A Challenge - Fundraising to end poverty

Completing the Oxfam Trailwalker 100-kilometre hike itself will be a great challenge, yet another integral part of the event is fundraising. To be able to participate in this challenge we advise that you ask your family, friends and colleagues to sponsor your team and fundraise for you, in order that you can hit your target and support Oxfam's vital relief work around the world (each team has to raise a minimum of 120,000 yen). Since the first Trailwalk in 1981, 82,000 participants have taken part in this great challenge in Australia, New Zealand, UK and Hong Kong, and raised over 5,600,000,000 yen (as of November, 2006). Money raised through Oxfam Trailwalker will be spent providing vital aid and relief to communities affected by conflict and natural disasters as well as on education and agricultural programs to help bring an end to poverty all over the world.

■Fundraising Tips
Step 0: Set your goals
Write down a realistic fundraising target from the list below - but also we encourage you to aim high to collect more as the amount you write is a minimum target! The more you raise, the more benefits you and others will receive in return. Past Trailwalker events show that the average amount each team raises is about 300,000 yen.

Which one will you choose?
120,000 Yen(Minimum)
300,000 Yen (Bronze)
600,000 Yen　(Silver)
1,000,000 Yen (Gold)
3,000,000 Yen (Diamond)

■STEP 1: Learn about Oxfam’s goals and activities.
You need to describe this event so your sponsors know what Trailwalker is and what Oxfam’s goals and activities are. You can find lots of information on our web site.

You might want to tell people the following facts when you ask them to sponsor your team. We often use them in our promotional campaigns.

- Due to poverty one child dies every 3 seconds.
- Dirty water kills more than 3,000,000 people every year.
- Oxfam is an independent development and relief agency that works in around 100 countries. Oxfam was founded in Oxford, U.K. in 1942 and has been nominated for Nobel Peace Prize three times.
- Oxfam is working in partnership with local organizations to help people living in extreme poverty and to achieve lasting change, lifting people out of poverty.
- Approximately 1,000,000 supporters all over the world have fundraised for Oxfam and our annual program expenditure is around 56,000,000,000 yen. More than 35,000 volunteers have worked for Oxfam so far.
- Oxfam is working in emergency situations around the world; some of our recent work was in the Tsunami crisis in Sumatra.

■STEP 2: Visualize who you can ask to sponsor your team. Who can I ask and how much can I ask of them…? Your supporters could be family, relatives, best friends, school friends, university professors, colleagues, drinking buddies, club members, neighbors etc. Think about your contact people. You might think that donating money or to being a sponsor is not so common in Japan. However, you will people cooperative and helpful once he/she is impressed by Oxfam's goals and appreciates your great challenge.

■STEP 3: Make a fundraising planning sheet.
Plan who and how much you can ask. Determine a suitable total amount to commit to with your team-mates.

■STEP 4: Some ideas on how you can ask for sponsorship.
A. The easiest and most effective way to ask someone for sponsorship is to state clearly exactly what you would like that person to do.
See the example below on how you can ask. “Oxfam is an independent development and relief agency…. We believe in Oxfam’s aim, so we are taking a part in Trailwalker Japan. We will complete 100 km in 48 hours which will not be easy at all, it will be a great team challenge. Hopefully it will motivate you to support Oxfam by sponsoring our team. Your support will help people living in poverty all over the world and definitely give me and my team-mates great energy. We would like to thank you for your support in advance.” Another important part of your fundraising is to ask in person.

B. Before asking for sponsorship, be informed and willing to answer your sponsor's questions.
After you inform your possible sponsor he/she may ask: “Are you sure you can make it? 100km won’t be fun and I doubt you can do it.” In this case, you should offer an open way to sponsorship, such as. “OK. So, how about you pay a half sponsorship before the event and pay the rest after I cross the finish line. This way, you will support my big challenge and my promise is that I am willing to wait for your full payment until I can accomplish this challenge.” You might want to even say: “You can pay only when I complete the event because I will definitely make it within 30 hours.” The first deadline is 11th May, 2009, and the second deadline is 10th July. You will have enough time to collect sponsorship even after the event. Once your friends or family truly understand the enormity of what you are undertaking, they will be more than generous to support you. You can also ask them to fundraise with your team. They will become not only your sponsors but also your team-mates. They might be happy to cheer you on the sidelines when you walk. And this way you will have very active and vocal supporters.