How to Promote Your Efforts

Approach Your Local Newspaper
Local newspapers are a great way to make the community aware of your efforts and help bring in additional funds for your Team In Training campaign. Suddenly people you haven’t heard from in years will be contacting you, and co-workers and neighbors will be putting more money in your collection box.

Having your name and face in the newspaper has made you a local celebrity. You are now a popular person raising money for a worthy cause. Not only will more people lend a helping hand, but public awareness about leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma increased because of you! Approach the newspaper the same way you would fundraising except ask for a story instead of money.

Devise a Story Pitch

• What is interesting about your story? Are you the first or only person in your town doing Team In Training? Are there other team members in your community? The more unique, the better the chances of your story being told.
• Include an honored patient. Are you raising funds in honor or in memory of someone close to you?
• Talk about your fundraising goal. Are you close to it? What types of fund-raisers are you doing? Let your community know about blood cancers and how far away you are from your goal. It could be the push your campaign needs.

Create An E-mail or Print Newsletter
It’s never enough to simply send out a letter. Be more creative and provide a personal newsletter updating your friends and family on your training and fundraising progress. Many word processing programs have newsletters templates to get you started.

Save money by creating e-mail newsletters. They are a quick and efficient way to communicate your TNT progress. Unlike a print newsletter, an email newsletter will most likely be passed on to others outside of your circle. Make sure to include a link to your Personal Page for donations. To avoid being labeled a spammer, avoid sending messages to those you don’t know.

Some ideas to discuss in either newsletter version include: information about your honoree, coach profile, statistics about blood cancers, and information about The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s patient services.