approach businesses that carry the type of supplies you need for events. Holding a bake sale? Perhaps the local bakery would be interested in donating something. Throwing a karaoke party? The karaoke machine rental business might give you a discount if you tell them it’s for a charity fundraiser! Let the business owners know that you’ll acknowledge their generosity at your event.

•    Ask for pledges. If you’re a regular customer at a local store or business, don’t be afraid to ask the store owner or employees for donations!

Do you have any tips or success stories about fundraising with the help of local businesses? Share them on our Facebook and twitter pages!

Fundraising tip: hold a trivia night with your friends!

Holding a trivia night is a great way to turn donating into a social occasion! Holding a trivia night is a great way to turn donating into a social occasion! Follow our simple steps and you can have fun with your friends and raise money for MS Bike!

1.    Decide what kind of trivia night you want to have. Do you want to use a classic game, like Trivial Pursuit or Scene It, or do you want to make your own questions that appeal to you and your friends’ interests? You could make your trivia night about anything, from celebrity gossip to superheroes to local history!

2.    Let your friends know about the event. Create an event page on Facebook, Tweet about your event and send out invitations. Let them know that they can attend in exchange for a donation to your MS Walk fundraising.

3.    Prepare your game. If you’re writing your own questions, print them out on cards and create scoring sheets. Ask around at local businesses to see if they’d be willing to donate a prize.

4.    Have fun! Enjoy your role as trivia master and take the opportunity to tell your guests a bit about MS Bike.

Check out our Facebook and Twitter pages for more fundraising tips. If you have any ideas for trivia night themes or fundraising strategies, let us know!

Fundraising Tip: Release your inner artist!

Creating your own art is a great way to personalize your fundraising efforts. Whether you like painting, drawing, crafting or writing, there are plenty of ways you can use your creative talents to fundraise for MS Bike.

•    Auction off your artwork to friends and family members. Display you work at a social gathering and offer each work to the person who “bids” the highest donation.

•    Write a short story or poetry collection. Are you secretly an aspiring novelist? Flex your literary muscles by writing a short story or collection of poems and offering it in exchange for donations. You can print your work and give them a copy, or save it as a PDF and email it to donors as an eBook.

•    Have a craft sale. Craft sales are fundraising classics for a reason! Spend an afternoon making crafts with your friends and then sell them at work or school.

•    Hold a gallery show for your child’s class. This one is great for parents with young children. Talk to your child’s art teacher and arrange a night to display student’s art in the school. Parents are invited to come, peruse the class’s work and “purchase” their child’s art with a small donation.

How have you used art as a part of your fundraising efforts? Share your tips and ideas on our Facebook and twitter accounts!

Simple and easy fundraising ideas

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best! Here are some quick and easy ways you can raise money for your MS Bike fundraising.

•    How many candies in the jar? Set up a jar full of candy at your school or workplace. For a small donation, people can make a guess at how many candies are in the jar. The closest guess wins the jar!

•    Set up a Loonie Bin. Set up a bin with a sign requesting loonies as a donation to MS Bike. Place the bin in a high traffic area in your school, workplace or place of worship.

•    Start a countdown on Facebook or Twitter. Start counting down MS Bike by letting people know how much you’ve raised, what your goals are and what their donation would mean to you!

•    Collect bottles or cans. Collect empties from your family, friends and coworkers and return them where accepted. You’d be surprised how much you can raise this way!

•    Write a handwritten letter to potential donors. Write a letter explaining what MS Bike is and why it’s important to you. End the letter with a request for donations. Mail the letter or deliver it by hand. Putting things in writing demonstrates your commitment and gives your request a personal touch.

There you go! Simple ideas to give your MS Bike fundraising a boost. If you have a simple fundraising idea or tip you’d like to share, head to our Facebook or Twitter pages!

Fundraising Tips for the Workplace

Have you already asked your friends and family for donations and aren’t sure who to ask next? With permission from your company, work can be a great place to fundraise for MS Bike. There are a lot of great activities you can use to raise awareness about your fundraising and get your coworkers enthusiastic about donating!

•    Collaborate on a bake sale. Ask your coworkers to bring in baked goods on a prearranged day and then sell them during your lunch break.

•    Have a movie week. Rent five short films and show them in a meeting room during lunch. Serve popcorn and snacks. Your coworkers can attend in exchange for a small donation.

•    Declare a packed lunch day. Everyone brings a lunch from home and donates what they would have spent on a store-bought lunch.

•    Have a contest. There are a lot of options for office contests: a bad hairdo contest, a talent contest, a trivia or guessing game. Ask local businesses if they’ll provide a prize for the winner and charge a small fee to enter.

Don’t be afraid to come up with your own ideas for fundraising events you think your coworkers would enjoy. A little bit of creativity can go a long way to increase your pledges! Remember to share your ideas with your fellow fundraisers on our Facebook and Twitter pages!

Valentine’s Day Fundraising Tips

Valentine’s Day is only a couple weeks away! The most romantic day of the year is a great time to raise money for MS Bike, so here are some fundraising ideas to help you as you lace up for someone you love!

•    In exchange for pledges, host a Valentine’s Day dinner for the couples you know. Light candles, serve red wine and select a soundtrack of romantic music. Offer chocolates for dessert. Since most couples will have Valentine’s Day plans, consider holding your dinner a few nights before the 14th.

•    Sell homemade Valentine’s. If you enjoy crafts, get together with some friends and put together some Valentine’s cards to sell at school or work. Offer to add a personalized message for buyers. Consider adding a note on the back informing the recipient that this Valentine was paid for with a donation to MS Walk.

•    Run a Valentine’s Day messaging service at your school or workplace. Buy some small valentines cards at a local store. In exchange for a donation, people receive a Valentine that you’ll deliver to whoever they wish.

•    Hold a Valentine’s Day bake sale. A Valentine’s twist on a fundraising classic! Make heart-shaped cookies and cupcakes with pink and white icing. Customers who buy more than one item get a free chocolate!

If you’ve got Valentine’s fundraising ideas of your own, share them with your fellow bikers on Facebook and twitter! Then go out there and win some hearts for MS Bike!

Fundraising with Friends

When you’re fundraising for MS Bike your friends can be a great source of donations, encouragement and support. If you want to make donating extra fun and increase the amount you raise, try getting together with your friends for one of these great fundraising activities!

•    Host a movie night. Let your friends vote on what movie they want to see. Charge a small fee for entrance, dim the lights and prepare some interesting facts about the film you can share before the movie begins.

•    Work together to create crafts or baked goods for a sale. Craft sales and bake sales are two fundraising staples, but doing all the prep work by yourself can be tough. Get your friends involved and make it a group activity!

•    Prepare a fancy dinner. In exchange for pledges, invite your friends to a fancy dinner. Decorate your dining area and prepare all your best dishes.

•    Have a karaoke night. Rent a Karaoke machine and charge a fee for entrance. Not only will guests be supporting a good cause, but they’ll get to see their friends sing their hearts out (whether in key or not!). At the end of the night you can even crown a Karaoke Idol and offer them a prize.

•    Hold a trivia contest. Create trivia questions based on your friends’ interests. Charge a small entry fee and offer a prize. Alternatively, challenge your friends and ask them to donate a small amount for every question they get wrong.

Remember, nobody knows your friends better than you do, so don’t be afraid to come up with your own ideas for fundraising activities and events they’ll enjoy! Share your ideas with your fellow walkers on the MS Bike Facebook and twitter pages!

Contest winner Allyson visits the Windy City

Allyson Newburg has participated in 20 MS Bike events over the past 18 years, so she certainly deserved a vacation! Last season, we offered cyclists the opportunity to be entered into a draw to win a trip to either Chicago or New York City when they raised $500 or more online between given dates. Allyson was our lucky winner, and she’s recently returned from her trip!

Allyson chose Chicago because she’d only visited on business before and was impressed by how much there was to do with her young son and how many festive sights there were to take in. The family enjoyed the Chicago Trolley Holiday Lights tour, and had such a great time that they hope to make the trip an annual December tradition.

As for MS Bike? Allyson says she’ll definitely be back in 2013, though the demands of taking care of her three year-old mean she’ll likely choose a one-day tour. “I enjoy being able to get out on my bike for some ‘me’ time on a well-marked route, with the comfort of knowing I won’t be stranded if I have bike trouble,” she explains.

Allyson’s fundraising tip is simple – she uses bribery! Every donor who pledges her $30 or more receives a pan of her homemade brownies, and some years she’s baked over 60 pans! All that hard work has paid off over time. “My supporters have increased their donations year after year,” she says, “so now I am able to raise the same amount of money without having to bake quite so many brownies.”

Thanks for your many years of dedication to the cause – and baking – Allyson!

Stay tuned to our blog, Facebook and Twitter accounts for your chance to enter to win other great prizes!

Fundraising inspiration for the New Year

Happy New Year, MS Bike participants! January is a time for fresh starts, and also for reflection on years gone by. Was one of your New Year’s resolutions to achieve great results in your fundraising for the 2013 MS Bike?

To help you kick off 2013 with a burst of fundraising energy, we’ve combed through our archives to find some of the best fundraising tip posts of years gone by. Click through the links below to find inspiration. Just 2 or 3 of these creative tips can make a huge dent in your fundraising goal!

Ask everyone
Start a bottle drive
Fundraise at work
Organize a local carwash
Exercise challenge: Get in shape while earning pledges
Digitally spread the word
Play a game
Write a letter
Organize a garage sale
Create a video message to spread the word
Host a pancake breakfast
Organize a bake sale at work
Donate to yourself
Be creative
Keep it simple
Get your coworkers behind you

Share your favourite fundraising ideas – from this list or your own imagination! – in the comments below, or on Facebook or Twitter.

Five tips for fundraising with social media

Though it may seem complicated at first, using social media tools – especially in conjunction with your online personal fundraising page – makes collecting donations easier than ever. Online appeals will never replace the very important face-to-face fundraising you do with close family, friends and colleagues, but they can give you the extra boost you need to reach your fundraising goals.

Here are 5 easy ways social media can help you power up your pledges!

1. Link your personal fundraising page to your social media accounts to make it as easy as possible for donors to learn about the cause and contribute their support. On Twitter, add the link to your “Bio.” On Facebook use the “About Me” field of your profile. Email counts too! – add the link to your signature!

2. Use Facebook events. Join the Facebook event for your 2013 MS Bike location, then send your friends invites or share the event on your Timeline. Want to get a little more personal? Create your own Facebook event to share with your teammates and donors. Post photos, videos and updates on your progress toward your fundraising goal so your supporters can stay up-to-date.

3. Post photos from last year’s event. One of the best ways to get your teammates and supporters excited for this year’s MS Walk is to remind them how much fun you had together last year. Share photographs you took at previous years’ events, and make sure to tag your friends.

4. Thank your donors, team members and supporters. Social media makes it easy to thank a donor for their support. This recognition will encourage other members of your networks to join in the fun.

5. Share our content. Don’t have time to create new content for your social media accounts? Let us do the work for you! You can easily share or “retweet” content from our Facebook and Twitter accounts and find photos of last year’s event at our Flickr page.

Make MS Bike part of your holiday celebrations

The holidays are a time for generosity, when our hearts turn toward family, friends or even strangers in need. Participation in the 2013 MS Bike season is one great way for you to make a difference in your community – here are some ways for your family and friends to join in the season’s goodwill.

• Ask friends and family members to join your MS Bike team. Over the holidays, family dinners and get-togethers with old friends help us reconnect with people we don’t spend enough time with throughout the year. Why not ask them to join you at a 2013 MS Bike event as a team member, volunteer or cheerleader? A shared commitment will help you to stay in touch, and you can look forward to seeing one another at your community’s event come spring.
• In lieu of gifts, request donations to help you reach your fundraising goal. We’ve all had the awkward and frustrating experience of searching for that perfect gift for the person who has everything. Save your friends, family and co-workers the trouble and request donations to your personal online fundraising page instead of traditional gifts. A donation is a quick, easy and meaningful show of support.
• Teach children about the importance of giving. As a family, make a donation to your children’s aunt, uncle, sibling or friend who is participating in the MS Bike Tour. Explain the importance that your contributions will make to supporting people affected by MS.
• Spread the word. As people look for ways to give back to their communities during the holiday season, make sure they’re aware of your mission. Add a link to your personal fundraising page to your email signature and advertise your progress toward your fundraising goal on your social networks.

Can you think of any other ideas about how to make the 2013 MS Bike season part of your holiday celebrations? Tell us about them on Facebook or Twitter.

Make MS Bike part of your holiday celebrations

The holidays are a time for generosity, when our hearts turn toward family, friends or even strangers in need. Participation in the 2013 MS Bike season is one great way for you to make a difference in your community – here are some ways for your family and friends to join in the season’s goodwill.

 

• Ask friends and family members to join your MS Bike team. Over the holidays, family dinners and get-togethers with old friends help us reconnect with people we don’t spend enough time with throughout the year. Why not ask them to join you at a 2013 MS Bike event as a team member, volunteer or cheerleader? A shared commitment will help you to stay in touch, and you can look forward to seeing one another at your community’s event come spring.
• In lieu of gifts, request donations to help you reach your fundraising goal. We’ve all had the awkward and frustrating experience of searching for that perfect gift for the person who has everything. Save your friends, family and co-workers the trouble and request donations to your personal online fundraising page instead of traditional gifts. A donation is a quick, easy and meaningful show of support.
• Teach children about the importance of giving. As a family, make a donation to your children’s aunt, uncle, sibling or friend who is participating in the MS Bike Tour. Explain the importance that your contributions will make to supporting people affected by MS.
• Spread the word. As people look for ways to give back to their communities during the holiday season, make sure they’re aware of your mission. Add a link to your personal fundraising page to your email signature and advertise your progress toward your fundraising goal on your social networks.

Can you think of any other ideas about how to make the 2013 MS Bike season part of your holiday celebrations? Tell us about them on Facebook or Twitter.



Fundraising Tip #14- Ask everyone!

This is the #1 tip of all of our top fundraisers! Ask your doctor, lawyer, dentist, real estate agent – everyone. Browse through your phone contacts and address book or print out your email contact list and highlight everyone that is important to you and ask! You can even share your story with your local media. Creating awareness is a great way to boost your fundraising!

 

Fundraising Tip # 13 ̶ Start a bottle drive!

A great way to raise some extra funds is to hold a bottle drive. Ask your family, friends, neighbours, co-workers, etc. for their empty glass bottles or cans in support of your participation in MS Bike. Once you have collected your bottles or cans you can bring them to your local Beer Store where they will reimburse you with cash for each bottle you return. You will not only be raising important funds to assist those affected by MS, you will also be doing a community service by helping others clean out their cluttered garages! Not to mention you will also be contributing to a “greener” environment by recycling!

Have another great tip to share? Leave us a wall post on Facebook page or a tweet on Twitter! You never know, your tip might even be included in our next blog post!