Fund raising is easier when your community helps to share your story.  But how do you get your fundraiser in front of the right audiance? Here are 3 tips for getting your fundraiser in front of a larger audience.

1)     Start Local: Small and local media channels are a great first contact. These smaller stations often profile locals for human interest pieces or to notifications to the community.  Find a local newspaper, blog, radio or TV stations and get their email.  Send them a short and concise email telling your story and why you think the community would be interested.

Please note: don’t use these emails as spam. Ultimately, a producer or editor will make the final decision.  Shirley contacted 4 local radio stations before 2 published a direct link to her fundraiser on the web. Having the links on the radio’s websites allowed a new audience to see her mother’s story. http://www.giveforward.com/wandavolchko

2)     Explain Your Uniqueness: Differentiate yourself or your

story by explain why your journey or treatment is unique.  Journalists will ultimately have to decide the newsworthiness or your story- so make it easy for them by using statistics and numbers.

Ashley is a beautiful and active 13-year-old.  When she became ill her doctors originally thought she had suffered a sports injury.  Using a local newspaper, he mother explained to her local community that Ashley’s diagnosis was significantly worse.  Ashley had a rare bone cancer, one that accounted for only 1% of all bone cancers. Her article can be found here: http://haysfreepress.com/2012/09/26/local-teen-battles-rare-bone-cancer-aggressive-growth-baffles-doctors-worldwide/comment-page-1/

3)      Seek Small Groups: Look at the clubs and organizations that you are involved in and ask for 5 minutes to share your story.   Contact the bulletin for your neighborhood or church and ask for a small bit of copy.  Finally, look to hyper-local online news sites such as Patch. These communities specialize in local news, sometimes down to the neighborhood.  It can be a great way to engage local neighbors.