I find the best way to achieve good results is to have lots of sponsors for
10c a bird. (Some are 5c a bird. 2c a bird is the minimum worthwhile as 1c
will not be enough for them to get a tax deduction.) As we are yet to
achieve 200 spp, when people come to write their cheque for $17.50 or so,
many round it off to $20. Some regular sponsors have now settled on a flat
rate, and I have one very reliable sponsor for $100. Some people sponsor
special birds only eg only night birds or only raptors.
I always explain what the money is for and what BA used it for last year
(probably at boring length and they say yes to stop me!) They can see it is
a good cause. Gluepot is a very popular good cause as I give them the RAOU
appeal brochure with the info about the birds.
After the race I write them a fairly full account of the event; as most
people think it is an utterly crazy way to spend 24 hours they like to hear
all about it. They will be very pleased to hear how foolish we were to
travel on Dry Weather Only roads in the Whipstick this year, after 40
points of rain. (Who would have expected it in drought stricken Bendigo?)
I keep a list of past sponsors and ask them again next year.
I know how you feel about asking individuals, I used to be very reluctant,
but they are selling me raffle tickets and getting me to go to their
fundraising events, their children are selling me chocolates at the front
door and asking me to pay them to do jobs when they are saving up for
something special, and I am sponsoring the said children in swimathons,
readathons etc. So I hope it all comes out square in the end!
We also sponsor each other, for example I have a deal with a Common Driving
Petrolhead for (I think) 10c a bird, plus $1 a bird for the species the
other person did not see. This is going to be VERY expensive for me this year!
I pay in all the money during November and get the receipts back to them
promptly. If sponsors have not paid me by then I pay the money myself and
then they owe it to me. I find this is effective with slow payers
especially my personal friends!
Even though we were a bit feeble this year, it was still a lot of fun - not
just on the weekend itself but doing the exploration the weekend before. We
saw some really good birds - a Sanderling which is unusual here and a tick
for one of us, a very close view of a pair of Peregrines very probably
nesting, and great views of a Brush Bronzewing and a male Rose Robin. Over
the years the effort of improving my knowledge of mallee birds, revising
calls, and learning about distribution and habitat, have improved my ID
skills no end, and we've found some great places we would probably never
have gone to otherwise.
I really recommend it and the more teams the better!
At 08:50 PM 2/11/99 +1030, Atriplex Services wrote:
>Can successful fund raisers please share their strategy for getting
>sponsors?
>When I entered a couple of times, some years ago, I had great difficulty
>in attracting funding. (I live in a small, country town and I'm a bit
>hesitant to ask individuals for money).
>Anne
>
>--
>Atriplex Services (Pronounced A-tree-plex)
>Environmental Consultants, Landscaping Contractors,
>Native Australian Plant Nursery, Educators.
>http://www.riverland.net.au/~atriplex
>Mailto:
>
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>To unsubscribe from this list, please send a message to
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Margaret Cameron Phone 03 5229 9792
4 Connor Street Fax 03 5229 1520
East Geelong
Victoria 3219 Editor, Australian Birding Magazine
Australia PO Box 2013, Geelong, Victoria 3220
Australia
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