As every dedicated fundraiser knows, the fun(draising) never stops! This is especially true in the days and weeks surrounding a major fundraising event. Too often fundraising efforts peak just as the event is about to occur and drop sharply after the event has concluded. But, as mountain climbers know all too well, reaching the summit is only half the climb. Although it can be a challenge, sustaining the momentum built by the event just a little bit longer can make a big difference.

Our friends at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center host Sprint for Life, an annual 5k Walk/Run to benefit ovarian cancer research. This year, they exceeded their $100,000 goal, but they didn’t want to stop there. M.D. Anderson took advantage of the fact that FirstGiving fundraising pages stay open for three months following the date of an event, allowing fundraisers the opportunity to update their pages with pictures, stories and fundraising tallies from the event. M.D. Anderson’s development office encouraged their fundraisers to update and send out their FirstGiving pages to friends and family after the event and they raised an additional $10,000!

How did they do it? All it took was an email sent out to all Sprint for Life participants announcing the fundraising totals and reminding participants that fundraising pages would remain active until June 30, 2010. They also provided helpful hints for fundraisers and included the phone number and email address for the FirstGiving support team in case anyone had problems or questions. Most importantly they said thank you!

So, to recap:

• Let your fundraisers know they can still receive donations after the event is over
• Remind them of ways to promote and personalize their page
• Include a direct link to FirstGiving support
• Say “Thank You!”