2017 Junior Achievement

Bowl-A-Thon Toolkit

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BOWL-A-THON TOOLKIT

Table of Contents

Why Bowl with Junior Achievement 2

What is My Role? 3

How Do I Register? 4

Helpful Downloads 4

Fundraising Ideas 5

Sharing Your Fundraising Link 6

Social Media Tips & Posts 6

Frequently Asked Questions 7

Empower Our Local Students The purpose of the Junior Achievement Bowl-A-Thon is to raise dollars to support Junior Achievement

of the Coastal Bend’s economic education programs, which will reach more than 21,000 students from

Kindergarten through 12th grade in South Texas in the 2015-2016 school year.

The JA Bowl-A-Thon is not only a fun team building event, it is one of JA’s fundraisers . Hundreds of

participants from local companies and organizations bowl each year to help JA provide hands on

financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurial programs to local students.

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What’s My Role? Company Coordinator Make sure the highest ranking and most enthusiastic employees in your company get involved and lead others to

join in. Make sure all departments and area locations participate. Ask for company-wide approval and support for fundraising activities. Relay fun, innovative fundraising ideas to team members. Heat up some friendly competition between departments or shifts by displaying fundraisings updates and who is in

the lead. Follow important dates and ensure that each team is raising the $375 team minimum. Share the mission of Junior Achievement and why it is important to get involved. JA inspires and prepares young

people to succeed in a global economy.

Team Captain/Manager Recruit and lead 4 bowlers for your team of 5 and make sure everyone reaches their $75 goal. Register team online. Have each bowler register online with their personal information. Implement fun, innovative fundraising ideas to team members Collect donations from bowlers and deliver to your company coordinator. Remind team members to come in costume or company shirt on event day. Remind team members location of the bowling center, date and time. Share the mission of Junior Achievement and why it is important to get involved.

JA inspires and prepares young people to succeed in a global economy.

Bowler Register online. Post donation link to your social media site. Ask people everywhere you go– family, friends, boss! Raise a minimum of $75 (Get just three $25 gifts or make a $10 gift yourself then

get six $10 gifts. It’s tax-deductible!) Convert cash into check or money order (deliver to team captain). Arrive at bowling center 15 minutes early on event day. Share the mission of Junior Achievement and why it is important to get involved.

JA inspires and prepares young people to succeed in a global economy.

BOWL-A-THON TOOLKIT

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Register Online Once you have registered you will be able to access fundraising totals and add cash donations online, post a donation request links directly to your social media site, and send donation requests from the site or copy and paste to your e-mail account.

1. Go to www.jast.org and click on “Events” > “Bowl-A-Thon” > “San Antonio”

2. Then click on “Get Started”

3. Then click on “Click [here] to register your team”

4. If you are a Team Captain/Manager, click “Start A Team” button on the left-hand side and follow instructions. Team Captain/Manger be sure to discuss a team name with your members, this will be your first step in registering your team online. Before registering, please have the names, email addresses and shirt sizes for your team (5 per team).

5. If you are a bowler, click the “Join A Team” button on the left-hand side and follow instructions. You can search for your team by company or your Team Captain/Managers last name

6. Follow the instructions.

7. If you have any questions please call the Junior Achievement office for assistance, 210-490-2007 ext. 107.

BOWL-A-THON TOOLKIT

Downloads Bowl-A-Thon Overview– spread the JA mission, recruit teams, companies, donors, and sponsors

Team Registration Form– if your team member are unable to register online download this form and fax to 210-490-1548

Sponsorship Form– invite local business owners to sponsor your team

Bowler Donation Request Letter– send this customizable letter to friends and family to ask for their support

Bowl-A-Thon Logo– add the bowl-a-thon logo to flyers or emails to spark excitement about the theme

Junior Achievement Logo– utilize this to bring awareness to JA’s mission

JA Receipt– donations to JA are tax deductible utilize this to give to your donors

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BOWL-A-THON TOOLKIT

Fundraising Ideas Vendor Sponsorship

Company Gift Matching

Casual Days (Jeans, Jerseys, Pajama, Mismatch)

Lunch with the Boss

Online Donation Contest

Donation Jars

Raffles/Auctions

Rummage Sale

Guess How Many Contest

Carnival/Dunk Booth

Pet Parade

Pie-in-the-Face

Gift Wrapping Service

Cook-off (Salsa, chili, cookies)

Dinning Out Night (Arby’s, Chili’s, Panda Express, Subway, Johnny Carino’s)

Breakfast/Lunch Time Sales (BBQ, Tacos, Hotdogs, Baked Potato Bar, Bake Sales or Smoothies)

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BOWL-A-THON TOOLKIT

Sending Your Link through Email and Social Media Once you have registered you can now email friends, family, and business contacts to ask for support!

Here’s how:

1. Log in through www.jast.org then “Events” > “Bowl-A-Thon” > “San Antonio”> “JA Bowl-A-Thon Headquarters.”

2. Click on the “Log In” button on the right-hand side.

3. Click “Fundraise.”

4. To send an email click either “Open a New Email” or “Copy an Email Message.”

5. The share through your social media networks click on any of the buttons and follow the instructions.

Social Media Fundraising Tips

1. Keep posts short and start asking for pledges early.

2. Include a URL to your fundraising page in your social media posts.

3. Keep supporters updated often by posting announcements, such as fundraising goals, status updates,

accomplishments, new donations, etc.

4. Use deadlines to create a sense of urgency and update people on how close you are to your goal.

5. Thank your friends with a special note when they make a donation. Make sure to tag donors on Facebook and use

their handle on Twitter.

6. Use our handle — @JAofSouthTexas — in your Twitter posts. Tag us in your Facebook posts @JAofSouthTexas.

Sample Social Media Posts

Help the South Texas JA area youth be better prepared for their future careers and dreams by supporting Junior Achievement of South Texas. [tag Junior Achievement by using the @ symbol in front of organization name]

Support me by making a donation to my Bowl-A-Thon team! [Include link to donation page]

Help Junior Achievement impact more students [tag JA by using the @ symbol in front of organization] by donating to my JA fundraising page today! [Include link to donation page]

I’m fundraising for Junior Achievement students! Help me reach my goal of $xxx by [date] by sharing this message with your friends and family. [Include link to donation page]

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Frequently Asked Questions What is the Junior Achievement Bowl-a-thon? Each 5 person team raises $375 to provide JA programs to local youth. Team members meet at the bowling center on the date of the event for 2 fun-filled games. Every year a theme is chosen which adds another level of excitement and the opportunity to come in costume. It’s a great team building and morale-boosting event for any company or organization.

This year JA of South Texas will raise over $350,000 and provide economic education programs to over 100,000 students .

What is Junior Achievement? Our programs prepare students to: proactively manage their finances, become entrepreneurs and develop skills that will be recognized and valuable in a global workforce. JA inspires and prepares young people to succeed in a global economy.

JA programs empower students to make a connection between what they are learn in school and how it can be applied in the real world– enhancing the relevance of their classroom learning and increasing their understanding of the value of staying in school.

How does JA work? Junior Achievement secures the funding and recruits volunteers to provide programs to elementary, middle and high schools. Corporations, industries, small businesses, foundations, individuals, and others contribute financial and volunteer resources, as do various organizations that also want to invest in the quality of local education.

JA volunteers deliver, relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship.

Where does the money raised from the bowl-a-thon go towards? 100% of the money raised goes into providing financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship curriculum to the students in South Texas.

Can my friends and family bowl? Yes! Clear it with your company coordinator before asking them to be a part of your team.

Who do I make the check out to? Junior Achievement of South Texas

Who do I contact to volunteer with Junior Achievement of South Texas? Rachel Wallace ~ rwallace@jast.org ~ 210-490-2007 ext. 107

For more information please contact: Rachel Wallace

Development & Special Events Manager, Junior Achievement of South Texas, 210.490.1007 ext. 107 or rwallace@jast.org

BOWL-A-THON TOOLKIT