Participant Centre – the easy way to raise money quickly

The Participant Centre, which is where you land when you login (after registering), provides:

• A quick 45 second tour of the entire platform (top right!)
• The ability to personalize your fundraising page, including uploading your picture
• Sample emails for asking people to sponsor you, inviting them to participate, and thanking them. All can be customized.
• The ability to import contacts and send personalized emails to a group of people with the click of a button
• A Follow-Ups list, where you can see who you’ve emailed, how many times, whether they’ve been opened, donations, and other useful information

You can use our Emailing Tools alone or in combination with social media, asking in person, by phone and using regular email.

Also, if you’ve participated in past Mindfulness Challenges, you can import all your information, including contacts and donation history, when you register.

Emailing Tools

It’s simple to send personalized emails to dozens or even hundreds of people. Just import your contacts, choose the Sponsor Me email template, select who you want to email, personalize it if you like, and hit the send button!

If you need help, email us at challenge@mindfulnessstudies.com

This is not only a great way to raise money. It’s also a way to reconnect with friends and family. We encourage you to give it a try!

Top Ten Fundraising Tips

Choose the ones that are right for you!

1. Set a challenging goal

Is it better to set a goal of $100 and raise $250, or set a goal of $500 and raise $450? More people will be helped if you raise $450! The fact is, setting a challenging goal will encourage donors to give more. So consider setting a challenging goal, and upping it when you reach it. Don’t forget to track and share your progress—many people will donate a little bit more if they know you’re close to reaching your goal.

2. Self donate

A self-donation is a chance to set the tone and show your personal commitment to the cause. It’s a powerful way to encourage donations.

3. Start early

The sooner you start, the more space you’ll have to ask people. You can start slowly, experiment with different ways of asking, and wait until your ordinary social movements allow you to ask those close to you in person or by phone, where you can give them as much or as little information as they need to decide. They may even decide to participate with you! With the luxury of time, you can work lazily. Send email follow-ups through the Participant Centre Email Tools. People often need to be reminded several times before they take action, so getting started earlier and using gentle persistence really pays off.

4. Get personal

Share a story about yourself, a loved one, or someone you know. It can even be a story you heard second-hand of someone who has been impacted by a mental health condition. And consider dedicating your Challenge to someone or share a personal reason why this cause resonates with you. It will make your request that much more impactful. Be prepared to educate your donors—they may not know about the benefits of mindfulness or the Centre for Mindfulness Studies. Learn more here.

5. Start smart

Since donations will be displayed on your personal page, if the first pledge is high, your friends, family and colleagues will likely follow this lead and give more. So make the first asks of people you think will give larger donations.When you talk to people, and they ask what they should give, you can say “well, so-and-so gave me $____”. Or you can mention your personal donation. That way, you’re not telling them what to give, but you’re demonstrating that other people have been generous, and providing support for the person you’re asking to be generous as well. Remember, giving feels great, and giving generously feels even better.

6. Get social

Make sure everyone in your social circles knows you’re committed to this Challenge. You can receive unexpected donations by linking your personal online fundraising page to your email signature or social media page.

7. Ask many people

Ask everyone you have a personal connection with who can afford to give $10, $20 or more. Ask without any pressure or attachment to the result. Asking someone to sponsor you can help build a connection and re-connect with those you haven’t been in touch with for a while. Many people report that asking people to sponsor them resulted in an outpouring of support and social requests, as well as discovering a common interest in mindfulness. When people give it makes them feel good. So asking someone to sponsor you can be a real act of kindness and connection.

8. Be yourself

Do what works for you. Some people will make great use of the tech features in our fundraising system. Others will use more traditional methods. Some will experiment with different methods. And while this website and our templates are a great starting point, make the voice your own. Why do you care about bringing mindfulness to the disadvantaged? Why are you participating in the Challenge? What does your heart want to say?

9. Ask for matching gifts

Contact your Human Resources department to find out if your company has a corporate matching gift program to double the value of your personal contribution. You can also encourage donors to ask their companies for matching gift support.

10. Thank your donors

Make sure to follow up and thank those who helped you reach your goal. Send a personalized thank-you messages as soon as you receive notification of the contribution. Follow up after the Challenge to share highlights and let them know what a great time you had.

Fundraising Awards & Recognition

Fundraising awards and recognition are based on the level of fundraising you reach. 

Awards

• Top Fundraiser Awards 
• First Prize:  A private one-hour meditation led by a Centre for Mindfulness Studies facilitator via Zoom for you and 15 of your friends, plus a one of a kind 24 x 24 sunset print donated by Bob Koven.  (Entire Prize value: $2,500 value)
• Second Prize:  A $1000 gift certificate to be applied to a Centre program (transferable) plus a one of a kind 24 x 24 sunset print donated by Bob Koven. 
• Third Prize:  A $550 gift certificate to be applied to a Centre program (transferable) plus a one of a kind 12 x 12 sunset print donated by Bob Koven. 
• Top Team Award
• First Prize:  A private one-hour meditation for your team and guests up to 60 people led by a CMS facilitator via Zoom ($5000 value) 
• Second Prize: Each team member will receive a $200 gift certificate to be applied to a Centre program (transferable)
• Third Prize:  Each team member will receive a $100 gift certificate to be applied to a Centre Program (transferable)
• Recognition
• All Award Winners and Participants that have raised funds will be recognized on a special Gratitude Wall on CMS website

Award winners will be notified post-March 21st, 2020.

Fundraising FAQ

Where will the funds go?

All funds will go to The Centre for Mindfulness Studies and used for its Community Program, which trains social service agency frontline workers to deliver mindfulness programs to their clients and provides bursaries for The Centre’s therapeutic mindfulness programs. The Centre is a registered charity and will issue tax receipts for all donations of $20 or more. No tax receipts are issued for registration fees, as the Canada Revenue Agency does not allow us to issue tax receipts where something of value is received in exchange.

What does the $100 fundraising commitment mean?

The $100 fundraising commitment is just that, we ask you to make a sincere effort to try raise $100. We understand that some people will not be able to raise that much but don’t worry, you can still participate!

How do I raise money?

Mindfulness Challenge works like a walkathon or bikeathon – you ask people to sponsor you. We’ll provide you with the latest tools and great ideas to reach your fundraising goal. The online fundraising system makes it easy to email and use social media to ask people to sponsor you. It’s simple, effective and secure. You import the contacts you want and we provide templates to ask them to sponsor you, join your team, etc. On average participants who fundraise online raise significantly more than individuals exclusively raising funds offline. But it’s really up to you, and there is no one right way. See the Emailing Tools (above) and other tabs on this page for more ideas.

What are the benefits of using our Participant Centre?

The Participant Centre, which is where you land when you login (after registering), provides:

• The ability to personalize your fundraising page, including uploading your picture
• Sample emails for asking people to sponsor you, inviting them to participate, and thanking them. All can be customized.
• The ability to import contacts and send personalized emails to a group of people with the click of a button
• A Follow-Ups list, where you can see who you’ve emailed, how many times, whether they’ve been opened, donations, and other useful information

You can use our Emailing Tools alone or in combination with social media, asking in person, by phone and using regular email. Also, if you’ve participated in past Mindfulness Challenges, you can import all your information, including contacts and donation history, when you register.

Is the online fundraising system secure?

Yes. The system uses the most current encryption tools to provide a safe and secure environment for participants and donors. All transactions and data are captured and stored in a secure environment. Industry standard Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption certificates are used. The online fundraising site displays the SSL Web Server Certificate seal that confirms the transaction is secure and encrypting all data. Electronic tax receipts are secured with either a random 40-bit or 128-bit encryption code ensuring their authenticity while at the same time, meeting all government standards. While PDF tax receipts are sent via the online system and can be printed, they are tamper-proof. All online transactions are conducted using the HTTPS protocol – the same standards used by most major financial institutions on their online banking applications.

What is required to set up my personal fundraising page?

It’s already set up, but we encourage you to make it your own. Customizing your personal web page is quick and easy and requires no technical skills. All you need to do edit the text, and upload your photo. You can add more photos or videos too. It’s important to let people know why the Mindfulness Challenge is important to you. These few minutes can make a big difference and will help kick-start your fundraising success.

Can my personal and/or team online fundraising page be viewed by the public?

Yes. Team and individual fundraising pages are viewable by the public. If you want you don’t want to display your personal page in lists or searches, you can change it by editing your profile and going “private.” However, this will make it impossible for someone to donate to you if they don’t have the link to your personal page.

Can people donate anonymously?

Yes. Donors have the option of keeping their name and/or their donation amount ‘anonymous’. Note: A donor’s identity will still be passed on to the participant and to The Centre for Mindfulness Studies for processing reasons.

What if I forgot my online password or username?

Go to the Participant Login Page. Follow the prompts to have a new password and username sent to your email.

When does online fundraising close?

You have up to March 21 to collect pledges online

When and how do I submit offline monies?

If you receive additional funds post March 21, you have up to March 30 to submit monies paying online using your own credit card or PayPal. The payment is made by clicking “Offline Pledges” in the Participant Centre menu, scrolling to the bottom, selecting the offline pledge to be paid, and clicking on the appropriate payment button. If you intend to use this method, please have your donors make their cheques payable to you.

What is a ‘Corporate Match Program’?

‘Corporate Match Programs’ are offered by many Canadian companies. Companies offering this program will match employees’ charitable donation dollar for dollar, and some companies will also match dollars employees have fundraised or for their volunteer contribution. Many Canadian companies offer a ‘Corporate Match Program’, encouraging employees to make philanthropic gifts to charities. Ask someone in human resources or if applicable your corporate donations department.

Donations and Tax Receipts

Can I make a donation even though I will not be participating in the Mindful Challenge?

Yes. Just click here to donate. You can donate to an individual (which will be added to their team, if they’re on one) or make a general donation to the event.

Can I donate to a Team?

No. You must donate to either an individual team member or to a location or to the event. If you donate to an individual team member, the donation will be added to both the individual and team fundraising totals.

Can people donate anonymously?

Yes. Donors have the option of keeping their name and/or their donation amount ‘anonymous’. Note: A donor’s identity will still be passed on to the participant and to The Centre for Mindfulness Studies for processing reasons.

When will tax receipts be issued?

Donors who pledge at least $20 online will receive an electronic tax receipt by e-mail within minutes of completing a successful transaction. A thank-you note is also automatically generated for all donations. Receipts for offline donations will be sent by February 15, 2020.

I lost my tax receipt, how do I get another copy?

Contact us at challenge@mindfulnessstudies.com

Posters, banner, and graphics

If you would like us to send you posters, banners & graphics, please email challenge@mindfulnessstudies.com.