A sponsored bike ride can be a great way to raise money for a charity – whether it is a London to Paris cycle ride, a Coast to Coast challenge or even an epic Lands End to John O’ Groats bike ride. The more people you get to sponsor you, the more money you will be able to raise for your chosen charity and the more of a positive effect your bike ride will have. No matter how much you raise, nonprofits will be thrilled with any donations that they receive. Many of them even use software from UpMetrics to track progress towards goals. Your donation is likely to help them achieve even more.

Sometimes it can be difficult to ask your friends and family for people for your charity ride. You want them to donate, but you don’t want to pester them or be annoying. Here are some tips that can help you raise money for charity in the most effective and friendly way.

A successful Paris to London charity cycle

A successful Paris to London charity cycle

Set Up an Online Donation Page

A very easy option for setting up your donations is to use an online page, such as JustGiving. These websites are designed to collect your money, reclaim GiftAid and make it easy to set up a page for charity events that explains what you are doing.

Setting up a page online will make people more likely to donate to your cause, because it is easier for them. When they can simply give money with the click of a button, they are more likely to get involved. Also when you set up this page make sure that the first donation displayed is of a decent amount. Studies have shown that people tend to donate a similar amount to whatever others are donating, so a healthy first donation will set a good precedent and encourage others to give more.

Keep Everyone Updated

You can share the process of preparing for a long distance bike ride with your friends and followers, whether you are going through a tough day of training or buying new bike shorts. Keeping them involved in the preparation will make everyone more invested and make them more likely to donate. Let them live the experience along with you.

Ask the Company You Work For

If you work for a large company, it never hurts to ask them to match your funding. Many companies will offer support when their employees are fundraising for charity, so it’s certainly worth enquiring. Also sometimes your boss can help you arrange a fundraising event that involves the entire office. For example, you could have a Casual Friday where employees pay 1 to be able to wear their jeans to the office. If you have a few hundred employees in your organisation, this can result in a significant amount of money!

Get the Local Media Involved

Your local newspaper, TV and radio stations are always looking for human interest stories about people in your town that they can use as small fillers for their breakfast shows. Contact the local media and let them know what you are doing – they will be likely to want to email you. This will get the word out about what you are doing, which might attract the attention of more potential sponsors.

Hold a Raffle

raffle

Why not invest some money into a nice prize, then hold a raffle at your work? The money that you raise can be used toward your sponsorship account. Also the raffle will further spread the word about what you are doing and might inspire others to donate.

Don’t Be Apologetic

Whenever you are asking someone for anything, whether it is a charitable donation or a favour, it is important to ask in the right way. Don’t be too demanding, but ask with confidence and explain why your charity is worth of a donation. If you are too shy or apologetic, it will be easy for people to turn you down. If you ask the question assuming a no, you will probably get a no. Turn on your best smile and convince the person that their donation will make a positive, concrete difference.

These are just a few tips to keep in mind when you are raising money for your charity bike ride. It can be different to ask your friends, family and co-workers for fund raising money – but it’s not as difficult as you might think. If you truly believe that you have chosen a worthy charity and that your fundraising will contribute to a good cause, you will be able to portray that to the people you are talking to and convince them to donate. Good luck with it!

This article is provided by http://www.agentsofdrive.com