WALKER WELCOME KIT KIDNEY WALK Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium Sunday, November 4, 2012 CHECK-IN 7:00AM WALK: 9:00AM 3109 Forbes Ave. Ste. 101 Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412-261-4115 2012 KIDNEY WALK Call the National Kidney Foundation today to hear how your company can sponsor our Kidney Walk! Thank you to all of our Sponsors and Corporate Partners! 2010 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 03-53-
Thank You for Registering for the 2012 Kidney Walk! Dear Walker: On behalf of the National Kidney Foundation, we would like to welcome you to the 2012 Kidney Walk. Thank you for helping. Your participation in our Kidney Walk is very important to us. Walks help us fulfill our mission to: Spread the word about the importance of kidney health Encourage early detection Raise funds for local education and screening programs Promote organ donation Support research into the prevention and treatment of kidney disease We are pleased to offer roughly 100 Kidney Walks throughout the U.S. to reach as many individuals as we can. We thank you for joining us at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium and encourage you to join us at our other annual Walks. Nearly 80 cents of every dollar raised goes to our programs, including our Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP ) screenings. This Walker packet contains everything you need to know about being a Kidney Walker, including information and tips on how to meet your fundraising goals. Once again, thank you for your support. We look forward to seeing you at the Walk! Please contact Tiffany Cramer-Ray at 412-261-4115 or Tiffany.Ray@kidney.org with questions, additional materials and fundraising support. Best Regards, Tiffany Cramer-Ray National Kidney Foundation Serving the Alleghenies 3109 Forbes Ave. Ste. 101 Pittsburgh, PA 15213 2
What is the Kidney Walk? The Kidney Walk is a fun, inspiring community fundraiser that calls attention to the prevention of kidney disease and the need for organ donation. The Walk is a noncompetitive one- to three-mile, marked route. It s an opportunity for patients, family, friends and corporations to come together to support the 26 million Americans affected by chronic kidney disease. About 100 Walks are held across the country. Why Walk? Kidney disease is a major health problem in the United States and around the world. Roughly 90,000 Americans are on the waiting list for a lifesaving kidney transplant and 382,000 rely on dialysis to keep them alive. Because symptoms may not appear until the kidneys are actually failing, millions of people with kidney damage remain unaware of their condition and do not taking steps to protect the health of their kidneys. With more than 30 local offices nationwide, NKF: conducts extensive public, patient and professional education provides free early detection screenings advocates for patients through legislative action promotes organ donation supports kidney research to identify new treatments. NKF relies on individual and corporate donations, business partnerships, foundation and government grants, memberships and special events like the Kidney Walk to support its range of programs, services and initiatives. 3
Kidney Walk Details Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium Sunday, November 4, 2012 Here are important details for events taking place before and on the day of the Walk. Should you have more questions or concerns, please contact your local representative via the information on page 2. Basic Event Information: Date: November 4, 2012 Time: Check-In 7:00AM Walk Start 9:00AM Directions & Parking: (For GPS Navigation Users) 7340 Butler St. Pittsburgh, PA 15206 * *Free Parking Walk Kickoff TBD Bank Night Thursday, November 1, 2012 Walk Kickoff Join your fellow Kidney Walkers for this fun event to learn more about the Walk and how to raise the big bucks! Bank Night We STRONGLY encourage our Team Captains to turn in team members money and registration forms during one of our Bank Nights. Attending a Bank Night will give you the opportunity to get organized and gather t-shirts for your team, allowing you more time to enjoy the Kidney Walk! Thursday, November 1, 2012 NKF Offices, 3109 Forbes Ave. Ste. 101 Pittsburgh, PA 15213 Frequently Asked Questions Q: What happens if it rains? A: The Kidney Walk is a rain-or-shine event. Tents will be onsite. Q: Where do Walkers meet the morning of the Walk? A: Walkers should meet at the top of the escalators at the Zoo. Q: How long is the Walk? A: The Walk route is one to three miles long. It is a marked, non-competitive route with fun activities throughout. Q: Is there a minimum donation due? A: No. However, we do ask every Walker to make an effort to raise money and make a donation. The average Walker raises $200. Q: How is the money collected? A: Individuals and team members are responsible for collecting funds from supporters and turning them in to Team Captains. Q: How many people do you need to form a team? A: Teams can be two Walkers or as large as 100+ Walkers. Q: Can dialysis patients participate in the Walk? A: Yes, the Walk is a day for patients and families to come together to celebrate life and the developments made in the kidney community. If you are a dialysis patient, talk to your dialysis unit social worker about the Dialysis Unit Challenge and begin fundraising! Q: How do funds raised at the Kidney Walk benefit the Foundation? A: Nearly 80 cents of each dollar raised benefits the Foundation s patient services and programs. Learn more at www.kidneywalk.org. Q: Can I turn in money after the date of the Walk? A: Yes, funds are accepted after the day of the Walk and credited to your individual/team records. Q: Are my donations tax-deductible? A: Yes. Upon receipt of an online donation, a donor receives NKF s Tax ID number in a confirmation email. Offline donors may request a letter with NKF s Tax ID number confirming the donation dollar amount after the day of the Kidney 4 9
Set Your Fundraising Goal and Earn Great Rewards Below are some rewards for Kidney Walk fundraisers: Donation Level Money Raised 1 $100 Kidney Walk T-Shirt Prize Fundraise Online Today! It s as Easy as 1 2 3! By registering online, you will get free access to your own customizable webpage! Known as the Walk Center, this online tool is the easiest and best way to raise money, either as an individual or as part of a Team. Here are the steps: 1. Go to www.kidneywalk.org to register. You can choose to attend the 2012 Walk as a Walker, become an online fundraiser only, or offer to volunteer at the Walk. If you choose to become 2 $200 Kidney Walk Tote Bag 3 $300 $10,000+ Go to www.kidneywalk.org for a complete list of prizes. Be a Kidney Walk All-Star in the Top Fundraiser s Club! If you individually raise $1,000 or more, you get inducted into the Kidney Walk Top Fundraiser s Club! Walkers are eligible for membership whether walking with a Team or as an individual. Join this exclusive group today, and enjoy membership benefits like one-on-one coaching from staff, a commemorative t-shirt, special recognition after the Walk and more! To join this club, contact Tiffany Cramer-Ray at 412-261-4115 or Tiffany.Ray@kidney.org Benefits of Joining the Kidney Walk Top Fundraiser s Club: Personalized support from the Kidney Walk staff Official Kidney Walk Top Fundraiser s Gear Acknowledgement on the day of the Walk Recognition in post-walk communications Certificate of Achievement Name listed on the local NKF website and local NKF newsletter Invitation to a post-walk thank you event 8 a Walker or an online fundraiser, keep reading! 2. Build your customizable webpage. After you have registered, log in with your user name and password. Once you re in, you can choose what to put on your webpage, like a blog or a Fundraising Honor Roll to proudly display your biggest donations. You can edit the layout of your webpage at any time. You may also update it with photos or videos, or add text to share updates, ideas, and messages. Inspire potential donors with stories about how kidney disease has impacted your life or include kidney-related articles straight from the news. 3. Network, send emails to prospects and keep track of your progress! Your Walk Center has a built-in email system that makes it easy to add, import, edit, and delete email addresses. You can even create different target groups for your addresses, such as Coworkers and Family. 4. Link your Walk Center to your Facebook and Twitter pages! It will help direct more web traffic to your page. And keep track 5
Fundraising Ideas Want to raise big money? Try one or more of these fun strategies! [Date] Sample Fundraising Letter [Your letterhead name, address, etc. (E-MAIL OR HARD COPY)] Here are a few surefire ways to raise money. Remember, the easiest and best way to raise money is by setting up your online fundraising page. But here are more ideas: 1. Letter Writing: Send a letter (a sample letter template is on the next page) to coworkers, friends, and family about the Kidney Walk and why YOU are walking. Explain how funds go to education, early detection screenings, research support, and more. 2. Kidney Pin-Ups: Sell Kidney Pin-Ups for $1 or $2. Your coworkers can decorate their offices with them. Or ask a local retail store to sell them and collect the proceeds each week. 3. Bake or Garage Sale: Make baked goods or gather old stuff to sell for a good cause! 4. Dress Down Day: Have your coworkers donate $5 for every day they choose to dress down at work! You can even extend this to $25 for a week, or maybe $100 for the whole month! 5. Corporate Matching Gifts: Many employer sponsors are willing to double or even triple your contributions! Go to www.matchinggifts.com/kidney/ to find out if your employer is one of them. Daily Tips to Raise $300 in One Week Day 1: Start by sponsoring yourself for $25. Set up your personal Kidney Walk fundraising webpage and e-mail your friends to sponsor you. Day 2: Ask two family members to sponsor you for $25 each. Day 3: Ask five friends to contribute $10 each. Day 4: Ask five coworkers to sponsor you for $10 each. Day 5: Ask five neighbors to contribute $10 each. Day 6: Ask your boss for a company contribution of $50. Dear [Name]: On [Date], I ll be walking in the National Kidney Foundation s (NKF) Kidney Walk to raise funds to help fight kidney disease. With local offices nationwide, NKF provides educational programs and free early detection screenings for the public, patients, and professionals. NKF also advocates for patients through legislative action, promotes organ donation, and provides grants for kidney research. I d like to enlist your help for this important cause. Preventing kidney disease and its complications is more important than ever: 26 million Americans have chronic kidney disease (CKD) 1 in 9 adults! Every 5 minutes, someone in the U.S. experiences kidney failure. About 90,000 are currently awaiting a kidney transplant. Every 2 hours, someone dies while waiting for a kidney. 382,000 depend on dialysis to stay alive. Early detection can help slow or prevent the progression of kidney disease to kidney failure. NKF has provided free early detection screenings to 155,000 individuals at increased risk for CKD. Please sponsor me. You ll be helping save lives. Fill out the tear-off sheet below and return it with your check in the enclosed envelope. In addition to your valuable sponsorship, why not join me at the Kidney Walk with your friends and family? Visit www.kidneywalk.org to register! Thank you very much for your support. Sincerely, [Signature] My Donation: $200 $150 $100 $75 $50 Other (Please make checks payable to The National Kidney Foundation.) Day 7: Ask a business you frequent for $25. 6 7