The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) just finished up their online fundraising campaign through CauseVox. In the end, they were able to raise over $50,000, beating their original goal of $25,000.
Skyler Davis, the youngest member of the US Ski Team and a supporter of NENSA, raised over $1,300 and generated more than 175 Facebook Likes through his personal fundraising page. He talks about how the success of a fundraising campaign isn’t always monetary, but also based on awareness. Skyler shares his thoughts and fundraising tips below.
Tell us a little bit about who you are.
My name is Skyler Preston Davis, I am from Jericho, Vermont. I grew up living in Chittenden County and loved playing all sports. I decided to get serious about Nordic skiing and moved down to Stratton Mountain, Vermont to attend the Stratton Mountain School (SMS). It was great to have so many positive influences at a young age to shape who I was and who I became during my time at Stratton Mountain School. My time at SMS couldn’t have been better – with all my great coaches and friends as an amazing support group.
Why did you decide to fundraise for NENSA?
I was contacted the by Executive Director of NENSA, Pat Cote, who asked me to help out with their Annual Spring Fund Raising campaign. I was honored by the request and immediately started thinking of ways to help generate funds for NENSA. Having grown up and lived my entire life in Vermont, the New England Nordic Ski Association has always been there to help me through their event and training support and athlete funding to reach my goals. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to help NENSA with their campaign.
What methods did you use to get people to come to your page?
Once I composed my page I posted it to my Twitter and Facebook accounts. On my Facebook page the link went off with great friend support. The NENSA page became very populated by people who are not in the sport of Nordic Skiing. It was simple for viewers to click “Like” on the Facebook button. This generated lots of visitors, many of them non-skiers, to check out my page. This resulted in either my friends or their parents making a donation to NENSA. Even if they didn’t donate through my page, it still helped to popularize the Annual Donation, which was the ultimate goal. After it went viral through Facebook and Twitter, I then sent out about 30 emails to my family, friends and sponsors. I had great feedback and support from the direct emails.
What has been the most difficult part of fundraising?
I actually really enjoy the process of fundraising – it gives me a chance to contact and connect with people I don’t regularly get to talk with frequently. It’s really fun making new bonds and friendships through their support.
Any tips you’d like to share with other fundraisers?
The biggest things to be successful with fundraising is to enjoy the process. Be creative and to figure out a way to make it am enjoyable process for you. If you are able to embrace the process, then it isn’t all about the income you generate during the fundraiser. Enjoy the process: Everything before and after, all the interactions and people with whom you make contact. Embracing the process is how you can achieve success and make raising funds enjoyable. It’s all about connecting with the people and friends willing to help you out and taking pleasure in the process.
