SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2019 BEDRACER TOOLKIT

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1 21 ST ANNUAL SUBWAY BEDRACE FOR BRIDGING SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2019 BEDRACER TOOLKIT All funds raised benefit Bridging, a Twin Cities based nonprofit organization that provides quality furniture and household goods to local individuals and families transitioning out of homelessness and poverty.

2 Thank you for participating in the 2019 SUBWAY Bedrace for Bridging! Bridging was founded in 1987 to provide a bridge between those in need and those with excess. Since the first donated item, Bridging has expanded to serve seven counties in the Twin Cities metro area. Bridging has served 90,000 households since To learn more about what your fundraising dollars support, visit ABOUT SUBWAY BEDRACE FOR BRIDGING OUTRAGEOUS FUN FOR A GREAT CAUSE. We can t thank you enough for embracing winter and helping us do some extreme fun-raising! It all takes place on Saturday, March 9th at Buck Hill in Burnsville. By fundraising, you are helping Bridging furnish more than 4,400 homes in the Twin Cities with quality furniture and household goods. 80% of the families we serve have household incomes of $20,000 or below, and all are referred to us by more than 160 local social service agencies. Your fundraising helps offer these families a comfortable place they can call home. Each year, more than 130 teams of four dressed in crazy costumes fly down Buck Hill on BED MATTRESSES. Oh yes, real mattresses! While hundreds race, countless more cheer the teams on. Make sure and bring your family and friends to watch the fun! When the races are done, the celebration begins. Prizes (and bragging rights) are awarded to the top three fundraising teams, (in both categories: Family/Friends and the Corporate/Company/ Civic Organizations), the top three fastest teams, and the top three best team costumes! Bedracers are invited to participate in fundraising to bring in additional dollars for Bridging to furnish homes with hope. This year's fundraising goal is $138,000! With your help in fundraising, we can reach that goal! For questions, please contact Cathy Berg, Development/Special Events Coordinator at cathy.berg@bridging.org, OR Maggie Mau, Donor Relations Manager at Maggie.mau@bridging.org,

3 BEDRACE ONLINE FUNDRAISING TOOLS Personal Fundraising Pages It s easy to raise funds and find supporters. You can quickly send s to family, friends and coworkers to support your team with donations. You can thank your sponsors. Tracking your fundraising is a breeze on your personal fundraising pages. And, you can customize your page, and make it your own! Add photos, personal messages and videos of yours or those provided by Bridging. PDF Posters Bridging will make an 8.5x11" customized pdf poster for you. Print and display them everywhere. Place them in local shops and restaurants. Spread the word. Use the poster to help recruit team members or raise funds. Show everyone this COOL event you're involved in and how they can help! Resources Get everything you need for your personal fundraising page: Bedrace videos, Bridging Lives We Touch stories, links to Bedrace photos, Bridging Fast Facts, race updates, news, fun facts and more! WHO YOUR FUNDRAISING HELPS

4 IMPORTANT DATES TO KNOW: February 4, 2019 All team members registered with shirt size indicated will receive their PREFERRED SHIRT SIZE! March 1, 2019 All Bucks for Bridging fundraising dollars entered in your personal fundraising pages. Bucks for Bridging Fundraising Incentives FUNDRAISING INCENTIVE LEVELS Free Bedrace T-Shirt to all Bedracers Bridging Socks Bridging Hat (choice of styles) Bridging Tote Bag Bridging Hoodie or ZipUp Jacket $150+ $250+ $500+ $1,000+ New this year! Teams who raise more than $800, will receive Bedrace-themed Buffs (multi-functional headwear). QUESTIONS? CONTACT Cathy Berg Development/Special Events Coordinator

5 FUNDRAISING TIPS It s easier than you think! Ideas on how you can raise $150 in just seven days! 1. Ask your three closest friends for a $10 pledge (or better yet, see if they ll join the fun and be on your team!) It s easy to reach out to your Facebook friends and contacts through your personal fundraising page! 2. Call three family members asking for a $10 pledge. 3. Text a parent and a sibling to donate $10 each. If your birthday is right around the corner, add this to your birthday wish list. 4. Talk to two of your neighbors to support your efforts with a $10 pledge. 5. Ask five people at your church, work or your favorite bar, restaurant or coffee shop for a $5 donation. 6. Don t forget your BFF or significant other! Ask for a $15 donation and make sure to bring them along on race day to cheer you on as well! 7. Make a personal donation of $10. If you thought that was easy, let s go for $500 in just ten days! 1. Make a $25 personal contribution. 2. Ask three family members to support you with a $25 donation. 3. Talk to your BFF or significant other about a $25 personal donation to support you. They can also be a great cheerleader for you at the races! 4. Ask your boss for a $25 contribution and find out if your workplace has a matching fund. They might even match ALL the funds you raise! 5. Make use of social media and ask 5 friends to sponsor you for $10 each. 6. Visit five of your favorite local businesses and ask them to sponsor you for $10 each. 7. Ask five co-workers to support your efforts for $10 each. Hang up a Bedrace poster at your company! 8. Don t forget to include your neighbors! Just five neighbors at $10 each will help! 9. Reach out to your connections and ask 10 people from your social circle to sponsor you for $10 each. 10. Have a dinner party or get together and ask five friends to make a $10 personal donation.

6 MORE FUNDRAISING TIPS & IDEAS It s easy to spread the word to family and friends with the click of a button. Use your personal fundraising page to ask for a donation. Tell a story. Let everyone know why you re in the Bedrace and why you love Bridging. If you ve raced before, share pictures from last year s event. Check out and download the BridgingMN Flickr.com images from previous Bedraces. Make it fun! Start a contest or a game for your personal donors first one to donate, largest donation, etc. Please and thank you! Be sure to thank your donors, before and after the event. You can even include a picture of your team in the thank you! Create an signature for the bottom of your s so your family and friends can easily support you. Include a hyperlink in your signature to your personal fundraising page. SOCIAL MEDIA Take advantage of social media. It s an easy way to connect with family and friends near or far! Let them know what you re up to! Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/BridgingMN. Share our Bedrace posts! Follow us on Instagram: Instagram.com/BridgingMN Follow the Bedrace on Twitter: Twitter.com/BridgingMN. Retweet a tweet and be sure to use the hashtag #SubwayBedrace. Like BridgingMN on LinkedIN and share our posts or write your own. Make your Bedrace an event on Facebook. Invite friends to join you and/or donate. Update your status. Share the love! Let everyone know why you are racing and tell Bridging s story. A picture is worth a thousand words. Share an image from a previous Bedrace or a picture of the costume you ll be wearing. Pictures are available at Flickr.com/BridgingMN Make sure to give a shout out to family and friends who make a pledge.

7 MORE WAYS TO FUNDRAISE You ve sent out s to friends, called your family, posted your flyers, thanked your supporters, flooded social media with your Bedrace story, but you know there s still more you can do! Have some fun with it and come up with your own creative fundraising ideas, or use a few more from the list below: Hold your own fundraiser! Maybe it s a bake sale, a chili cook-off, a coffee cart at the office, funny photo contest or sell a corporate cookbook that you make. Whatever you choose, make it fun! Create a giving jar and collect coins and dollars on the counter at your workplace or business. Host a Bedrace Party, with a theme similar to your team costumes. Hold a silent auction or raffle for your team. See if your favorite lunch spots will donate gift cards for a drawing or auction item. Set out a candy jar and ask for change each time someone takes a piece. Hold a Casual Day for a Cause at work where employees can donate so they can wear jeans at work. Have a karaoke, sporting contest, walkathon, bowl-a-thon, bingo night or some type of eating competition. Ask if your company offers matching gifts for donations. Add some pizzazz to your personal fundraising page. Make your own video to post or take fun photos with crazy captions. Get creative! Form even more company Bedrace teams for some friendly competition! Fundraise the old school way and ask people in person to sponsor you and your team. You can accept cash or check donations, in addition to online donations. Just turn them in on the day of the event at the Bucks for Bridging Fundraising table. You can also add these donations online at any time through your personal fundraising page so they are reflected in your fundraising total. Please let us know if you come up with new fundraising ideas we can share with others. The more Bucks for Bridging we raise together, the more people we can help! As Bridging s Founder Fran Heitzman says, when good people get together to do good things, then good things happen! And they happen every day at Bridging. Because of supporters like you!

8 SPEED. FUN. TEAMWORK. HOPE.