Dear Friend and Adventurer,

Thank you for joining us at the American Lung Association® of the Northwest on one of our fundraising events. You and people like you make our work possible. I want you to know that, although we attempt to keep the fun in fundraising through our cycling and climbing events, it is very serious business to us. The money you raise is our lifeblood. Without it, we couldn't do our work improving lung health for the people of the Northwest. We're so grateful, in fact, we even provide some fabulous incentive prizes for you if you go above and beyond the fundraising minimums.

Without what you do for us, we couldn't:

• Stem the tide of Big Tobacco money that is pushing young people to start a lifelong habit that kills 8200 Washingtonians alone every year.
• Help nearly 200,000 children with asthma learn to live full and exciting lives.
• Fund research to find cures for lung diseases of all kinds including Lung Cancer, Emphysema, Pulmonary Fibrosis, and recently (once again) Tuberculosis that impacts more than one million people in Alaska, Idaho and Washington.
• Advocate for clean air in our beautiful region.

I hope that as you go about your fundraising you will hear some interesting stories from people whose lives have been affected by lung disease, and that motivates you to become more involved with the American Lung Association® of the Northwest. But above all I hope you have a wonderful experience on your upcoming adventure.

Thank you for all you are doing for us.

Sincerely,
Vivian Echavarria,
Board Chair

Our Mission:

The mission of the American Lung Association® of the Northwest is to assure lung health for the people of Alaska, Idaho, and Washington through research, education, community service,and advocacy. Our goals include reducing tobacco use, especially among young people; preventing and controlling air pollution; and funding education and research to make life more comfortable for people with asthma or other lung disease. To accomplish our mission, we need your support. Help us make the worlda better place to breathe.

Fundraising 101

Congratulations on accepting the challenge ahead of you. If you've registered for a Clean Air Adventure, you've already taken the most important step in your fundraising efforts: you've made a commitment. You will see that there are no real "quick and easy" ways of raising funds. But we want to start by saying that you can do this. People just like you meet fundraising challenges just like the one you've accepted all of the time. Some have an easier time of it than others, but it's possible for anyone.

The pages that follow are designed to help you think about fundraising. First, we want to give you the one fundamental secret of all fundraising efforts whatever the cause. The pages on strategy will help you look at your resources and design an overall approach which leads right into a section on planning. Since your most important resource is the people you know, using the principle of Six Degrees of Separation will help expand your list of contacts. Then we have included a set of specific fundraising ideas and fundraising tactics people have used in the past to meet their fundraising goals. Finally we have included a section on writing your appeal letter and some sample letters along with a list of companies which have matching gift programs that Trekkers and Climbers have used successfully in the past.

Remind your potential donors that donations to the American Lung Association® of the Northwest are tax deductible to the extent allowable by law. We are a charitable organization under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Use your pad of receipts to acknowledge the donations you receive. Also we will send a letter of acknowledgement for each donation over $50.

Turn in your donations using the Breathing Bucks Envelopes and the Sponsor Sheets provided.

We hope you find this information helpful. Feel free to call or email us at the American Lung Association® of the Northwest if we can be of further help. We want you to succeed and are here to help.

And again thank you for the challenge you're taking on in our behalf.