Category Archives: Bowl-A-Thon

Our Top 3 Bowl-a-thon Fundraising Tips!

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Hey There, Bowlers! We know what you’re thinking – you’ve set up your team, you’ve got a fun team name, and you’re raising money – but you’re wondering what else you can do to surpass your goal. Well, we’ve got you covered with some great fundraising tips, and our Top Three Ways to Raise!

First things first, make sure you’ve snazzed up your page! Your donors aren’t only giving to an awesome cause. They’re also giving to an awesome individual: YOU. What’s a fun and easy way to remind them of this? Personalize your Bowl-a-Thon page with touching stories, selfies, memes, GIFs and more!

You’ll also want to make sure that you take a look at our list of great fundraising tips! From your first point of contact right down to the thank yous for all those donations, our guide has everything from the best way to reach out to getting into a fundraising rhythm. Check out our step-by-step on ‘How to be an Awesome Bowl-a-thon Fundraiser’!

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…

Top Three Ways to Raise!

  1. Organize an event! The possibilities are endless! Have a bar night, throw a house party, have a bake sale, or even host a stoop sale (weather permitting!). Think you have what it takes to organize a successful fundraising event, but need a little help connecting with the right folks to make it happen? Great! Send us an email to info[at]nyaaf[dot]org (subject line: “Events”) with your idea, and we’ll get in touch to help.
  2. Offer perks/rewards for donations! No time to throw an event? Consider offering perks à la Kickstarter for donations! Have a large social media following? Consider posting a tweet or blog publicizing your donors’ project! Have stellar cooking or baking skills? Make a meal or treat for select donors! The possibilities are endless and everyone has something awesome to offer.
  3. Use your talents! Are you a musician or an artist? Do you have amazing cooking/writing/social media/organizing/styling skills? Consider using your particular talents to offer your donors a free song, piece of art, consultation, or workshop. It’s a way to show your passion while incentivizing potential donors, all while having fun!

NOTE: Don’t forget to log your cash donations on your Bowl-a-thon page! Make sure that any checks are made out to ‘New York Abortion Access Fund’, instead of NYAAF. We want you and your team to get credit for all your hard work!

As we get ever-closer to the best Bowl-a-thon EVER, we want to thank you for being awesome Bowl-a-thoners! As always, please reach out to us if you have any questions.

Happy funding!

Heather and Julia
NYAAF Bowl-a-thon Planning Committee

Let’s BOWL!

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Hello amazing supporters! The NYAAF Bowl-a-Thon Fundraiser is back and better than ever!

Whether you want to help a great cause, support an existing team, or you’re eager to show off those bowling skills, find out more about the Bowl-a-thon here.

The Bowl-a-thon is what allows NYAAF to continue our vital work. It’s the event that keeps NYAAF’s services available to those who need it most. That’s why we need your help!

This year, we’re aiming to break Bowl-a-thon records & raise an amazing $100,000! Will you help us achieve that goal?

We’ve compiled this handy list of FAQs, but if you have additional questions feel free to reach out to us, so we can get you bowling! Click the jump to read more.

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Join us for NYAAF’s 6th Annual Bowl-a-thon!

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Sunday, April 26, 2015
1:30 – 4:00 PM
Bowlmor Chelsea Piers (Pier 60)
23rd Street & West Side Highway, NY, NY

unnamed-2At last year’s Bowl-a-thon, we raised more than $80,000. Thanks to the support of more than 240 New Yorkers, we were the #1 abortion access Bowl-a-thon in the country!

We need your help in making the 2015 Bowl-a-thon an even bigger success! This year’s Bowl-a-thon is on Sunday, April 26, 2015 at Bowlmor Chelsea Piers, Pier 60/23rd & West Side Hwy, New York, NY.

We’ve set the bar high this year, and our goal for the 2015 bowl-a-thon is $100,000! We need you, your best friend, your great-Aunt, and the person next to you at the office to join in! This year, each individual bowler will need to raise a minimum of $100. We promise: you can do it! We will provide tons of support, tips, fundraising ideas, and motivating emails to help you get there. We can do this together!

Interested in bowling but don’t have a full team? We welcome individual bowlers and small teams. Contact Sarah Rosenthal at Sarah.Bowl@nyaaf.org to get connected or partnered with other bowlers.

We can’t wait to fundraise and bowl with you! Support NYAAF and meet other reproductive rights and bowling enthusiasts as we strike down barriers to abortion access!

Help us make NYAAF’s 2015 Bowl-a-thon a success:

  • Register your team on the NYAAF Bowl-a-thon page. Can’t attend? Then consider donating to support an existing team or individual.
  • Tweet to let your friends know that you’re excited for this year’s Bowl-a-thon by clicking here or using #NYAAFbowl15!
  • Spread the word! Share the link to NYAAF’s Bowl-a-thon page (http://bowlathon.blueskysweet.com/fundpage.asp?BranchID=97)!

Many thanks,
The NYAAF Bowl-a-thon Planning Committee

This Bowl-a-thon is gonna rule. (Seriously.)

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bowlmor-chelsea-piers-04

Hello, bowlers! See that picture up there? That’s the sweet venue where the Bowl-a-thon is taking place in less than 3 weeks! Food, drinks, bowling, abortion funding… what more could you want?

On a more serious note, we put a lot of effort into making sure this year’s Bowl-a-thon is the BEST ONE YET… and thus we present some important things you should know:

  • PRIZES!!! Yes, indeed. We have some awesome prizes in store for 3 categories: Top Fundraising Team, Rookie of the Year, and Best Costumes. People go all out for the Bowl-a-thon & we want to honor your efforts. Plus, we want to see who can top last year’s robot squad team ensemble (ABORITON 3000 activate!)
  • NEW VENUE!!! We booked this new Bowlmor location specifically because it’s all on one floor and therefore more conducive to socializing and generally having a great time! At its core, the Bowl-a-thon is a celebration and we want that to come across. The Bowl-a-thon is also longer than it has been in past years because what’s the fun in rushing to bowl? We’re here to enjoy ourselves!
  • SPEAKING OF FUN!!! What’s more fun that having some drinks & eating food? Not much (besides bowling) and there will be plenty of all of that at the Bowl-a-thon! Also, for the first time ever, we’ve booked a DJ to provide some sweet tunes while you bowl. We heavily encourage you to get your dance on, but be careful – those bowling shoes can be slippery!
  • WE’RE KICKING BUTT!!! That’s right. Not only are we OUTPACING last year’s fundraising but we are WAY ahead as far as number of bowlers registered! This says a couple things to us: people are recognizing the importance of supporting abortion funds and they’re willing to do what they can to help – and we couldn’t be happier about that. As we shared with you, we are pledging more than ever before and it is fundraising events like the Bowl-a-thon that make our work possible. Thank you!
Bowling in NYC is freakin’ expensive! Because of our bigger, better venue, we’re spending a bit more this year. Each bowler costs us $50 (vs. last year’s $40). So please try to raise more than $50 so we don’t lose money! 🙂
Huge congrats to Jenna J. of team “Spare Me!” Jenna’s fundraising efforts last week won her a $100 credit + private shopping party at Bhoomki, a fabulous boutique in Brooklyn that specializes in environmentally & socially responsible brands! Awesome job, Jenna!
Be the best bowler you can be! If you’ve hit your fundraising goal, raise it! If you’ve been meaning to ask that one friend for a donation, go for it! If you know someone who needs to register, remind them to! We have only 20 registration spots left! Let’s do this!

Party at your place?! (and other ways to fundraise offline)

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Hello bowlers!

Now that you’ve personalized your fundraising page and sent out emails, Tweets, and Facebook posts to your networks, you may be wondering what else you can do to reach your goal. Even though your fundraising page is online, we encourage bowlers to also use offline tools to raise money.

Here are some suggestions to help inspire you on how to use offline tools and resources to reach your goal:

Organize an event! The possibilities are endless: you and your team can choose to have a bar night, throw a house party, have a bake sale, or even host a stoop sale (weather permitting!). Think you have what it takes to organize a successful fundraising event, but need a little help connecting with the right folks to make it happen? Great! Send us an email to info[at]nyaaf[dot]org (subject line: “Events”) with your idea, and we’ll get in touch regarding next steps.

Offer perks/rewards for donations! Maybe you don’t have time to throw an event, but still want to provide incentives. Consider offering perks à la Kickstarter for donations to your loved ones. Have a ton of books or clothes lying around? Offer an item of their choice to your donors! Have a large social media following? Consider posting a tweet or blog publicizing your donors’ project! Have stellar cooking or baking skills? Make a meal or treat for select donors! The possibilities are endless & everyone has something awesome to offer.

Use your talents! Are you a musician or an artist? Do you have amazing cooking/writing/social media/organizing/styling skills? Consider using your particular talents to offer your donors a free song, piece of art, consultation, or workshop! It’s a way to show your passion while incentivizing potential donors!

NOTE: Don’t forget to log your cash donations on your Bowl-a-thon page!
We want you and your team to get credit for all your hard work! To log cash or check donations you receive your event, simply log in to your participant page at http://bit.ly/NYAAFbowl14. On the left column near the bottom, click “Enter offline donations.” We will collect the cash & checks on the day of the BAT, or you can email us and arrange for an exchange if you’d rather not hang on to it all.

We reached March benchmark goal of $30,000! HURRAY! But with an overall goal of $100,000, we have a long way to go & the Bowl-a-thon is in less than ONE MONTH!

Thank you so much for supporting NYAAF as we get ever-closer to the best Bowl-a-thon EVER! As always, please reach out to us if you have any questions and happy funding!

Many thanks,
Dana
NYAAF Bowl-a-thon Coordinator

P.S. Fundraise & Win Big!

Win a $100 gift certificate to Bhoomki, a fabulous boutique in Park Slope, Brooklyn, that specializes in environmental & socially responsible brands!

In addition, the winner and 6-8 friends are invited to a private shopping party – with complementary bellinis or wine – at Bhoomki where all purchases will be 15% off!

For every $100 you raise between 3/28 – 4/4, you’ll be entered once into the raffle.Winner will be announced on 4/4. Good luck!

How to be an Awesome Bowl-a-thon Fundraiser

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Share this story: Just this week, NYAAF is helping to fund Amanda*, an uninsured patient whose procedure costs $11,000 and who will have to travel across the country to be seen by a provider. Donations during the Bowl-a-thon provide the bulk of our funding to help patients like Amanda* access the abortion services they need!

*name of patient changed
FUNDRAISING TIPS:
Getting Those Contributions
Email: Only if it makes sense! If you know people who frequently check their email then go for it, if they’re not one of those people think of different ways to get in touch
Facebook/ Twitter/Other Social Media Outlets: Pick a certain time to put updates.  Be intentional when you ask online. Be sure to tell folks why you care and ask for their support with a specific amount.
Face to Face Or Phone: Always more effective! The more personal your ask the higher chance of you receiving the amount you asked for.
Get into a rhythm!! Fundraising isn’t separate of what’s happening in your life. Get into a rhythm of talking about the bowl-a-thon in your daily conversations.

Key Points of a Successful Ask

Step 1: Make contact!
Reach out by emailing and calling your networks! Tell them what you’re doing (I’m participating in this awesome fundraiser to support one of my favorite organizations, the New York Abortion Access Fund – NYAAF) In your email be sure to tell them what the Bowl-a-thon is and why you support NYAAF. (All this info can be found on the NYAAF website) Speak from the heart!

Step 2: Make the Ask! 
Explicitly ask your network, friends, family, etc…to support your efforts and NYAAF by making a donation today! Remind them that any gift is welcome no matter how small or large. Or ask for a specific amount (Would you be wiling to pledge $100?). Remember, if you’re on a team, your folks can donate directly to you online at your personal page.

Step 3: Follow up, follow up, follow up! 
Some of your people may say “Yes, I’d love to support, but can I give you money next week?” or something to that affect. In order to met your goal (and hopefully exceed it), you must call and email to remind everyone to turn in their pledges to you!! Before the Bowl-a-thon you must collect all checks and cash, as well as email all those people who said “oh yes I’ve been meaning to give to you”. Online donations can be a great way to get people to donate sooner rather than later. Don’t forget to encourage people to donate online!

Step 4: Answer any questions they have!
Some of your donors have never heard of NYAAF, or maybe they don’t know about abortion funds, or the need for NYAAF, etc…. That’s okay! This is a great opportunity to get the word out about what we at NYAAF do. Feel free to use our website, FB page, Twitter account, and ME as resources to help talk about our incredible work with the people you’re asking to support you. Also, feel free to direct them to any of the above resources or provide them with my email if they have questions you aren’t able, or feel comfortable answering.

Step 5: Thank them!
This is the most important step! NYAAF/NNAF will send all your donors thank you notes/tax receipts, but a personalized thank you from you will feel awesome and will make sure your donors know that you appreciate their support.

As always, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re here for anything and everything and to support you in anyway!!

KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!
 
Thank you!
Dana
Bowl-a-thon Coordinator

Here’s all you need to reach your Bowl-a-thon goal!

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Fundraising for the Bowl-a-thon is simpler than you think…

Fundraising may seem complicated, but simply asking is really the best way to reach your goal.

Sending individual personal messages to friends, family, colleagues, etc. has been found to be the most effective way to encourage giving. Asking them three times is even more successful.

Adding sincere personal touches goes a long way and it helps show your potential supporters that you are truly committed and passionate about this cause.

To help you out, we’ve included a couple example emails that you can feel free to customize and use!

Good luck and look out for more handy fundraising emails coming to you weekly!

Hello Friend,

I know it may be hard to do, but can you imagine what it would be like if you were unemployed, had only $100 to your name, and a $600 bill for your upcoming abortion. Think of how it hard it can be to feel like you have to choose between food and making your appointment. Sadly, many people in New York are facing choices like these despite their legal right to abortion care.

This year, I have committed to raising $[x] for NYAAF, an organization that works to provide funding for every person who needs financial assistance to abortion care in New York through their annual Bowl-a-thon. In 2013, they pledged nearly $100,000 and this year is slated to be even bigger. Without a successful Bowl-a-thon, NYAAF cannot do this work.
Help me strike down barriers to abortion access and guarantee that one’s right to health care isn’t determined by how much money they have. Donations of $15, $10 or even $5 really make a difference! [link to your personal page]
Thank you,
[Your name here]
The below letter is courtesy of Jill Greenberg, who sent it to 22 family members!

Hi _____!

As you may or may not know, I [volunteer for/support/am friends with X board member of] the New York Abortion Access Fund (NYAAF). It’s an all volunteer run organization that runs completely on donations from individuals (they don’t receive any grants and the donations go straight to those in need.) I am participating in their annual Bowlathon, where they raise the majority of their funds for the year! Last year, NYAAF pledged $96,716 to help 364 people access the abortion services they desperately needed. Please support me in NYAAF’s biggest year ever by donating to my Bowlathon page here: [link here]

Did you know?:

  • In 2013, the average cost of a procedure NYAAF sponsored was $906, and the most common was $500. The average grant size was $303. Could you afford that out of pocket?
  • “Back-alley” abortions cause 68,000 maternal deaths each year in the 33 countries where abortion is not legal or available, according to the World Health Organization in Oct. 2006.
  • 87% of US counties do not provide abortion services. In 2008, 39% of New York counties had no abortion provider.
  • Abortion is a common experience: At current rates, about one in three American women will have had an abortion by the time she reaches age 45.
“The decision to become a parent is one of the most important decisions people make in their life. As a mother and an obstetrician-gynecologist, I don’t believe pregnancy or parenthood should be forced on anyone.” -Lisa Bayer, MD, Physicians for Reproductive Health

What NYAAF Does:

  • Provides funds to those in financial need who are seeking an abortion
  • Makes sure that the health centers/clinics for those who seek abortions are safe, non-judgemental spaces
  • Provides one-on-one support for those who call NYAAF seeking abortion services
  • Works to eliminate the stigma around abortions to eradicate shame and judgement around ones’ personal healthcare choices
  • Strikes down barriers to reproductive health choices because everyone has their right to live a self-determined life!

Please support me by donating to my Bowlathon page here: [link here]

Thank you!

P.S. We’re Behind! In anticipation of our biggest year ever, NYAAF has set a Bowl-a-thon fundraising goal of $100,000. So far, we’ve raised $17,720. At this time last year, we had raised $30,000.

That means we need to pick up the pace to meet the demand for our biggest year yet! We’re so glad to have you on board to help us & we’re positive the Bowl-a-thon is gonna be amazing!

P.P.S. NYAAF is looking for three amazing people to join our Board of Directors. Find out more info here & let us know if you’re interested!

Your #NYAAFbowl14 page is AWESOME!

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(and if it’s not yet, it WILL be!)

As the Bowl-a-thon season comes into full swing, we wanted to talk to you a little bit about personalizing your fundraiser page. The more engaging your page is, the more people will be enticed to support. And luckily, it’s VERY easy to customize your page!

Here are some starters to help inspire your page’s amazingness:

  • Start by checking out the landing page where you log in. Simply log in to the Bowl-a-thon site and check out the menu on the left & theCustomize Your Page options in front of you. You can edit your page message, change your goal, add photos, and more!
    • If you need more help, there’s also this handy guide created by the National Network of Abortion Funds that goes over the basics of embedding images, animated GIFs, videos, etc. onto your page.
  • Get some inspiration from NNAF’s “Bowl-a-thon Page of the Week” blog series or by simply clicking around the Bowl-a-thon homepage and perusing the pages of other teams/bowlers.
  • Find some imagery to use on your page! Some examples:
    • A selfie of you with a sign saying why you support abortion funds (check out Lauren Rankin’s “I Fund Abortions” Tumblr for examples!)
    • A series of animated GIFs telling a compelling AND hilarious story (may we suggest giphy.com as a good GIF search engine?)
    • Custom memes via memegenerator.net (examples above created by Katie of the High Roellers!)

More than anything, make your page a reflection of yourself. People that may pledge to you are interested in knowing WHY this work is so important to you. Get creative in the ways you express this! Your page is your canvas!

As always, please reach out to us if you have any questions and happy funding!

Many thanks,
Dana
NYAAF Bowl-a-thon Coordinator

P.S. You can find our Bowl-a-thon FAQ here.

P.P.S. NYAAF is looking for three amazing people to join our Board of Directors. Find out more info here & let us know if you’re interested!

Let’s BOWL!

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Past NYAAF Bowl a Thon participants

Come bowl with us!

Hello New Yorkers! We wanted to remind that our annual Bowl-a-thon fundraiser is happening RIGHT NOW & there’s still time to register! 

Whether you want to bowl with us, support an existing team, or simply find out more about the Bowl-a-thon, check out: bit.ly/NYAAFbowl14

Most importantly, the Bowl-a-thon is what allows NYAAF to do the work we do. Without a successful Bowl-a-thon, we’d have to scale back our services & refuse help to those who need it most.

This year, we’re aiming to break Bowl-a-thon records & raise an amazing$100,000! 

Will you help us achieve that goal?

To motivate you to join us, we’ve compiled a handy list of FAQ, which can be found below. We’ve shared this info with our already-registered bowlers, but we know it’s useful for everyone!

More after the jump…

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SAVE THE DATE! NYAAF’s 2014 Bowl-a-thon is April 27th!

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NYAAF bowl-a-thon logo

 Join us for NYAAF’s 5th Annual Bowl-a-thon!

Sunday, April 27, 2014
1:30 – 4:30 PM
Bowlmor Chelsea Piers (Pier 60)
23rd & West Side Highway, NY, NY

NYAAF Bowl A Thon 2013 Attendees

We promise a BIGGER, BETTER, & more AMAZING Bowl-a-thon this year!

At our 2013 Bowl-a-thon, we raised a grand total of $84,000. Thanks to over 250 pro-choice New Yorkers, we were the #1 abortion access Bowl-a-thon in the country!

We are reaching out to you now to ask for your help in making the 2014 Bowl-a-thon an even bigger success. This year’s Bowl-a-thon is on Sunday, April 27, 2014 at Bowlmor Chelsea Piers, Pier 60/23rd & West Side Hwy, New York, NY.

If you want to take the lead on starting an awesome team, just visit NYAAF’s Bowl-a-thon page (http://bit.ly/NYAAFbowl14) and click ‘Register’. Next, recruit a few friends and form your 8-person dream team!

Here’s what you can do to make NYAAF’s 2014 Bowl-a-thon a success:
  • Register your team on the NYAAF Bowl-a-thon page. Can’t attend? Then consider donating to support an existing team or individual.
  • RSVP to our Facebook events for the Bowl-a-thon AND for our Kickoff Party on Feb. 25th!
  • Tweet to let your friends know that you are excited for this year’s Bowl-a-thon by clicking here or using #NYAAFbowl14!
  • Spread the word! Share the link to NYAAF’s Bowl-a-thon page or share this post to friends, family, and colleagues.

Together, we’ll strike down barriers to abortion access!

Many thanks,
NYAAF Board of Directors

Register Now!