Webpage    5/27/2014

Web: Bailey100.com
Contact: Mike McCormack
Email: [email protected]

GREETINGS!

Hey HUNDO and HUNDitO Riders!

We’re quickly closing in on the big day. June 14th is just around the corner! Our goal these last few weeks is to help you prepare with both great pre-event information and inspirational fundraising advice.

In today’s note you’ll find a bit of both. Here’s a quick look at this week’s topics:

• PERSONAL FUNDRAISING UPDATES
• NEW COURSE SECTION PRERIDE THIS WEEKEND
• LAST WEEK’S FUNDRAISING CONTEST WINNER
• NEW FUNDRAISING CONTEST!
• FUNDRAISING TIPS FROM NOAH APTEKAR

So sit back and enjoy. And please remember – we’re standing by to assist in any way we can.

Looking forward to seeing you at packet pickup –

Mike McCormack
Race Director – Bailey HUNDO & HUNDitO

PERSONAL FUNDRAISING UPDATE

Need to see where you stand to date? Or a peek at who’s donated to your effort so far? Want to adjust your fundraising goals or grab the link so you can email it to your network? This email is customized just for YOU! Clicking HERE will whisk you to your personal fundraising page (YES! Just for YOU!) where you’ll find all of the information listed above.

The link that you send to your friends and family so that they can donate to your effort can be found here.

NEW COURSE SECTION PRERIDE

There’ve been rumors swirling around about a new section on this year’s HUNDO and HUNDitO course and we’re pleased to say that they’re true!

If you’d like to take a peek at the new three mile section that replaces a huge section of the opening road lead-out, plan on meeting HUNDO board president John Gerritsen this Sunday (June 1st) for a sneak peek!

WHAT: a non-competitive conversational paced pre-ride of the new course alignment along Estabrook Road. Riders will be treated to a winding doubletrack through beautiful meadows and woods. Total ride length is about 27 miles, but riders may opt for their own program after the Estabrook section (this segment lies on gated private property and may ONLY be ridden with the group).

WHEN: This Sunday, June 1 at 9:30am

WHERE: Windy Peaks Lab Parking Lot (Aid Station #10)

A quick and final reminder about this section; it’s being provided for our use by the Berger family as both a quality and safety upgrade from the current course. It is also located entirely on private land and therefore unavailable to the public at any other time. Please respect and honor this gated section when you visit the Bailey area.

We’d like to offer Bart Berger and his entire family our gratitude for allowing us to use their property for the finish and camping area as well as this incredible new section . . . and remind you that of the request from the Berger family that the HUNDO and HUNDitO are dog-free environments, at least on their property. They LOVE dogs, but face a serious liability issue when dogs are allowed. Please make plans to leave Pickles with a friend or neighbor during the event. As much as it pains us to write something so rigid, we have to relay that there will be a ZERO tolerance policy regarding dogs on site.

LAST WEEK’S CONTEST WINNER

Last weekend we announced a fun and easy fundraising contest. The rider generating the most funds between Saturday AM and Monday evening was offered the Ergon hydration pack of their choice. We’re pleased to notify Marc Lunde that HE IS the lucky winner! Please join us in giving Marc a sincere "Well DONE!" . . . and when you’re done with that, take a peek below for a look at this week’s contest. It’s a bit longer in duration than last week’s and we’ve upped the prize ante considerably. Let’s get those fundraising efforts cranking!

NEW CONTEST!

One thing we can all agree upon is that a lengthy endeavor such as the HUNDO or HUNDitO is made immeasurably more enjoyable with the benefit of great gear. Our valued partner Primal Wear has generously thrown two of their top-of-the-line Helix kits into this week’s prize kitty. If you’ve yet to ride the Helix line, you’re in for a rare and wonderful treat-it’s been designed and manufactured to rival and surpass the very best riding gear from Italy and Switzerland and is a dream to ride in.

This week’s contest runs from the time you receive this note until midnight on Sunday, June 1st! The top two fundraisers during this time will receive a full Primal Wear Helix kit! So get talking to those friends, family members and neighbors-your posterior will thank you!

IN CLOSING

Each week leading up to our June 14th event we’ll be publishing a set of fundraising tips from one of the past year’s top fundraisers. Last week’s excellent column was penned by new HUNDO board member Keith Principe. This week we welcome board member Noah Aptekar. Noah’s taken the time to explain his outreach, philosophy and execution. It’s our hope that Noah’s personal best practices will cross-pollinate your own and along the way both educate and inspire!

See you in a few weeks!
Mike

FUN FUNDRAISING TIPS FROM NOAH APTEKAR

Hello HUNDO Faithful!

We live in the era of social media and having grown up with Ninja Turtles and slap bracelets I quite squarely fit the definition of a "millennial". Those tools should not be underestimated! I consider my efforts to fundraise as much about raising awareness as they are about raising money. Every person you touch, whether they donate or not, will learn about the mission of the HUNDO and the missions of our partner organizations; to support kids biking initiatives and develop the town of Bailey into a world-class mountain biking destination. Oh, and they’ll also know how hardcore you are-and how good you look in a chamois! So don’t hold back. Be proud of your undertaking-both physical and charitable. Tweet it. Post it. #giterdone.

When chasing big dollars and trying to climb the fundraising incentive ladder, there’s still value in going #oldskool. Without fail, each year I’m most successful in bringing in donations when I send out real, old-fashioned letters. Not hand-written-though my thank you notes are-but printed out and signed. Sometimes I even put cute stickers on ’em!

Dating back to the Mad Men era, direct mail has been one of the most powerful ways to reach an audience. Direct mail can fail when it’s not personal, but it can also be such a powerful tool that you don’t need to send tons of ’em. And you can afford to take a little time to customize each one. Spend some time writing a page-long letter giving an update on your life, and overview of your training and your goals for the race as well as some boilerplate information about the HUNDO. I’ve placed a copy of my sample letter for this year at the end of these opening comments.

For me, the key is targeting the right folks. Still a bit of a youngster for the HUNDO field, I largely target the parents of childhood friends or family friends in general. I focus on individuals that can afford at least a $100 donation and who I have a relationship with, but don’t see very often-maybe not since that holiday party in December. I completely re-write the first and last paragraphs for every letter based on whatever hook I have, but keep the middle pretty stock. Other prospective donors include aunts and uncles, cousins, former bosses or co-workers, close friends from college or grad school, or even that buddy from summer camp growing up. (NOTE: These are folks who likely have/have had successful careers and are of a generation that appreciates letters more than #selfies).

Even though these are strong targets, I estimate only about a 25% hit-rate, though I hope each donation I get from this group will be $100+. Depending on how much I hope to raise, I build a list of targets between 30-40 names long, but prioritize the list into chunks of 10. Unlike Keith, I do tend to rotate names through-this is my third year in a row racing and I don’t want to over-ask these close family connections. I’ll send out the first wave of letters and wait about 7-10 days to see how successful those letters were before sending the next wave. I hope to surpass my fundraising goal without having to tap into everyone on my list, allowing me to save some of those folks for the following year-or some other project!

Your network is valuable, so it’s critical to be respectful, but you don’t have to be shy! You’ll never raise money that you don’t ask for, so make sure to tailor your message depending on your audience. Make sure to email your friends and tweet and post your thank-you’s to friends who donate, but remember . . . it will be worth your time to write some personalized letters and give some family friends an update on your life. You probably should give some of these folks an update anyway-even if they don’t donate they’ll appreciate it! You also have the chance that they’ll support your hard training and the HUNDO mission…and get you over the hill to the next awesome rung on the incentive ladder!

In the spirit of Donation Magic,

Noah

[Noah’s Sample Fundraising Letter

Dear Steve and Katherine, I hope you’re having a wonderful spring! Steve, it was good to bump into you at the YMCA over the last few months-I also hope that all is well with you. As I may have mentioned, I’m having a fantastic time working in my new job and am looking forward to graduate school in the fall.

While I spend my work days in a suit and tie, I still make sure to find plenty of time in cycling shorts while I’m mountain biking-my newest favorite hobby. This is the third year in a row that I’ve decided to put this new love to the test and have again registered to compete in a 100-mile endurance mountain bike race called the Bailey HUNDO on June 14th, starting and finishing in Bailey, Colorado. Unique among endurance mountain bike races, the Bailey HUNDO is a charity event to raise money for and awareness about three other nonprofit organizations:

Colorado Mountain Biking Association (COMBA)-a well-respected advocacy group for mountain biking and one of the leaders for trail building and maintenance on the Front Range.

Colorado High School Cycling League-a competitive mountain bike race league for Colorado high school students. The Colorado League is the second largest and fastest growing league in the country.

Trips For Kids Denver/Boulder-a nonprofit dedicated to sharing the sport of mountain biking with urban and at-risk youth.

Colorado is full of amazing places, but the Platte Canyon area (home of the HUNDO) is a treasure hidden in plain sight, only fifty minutes from Denver. To participate in the event each racer must make and meet a generous fundraising pledge. I’ve pledged to raise at least $2000 to participate in the race. It’s my goal to far surpass that mark because the more money I can raise, the more money that will be distributed to our nonprofit partners and to support the development of Bailey into a Front Range mountain biking and recreation destination. To meet and exceed my goal, I need your help and your donation.

A donation of any level will be sincerely appreciated, but I’m requesting a donation of $100-or $1 for every mile I’ll be riding during the race. If I can get twenty generous people to donate at this level I’ll have met my goal and raised much-needed funds for our nonprofit partners. Larger donations are welcome as well and will do even more good!

To give you an idea of what your support means, your donation may be used to pay for the gas in the Trips For Kids vans as they take urban youth out on mountain bikes for their first time. It could also underwrite the scholarship for an underprivileged female athlete to participate in the Colorado League and race mountain bikes for the first time. A portion may also cover the cost of trail building equipment and supplies for one of COMBA’s volunteer trail building and maintenance days along the Front Range, expanding and preserving backcountry access for outdoor enthusiasts of today and tomorrow.

Every donation is tax deductible. The easiest way to donate is to visit my online donation page (add your personal link here – we’ve included it above!) You’ll receive a receipt for the tax-deductible amount. Anything is appreciated!

To get additional information about the Bailey HUNDO and our partners, please visit the website at http://www.bailey100.com. In general, over half of the money raised goes directly to the HUNDO’s nonprofit and community partners, and a portion of the money is used to cover event costs, such as commemorative t-shirts designed by a Fitzsimmons Middle School art student. We take every opportunity to engage youth and the folks of Bailey and the Platte Canyon area in the event to ensure that the Bailey HUNDO is a one-of-a-kind and community-embraced event, promoting Bailey and the sport of mountain biking at every opportunity.

One of the major high points of this event for me personally is the friendly competition on the racecourse, and also that of the fundraising page. I hope you’ll be able to help me set the pace for the fundraising competition.

I look forward to seeing you at some point during this spring or summer so I can share stories of the race and hear about your summer adventures as well. Thanks for reading and thanks for your support. I hope that you’re inspired to get involved in supporting youth cycling and trail access organizations and that you get some road or mountain bike riding in as well!

Happy Spring and give my best to your daughter, Amanda!

Noah Aptekar

Rustic Station Restaurant and Bar