Who better to help prepare new PMC riders for their first PMC than alumni riders? We recently asked some alumni for their advice on topics from training to fundraising to PMC weekend experiences. This is the first collection of their advice – stay tuned for more tips leading up to PMC weekend!

13 Fundraising Tips for First-Year Riders

We asked some PMC alumni riders, "What is one fundraising tip you have for a first-year rider?" Collectively, they all agreed on one theme: ask, ask, and ask again. Read on for their tips along this theme and apply some of their ideas to your PMC 2024 fundraising campaign.

1. Ask Everyone – You Never Know Who Cancer Has Impacted

andrew-keane-pmc-advice "Ask everyone in your address book. Don't think, 'I don't know this person that well.' You are not asking them to give you money. You are asking them to give money to the Jimmy Fund. You have no idea if the plumber or hairdresser or neighbor has a personal experience with cancer and would welcome an opportunity to donate to the cause."

– Andrew Keane, 31-year PMC rider; PMC Living Proof; member of Team Lick Cancer

2. Be Persistent

"Ask everyone, everybody you know or have an email address for. Then, ask again and again. I’ve sent my email to the same person for years prior to having them donate."

– Alan Cantor, 32-year PMC rider

3. Share Your Story

casey-antonelli-advice1 "Don't be shy! Send letters, emails, post on social media – even LinkedIn. Your professional network loves to see who you are and support charities! Share your story – why are you riding? Share the story of your Team's Pedal Partner if you have approval to do so. You are not exploiting people, you are spreading important awareness and giving potential sponsors an understanding of why their donation is so critical."

– Casey Antonelli, 17-year PMC rider; captain of Team Eradicate

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Together We Can: This series highlighting advice from PMC riders, for PMC riders, is powered by M&T Bank, the co-presenting sponsor of the Pan-Mass Challenge.

4. Be a PMC Evangelist

alan-cormier-advice1 "Be creative and be an evangelist for the cause. I have created golf tournaments and many other fundraising activities. I go after every match that is available."

– Alan Cormier, 17-year PMC rider; captain of Team Bourne Believers

5. Send Letters

stephen-sacco-advice1 "Start by sending a personalized letter to all of your potential sponsors. In my letters, I thank past sponsors for last year's donation and show the amount they gave. I just leave that line out for new potential sponsors. I always include a return envelope addressed to me. Then I follow up later with emails to anyone I haven't heard from. The emails include updates on my training and fundraising to date."

– Stephen Sacco, 38-year PMC rider

6. Write Thank You Notes

andrea-comeau-advice1 "Send out a letter to solicit donations and ALWAYS send a written thank you note regardless of the donation amount."

– Andrea Comeau, 27-year PMC rider

7. Don't Take Donor's Responses Personally

michael-steinberg-advice1 "Don't take it personally! People will surprise you... some that you assume will be big donors don't come through BUT others will exceed your expectations. That's why it's all about volume."

– Michael Steinberg, 12-year PMC rider; PMC Living Proof; member of Team Spoke Heroes

8. Set Fundraising Goals

wendy-harder-advice1 "Set a goal each month to contact 4 to 5 people and follow up with them. And if your employer has a company match, ask them to submit the match."

– Wendy Harder, 7-year PMC rider & 12-year volunteer; member of Team Patriots Platelet Pedalers

9. Be Unapologetic

anastasia-vassos-advice-1 "Don't apologize to your sponsors for the fact that you are asking for money. If at first you don't hear from them, ask again."

– Anastasia Vassos, 19-year PMC rider; member of Team Stem Cell Cyclists

10. Email Often

martin-middelmann-advice1 "Don't email only once. Send emails at least once or twice a week, depending on how close the PMC is. Also, tell a different story in each email, whether it is how your training is going, a visit with a Pedal Partner, etc. Pull people into your experience."

– Martin Middelmann, 16-year PMC rider; member of Team PHAT Tuesday

11. Update Your Donors

jim-gosselin-advice1 "Reach your donors early and don't be afraid to make multiple asks. After my initial request, I will send a 'training update' or 'why I PMC' post or a Dana-Farber impact statement, sending something at least once a month. I always thank 'those that have already' donated and provide a link to my fundraising profile page. Most people want to donate but often procrastinate, so these follow-ups help to remind them."

– Jim Gosselin, 15-year PMC rider

12. Give Your Donors the Opportunity to Support You & the PMC

tom-collery-advice1 "Don’t be afraid to ask. Many people look for ways to contribute to charities but really don’t know how. This is a win-win for your donors."

– Tom Colleary, 6-year PMC rider

13. Post on Social Media Frequently

amanda-chase-advice1 "Be shameless about it. If people want to unfollow you because you're posting too much to social media about trying to raise money to find a cure for cancer – let ‘em!"