The Ride Fundraising Toolkit

THE RIDE FOR OUR VETS 2026 | SATURDAY, JUNE 13 | STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT

Every Dollar You Raise Directly Serves Veterans

Thanks to our sponsors, every dollar that is raised by a Rider directly supports Connecticut Veterans Legal Center’s mission to remove legal barriers to Veterans in Connecticut. Last year our Riders raised nearly $40,000, helping us serve more than 1,800 Veterans.

Tell your personal story of why you are riding on your Rider page and then ask your friends, family, and colleagues to donate to support your efforts. No donation is too small (or too large)! On this page you can find different ideas and examples on how you can fundraise, including graphics you can share in emails and on social media.

Make a difference today, and help us beat last year’s record!

Rider returning to Half Full Brewery Third Place after completing their ride at the 2025 Ride for Our Vets. Photo by Joel Callaway.

Make Your Ask Personal

Customize your Rider page by uploading a picture and editing the text to tell the story of why you are riding. The more personal you make your page, and your ask, the more likely a friend or colleague will be inspired to donate.

Customizing your page is easy! After you register, our system will automatically prompt you to make updates to your personal fundraising page. If you decide to skip that step or want to go back and edit it later, not to worry! Simply login to your DonorDrive account, click on the “Your Page” link at the top left corner of your screen and then click the pencil icon next to your photo, name, or descriptive text to make changes. You can also update your goal, if you’ve already reached it and want to try and raise additional support!

If you are struggling to make edits to your page, we can help! Reach out to our Ride team at ride@ctveteranslegal.org.

Ride Marshall Chaz Marshall leading a group Riders on the 25-Mile Ride at the 2025 Ride for Our Vets. Photo by Joel Callaway.

Use Your Social Network

Let’s be honest, most of us spend an unreasonable amount of time on social media—use that to your advantage!

Social networks were built to share information about our lives and the important things we are working on. Let The Ride For Our Vets be one of those things! Share information about The Ride to your various social media networks through posts, reels and videos, stories, private messages, and more. Tell your network why you are riding, and how they can support you. Include a link to your personal Rider page and watch the donations roll in!

Facebook Fundraisers can help you raise lots of money!

Facebook Fundraisers can help you raise money, and DonorDrive has made it easy to connect your personal facebook account to your Rider profile page and set-up a fundraiser to every dollar raised there shows up on your page. It’s easy!

Ride Producer Patrick Dunn (left) with CVLC Board Member and Ride Co-Chair Jeffrey Udell (right) and his wife Lucy at the Post-Ride Celebration at the 2025 Ride for Our Vets. Photo by Joel Callaway.

Get Creative with Your fundraising

Get creative with how you raise money—can you host a party at your house and ask everyone to donate? Do you own a small business and can you do something special with your customers? Do you have a favorite bar and coffee shop that would let you guest bartender / barista and donate some of the earnings to your Ride? The sky is the limit!

Here Are Some FUN Fundraising Ideas

Guest bartend for a night at a local bar or restaurant where a percentage of the proceeds are donated to your page
Host a friends game night or dinner party and ask everyone to donate
Bake sale at the office or amongst friends
Ask a local small business you regularly support to host something or put up a sign for you OR sponsor you
Create a custom team t-shirt, hat or other item to sell
Host a special class at your gym or cycling center where a portion of registration can be donated

Riders crossing the start line at the 2025 Ride for Our Vets. Photo by Joel Callaway.