Been told by 5 charities that they have no slots open. One called me last night to ask a bunch of questions. The fact that Liver Disease has never been an issue for me or anyone I know may be the stumbling block. But then I got a call from the woman at The Living Center. Thats the one I sent my application in to last week. She wanted to phone interview me as well. By the end she said she'd just like to hear more of a "plan" for how I would raise the money. I sent her the following:
Julia
Thank you for your time today. I enjoyed our conversation and especially finding out more about The Living Center. As I told you the cause is something that is very important to me.
As far as a game plan for raising money and hitting and even exceeding my $3,250 threshold, our conversation has already sparked some ideas. Here are the ways that I would go about raising the money:
* Approaching friends and family: As I explained to you when I had to raise money for Freds Team it didn't take much prodding from my social network. And if anything my sphere of influence has broadened since 2005. I have been writing for a nationwide industry publication called "The Disc Jockey News" since then (
http://www.discjockeynews.com/Home.html) and this platform has given me a pretty good reputation in the Mobile DJ Industry. Of my 300+ Facebook friends, more than half are DJ Company owners, many of whom have sought me out for help and advice. I have no doubt that these people will be generous when I ask.
* My own staff: As I mentioned I have over 30 DJs that work for me and last time I needed money raised they came through. As one joked to me at the time: How could they not? But in our conversation you mentioned a 50/50 and that got me to thinking. I do an annual staff party for my DJs in January and many of my guys are fervent gamblers (our monthly meeting are often more about Texas Hold Em than the DJ business.) At our party this year, I will definitely run a 50/50 to raise money for this cause as well as raffle off some extra equipment that we have in our warehouse. I have no doubt that this will help me reach my goal.
* You also mentioned hosting a fundraiser which again got my wheels turning. I have a warehouse space in our office that we use for in house showcasing. This is also the room where we have our staff parties and also our annual Halloween party. I could easily host a fundraiser back there with no expense or overhead so that every dollar could go to the charity.
I want to reiterate to you how important this cause is for me. I got a little choked up on the phone when I was trying to explain this to you so please allow me to do so in written form. My older brother Mark was with Anthony Scanlon for over ten years. If New York had allowed it at the time there is no doubt they would have been married. They were lifemates in every sense of the word. Along with my parents (who are married 45 years) Mark and Anthony were the greatest example of "true love" that I have ever witnessed in my life. Anthony died of AIDs ten years ago. It is still to this day a great loss, not only for my brother Mark but for our entire family. It would mean the world to me to raise money for your charity and then to run the Boston Marathon in Tony's honor.
I look forward to hearing from you next week.
Mike Walter