JA Maker Bowl 2017 Coordinator Guide
Inspire & Empower Austin Area Students The purpose of the JA Maker Bowl is to raise funds to bring JA s proven programs in financial literacy, entrepreneurship and career readiness to more Austin-area, K-12 students in the 20172018 school year. Junior Achievement has been inspiring Makers through its flagship JA Company Program for nearly 100 years and it s time to celebrate! Join other Austin-area businesses and supporters of JA of Central Texas at this fun event that s a mix of team-building, networking and philanthropy. While JA Maker Bowl is a celebration of Austin s creative culture and local entrepreneurial spirit, everyone is welcome to join in the bowling fun that benefits Austin s youth. Page 1 Page 2
What is Your Role? Team Captain Company Coordinator Set a goal for the number of teams and dollars raised for your firm. Recruit team captains. You may register all the teams for your entire firm or have Team Captains do so individually. Make sure the highest ranking and most enthusiastic employees in your company get involved and lead others to join in. See Ideas for Internal Promotions. Make sure all departments and area locations participate. Ask for company-wide approval and support for fundraising activities. Heat up some friendly competition between departments or shifts by displaying fundraisings updates and who is in the lead. Ensure that each team is raising the $500 team minimum. Share the mission of Junior Achievement and why it is important to get involved. JA inspires and prepares young people to succeed in a global economy. Recruit and lead 4 bowlers for your team of 5 and make sure everyone reaches their $100 goal. Bowlers need to raise a minimum of $100 to be eligible to bowl and win prizes. Pick a name for your team and bowling shift (1-3 pm or 3-5 pm) Register the team online and set up the team s fundraising page. Send each bowler the link to set up their personal fundraising page and tell them your team s name so they can locate the page on the website. Keep your Company Coordinator informed of your team s fundraising progress. Remind team members JA Maker Bowl is Thursday, September 14th at Dart Bowl, 5700 Grover Avenue, Austin, 78756. Share the mission of Junior Achievement and why it is important to get involved. JA inspires and prepares young people to succeed in a global economy. Bowler Create your personal fundraising page. Post donation link to your social media site. Ask people everywhere you go to support JA family, friends, businesses you frequent! Raise a minimum of $100 (Get just four $25 gifts or make a $10 gift yourself and then get six $15 gifts.) Arrive at Dart Bowl 15 minutes early on September 14, 2017. Share the mission of Junior Achievement and why it is important to get involved. JA inspires and prepares young people to succeed in a global economy. Page 3 Page 4
Steps to Register Online 11 2 2 33 44 55 66 Company Coordinators or Team Captains register the teams at http://bit.ly/registerjamakerbowl Select a bowling time (1:00-3:00 pm or 3:00-5:00 pm). Then click on the TICKETS button and pay the team registration fee of $100. Be sure to select Team Name(s) and advise members of the team name. Next, go to http://bit.ly/jamakerbowlteamreg to set up the team s fundraising page. Before registering, please have the names and email addresses of your team members. Click Fundraise button on the righthand side and follow instructions to set up your Team s fundraising page. Share the First Giving link with your team members and remind them of the Team Name as they will need the name to set up their page. If you are a Bowler, click Fundraise button on the righthand side and follow instructions to join your team and set up your fundraising pages. Online Resources Here is a list of the resources available to download from our webpage: 1. JA Maker Bowl Overview - spread the JA mission, recruit teams, companies, donors, and sponsors 2. JA Maker Bowl Coordinator Guide - guide to help organize bowling teams at your company, firm or organization 3. Sponsorship Form - be a Lane Sponsor or a Goodie Bag Sponsor to promote your organization 4. Sample Bowler Recruiting Email - use this email to recruit bowling team members within your organization 5. Bowler Donation Request Letter - email this customizable letter to friends and family to ask for their support 6. Ideas for Writing Your Fundraising Page - sample content to share with team members for creating fundraising pages that are inspirational 7. Why JA? - video link that can be included on your fundraising page or in emails 8. JA Maker Bowl Logo - add the logo to flyers or emails to spark excitement about the theme 9. Junior Achievement Logo - utilize this to bring awareness to JA s mission 10. JA Maker Bowl Flyer - distribute this flyer to create awareness of the event If you have any questions please call 512-710-6392 for assistance or contact JA at bowl@jacentex.org. Page 5 Page 6
Sending Your Link through Email & Social Media Once you have registered you can now email friends family, and business contacts to ask for support! Here s how: 1. Log into your account on www.firstgiving.com 2. Click on your page 3. Select how you wish to send your page out to your family, friends and colleagues. Internal Promotion Ideas High-level endorsement by your CEO, a JA Board Member, etc (e.g. a letter or memo to department heads and/or employees promoting JA Maker Bowl 2017) Top management participation in the event Encourage friendly competition between departments, locations, etc. In-house memos or e-mail distributed throughout your company Articles in your company newsletter Posters in the elevators, cafeterias, main entrances/exits, lounges and on bulletin boards Distribute the JA Maker Bowl 2017 event flyer in staff/employee meetings Encourage the formation of non-company teams composed of spouses, family members, friends, acquaintances, vendors, clients (all participants must fundraise $100 to be eligible for prizes) Recognition of participants through your company newsletter, internal awards presentations, letters from CEO/upper management, etc. Internal contest for the team that raises the most dollars for Junior Achievement, team with the most spirit, etc. Create a prize drawing in which a bowler s name is entered in the drawing once for every ten sponsors they ve secured Social Media Fundraising Tips Keep posts short and start asking for pledges early. Include a URL to your fundraising page in your social media posts. Keep supporters updated often by posting announcements, such as fundraising goals, status updates, accomplishments new donations, etc. Use deadlines to create a sense of urgency and update people on how close you are to your goal. Thank your friends with a special note when they make a donation. Make sure to tag donors on Facebook and use their handle on Twitter. Use our handle _@JA_Centex_ in your Twitter posts. Tag us in your Facebook posts @JuniorAchievementOfCentralTexas. Sample Social Media Posts Help the Austin area youth be better prepared for their future careers and dreams by supporting Junior Achievement of Central Texas. [tag Junior Achievement by using the @ symbol in front of organization name] Support me by making a donation to my JA Maker Bowl team! [Include link to donation page] Help Junior Achievement of Central Texas impact more students [tag JA by using the @ symbol in front of organization] by donating to my JA fundraising page today! [Include link to donation page] I m fundraising for Junior Achievement students! Help me reach my goal of $xxx by [date] by sharing this message with your friends and family. [Include link to donation page] Page 7 Page 8
SHARE THEIR STORIES Students who attended JA s inaugural E-2 Summit: Entrepreneurship & Empowerment for Young Women learned valuable life skills like how to start a business and job search techniques. JA Company Program Students show their product SnapTurtle at a 2017 JA Launch Lessons Breakfast. JA Company Program Students and Owners of No Bullying Worldwide and their JA Volunteer mentor. Page 9 JA s elementary school kids learn the value of money through JA s financial literacy programs. Page 10
FAQ What is the JA Maker Bowl? Each 5 person team raises $500 to provide JA programs to local youth. Team members will meet at Dart Bowl on September 14th for two fun-filled games and an opportunity to win prizes. Each year, our JA Bowling Events take on a new theme that make them stand out from others, and is relevant to our mission of empowering kids to be successful in a global economy. It s a great team-building and morale-boosting event for any company or organization. What is Junior Achievement? Our programs prepare students to proactively manage their finances, become entrepreneurs and develop skills that will be recognized and valuable in a global workforce. JA inspires and prepares young people to succeed in a global economy. JA programs empower students to make a connection between what they are learn in school and how it can be applied in the real world enhancing the relevance of their classroom learning and increasing their understanding of the value of education. How does JA work? Junior Achievement secures the funding and recruits volunteers to provide programs to elementary, middle and high schools. Corporations, industries, small businesses, foundations, individuals, and others contribute financial and volunteer resources, as do various organizations that also want to invest in the quality of local education. JA volunteers deliver, relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. Date & Location of Maker Bowl When: Thursday, September 14 1:00-3:00 pm or 3:00-5:00 pm Where: Dart Bowl, 5700 Grover Avenue, Austin 78756 Key Dates Tuesday, August 1 st - teams registered by this date will be entered into a drawing for Alamo Drafthouse tickets Monday, September 11 th - last day to register a team Thursday, September 14 th - last day to raise funds Event Contact Joanne Parker bowl@jacentex.org 512-710-6392 http://bit.ly/jamakerbowl17 JA Office Address PO Box 684571, Austin TX 78768 What s the connection between JA and Makers? Junior Achievement has been inspiring Makers through its flagship JA Company Program for nearly 100 years. Kids who go through the program create, start and run an actual business, which in and of itself fosters innovative and creative thought processes.this past year, over 350 kids from the Austin area experienced the JA Company Program, and we want to double that in the 2017-2018 school year. Your participation in Maker Bowl can help make that happen. Where does the money raised from the JA Maker Bowl go? Funds raised support bringing more financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship programs to students in Central Texas. Page 11 Page 12