FUNDRAISING GUIDE &
INFORMATION
PACKAGE
WELCOME!
By participating in The Leukemia Cup
Regatta (LCR) as a skipper, crewmember,
spectator or phantom sailor, you are making
a commitment to help The Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society (LLS) fight leukemia,
lymphoma and myeloma, while helping to
improve the quality of life for patients and
their families. This guide will help you with
ideas and resources to support you in your
fundraising efforts. Your local Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society chapter staff person is
glad to assist you in any way to help you
raise funds
HOW TO SIGN UP!
If you would like to join us in our fight to
cure blood cancers, visit
www.leukemiacup.org and click on the Find
& Register link in the top right corner. Find
a Leukemia Cup Regatta in your area and
click on the More Info or Register button to
get more information or to register your
boat. If there isn’t a Leukemia Cup Regatta
in your area, you can still participate!
Contact regatta@lls.org for more details.
THE LEUKEMIA CUP
REGATTA
Since 1993, sailors across America have
joined ESPN commentator and 1976
America’s Cup winner Gary Jobson in
raising more than just a sail to help save the
lives of children and adults with leukemia,
lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma.
By participating in The Leukemia Cup
Regatta Series, you can win great prizes
from our national sponsors, as well as the
coveted Leukemia Cup for fundraising
achievement at your event. Participants who
raise $8,500 or more earn an all-expense
paid trip to sail with Gary Jobson! National
sponsors include boat modelmaker Ken
Gardiner, marine Mount Gay Rum, North
Sails, Offshore Sailing School, and Sailing
World magazine.
Over $38
million has
been raised
since 1993
by the
sailing
community
in support of The Leukemia & Lymphoma
Society, and over $3.6 million was raised in
2011 alone. Join us at one of the 45
Leukemia Cup Regattas scheduled to take
place in 2012 by visiting
www.leukemiacup.org
BECOMING A FUNDRAISER
Making a commitment to help The
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in its fight
to cure blood cancer is extremely important
to the success of The Leukemia Cup
Regatta. If you truly believe in and
understand the critical importance of what
you are doing - working to cure leukemia,
lymphoma and myeloma- fundraising will
be easy, and will give you a great deal of
personal satisfaction.
Your role as a Leukemia Cup participant is
to raise funds in the weeks leading up to The
Leukemia Cup Regatta, and to have fun on
and off the water during the weekend of
events. Your fundraising efforts will help us
to find cures for leukemia, lymphoma,
Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma, and
improve the quality of life of patients and
their families.
WHY IS THE MONEY I RAISE
IMPORTANT?
The need is critical: Leukemia is the leading
cause of disease-related death among
children under the age of 20. Every four
minutes, someone new is diagnosed with a
blood-related cancer and every ten minutes,
someone dies. An estimated 957,902
people in the United States are living with,
or are in remission from, leukemia, Hodgkin
lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma or
myeloma.
Because of research,
the overall five-year
survival rates for
leukemia patients have
tripled in the past 40
years. Funds raised
through The Leukemia
Cup Regatta are used to fund research to
find cures for leukemia, lymphoma,
Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and to
improve the quality of life of patients and
their families.
cancer. Many are now being tested for
other cancers and other illnesses.
TO BE A SUCCESSFUL
LEUKEMIA CUP REGATTA
FUNDRAISER:

Believe in yourself and never assume
that someone will not donate. Ask
everyone that you know and meet to
support your fundraising efforts by
making a tax-deductible donation to
LLS. You have to ask, or you will never
know if someone is willing to give.

Develop an understanding of the
devastation caused by leukemia,
lymphoma and other blood cancers.

Communicate the success that The
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has
experienced in its quest to cure blood
cancers and share information about the
programs that LLS has developed which
improve the quality of lives of blood
cancer patients and their families. For
more information visit LLS.org

Provide an assurance to donors that all
contributions will be used judiciously by
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Share your conviction that every gift
that you secure will make a difference in
the battle against blood cancers.

Make a commitment to ask everyone friends, family, and co-workers - to join
you in supporting The Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society.

Thank your donors in a heartfelt and
timely fashion.
DID YOU KNOW?

Every four minutes, someone in this
country is diagnosed with blood cancer.

Every 10 minutes, someone dies.

Leukemia is the leading cause of
disease-related death among children
under age 20.

Lymphomas are the most common
blood cancers and incidence increases
with age.

The myeloma survival rate is only 37
percent.

Critical treatment innovations have
originated through blood cancer
research – radiation, chemotherapy,
stem cell transplantation, and new
targeted therapies.

Nearly 50% of all FDA approved cancer
drugs in the past decade were for blood
efforts in honor of him or her. You may
also dedicate your efforts in honor of
Gary Jobson, LCR National Chairman
and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivor.
GETTING STARTED WITH
FUNDRAISING
There are many ways to be a successful
fundraiser. There are traditional methods
and there are the sailors’ methods. The
traditional methods depend on your personal
appeal. Those methods include using online
fundraising, a face-to-face talk ask to your
prospects, a fundraising letter, or a phone
call. The personal appeal is the most
efficient way to raise money. It is targeted,
direct and easy to implement.
Your personal
approach will depend
on your own style and
your association with
the prospective
supporters. People you
may want to target are
family and relatives,
school acquaintances,
friends and social
circles, work associates, people you know
through clubs and organizations, neighbors,
people on your holiday card list, friends and
associates on Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.,
friends from your place of worship,
community businesses where you regularly
do business, anyone who owes you a favor,
local companies and sailing related
corporations.

Make a list of those contacts you will
ask to support your fundraising efforts.

Determine the best method for each
contact – email, letter, face-to-face ask,
etc. Some of your individual donors may
belong to a company that participates in
a matching gift program. Just ask!

Don't underestimate the donor's
willingness to give. Tell your donor how
much money you hope to raise.

Make it personal. If you know someone
who has had a blood cancer such as
leukemia, Hodgkin's disease or
lymphoma, you may dedicate your

Another method of raising money is the
"Sailor’s Way." These are methods that
only a sailor may be able to pull off,
such as accepting donations for
advertising space on your boat’s hull,
sails or lifelines, or for "Fantasy Sailing
Trips" on your boat, or donations for a
place on your boat as crew.
FUNDRAISING TIPS
The list below represents some simple ways
to raise funds to support The Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society. You will be surprised
how well they work. For assistance, or more
creative approaches, please contact your
local staff at The Leukemia & Lymphoma
Society. You can also find a variety of
online resources to help with your
fundraising efforts at www.leukemiacup.org,
in the Participants Only section. To access
this section, visit www.leukemiacup.org and
enter your zip/postal code in the top right
corner. Your local staff at The Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society can provide you with
additional assistance.)

Set up an online fundraising page. Your
local staff contact at The Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society can assist you with
setting this up. You can customize this
page with information about the reasons
for your participation in The Leukemia
Cup Regatta. Send the page link out to
your entire address book and you will be
surprised at the amount of support that
you receive. (A sample email you can
customize is included in the Participants
Only section of www.leukemiacup.org)

Letter Writing Campaign: One of the
very best ways to raise money is to put
your request in writing. Send letters to
corporate contacts, business associates,
friends, family members, and anyone
else you can think of who might be
willing to contribute. (A sample letter is
included in the Participants Only section
of www.leukemiacup.org)
As you write your letter, share your
personal fundraising goal and your
reasons for participating and raising
funds. Also, include a date that you’d
like to receive donations by.


Corporate Matching Gifts: Many
corporations have generous matching
gift programs. Corporations will often
match gifts made by you or other
employees. This is a great way to
double and sometimes triple your
fundraising efforts. Contact your Human
Resources Department for more
information.
Donations of stock. Talk to your LLS
staff person for more information.
TOP 10 FUNDRAISING TIPS
10) Do not think of fundraising as asking for
money or a loan. You are asking as an
advocate for those in need. By raising funds
for LLS you are making a difference in the
lives of cancer patients!
9) Don't discount anyone. While you may
not have talked to those high school friends
for a while, it's never too late to resume a
friendship by telling them about your
involvement with The Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society and The Leukemia Cup
Regatta. Many people will be excited to
learn about your efforts and support the
cause.
fundraising letters everywhere, many
participants have received donations in bars,
the subway, and from passengers in
elevators in their office or apartment
buildings.
6) Ask your boss.
5) The best way to fundraise is to use a
combo of techniques, including a
fundraising letter, a fundraising event/party,
corporate involvement, and online
fundraising.
4) Start early!
3) Make sure you use your social
networking contacts – Facebook page,
Twitter, LinkedIn profile and other online
networks you belong to – to let people know
about your participation in The Leukemia
Cup Regatta and how they can support your
efforts
2) The Leukemia
Cup Regatta is a
program that
allows people to
experience the joy
of helping others
vicariously through you. When you
participate in the Regatta, you represent not
only your Honored Patient; you also
represent all those who donated to your
campaign. Make sure everyone realizes that
their contribution lasts much longer than the
30 seconds it takes to write a check.
Mention your efforts whenever possible you never know when someone has $20
burning a hole in their pocket.
8) Use those who are close to you as a
"mini-committee" to reach your goal. Ask
them to share their contacts, send out letters
on your behalf, help plan a fundraising
event/party, or find raffle prizes.
1) And the number-one fundraising tip
is.…Ask, ask, ask.
7) You don't need to know all of your
potential donors; it's OK to accept donations
from people you do not know. Just
remember to thank them. By carrying
Q: Are the donations made to The Leukemia
& Lymphoma Society tax deductible?
A: YES. Anyone that donates money to your
fundraising account is making a tax-
FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
deductible donation. Donors should always
consult their accountant or financial advisor
for specific details.
Week Two:

Decide on a date to conduct a special
event at your home.
Q: Who should I ask for contributions?
A: Most people send contribution requests
to their family, friends, employers and coworkers but don’t forget to ask the local
business that you patronize for donations.

Secure door prizes and sell 50 tickets at
$25=$1,250 (remember a sailing trip
with you on your boat makes for a great
prize!)
Q: What should I do if a local business
wants to donate products or services instead
of money?
A: Contact your local Leukemia Cup
Regatta staff and they will be glad to assist
you with this offer of support.
Q: I understand that there is an Honorary
Patient for The Leukemia Cup Regatta this
year. Can I sail on behalf of another person
affected by blood cancers?
A: Yes, if you know of someone that you
would like to sail in honor of by all means
please do so. If you want to sail in honor of
someone but do not know whom to sail for
we can assign someone for you. Simply
contact your local staff at The Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society.
Week Three:

Follow up on the emails and letters you
sent out in Week One.

Ask 20 co-workers (including your
boss) to sponsor you (min. $25
each)=$500

Check with your company’s Human
Resource Department to see if they offer
matching gifts, double your
money=$1,000
Week Four:
Offer your services to your friends and
coworkers to help with getting their boats
ready for the upcoming sailing season or to
assist with handyman chores on their boats
or at their home=$2,000
Week Five:
HOW TO RAISE $8,500 IN SIX
WEEKS
Sell tickets on your boat for a sunset cruise,
offer appetizers and beverages
10 people at $50 = $500
Week One:



Customize your fundraising Web page
and write your fundraising letter.
Start by sponsoring yourself for = $100
Week Six:

Send a follow-up email advising your
contacts of your fundraising progress.
Send out 100 letters or emails to friends
and family with a link to your online
fundraising page or a form to capture
donations via check. Include a date by
which you are trying to raise funds in
your letter. Expect half of your letters to
come back with a $50 donation or more
= $2,500

Update your Web site with your
fundraising updates.

Have a garage sell, and ask five
neighbors to donate their stuff (the
donation is tax-deductible.) Sell your
junk! = $650
Grand Total: $8,500
______________________________
My sister, Jan, was diagnosed with a very
aggressive leukemia in April 2007. She is
leading a very active life today as a result of
research paid for by funds raised to support
LLS. Someday this disease will not exist.
Reg Brown
Skipper of Vanishing Point
Charleston, South Carolina
NATIONAL PRIZES FOR
INDIVIDUAL FUNDRAISERS
Fantasy Sail With Gary Jobson
All Leukemia Cup
Regatta participants
who raise a
minimum of $8,500
are invited to join
us for a weekend
trip, including accommodations and travel,
to the Fantasy Sail with Gary Jobson.
Attendees will participate in a weekend full
of activities, including The Leukemia Cup
Challenge, a regatta including all top
fundraisers, followed by an awards
ceremony. The Fantasy Sail is held in top
sailing locations. Visit
www.leukemiacup.org for more Fantasy Sail
With Gary Jobson information.
WEST MARINE
All Leukemia Cup Regatta participants who
raise a minimum of $500 will be eligible for
one chance in a national drawing to win a
West Marine Shopping Spree ($1,000
value). Earn additional chances for each
$500 raised (e.g. $1,000 raised = 2 chances;
$1,500 raised = 3 chances, etc.) The drawing
will take place at the Fantasy Sail.
SAILING WORLD MAGAZINE
The annual top overall national fundraiser
will receive an embroidered Sailing World
foul weather gear sailing jacket.
Prizes are subject to change. See
www.leukemiacup.org for current prize listings.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR
SUPPORT!
Good luck in your Leukemia Cup Regatta
race to save lives! On behalf of The
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the
patients that we support, many thanks for
your dedication to our organization. Please
do not hesitate to contact The Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society with any questions you
have along the way!