Lead by Example - Build Your Walk Team by Starting with Your Own Donation!

It may seem daunting to build a fundraising Team, but it’s actually a process that can be broken down to leading by example. Even simpler than that, the most successful Team Captains start with a basic step – starting their fundraising by making a personal donation. This shows that you have “skin in the game.” Putting your money where your mouth is, so to speak, shows other people that you are committed to supporting NAMI’s mission, and gives them a reason to do so, too.

Does this mean you have to go broke? No. Making a contribution that is significant for you is what matters. That may be $25, or $250.

In successful nonprofit organizations, effective Board Members and other leaders know that all eyes are on them. They know that they can’t expect individuals to donate their funds and their time if they don’t see the people at the top doing so. Fundraising and team-building is the same; think of your role as a Team Captain as that of an ambassador for NAMI. Once you start with your own donation, and sharing why NAMI is important to you, invite others to follow suit. Ask your Team Members to do the same and you’ll be off to a great start!

Michelle Madison

Events and Outreach Manager

NAMI Oregon

"A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words"

The old adage - "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words" - couldn't be more true when you look at pictures from NAMIWalks across the country. We hope you enjoy these pictures that were taken at NAMIWalk Los Angeles County, NAMIWalk Maine, NAMIWalk New Hampshire, NAMIWalk Northern Virginia, and NAMIWalk Summit County.

 

NAMI's Executive Director, Michael J. Fitzpatrick's CNN Opinion Piece - How Shootings Stigmatize People Living With Mental Illness

NAMI’s Executive Director, Michael J. Fitzpatrick recently wrote a CNN Opinion piece regarding the tragic shooting at the Washington DC Navy Yard. Please follow the link - http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/20/opinion/mental-health-stigma-shootings/index.html - to read Mr. Fitzpatrick’s important article, How shootings stigmatize people living with mental illness.

NAMIWalks' Coaching Video Series

Many of our Team Captains and Walkers have attended a Walk Information Meeting and/or a Team Captain Kick-Off Luncheon this Fall Walk season. At those meetings Walk Managers provided event information, as well as team building and fundraising tips. 

To enhance the information that was presented at these events, as well as the coaching emails that Walk Managers have been sending to event participants, the National Walk Team created a series of coaching videos. We hope these videos will compliment the information you have received and continue to receive. We want our Team Captains and Walkers to be successful, so we try to provide all the tools possible to help you along your NAMIWalk journey. Please take a few minutes to watch our videos and let us know what you think! Click here to view the videos.

 

Using Technology to Fundraise and Monitor Your Walk Efforts!

We’re always looking for inventive ways to help you with your fundraising efforts and to stay on top of the latest news about NAMIWalks. We recently introduced two new tools to help you along your Walk journey – the NAMIWalks Smartphone App and the Facebook Friendship Powered Fundraising (FPF) App. These new technologies allow you to connect with potential donors, process donations, register walkers and keep track of your Walk efforts.

The NAMIWalks Smartphone App can be downloaded from the app store on an iPhone or Android. The app allows Team Captains to register a walker and all Walk participants to take a donation in the palm of their hands. So, if a Walk participant is telling a friend at a party or at the office that he/she is walking in the NAMIWalk and the friend decides that he/she want to support the person or join the person's Walk Team, the Walk participant can take the donation or register the person right at that moment by using his/her phone. It’s a fast and easy way to process a donation and/or to register a walker. Since the App is hosted by the same company that hosts the NAMIWalks website, donors don’t have to worry about the safety of using the device; it’s just as safe as making an online donation!

In addition to processing donations and registering walkers, the Smartphone App also allows participants to monitor how much they have personally raised and/or how much their Team has raised. Participants can also access Walk news and fundraising tips through the App. It’s amazing how much can be done by using this tool!

Our other new App, Facebook FPF App, runs entirely inside Facebook. Using the FPF App, walkers don’t have to leave the familiarity and comfort of Facebook to contact friends about the Walk and to ask for/accept donations. Event participants and their friends can drop in, track progress, share with more friends and donate with one click when it's top of mind and the moment's right. Because the App is fully integrated on multiple channels, it works perfectly on mobile, tablet and desktop devices!

We are excited about these Apps and hope you will use them in your fundraising efforts! Contact your local Walk Manager if you have any questions or want additional information on these tools.