---
title: How I Used Tumblr to Raise an Additional $1,000
description: Marty Middleman shares some of his successful strategies for fundraising including using Tumblr to reach out to people who haven't donated in several years
---

[PMC Blog ](https://www.pmc.org/blog)

# [How I Used Tumblr to Raise an Additional $1,000](https://www.pmc.org/blog/how-i-used-tumblr-to-raise-an-additional-1000)

 Written by [Pan-Mass Challenge](https://www.pmc.org/blog/author/pan-mass-challenge) | Nov 17, 2015 6:09:00 PM

[Guest blog by Marty Middelmann](http://www2.pmc.org/profile/pfp.asp?profileid=MM0373)

[(as originally posted on the "Marty Rides The Pan-Mass Challenge" blog)](http://pmcmarty.tumblr.com/post/133337775176/how-i-used-tumblr-to-raise-almost-1000)

In 2015, I finally hit Heavy Hitter status again after hitting it for the first time back in 2011 when my step-father, Rod Johnson, died of cancer.

I raised $8,100 in 2015, a jump of almost $2,600 from 2014. As many of you may or may not know, there is no single strategy for fund raising. Rather, there are a constellation of smaller strategies that work together to achieve ones fund raising goal. My primary method is to send out waves of PMC note cards, which I follow up with weekly emails. This year, I added reposting emails on tumblr to the process.

[The Note Cards](http://store.pmc.org/pmc-note-cards-p19.aspx?widget=mp)

[I run my note cards through a printer. On them is a basic message, a call to action, and how to donate.  I also include a “fund raising thermometer” which shows my progress. The thank you notes I send out include an updated thermometer. On each note card I’ll hand write a personalized note and signature.](http://store.pmc.org/pmc-note-cards-p19.aspx?widget=mp)

This was my 7th PMC and I have a detailed history of my donors. Included in that history is what time of the year they donate. So if a donor typically donates in June, they will receive a note card at the end of May or beginning of June. Then, and only then, they will begin to receive weekly emails.

**The Weekly Emails**

As I just mentioned, I only send emails out to donors who have received my note cards. Over the years I have learned that sometimes less is more when it comes to asking for donations. It is really important to be patient. Also, in 2015 I made more of an effort to “tell a story” with each email I sent out. Having a story as part of your “request for donation” emails makes the email more engaging. 

Sometimes that story is simply a “training update”. Other times I’ll write about my team’s Pedal Partner. I’ve also written about friends who are currently fighting cancer.

I also made it a point this year to include an image in every email. The simple truth is, people like to look at pictures. If somebody notices that your email contains a photo, they are more likely to open it and read it, especially if that picture complements the story you are telling.

**Tumblr - Extending the Reach of My Weekly Emails**

[I have a tumblr blog. What is tumblr? It is yet another social media/micro blogging site. I started it to learn more about tumblr and to see how I could use it. Well, tumblr in an of itself isn’t all that useful. However, in 2015, I tried an experiment using tumblr that met with immediate success.](https://www.tumblr.com/)

Remember those weekly email I was talking about? Well, this year, almost on a whim, I posted a copy of my first weekly email in a tumblr post and shared that across social media (Twitter, FaceBook). As a direct result I received a $250 donation from a past donor who had not donated since 2009 and that I had dropped my my mailing list . If a donor hasn’t donated in 2 or 3 years, I stop pestering them.

Awesome! So I kept up the pattern of reposting my emails to tumblr. In the end I raised a total of$912 from 11 donors who I did not send note cards or email to. Some of them were past donor, some were first time donors.

That $912 was just one part of the constellation of smaller strategies/tactics that helped me achieve Heavy Hitter status in 2015 :-)

**Do You Want to See My “Email Posts”?**

[I have “tagged” those tumblr posts with the hashtag #PMC2015Email and you can view them here:](http://pmcmarty.tumblr.com/tagged/PMC2015Email)

- [http://pmcmarty.tumblr.com/tagged/PMC2015Email](http://pmcmarty.tumblr.com/tagged/PMC2015Email)

**Marty Middelmann**

- 7 year rider
- 2 time Heavy Hitter (2011, 2015)

[View full post](https://www.pmc.org/blog/how-i-used-tumblr-to-raise-an-additional-1000)

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