CMTA Launches “Circle of Friends” Campaign

What is the “CMTA Circle of Friends?”

We like to think of our “Circle of Friends” as a new approach to fundraising, but there's really nothing new in asking one's family, friends, and business contacts to support a favorite cause. Every year, thousands of dollars come to the CMTA from golf tournaments and other events like Steve O'Donnell's “Swim for the Cure.”

Steve began doing the swim six years ago and now raises over $100,000 a year for CMT research. This year, however, he was also joined by members of “Team Julia,” which was formed to honor 7-year-old Julia Beron, who has CMT. Through the efforts of Julia's parents, Herb and Rachael, Team Julia raised an additional $65,000.

People often ask what they can do to help raise funds, but holding a golf tournament or organizing an event is often beyond the scope of what the average person can do--until now. Building on the success of the Berons, the “CMTA Circle of Friends” is simply a way for people to help the CMTA fund research and other important projects without having to organize golf tournaments, auctions or other events.

How does it work?

The “Circle of Friends” begins with a personal appeal. Each of us has a “circle” of family, friends, people we do business with, places we shop and so on, and by reaching out to them with a personal letter or email, we can greatly enlarge the number of people who support the work of the CMTA.

Two years ago, CMTA Board Member, Elizabeth Ouellette, wrote a letter describing how her son Yohan is affected by CMT. She sent her letter to over 100 family members and friends and raised over $13,000. When the Berons contacted us, we told them about Elizabeth's appeal. Using her letter as a model, the Berons incorporated information about their daughter and Rachael's participation in the Swim and sent the letter, mostly via email, to over 500 family members, friends, and business contacts. (Click here to read their letters, or click here to open a Word template you can use to create your own letter.)

Having an easy way for the Berons' Circle of Friends to donate was another key to their success. We created a “Team Julia” web page just for them (now updated for 2008). They included a link to that page in their email, and for people without email, or for people who preferred not to donate online, we also created a flyer with a stub people could return with their checks to make sure their donation was properly credited to the Berons' Circle.

Acknowledging donors was also important, so we sent Herb a donor list once a week, which he used along with his own list to to keep track of who had received his appeal, who had donated, and to whom he had sent a personal thank-you note. We sent each donor a thank-you as well (also useful for tax purposes), and we listed their donors (just names, not amounts) in our newsletter, The CMTA Report. We then provided him with both print copies and a link to the PDF version of the newsletter so that his donors could read about Team Julia (page 6) and see their names in the donor list.

That was all there was to it. In a little over two months, the Berons raised $65,000, and they left us with a model that anyone can use to help the CMTA raise funds.

Ready to start your own CMTA Circle of Friends? We'll help!

Just call us at 1-800-606-2682 or email cof@charcot-marie-tooth.org. We'll help you write your letter, create a web page specifically for your Circle of Friends, and provide you with all the brochures, newsletters and other documents necessary to start your circle.

We'll acknowledge your effort and your “CMTA Circle of Friends” in our newsletter, we'll send each of your donors a thank-you letter, and we'll also send you a weekly donor report so you can track your progress and send your personal thank-you notes.

In addition, we're having the “Circle of Friends” logo imprinted on various items. When you use them to thank your friends, you'll also be helping to spread awareness about CMT.

More importantly, whether your circle contributes $500, $5,000, or $50,000, every dollar will enable the CMTA to fund research and programs that will make life better for everyone with CMT.

So please contact us today. Together, and with a little help from our friends, we can tackle CMT!