Team Blue FAQ and Help Guide

The Blue Planet Run team wants to make it easy for all athletes to raise funds for safe drinking water. The more you succeed in gaining support for your next athletic event, the faster we can bring safe drinking water to every man, woman and child around the world.

GETTING READY
To encourage sponsorship, help people quickly and easily understand the facts and the need to support safe drinking water projects. Show you are knowledgeable and passionate about solving the water crisis.

• Learn and share basic water facts.
• Watch and share videos. (link)
• Tell people why YOU are committed to the cause. 

• Communicate your goals (athletic achievement and fundraising).
• Tell people how you feel when you help another human being.
• Provide our website http://www.blueplanetrun.org

When people learn the facts, they often admit: 
“I had no idea!”

We know fundraising, especially asking friends for money, is not easy. We have prepared a list of campaign and event suggestions that put the FUN back in fundraising.

LEARN AND SHARE FACTS BASIC WATER FACTS.

Always include a couple of facts in your conversations, letters or pledge/donation efforts.

• Lack of access to safe drinking water is the leading cause of disease and death in the world. 

• 1-in-6 people on the planet lack access to safe drinking water.
• About 1.2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water.
• Approximately 6,000 children die each day from disease associated with unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.
• Many women and children walk an average of 6K to fetch one “round” of water. (6K is 3.7 miles)
• Many women and children spend 6 hours a day fetching water.

• Children often miss out on schooling in order to collect and haul water for their communities.
• Poor families in developing countries spend up to 25% of their income to buy water.
• Half of the world’s hospital beds are filled with people suffering from water related illnesses.
• $30 provides one person with a lifetime of safe drinking water.

Click here for more info on the world's safe drinking water and our projects.

PREPARED LETTERS AND TEXT TO USE.

Sample Letters to Email to Potential Supporters:

#1: Send at least one month before your event. Once you fill in the customized areas, delete the parentheses. *Include an action photo of yourself or a photo from our Resource Kit.

Dear friends and family,

I have committed to train and complete (include the event details) on (date). As a "Team Blue" member, I will (action) to raise awareness and support Blue Planet Run Foundation’s mission to provide safe drinking water to people worldwide.

 (Add a water fact). $30 provides one person with a lifetime of safe drinking water.
My goal is to raise ($ dollar amount). Please support my efforts by making a tax-deductible donation to my fundraising page today. (Include your fundraising page URL). If you would prefer to pledge a specific amount for each (mile/kilometer/lap/feet) completed, please email me: (include your email address here).

I’m really excited about (your event) to make a difference in the world. (add some personal feelings about why you want to support BPR)

Remember, no effort is insignificant. This is an easy way to improve another person's life in big ways! If you want to learn more about the global water crisis, go to http://www.blueplanetrun.org.

If you'd like to join "Team Blue" 

to support safe drinking water at your next athletic event, you can join the community team at http://blueplanetrun.org/programs_for/athletes.



Water is life. Pass it on.
Sincerely,
(your name)

#2: Send an email letter a couple of weeks before your event. Once you fill in the customized areas, delete the parentheses. *Include a athletic photo of yourself or a photo from our Resource Kit.

Dear Friends and Family,
I am so excited about my upcoming event: (include the name of event) on (date). First, I want to thank all of you who have demonstrated your support! You have helped me raise ($ dollar amount). With only a couple of weeks to go, I am hopeful that I will reach my goal of ($dollar amount). Any amount is most appreciated. You can donate to my fundraising page (provide URL link).

As a dedicated member of Blue Planet Run Foundation’s “Team Blue,” I have been training to successfully complete my upcoming event. It will require discipline and commitment to meet the challenge. Every day that I train, I am reminded that this athletic effort is nothing in comparison to the challenges so many people face just to survive each day. (add a water fact here).

Please help me reach my goal to raise ($ dollars) so I can help provide people with the first step out of poverty.
If you'd like to join “Team Blue” 

to support safe drinking water at your next athletic event, you can join the community team at http://blueplanetrun.org/programs_for/athletes.

Water is life. Pass it on.
Sincerely,
(Your name)

#3: Send a final email letter just after your event. Once you fill in the customized areas, delete the parentheses. * Include photos from the event and photos from our Resource Kit.

Dear Friends and Family,

I want to share with all of you the details of my recent athletic achievement! As you know, I had set a goal to complete (your event) on (date). (Describe your training up to the date and some details about the event – weather, # of participants, etc. to set the tone).

Some of the highlights of this event include: (provide bullet points of some of the most memorable moments during the event).
• (highlight)
• (highlight)
• (highlight – add more if you’d like)
• (Include what you completed, timing, etc. )

As a member of “Team Blue” I was able to raise ($dollars) to help provide safe drinking water to communities around the world. I am so grateful to receive the support from my friends, family and community! The money raised from my event will go directly to changing the lives of people around the world. (add a water fact)

If you had decided to support my efforts by pledging a certain amount for each (mile/kilometer/lap/foot) completed, please provide your check for the pledge amount. Checks should be made out to Blue Planet Run Foundation. Include my name in the memo/note section. You will receive a tax-deduction receipt from the Foundation.

You can still make a contribution to my effort! Make a tax-deductible donation to my fundraising page: (include URL).

If you'd like to join “Team Blue” 

to support safe drinking water at your next athletic event, you can join the community team at [WE NEED TO INCLUDE THE LINK HERE].

Until my next event, remember – Water is life. Pass it on.

Sincerely,
(your name)

TELLING OTHERS ABOUT BLUE PLANET RUN® FOUNDATION

The Blue Planet Run Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. We are dedicated to bringing the global community together to provide safe drinking water to the billion people around the world in need. We currently have a network of 36 nongovernmental organizations that we fund. These member organizations use 100% of our funding dollars to educate communities and build/install safe drinking water projects. The Foundation has funded more than184 water projects in 18 countries around the world to date.