I have worked in the Telecommunications industry the last 10 years and over that time I made some great friends. Some of them I still work with, others have moved on to positions at other companies and others have retired, but I try to keep in touch with them throughout the year. I have not only made some great friends at work, but also with the people we do business with on a daily basis. I have been fortunate to have worked with some amazing people.
I recently sent out an email from me requesting their support with my fundraising efforts. It seems the email has really touched all of them in some way. I cannot tell you how many people have either sent me an email or stopped me in the hallway to talk about my current situation. Most of them say they appreciate me sharing my story with them and that it helps put life in perspective. Almost everyone I sent the email to has made a donation. Their generosity has been outstanding! All of which means a lot to me to have such great support from coworkers and the people we do business with. From executives, to sales, to clients, to vendors and peers they have all been very generous.
This leads me to my overall fundraising for this year which is starting to blow me away!
Last year I raised over $2,000 by end of March, which I then went on to raise over $16,600.
As of today (March 6, 2008) I have raised $6,711 online and I still have four checks to be mailed in for a total of $3,430 (2 sponsors and one general donation). This puts me at $10,141 and the greatest part is I still have so much more work ahead of me.
To date I have asked 10 companies to become sponsors and I have already signed up 5 of them. Three of the remaining five are friends who own a business and I know they will help. The other two are BIG national names (do not want to jinx it by naming them) which I have my fingers crossed. Starting tomorrow I will be going around to local businesses near my house and see if they can sponsor our team.
This weekend I will be speaking to my friends to see what type of dinner event we will hold later this year. That will certainly bring in a lot of money….I cannot wait to start planning the event. We are only holding one event this year b/c last summer was nothing but planning and holding events. This year I want to enjoy my time with Kristy, Caroline, Annabelle and our friends. One event suits me just fine and it will be better than anything we have done to date.
I love raising funds for such a great cause and for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. I am off to a promising early start and I will make sure to keep at it so I can blow away my goals, not just for me personally but also for Team DOWN ONE. Our team goal is to raise $30,000 so we have a lot of work to do. I cannot wait to see where I am at by August.
LIVESTRONG!
~ Brian Dowd
4 weeks ago