Children’s Organ Transplant Association® The Trusted Leader Supporting Families

COTA Simple Start Fundraising Guide

2501 West COTA Drive · Bloomington, Indiana 47403

800.366.2682 · COTA.org

8.20 2

If you could help make a life-saving

difference for a transplant family,

would you?

The question is as simple as that. If your answer is ‘Yes’, then we invite you to join the hundreds of thousands of volunteers and contributors who since 1986 have generously donated their time and money to the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA).These volunteers and financial supporters are COTA’s Miracle Makers, a group of committed individuals who are helping give children and young adults across the country a second chance at life.

COTA is a national non-profit organization that helps children and young adults who need or have had a life-saving transplant by raising funds for transplant-related expenses. Transplant families look to COTA for assistance and support.

Over the years, COTA has helped raise millions of dollars for transplant-related expenses. COTA is a 501(c)3 organization; therefore, contributions to COTA are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. COTA is the premier national organization supporting transplant families because 100% of all funds raised in honor of patients are used for transplant-related expenses. COTA does not charge a fee or retain a percentage of the funds raised.

Please check out the ideas included here for simple fundraisers that can be successful with as few as one person volunteering for your COTA community campaign. Then, visit the Volunteers / Fundraising Resources area of COTA.org for more tools to help you get started.

Keep reading and start turning your ‘Yes … I want to make a life-saving difference’ into action.

8.20 3

COTA Simple Start Fundraising Vital Communication and Media Information Page 4 This helps explain how we must word donation phrasing for IRS compliance. Social Media Fundraising Page 5 Utilizing social media is the quickest and easiest way to jumpstart fundraising for a COTA community campaign. Simply share the link to your COTA community campaign website on social media sites, like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and ask followers to make a donation. Engage supporters further with creative fundraising challenges and contests. Restaurant Night Fundraisers Page 8 Restaurant Night fundraisers are quite popular. The restaurant gives your COTA community campaign a percentage of the sales on a designated night for all the customers who visit because of your contact; some restaurants will provide a percentage of ALL sales for the designated evening. Restaurant Nights require little effort and can be planned by a single COTA volunteer. Third-Party Fundraisers Page 9 Third-Party Fundraisers are similar to Restaurant Nights as an outside person, group or business plans the fundraising event to benefit COTA in honor of your patient. Think of individuals who could host a Lipsense, Mary Kay or Tupperware (and many others) fundraiser for COTA. T-Shirt Fundraiser Page 10 T-shirt fundraisers are extremely popular. Supporters contribute to your COTA community campaign to receive t-shirts and then raise awareness by wearing the shirts. Consider partnering with a third-party distributor like CustomInk.com or Bonfire.com, which handles everything from printing to shipping. All you have to do is create the design. COTA Paper Icons Page 11 COTA Paper Icons can be used by COTA community campaigns to build awareness, gain support and raise funds. Simply partner with local businesses to provide the opportunity for supporters to display a COTA Paper Icon for a contribution of $1. COTA Coin Canisters Page 12 Like Paper Icons, COTA Coin Canisters can be used by COTA community campaigns to build awareness, gain support and raise funds. This program requires slightly more effort because a volunteer will need to put together the coin canisters using a copy of the Coin Canister Sheet provided by COTA; place them around the community; empty the coin canisters on a regular basis; and send proceeds to COTA before removing all coin canisters.

8.20 4

VITAL COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA INFORMATION

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY AND REGULARLY COMMUNICATE THIS INFORMATION WITH YOUR COTA VOLUNTEERS!

As a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) receives contributions to help offset transplant-related expenses. COTA then disperses funds to families to offset those expenses.

A crucial part of the contribution process is to clearly state who is receiving the gifts and how they will be used. Financial contributors must know their gifts are contributions to COTA and not to the patient/family directly. Contributions to COTA will be used to reimburse transplant-related expenses, and are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Why is this so important? While it is highly motivating to promote helping a local patient’s family with expenses, if the family receives money directly it is considered taxable income and the contributor cannot receive a tax deduction. Therefore, the public should not be misled to believe their gifts immediately go to COTA families. It should be clear that transplant families are the beneficiaries of COTA funds, and the community campaign is raising funds that can be used by transplant families as they need them throughout their transplant journey.

The table below shows some examples to help you understand what wording is appropriate.

Not Allowed Allowed

A group of volunteers from Nashville, Tennessee, have been working with the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) to raise funds for Jane’s transplant-related expenses.

A group of volunteers from Nashville, Tennessee, have been working with the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) to raise funds for transplant-related expenses for children like Jane.

100% of the proceeds raised from fundraising go to Johnny and his family to pay transplant-related expenses.

100% of the proceeds raised from fundraising will go to COTA to assist families like Johnny’s with transplant-related expenses.

Fundraising proceeds will benefit Jean in her campaign with COTA.

Fundraising proceeds will benefit COTA in honor of Jean to assist with transplant-related expenses.

Friends and family members of local boy Sam Doe are hosting a bake sale to raise money for his liver transplant. The group is working with the Children’s Organ Transplant Association to raise funds for the family’s expenses.

A bake sale will be held in honor of Sam Doe, a Chicago-area child who needs a liver transplant. Sam’s family has asked for assistance from the Children’s Organ Transplant Association. Funds are being raised to assist with transplant-related expenses.

Again, please regularly communicate and reaffirm this information to your volunteers to make sure there is no question about the path the contributions will take. Before announcements, flyers, and details about fundraising events are published in written form, on the patient’s COTA website or in social media, approval is required by emailing the final document to CampaignInfo@cota.org.

8.20 5

COTA Social Media Guidelines for Community Campaigns Please read carefully and communicate this information with your volunteers. A key piece of the transplant journey is communication, which includes sharing health updates, success stories, challenges and COTA fundraising opportunities. Tablets, smart phones and wireless internet all simplify information sharing. While email is a great method of directing people to a COTA community campaign website, social media may provide optimal benefit and maximum outreach. COTA’s Social Media Guidelines should be read and reviewed by all community campaign volunteers to maintain appropriate social media updates regarding fundraising, event promotion and patient health status. Why is this so important? Once text or imagery is posted, it cannot be ‘unseen.’ As a COTA community volunteer, consideration of a patient’s/family’s wishes must be a priority. Likewise, posting incomplete or ambiguous information may result in questions that take away from fundraising success. The table below shows some examples to help you understand what social media outreach is appropriate.

Not To Do To Do Create a social media page (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) that is not regularly monitored, or is not linked to a COTA community campaign website.

Use a social media page to complement a COTA website. Regularly monitor postings and updates for accuracy, and include links to the COTA website to encourage donations. Include a link on the About or Bio section of the social media profile to the COTA campaign website.

Post photographs the COTA patient and family would not approve of, or share information the family has not personally generated or approved.

Use pictures that depict truth and emotion, but also those that will be catalysts for contributions. Be sure every post is grammatically correct and factual, and communicates an important message to followers and potential contributors.

Create events or share pictures on social media and not duplicate the information on the COTA community campaign website.

Promote the COTA community campaign website as the primary source of information because it also provides COTA donation opportunities. Always remember to preapprove all event details and promotional pieces through CampaignInfo@cota.org.

Leave the social media page(s) separate from a COTA community campaign website.

Link the social media page(s) to the COTA community campaign website. Consider an embedded Facebook feed. For assistance, contact CampaignInfo@cota.org.

Share COTA campaign fundraising information in a non-compliant manner.

Utilize COTA’s Vital Communications and Information Form to create posts that comply with COTA and IRS guidelines. Send drafts to CampaignInfo@cota.org.

COTA shares patient and community campaign stories through its own social media efforts (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) and ongoing communications with contributors, volunteers and supporters. Be sure to tag COTA in your social media posts that refer to fundraising – and any other posts as necessary. Use the hashtag #COTAHope to allow anyone looking for COTA-related posts to easily find information about your COTA patient and community campaign. Any photographs or information used by COTA community campaigns on social media or COTA websites may also be used in online and printed COTA communications. COTA will make every effort to communicate its intention of sharing photographs and patient updates with families and community campaign coordinators. Again, please regularly communicate and reaffirm COTA’s Social Media Guidelines with your volunteers. Before announcements, flyers and details about fundraising events are published in written form, on the COTA community campaign website or in social media, approval is required by emailing the final document to CampaignInfo@cota.org.

8.20 6

Social Media Fundraising Tips In today’s world of instant communication, using the timelines and walls of your friends’ Facebook pages and the inboxes of your friends’ email accounts are great ways to increase your COTA community campaign’s fundraising totals. And when your friends pass the information to their friends, the message spreads quickly and effectively … going viral! Viral communication (sharing information with others electronically, calling them to action and encouraging them to share the message online with their friends) provides maximum impact in a short timeframe. It is a simple and inexpensive way to share your COTA story and donation link. The key to success in electronic communication is to spread the word and share the link to the COTA campaign website consistently. Here are some viral fundraising suggestions to consider:

1. Keep the message simple. This will allow friends to read and share it quickly and easily. If the message is too long or too complicated, it may not be shared.

2. Include visuals. Messages with visuals, like pictures or videos, typically receive the most engagement and are more likely to be shared.

3. Make it relevant and timely. The message should have a sense of urgency so others will recognize the importance of sharing the information quickly.

4. State your call-to-action clearly. The first paragraph should tell readers everything they need to know. In fact, by the end of the first sentence, a reader should know why he/she is being asked to help. Direct readers to your COTA community campaign website for more information.

5. Encourage sharing the message. Social scientists tell us that each person has at least 10 people in his/her close network of friends and family. When a friend gets a request from you, he/she will be motivated to act. Ask that friend to share the social media post or forward the email, and you will be telling your story to at least 10 other potential COTA contributors. The impact of your communication continues to increase each time the message is shared.

Check out COTA’s Social Media Toolkit in the Fundraising Resources section for post templates and ideas. Send all promotional items to CampaignInfo@cota.org for approval before posting or distributing. You can contact CampaignInfo@cota.org with any questions about launching a viral fundraising effort. And always remember to tag COTA and use #COTAHope on your social media posts so we can follow your viral efforts!

8.20 7

Social Media Fundraising Ideas Social media is an excellent way to raise both awareness and funds for your COTA campaign. In addition to simply sharing the COTA campaign website link on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, try one (or more!) of these social media fundraising ideas to engage supporters further.

1. ‘Non-Event’ Event. Your COTA community campaign can make a fundraiser out of not having an event. Promote a fundraiser on social media where supporters stay home and donate to the COTA community campaign what they would have spent on a night out. Instead of going to the movies, they donate what they would have spent on movie tickets and snacks.

2. Give It Up Challenge. Supporters choose something to give up for a period of time (such as no Starbucks for a week) and donate the money they saved to COTA in honor of your patient. A week’s worth of coffee is $25 for the COTA campaign! Promote this heavily on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

3. Challenge or Contest. • Challenge followers to raise a certain amount of money in a single day; for

instance, set a goal of $1,000 raised on your COTA patient’s transplant day.

• Ask for contributions in oddball amounts that have significance, like $13 because your COTA patient’s lucky number is 13. Supporters are more likely to round up their gift amount.

• Hold a contest where everyone who donates (any amount) within a certain timeframe is entered to win a local restaurant gift card. Consider hosting a Facebook Live when drawing the winner.

• Follow social media trends. If you see a fun ‘challenge’ video, join the challenge with your COTA patient, family and/or volunteers with a COTA twist.

4. Adopt-an-Envelope Fundraiser. Create a graphic with virtual envelopes numbered one through your number of choice (typically 100, 150, 200 or 250). Each number reflects the dollar amount of that envelope. Supporters choose an envelope (or multiple) to adopt and donate that amount to the COTA community campaign; or, supporters can choose to raise the funds by asking friends and family to donate enough to total the amount. Once an envelope is adopted, it gets crossed out on the graphic. The Adopt-an-Envelope Fundraiser is a great way to turn many small donations into significant funds raised!

8.20 8

Restaurant Night Fundraisers Did you know the average American family eats out 4-5 times per week? Given that fact, you will want to consider a Restaurant Night program as part of the fundraising strategy for your COTA community campaign. These fundraising opportunities are quite popular, so make sure to connect with your local restaurants well in advance to secure a night for your COTA event. You may want to consider partnering with a different restaurant each month or every other month, which will allow you to provide a variety of dining options for those who wish to support your COTA community campaign. Restaurant Nights can provide a steady source of proceeds for your COTA community campaign. How does a Restaurant Night work? The restaurant gives your COTA community campaign a percentage of the sales on a designated night for all the customers who visit because of your contact. Often restaurants will require that a patron bring a coupon or flyer to demonstrate they are supporting the COTA community campaign. Some restaurants will provide a percentage of ALL sales for the designated evening. Check with each restaurant to determine the policy, as well as the method by which your COTA community campaign will receive the contribution. What makes a Restaurant Night successful? Follow instructions. Many restaurants have policies regarding the format and timeline for a fundraising night. Be sure to know their policies and follow the guidelines. Promote the event. Share information about the event in a variety of ways. Post information to your COTA community campaign website, use social media like Facebook and Twitter to spread the word, send email messages to all your contacts and ask them to forward the message, create flyers and distribute them throughout the community and remember to include an announcement in the local newspaper, church bulletins and school/business newsletters. Remember to send all promotional materials to CampaignInfo@cota.org for review prior to distribution. Attend. Many restaurants will allow your volunteers to work on fundraiser nights by taking orders, wiping tables or greeting guests. This provides an opportunity to share the story and enlist new volunteers and supporters for your COTA community campaign. Consider additional fundraising activities. The restaurant may allow you to display COTA coin canisters or promote COTA paper icons during your fundraising event, which allows you to increase proceeds from the Restaurant Night. Celebrate success. Post photos from the Restaurant Night on your COTA campaign website and use it as an opportunity to promote your next COTA fundraising event!

8.20 9

Third-Party Fundraisers

Want to raise funds for COTA in honor of your patient but short on time? Have a friend or know a business wanting to help your COTA community campaign? If so, please consider a third-party fundraiser! An event, promotion, sale or contribution drive organized and hosted by a group, business or organization on behalf of COTA or a COTA community campaign is a third-party fundraiser. How does a third-party fundraiser work? The organization of these events varies depending on the vendor or organizer. For example, the host of a product party, like Mary Kay, may give your COTA community campaign a percentages of the sales from that party. Typically no matter the vendor, third-party organizers take the responsibility of an event off the volunteers’ shoulders. When planning a fundraiser, the third-party event organizer is responsible for vendor agreements, contracts, insurance, and necessary permits for the event. There will be no need for a budget or expense reimbursements because the COTA community campaign is not hosting the fundraiser. Simply confirm event details, explain how proceeds should be sent to COTA, and promote the fundraiser. Please remember that any promotional materials created and shared by the COTA community campaign team still need to be submitted to CampaignInfo@cota.org for approval – including social media posts. Volunteers may share flyers created by the vendor as long as the language is IRS compliant and clearly states that proceeds benefit COTA in honor of your patient. Restaurant Nights are a version of a third-party fundraiser, but there are many similar opportunities to explore. You probably know independent distributors of products like LipSense, Mary Kay, Scentsy, Thirty One or Tupperware. Consider reaching out to one of these consultants and asking them to host a party where a portion of the proceeds benefit your COTA community campaign. This party could be hosted online -- stretching across communities. Facebook and other social media platforms are helpful to use to promote these online fundraisers. Check out COTA’s Third-Party Resource List for more examples of third-party fundraising opportunities.

8.20 10

T-shirt Fundraiser Do you want to spread the word about your COTA community campaign and raise funds for transplant-related expenses? Many volunteer teams have found a t-shirt campaign is the perfect way to do both. The first step in this fundraiser is designing the t-shirt. As you begin, consider how you will brand the COTA campaign. Use COTA logos and consider a logo specific for your COTA community campaign. Be creative! Always use your COTA campaign website URL. The t-shirts will be seen by many, and you will want to direct them to the campaign website to learn more about your COTA patient and fundraising efforts. Remember to send your design to CampaignInfo@cota.org for approval before production. You will be most successful if you are able to order t-shirts at a discount from a local t-shirt distributer who may be able to also discount the cost of screen printing. You may provide an in-kind gift receipt for a vendor who provides t-shirts at no (or deeply discounted) cost to the COTA campaign. Also consider seeking sponsors who will underwrite the cost of t-shirts. Include their names on the back of the shirt to thank them for their support. If you will incur expenses to produce the t-shirts, please complete a Budget Worksheet outlining anticipated expenses and proceeds. Once approved by COTA, vendors can be paid directly with an invoice. Volunteers may also be reimbursed for approved fundraising expenses with an original receipt. If you do not think you will be distributing t-shirts in person, many COTA campaigns have used an online third-party vendor, such as Custom Ink and Bonfire, with great results. These vendors can be particularly helpful if you have individuals located in several communities as all ordering is done online, and the vendor handles production and shipping. Please know these companies retain a portion of the proceeds and your supporters will be purchasing t-shirts instead of making a gift to your COTA community campaign. To make the process even easier, COTA has landing pages on CustomInk.com and Bonfire.com! Remember to include your COTA campaign name so proceeds can be sent directly from the company to the COTA campaign. If you partner with one of these companies, please share this information with CampaignInfo@cota.org. You will want to promote your t-shirt fundraiser through the COTA campaign website and social media. Once your volunteer team members have their t-shirts, post photos of them in their shirts. Encourage others to post photos, too, with encouraging words for your COTA patient. Consider adding all photos to a gallery on the COTA campaign website, as well. Please contact CampaignInfo@cota.org for more information about getting started with your t-shirt campaign.

8.20 11

COTA Paper Icons

Paper Icons can be used by COTA community campaigns to build awareness and raise support. COTA community campaigns are encouraged to partner with local businesses to provide the opportunity for supporters to display a COTA Paper Icon for a contribution of $1.

To implement a successful COTA Paper Icon program, follow these steps:

1. Recruit a Paper Icon Chairperson. This person will oversee the program, including ordering the COTA Paper Icons, preparing the contributors’ sheets, tracking contributions and committee members, and establishing incentive contests.

2. Set a timeline. The program should be launched simultaneously at multiple locations within the community to build recognition and awareness. Try to avoid times during which other charities are known to have similar programs (i.e. March of Dimes Shamrocks at St. Patrick’s Day). The typical length of the COTA Paper Icon program is four weeks.

3. Recruit Paper Icon program volunteers. Be sure to utilize volunteers you know and trust. Because proceeds are all in cash, it is important to keep a record of which volunteer(s) are collecting funds to avoid any confusion or concern.

4. Prepare supporting materials for the Paper Icon program. Templates for a promotional poster and business permission letter are available in the Volunteers section of COTA.org.

5. Distribute Paper Icons in the community. Provide Paper Icons, promotional posters and business permission letters to committee members. Request permission from store managers to place a Paper Icon display at cash registers. It is critical that a volunteer placing Paper Icons understands that proceeds must be collected and additional Paper Icons delivered on a routine basis – at least once each week. Ensure that proceeds match (or exceed) the number of displayed icons. Some businesses will offer to handle the accounting for the Paper Icons and provide a check for all proceeds at the end of the program. Additional ideas for placement and for organizing a Paper Icon program, including sales incentive contests, can be found in the Volunteers section of COTA.org.

6. Send proceeds to COTA. Cash collected from the Paper Icon program should be converted to a money order or cashier’s check and sent to COTA. The fee for the money order may be taken from the proceeds. If a business is providing a check for the proceeds, the check should be made payable to COTA with “in honor of Patient Name” in the memo line.

7. Say Thank You! Remember to collect any unused Paper Icons at the end of the program. Order COTA thank you cards to send a note of appreciation to business owners or managers who have supported the Paper Icon program. Consider including a list of participating businesses on the COTA campaign website.

8.20 12

COTA Coin Canisters

If your COTA community campaign is planning to use Coin Canisters, please follow these steps:

1. Recruit a Coin Canister Chairperson. This person will oversee the coin canister program.

2. Utilize COTA’s Coin Canister Sheet. COTA will provide a sample canister sheet that may be used. If the family did not furnish COTA with a photograph, the sample canister sheet has a COTA logo where a photo can be inserted. Please email a photo to CampaignInfo@cota.org and request an electronic version of the COTA Coin Canister Sheet.

3. Ask a printer to donate color copies of the

Coin Canister Sheet. In return for the copies, the printer will receive a charitable gift receipt. Be sure to complete the COTA Gift-in-Kind Form and send the original form to COTA headquarters. If you cannot get this service donated, ask the members of your team to print copies using their personal computers or copiers.

4. Make copies of the Coin Canister Sheet on

heavier ‘card stock’ paper. To look their best, COTA Coin Canister Sheets should be copied on heavy, white paper.

5. Have extra copies on hand. If you get copies donated, request 25 extra copies. This

gives you replacements for sheets that may be damaged or lost.

6. Cut on the dotted line. The trimmed sheet is the same width as the COTA Coin Canister. Align the sheet so contributors will see the local contact and his/her phone number above the coin slot.

7. Attach securely. Use rubber cement or glue to attach the sheet to the COTA Coin

Canister. Be sure to attach the Coin Canister Sheet to the back of the canister so COTA contact information is visible on the front of the canister.

8. Recruit volunteers. Be sure to utilize volunteers you know and trust for the coin canister

committee. Because proceeds are all in cash, it is important to keep a record of which volunteer(s) are collecting funds to avoid any confusion or concern.

8.20 13

9. Place the Coin Canisters throughout the community. Number the canisters on the bottom and begin distributing them to committee members. Use the canister committee list to keep track of who has the canisters and the canister locations. Request permission from store managers to place canisters at cash registers -- canisters can stay in one location about four to six weeks. It is critical that a volunteer placing canisters understands that the canisters must be emptied on a routine basis, which is at least once each week. When placed in a good location, each COTA Coin Canister can collect $25 to $40 per week.

10. Send proceeds to COTA. Cash collected from Coin Canisters should be converted to a

money order or cashier’s check and sent to COTA. The fee for the money order may be taken from the proceeds. Look for a bank or credit union with a coin counter to count the coins. Do not use the Coinstar coin counters as they charge a fee.

11. Remove Coin Canisters. Remember to remove Coin Canisters when contributions begin

to decrease. Place canisters in a new location. Please return unused canisters to COTA.

12. Order COTA Thank You Cards. Coin canister volunteers are encouraged to send a note of appreciation to business owners or managers who have supported the Coin Canister program.

8.20 14

For more resources connected to each of the ideas in this COTA Simple Start Fundraising Guide, visit the Volunteers /

Fundraising Resources area of COTA.org. Here you will also find ideas and resources for more in-depth COTA fundraising events. If

you have questions or need help implementing these Simple Start fundraisers, contact COTA at 800.366.2682 or

CampaignInfo@cota.org.