Fundraising Toolkit
Riders at the 2018 Ride for Our Vets. Photo by staff photographer.
The Ride for Our Vets Fundraising Toolkit makes raising money a breeze!
The Ride for Our Vets is Connecticut Veterans Legal Center’s most important annual fundraiser. With the support of riders and fundraisers like you, we are able to deliver free legal services to over 1,500 Veterans annually. Read our most recent impact report here.
As one of our riders your ensure our success, by telling your personal story for why you are riding and asking your friends, families, and colleagues to donate to your efforts. Below find ideas and examples on how you can help us reach our goal of raising $150,000 from the 2024 Ride for Our Vets!
Participants at the 2023 Run.Walk.Ride. Kick-Off Event. Photo by Polly Korbel.
Make Your Ask Personal
Make sure to customize your Rider page by uploading a picture and editing the text to tell the story of why you ride. The more personal you make your page and your ask, the more likely a friend or colleague will be inspired to donate.
Editing Your Ride Page is Easy!
After you register, our system will automatically prompt you to make updates your personal fundraising page. If you decide to skip that step or want to go back and edit it later, no worries! Simply login to you DonorDrive account and click the pencil icon next to your photo, name, or descriptive text.
If you are struggling to make edits to your page, we can help! Reach out to us and we can set up a time to walk you through how to make your edits.
Member of Team RWB at the 2019 Ride for Our Vets. Photo by staff photographer.
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, private messages, and more, about why you are riding and how they can support you. Include a link to your personal Rider page on our fundraising website and watch the donations roll in!
Once you login to your account, using the dashboard, you can connect your personal fundraising page directly to Facebook and X (formerly Twitter)! Make sure you tag “ctveteranslegal” in your post!
Don't forget Facebook Fundraisers
Facebook can be a great tool in raising funds for your personal Rider page. Check out our easy step-by-step guide to set-up a facebook fundraiser connected to your Rider page:
- Login to your DonorDrive Account here.
- Click on your “dashboard,” if it doesn’t open automatically. The “dashboard button is located on the upper left corner navigation.
- On the central panel, under “Your Fundraising” make sure you have connected your Facebook account to your DonorDrive account. To connect your accounts simply click on the “connect” button and login to Facebook.
- Once connected, you can click “create facebook fundraiser” and DonorDrive will walk you through the necessary steps.
- Once you have completed all the steps, you can start asking for donations directly on Facebook and they will appear on your personal Ride fundraising page!
CVLC Senior Counsel Christy Fisher on why she rides. Photo by staff photographer.
Have a conversation or send an email or text
Reach out to your network! There are so many folks in our lives that would support something we care about if we just ask.
Think about all the people who you regularly interact with in your day. The person who makes your coffee, your friends from the gym or social club, the person you say hi to everyday at the bus stop, or your partner, sibling, or parent you talk to at night. The possibilities for support are endless!
Tell them about how you are participating in The Ride for Our Vets 2024 and that you need their support to reach your goal and they are very likely going to be willing to make a donation.
Studies show that on average seven donations raise nearly $600. Can you think of seven people in your life you could ask to make a donation?
CVLC Board Member and Veteran Advocate Amy Antioho at Run.Walk.Ride 2023. Photo by Polly Korbel.
Get Creative with Your fundraising
Get creative with how you decide to raise money on your personal Rider page. Can you host a part at your house and ask everyone to donate? Do you own a small business and can you do something special with your customers?
FUN Fundraising Ideas
- Guest bartend for a night at a local bar or restaurant where a percentage of the proceeds are donated
- Host a friends game night where each person donates
- 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
- Create a custom team t-shirt, hat or other item to sell
- Host a special class at your gym or place you like to go to train where a portion of registration can be donated
These are just some ideas! Come up with your own and have fun while doing it!
Rider at the finish line, the 2019 Ride for Our Vets. Photo by staff photographer.
Images You can download and use
Thank You to Our 2024 Sponsors
