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welcomeThank you for signing up to take the Plunge for Special Olympics New Jersey! We are thrilled to welcome you to part of our mission to provide year-round athletic, health and leadership programs for people with intellectual abilities.
For the past 24 years, the Polar Bear Plunge at Seaside has been a marquee fundraising event put on by the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics New Jersey. This year will mark the 25th Anniversary of the Polar Bear Plunge at Seaside. Since its inception the Polar Bear Plunge at Seaside has raised over $18.7 million and has had over 73,000 Plungers jump into the freezing Atlantic Ocean. In 2017 alone, the Polar Bear Plunge at Seaside raised a record $1,955,079 as 6,883 brave plungers took the frosty dip. We hope you will use this toolkit to reach your fundraising goals and help us make 2018 the biggest and boldest Plunge that Seaside has ever seen.
The Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) for Special Olympics New Jersey is part of an international campaign for Special Olympics coordinated and managed by all divisions of Law Enforcement officers and officials from throughout the world whose mission is to raise dollars and awareness of the Special Olympics movement worldwide. The Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics New Jersey has been recognized for many years as one of the top grassroots fundraising organizations for Special Olympics worldwide. In 2016, the LETR for Special Olympics New Jersey raised more than $3.7 million.
YOU JUST DECIDED TO TAKE THE PLUNGE! NOW WHAT!?
www.plungeseaside.org
getting started
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SET UP YOUR PERSONAL FUNDRAISING PAGEIf you didn’t get a chance to set up your personal fundraising page when you registered, be sure to do so ASAP! Classy should have sent you a confirmation email to claim your fundraising page. You can then log into your fundraising page to make edits and customize your page to tell your story. Simply visit www.plungeseaside.org and log in today.
RAISE FUNDSNow you’ll have a personalized fundraising site and link to share with your friends and family. Start by sharing your link on Facebook, sending it via email to your contacts and or tweeting it out to the world! You can do this all right from your fundraising page. Just click on one of the different icons in the “Share” section of your page.
AIM HIGHYou’re jumping into the ocean in the middle of Winter…why not aim HIGH with your fundraising goal? Just by raising the minimum $100 you’ll receive a one of a kind Plunge Adidas Sweatshirt but if you’re willing to go above and beyond you can earn some amazing incentives. Raise a total of $150 (just $50 more than the minimum to Plunge) and you will receive a custom Plunge Challenge coin. How easy is that!
PLUNGE FOR THE CAUSEFebruary 24, 2018 will quite possibly turn out to be one of the best (most exciting, awesome, and coldest) days of your life! All to benefit the over 25,000 athletes of Special Olympics New Jersey. You’ll receive detailed information about Plunge day logistics as we get closer to Plunge day. Of course, you can always visit www.plungeseaside.org to find more event information or you can email [email protected] if you have any questions.
www.plungeseaside.orgwww.plungeseaside.org
www.plungeseaside.org
top fundraising tipsWe know it looks daunting to read all of the tips below, but if you do, you’ll find 6 trusted tips to help you fundraise.1. Use the custom Polar Bear Plunge email signature on the tools page and send donation requests to 25 friends and family. Tell them your story about why you Plunge or why Special Olympics New Jersey is so important to you. If each person donates just $5 you’ll have raised $125. Add that to your $25 registration fee and you’ve earned yourself a limited edition Polar Bear Plunge challenge coin.
2. Social media is one of the easiest ways to spread your Plunge fundraising message. We’ve created an awesome profile cover for you to use on your Facebook page. You can also easily share your fundraising page on social media by logging into your page and then clicking on one of the social media icons. It’s that simple.
3. Need some help bringing awareness in your community about the Polar Bear Plunge in Seaside? Download and print our official Polar Bear Plunge flyer to hang up in your local area. It’s a great easy way to spread the message about the Polar Bear Plunge and Special Olympics New Jersey.
4. If YouTube tells us anything it’s that people love watching videos. Use this brand new Plunge video to show your potential donors what the Plunge experience is like. There’s no doubt that they’ll be excited for you and want to help with your Plunge fundraising efforts. If they can’t donate, ask them to take the Plunge with you. After watching this video, they won’t even know how cold the water is…well maybe not.
5. Have an upcoming birthday? Don’t need Santa to bring you anything this year? Why not ask for donations instead of gifts? Ask friends and family to make donations to your Plunge fundraising efforts in lieu of gifts this year.
6. Let friends and family vote with their dollars! A $25 donation is a vote to wear a penguin costume. A $50 donation is a vote to paint your face like a Polar Bear. A $100 donation and you’ll wear just about anything…maybe this cool looking Polar Bear onsie.
www.plungeseaside.org www.plungeseaside.org
tools
feb. 24, 2018seaside heights,
new jersey
PlungeSeaside.org
feb. 24, 2018seaside heights,
new jersey
PlungeSeaside.org
Plunge PosterThe Plunge Posters come in two different sizes; 8.5 inches by 11 inches, 11 inches by 17 inches. These posters are great for displaying in public areas to bring awareness of the Polar Plunges. These can be received from Special Olympics New Jersey. The two smaller-sized posters can be downloaded at PlungeWildwood.org ..
Profile CoverAdd a filter to your Facebook profile picture to tell friends and family that you’re going to be plunging.
1.Click update profile picture2.Click add frame3. Search “Plunge Wildwood”
Email SignatureThe Plunge Email Icon is a photo that can be included in your email signature. Not only does it promote the Plunge, but also can hyper link to PlungeWildwood.org or even your team page. This can be downloaded at PlungeWildwood.org or you can click the image to the left.
Plunge VideoShare this year’s epic plunge video. You can’t fully understand the plunge unless you’re there, but this video does show the excitment of the plunge.
Share the link to friends and families.
From social media content down to a physical poster, we have you covered. Download these great tools to help you with your fundraising efforts.
toolswww.plungeseaside.org
MemesEveryone that is cool uses memes. Are you cool? Are you down with the internets?
Click here to see all of the memes.
NJ Polar Plunge Facebook PageIf you don’t already “like” the NJ Polar Plunge Facebook page, you need to! It’s the main hub for everything plunge. It’s got awesome pictures, videos, and promotions that you can share and use leading up the plunge.
Click here to access the NJ Plunge Facebook page.
Tips & Tricks• Make it personal: Tell your story. Share with others why you participate, whether it’s because you are Plunging for fun or because you love Special Olympics New Jersey.• If you’ve Plunged before, share a picture of your previous jump to frozen glory.• If it’s your first time, share your nerves and excitement!• Have fun with it! Make a contest or game out of it - the first person to donate, or the largest donation gets a gift from you!• Follow-up. Be sure to say thank you to donors after they make their donation, and again after you take the Plunge. Send them a picture of you Plunging with the results from the event.
Sample EmailDear [Insert Name]:
I need your help. On February 24th, I have committed to “be bold and get cold” for the athletes of Special Olympics New Jersey by taking a chilly dip into Atlantic Ocean alongside scores of other warm-hearted people. This year will mark the 25th Anniversary of the Plunge at Seaside and I’m super excited.
I know – you’re probably getting cold just thinking about it! But the cold that I will feel is temporary…the positive impact this will have on the lives of more than 25,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities in New Jersey will last a lifetime.
I have set a personal fundraising goal of $[insert amount], and I need your help to reach it! So no, I’m not asking you to take the Plunge with me, but instead, I am asking if you will make a donation to Special Olympics New Jersey on my behalf for taking the 2018 Polar Bear Plunge. Any amount would be appreciated – it all goes to a wonderful cause, and every little bit gets me that much closer to my goal.
To make a donation, visit my personal fundraising page at [insert your custom URL here] and click the “Donate” button. From here, you can make a secure donation via credit or debit card.
If you want to learn more about this “official event of winter,” visit www.plungeseaside.com for all of the chilly details. Think warm thoughts for me as February 24th approaches. I will do my best to make my supporters proud!
Thank you for your support!
Sincerely, [Your Name]
email outreachwww.plungeseaside.org
Social media tipswww.plungeseaside.org
Facebook and Twitter are incredibly powerful tools for fundraising. It has become common practice for Plunge participants to do all of their fundraising entirely through social media. They are easy tools to use and a personal way to connect with friends and family all over the world with a minimal effort.
Facebook• Like us: Facebook.com/NJPolarPlunge
• Share a post from Facebook.com/NJPolarPlunge• Add a link to your online Plunge page to send people directly to your Facebook profile.• Make your Plunge an event on Facebook. Invite friends to support your fundraising effort. That way they will have a reminder before your Plunge!• Update your status:
• Share why you are Plunging and what your goal is.• Update you fundraising progress each time you continuously until you take your Plunge.
• Don’t forget to share your “training” (i.e. how you are preparing for your jump).• Let your pictures do the talking:
• If you’ve Plunged before, post a picture of your jump along with your donation request.• Set your profile picture and timeline photo to a picture of you taking the Plunge, or the costume you’ll be wearing to Plunge.
• Shout outs: post a shout out to your donors when they pledge! You can even tag them in your post - just type @ + their name.• Use Hashtags: you can now use hashtags like #PlungeSeaside on Facebook• Don’t forget to thank your friends after your Plunge!
Twitter• Upload Photos: tweet a photo of you taking the Plunge, if you’ve done so before. If you’re a rookie, tweet a photo of your costume. Don’ t forget to ask for support!• Create an engaging 280 character message that shares why you are taking the Plunge.• Shout outs: tweet each time you receive a new pledge. Don’t forget to mention them in your status, just type @ + their handle.• Set your profile picture and twitter header image to a photo of you Plunging.• Don’t forget to thank your followers after your Plunge!
