Purple in Action by Morgan Melot

f u t u r e

b u s i n e s s

l e a d e r s

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a m e r i c a

Getting started

p h i

b e ta

l a m b d a

Marketing

with March of Dimes

In Action

Action

Fundraising in

The FBLA PBL Guide to March of Dimes Fundraising and Advocacy /FutureBusinessLeaders

@FBLA_National

@PBL_National

CONTENTS PURPLE IN ACTION: GETTING STARTED...................3 Getting Started with March of Dimes Checklist for Success Interactive March of Dimes program of work template March of Dimes Chapter Search

PURPLE IN ACTION: FUNDRAISING...........................9 Fundraising in Action Purple Activities Tracking Fundraising March of Dimes grant application March of Dimes FBLA-PBL fundraising report form

PURPLE IN ACTION: MARKETING..............................17 Marketing in Action MOD Elevator Speech MOD Booth Checklist Communication Tips March for Babies Social Media and Mobile Tips Sample materials: letters, emails, letterhead, and flyer template

PURPLE IN ACTION: DROPBOX.................................27 Sample presentation

/FutureBusinessLeaders @FBLA_National @PBL_National /FBLAPBLinc 2

PURPLE IN ACTION

etting Started with March of Dimes

Pro-gram of Work. noun. a set of goals that a group or team wishes to achieve in a certain period of time. The key to planning a great year, especially with March of Dimes, starts with a program of work (POW). This component helps a team organize its thoughts and goals into central programs that can be achieved throughout the year. When creating a POW, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to make goals that are both REASONABLE and ATTAINABLE. If the goal isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t realistic, it is not worth setting. Use the following checklist and POW templates to help carefully plan your goal-based programs and put PURPLE IN ACTION!

PURPLE IN ACTION

CHECKLIST FOR SUCCESS Hold a March of Dimes info session Develop a March of Dimes committee Invite a March of Dimes representative to the planning meeting Create a program of work Create a March of Dimes team profile Schedule a walk (check with your local March of Dimes) Print promotional flyers Gain community support Send funds to your local March of Dimes chapter Celebrate 4

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TACTIC Host a mini march on your local campus; include an information booth

OBJECTIVE

Participate in FBLA-PBL’s March for Babies in May

All members

ASSIGNED

DUE DATE

about prematurity. (See pages 10–13 for a list of activities.)

STATUS

Goal #1: EVENTS: Plan fun, informative events to advocate and educate

March of Dimes Program of Work

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Make at least a $1 donation (per member)

TACTIC All members

ASSIGNED April 1

DUE DATE

STATUS

sponsors, and donations. (See pages 10â&#x20AC;&#x201C;13 for a list of activities.)

FUNDRAISING: Raise funds for the March of Dimes through events,

OBJECTIVE

Goal #2:

March of Dimes Program of Work

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DUE DATE December 31

ASSIGNED Local officers

TACTIC Use Facebook and MOD tools to fundraise and promote the event

Use social media to promote online

(See pages 17â&#x20AC;&#x201C;30 for resources.)

STATUS

MARKETING: Have the most effective plan to promote activities.

OBJECTIVE

Goal #3:

March of Dimes Program of Work

March of Dimes: Chapter Search Search for FBLA-PBL March for Babies teams in your state:

marchforbabies.org/FBLAPBL

Alabama

Louisiana

Ohio

Alaska

Maine

Oklahoma

Arizona

Maryland-Metro DC Oregon

Arkansas

Massachusetts

Pennsylvania

California

Michigan

Puerto Rico

Colorado

Minnesota

Rhode Island

Connecticut

Mississippi

South Carolina

Delaware

Missouri

South Dakota

Florida

Montana

Tennessee

Georgia

Nebraska

Texas

Hawaii

Nevada

Utah

Idaho

New Hampshire

Vermont

Illinois

New Jersey

Virginia

Indiana

New Mexico

Washington

Iowa

New York

West Virginia

Kansas

North Carolina

Wisconsin

Kentucky

North Dakota

Wyoming

PURPLE IN ACTION

Action

Fundraising In

Fund-rais-ing. noun. the organized activity of collecting money for an institution or cause. This section is devoted to raising money. Check out the fundraising event ideas, such as bowling nights, car washes, or a “Most Beautiful Baby” pageant, and learn how to track your chapter’s fundraising goals. Don’t forget to fill out the March of Dimes grant application. Visit go.fbla.org/modgrantapplication for the deadline. Check out marchofdimes.com/teamyouth for even MORE resources!

PURPLE IN ACTION

PURPLE Activities

Looking for creative, new fundraising ideas for your March for Babies team? These activities are designed for student volunteers, but can work for any age group! Customized T-Shirts

Approach local businesses with the opportunity to pay $100 each to have their logo, phone number, and website advertised on a custom T-shirt. The logos and info are placed on the back of the shirt. Then the COMPANY TEAM puts its logo and the March for Babies logo on the front of the shirt and sells the shirts for $25. Order your custom shirts through MarketPlace.

Study Snacks

Set up a table during exam time and sell bags of trail mix, nuts, and candy. Include March of Dimes flyers in each bag, and donate profits to March of Dimes.

Trivia Night

Organize a fun night with food and board games. Charge a $5 admission fee. Sample Trivia Questions: How long has FBLA-PBL partnered with March of Dimes? How much money has FBLA-PBL raised for March of Dimes during this partnership?

Birthday Wishes

Ask friends and family to donate to the March of Dimes instead of buying gifts.

PURPLE IN ACTION

PURPLE ACTIVITIES Project Runway

Organize a fashion show featuring clothes from local stores. Prom and formal wear are perfect choices. Hold your event in a central location and use the admission fee to raise money for the March of Dimes.

Mini Superbowl

Organize a game of tag, ultimate Frisbee速, or Quidditch at your school or local park. Recruit players and raise money by selling food and admission tickets. Donate profits to March of Dimes.

Host a Dinner

For a suggested contribution, guests receive an appetizer, main course, salad, desert, wine, coffee, and tea. You may choose any combination, but have someone provide ingredients and cook. Donate contributions to the March of Dimes.

Rock-a-thon!

Your local Cracker Barrel restaurant may allow you to hold a Rock-A-Thon Fundraiser using its front porch and famous Cracker Barrel rockers! Visit crackerbarrel.com to find the store near you, then contact the local manager.

PURPLE IN ACTION

PURPLE ACTIVITIES Bowling Night

Ask the local bowling alley if you can sell tickets to the event and donate a percentage of the proceeds (ideally 50 percent) to the March of Dimes.

Raffle

Sell at least 500 tickets at $20. Drop tickets in a bucket and draw one winner every day for a month. By the time you are done, you could raise up to $6000! (Check with your state regarding raffle license requirements.)

FREE Car Wash: DONATIONS ONLY

By making it free people wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be limited to how much they should donate.

Pretty Baby Contest or a Beauty Pageant

This is a very simple way to raise money quickly. Contact March of Dimes to get started.

PURPLE IN ACTION

PURPLE ACTIVITIES Don’t forget FACEBOOK and TWITTER

Need to raise money quickly? If you’re part of a social networking group, post a link to your personal page and ask friends to donate. Create a virtual March for Babies fundraising event on Facebook, such as “Help Me Support Healthy Babies Day,” and invite all your friends. • Post motivational photos/videos • Tell your story • Post your fundraising goal bar online–go to marchforbabies.org for help • Include the link to your personal page • Ask everyone to donate via the link • Periodically rally everyone with posts such as “I’m just $150 away from my goal! If just thirty of my friends will each donate $5, I’ll reach my goal! Will you help?” • Celebrate at the end of the day, thanking folks with shout outs – “Thanks, Uncle Pete, for your $50 donation! You’re the best!”

PURPLE IN ACTION

TRACKING fundraising Register with your FBLA-PBL chapter: • • • •

Visit marchforbabies.org/fblapbl Select your state Select your school name Complete the registration form

Can’t find your school in the FBLA-PBL listing? • Visit marchforbabies.org • Click “Start a Team” • Select your state • Choose the event location • Create a personal profile • Create a team name | Ex. (FBLA/PBL/FBLA ML) - School Name • Complete a team profile

PURPLE IN ACTION

Click the form or visit go.fbla.org/modgrantapplication to submit your application. PURPLE IN ACTION

15 15

PURPLE IN ACTION

ARKETING IN ACTION

Mar-ket-ing. noun. activities involved in the transfer of goods from the producer or seller to the consumer or buyer, including advertising, shipping, storing, and selling. Marketing is the heart of every business’s success. This section includes materials to help your chapter put marketing in action and raise awareness and funds. • Develop a March of Dimes elevator speech and learn communication and social media tips to recruit supporters. • Review the March of Dimes booth checklist, then check out the sample materials, including sponsor and thank you letters, an interactive March of Dimes flyer (Hint: Print on purple paper!), and PowerPoint slides. • Download these resources from the Purple in Action Dropbox (go.fbla.org/purpledropbox). Most local March of Dimes offices supply giveaways for people raising funds. Check out your local March of Dimes for other great tips and tricks.

PURPLE IN ACTION

MoD Elevator Speech Serving the community is part of the FBLA-PBL creed. Serving helps members learn about real-world issues, develop leadership skills, network within the community, gain practical planning and organization experience, and build personal character. Members will also build goodwill for their chapter. This is the Elevator Pitch: FBLA-PBL shares a nearly forty year partnership with the March of Dimes and consistently ranks as one of the top club and organization fundraising partners each year by donating over $15 million. help babies get a healthy start by providing support for research and programs. Together, March of Dimes and FBLA-PBL help moms take charge of their health and support families if something does go wrong.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

â&#x20AC;?

March of Dimes also thinks globally, sharing best practices in prenatal health and helping to improve the birth outcomes in areas where needs are most urgent. Each year, hundreds of local chapter high schools and colleges across the country and abroad hold their own Mini March for Babies. Rally your chapters and your community! You just might be recognized as a top performer at the National Leadership Conference.

PURPLE IN ACTION

MOD BOOTH CHECKLIST An information booth is a great tool to generate March of Dimes awareness. Set up during your local chapter meeting or during the school day. (High traffic areas are best.) Request your schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s permission and remember: your chapterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visibility raises prematurity awareness. Be positive Wear purple (or a March of Dimes T-shirt) Print promotional flyers Collect contact information, money, or show videos, using an iPad, computer, or notebook Raffle a small prize Show off premie diapers Entice students with candy Place March of Dimes collection buckets around your table Bring a receipt book (if you are collecting funds) PURPLE IN ACTION

COMMUNICATIONS TIPS for formal meetings, email, and phone correspondences

RESEARCH the business or person you will communicate with for sponsorships

Do not wander off topic BE PREPARED Have your proposal template in front of you when talking with a potential sponsor

K.I.S.S Keep It Short and Simple

FIND OUT what goals potential sponsors have in working with you Read emails out loud before sending; confirm the correct recipient

RELAX and ENJOY the conversation with your prospective sponsor

Be on TIME for conference calls

PURPLE IN ACTION

Sample Materials Letter/email to potential sponsors: Dear (potential sponsor’s name): On (event date), (school name) Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL) will host a (event name) to help give every baby a healthy start. For those inspired by the miracle of birth, the March of Dimes is the champion for babies that works to increase the number of healthy babies through decades of Nobel prize-winning research and solutions. (School name) FBLA-PBL’s goal is to bring business and education together, thus our chapter has created a mini street fair and walk to raise money for babies. (School name) FBLA-PBL has a long history with the March of Dimes raising over (amount raised) for this cause! An estimated (number of people) people will be present at this event. As a business sponsor, a booth will be provided for your company at (booth location). By taking part in our walk, you can feel good knowing you’ve made a difference in the lives of babies and their families. Sponsorship support is important, but I also encourage you to join me at the (name of walk) and walk for a special baby or child. It’s so easy to register. Just visit marchforbabies.org or call (representative name) at (phone number) for details. Sincerely, (Name) (Title)

Email to family and friends: Dear (Family/friend’s name), Team (school name) FBLA-PBL is walking in March for Babies®. This is an important cause for us, for our chapter is in the running toward being one of the top fundraisers in Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL)! We are participating in a special walk held (date) on campus! Will you support our efforts with a donation? You can do so online at (March of Dimes team page URL). If you are interested in joining our team and helping us save babies, please join at marchforbabies.org. This year as (school name) FBLA-PBL’s (chapter office held), I am determined to save as many babies as possible, and bring back the gold from the upcoming (FBLA/PBL) National Leadership Conference! Thank you so much! P.S. Ask your company if they offer a matching gifts program — they may double your donation! Best, (Name)

PURPLE IN ACTION

Thank you email: To: From: Cc: Date:

(Recipient email) (Sender email) (Additional recipients) (Automatically generated)

Subject line: Thank you for supporting FBLA-PBL and the March of Dimes (Recipient Name): Thank you so much for your generous donation of $(amount) to the March of Dimes, on behalf of Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL). FBLA-PBL has been united with the March of Dimes for almost forty years. We have consistently ranked as the top club and organization fundraising partner, by raising over $15 million, and it’s contributions like yours that make it all possible! As you may know, every year more than half a million babies in the United States are born premature, and our country’s premature birth rate has risen by 36 percent over the last twenty-five years. That’s serious cause for concern! Premature births cost society more than $26 billion each year, and it takes an ever higher toll on the families affected. Babies born as little as just a few weeks early are at risk for severe health problems and lifelong disabilities. Premature birth is the number one killer of newborns. Please, join us on (date), when FBLA-PBL chapters across the nation unite to support and promote the March of Dimes with our #babieswalkwednesday. Each local chapter will host a mini march on their campus, and together we will march across the country to help support babies born prematurely. Use #babieswalkwednesday via Facebook and Twitter to show your support and show us how you are getting involved. For more information on how your donation is making a difference, we invite you to visit marchofdimes.com or fbla-pbl.org. There, you can also find information on upcoming events for this year and stories from the families who have been affected by premature birth. Thank you again, and we look forward to your continued support. (Name) (Title) (Company name) (Street address) (City, state, zip code) (Phone) (Website)

PURPLE IN ACTION

Thank you letter: (Name) (Street address) (City, state, zip code) (Date) (Recipient name) (Title) (Company name) (Street address) (city, state, zip code) Dear (recipient name): Thank you so much for your generous donation of $(amount) to the March of Dimes, on behalf of Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL). FBLA-PBL has been united with the March of Dimes for almost forty years. We have consistently ranked as the top club and organization fundraising partner, by raising over $15 million, and it’s contributions like yours that make it all possible! As you may know, every year more than half a million babies in the United States are born premature, and our country’s premature birth rate has risen by 36 percent over the last twenty-five years. That’s serious cause for concern! Premature births cost society more than $26 billion each year, and it takes an ever higher toll on the families affected. Babies born as little as just a few weeks early are at risk for severe health problems and lifelong disabilities. Premature birth is the number one killer of newborns. Please, join us on (date), when FBLA-PBL chapters across the nation unite to support and promote the March of Dimes with our #babieswalkwednesday. Each local chapter will host a mini march on their campus, and together we will march across the country to help support babies born prematurely. Use #babieswalkwednesday via Facebook and Twitter to show your support and show us how you are getting involved. For more information on how your donation is helping to make a difference in the lives of so many in our community, we invite you to visit marchofdimes.com or fbla-pbl.org. There, you can also find information there on upcoming events for this year and stories from the families who have been affected by premature birth. Thank you again, and we look forward to your continued support. Sincerely,

(Name) (Title)

PURPLE IN ACTION

Future Business Leaders of America Phi Beta Lambda

1912 Association Drive | Reston Virginia 20191-1591 P 703.860.3334 | F 866.500.5610 | general@fbla.org | fbla-pbl.org

PURPLE IN ACTION

Purple in Action DROPBOX The future of FBLA-PBLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s partnership with the March of Dimes relies on your willingness to be a CHAMPION FOR BABIES! Download the packet materials and more, by clicking the TITLE at the top of this page or the following link: PURPLE IN ACTION DROPBOX The Purple in Action Dropbox includes:

PURPLE IN ACTION sample PowerPoint

PURPLE IN ACTION best practices

PURPLE IN ACTION fundraising checklist

March of Dimes team captain booklet

. . . and MORE!

DO YOU HAVE A FUNDRAISING SUCCESS STORY? Submit stories to go.fbla.org/chapternews and check the PURPLE IN ACTION box in the form. Contact a March of Dimes Team Youth representative at teamyouth@marchofdimes.com for additional March of Dimes resources. PURPLE IN ACTION

Purple in Action Slides DOWNLOAD THE PURPLE IN ACTION PRESENTATION VIA THE PURPLE IN ACTION DROPBOX

What is Prematurity? FBLA-PBL, Inc. Putting Purple in Action for over 40 years

• • •

Thirty-seven weeks is considered a full-term pregnancy A baby born prior to thirtyseven weeks is considered premature Nearly a half million babies in the United States are born prematurely, each year

•

Founded January 3, 1938, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt

•

Originally founded to combat polio

•

Once polio was cured, the organization shifted its focus to birth defects

PURPLE IN ACTION

Purple in Action Slides DOWNLOAD THE PURPLE IN ACTION PRESENTATION VIA THE PURPLE IN ACTION DROPBOX

•

The name “March of Dimes” came from the annual fundraising event where coordinators requested each child to donate a roll of dimes

•

Once it was realized most birth defects are caused by premature birth, the March of Dimes shifted focus to healthy pregnancies

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FBLA-PBL is the March of Dimes’s largest studentorganization partner

•

FBLA-PBL has raised over 15 million dollars for the March of Dimes over the past 40 years

•

FBLA-PBL was named March of Dimes Partner of the Year at the 2013 March of Dimes Volunteer Leadership Summit

Purple in Action Slides DOWNLOAD THE PURPLE IN ACTION PRESENTATION VIA THE PURPLE IN ACTION DROPBOX

Each year, chapters across the nation host mini marches on their campuses! Tweet #BabiesWalkWednesday #fblapbl Do you have an innovative idea for a chapter? We can win a grant through national FBLA-PBL!

#BabiesWalkWednesday

PURPLE IN ACTION

1912 Association Drive | Reston, VA 20191 (P) 703.860.3334 (F) 866.500.5610 general@fbla.org | fbla-pbl.org

FBLA-PBL would like to extend a special thank you to the 2013–14 PBL national officer team for Purple in Action Purple in Action authors and contributors Beau Cobb, 2013–14 PBL national secretary Morgan Melot, 2013–14 PBL national treasurer Glenn Gilyot, 2013–14 PBL southern region VP