Fundraising
Your fundraising fuels cutting-edge research and delivers critical services to help those affected by MS live their best lives.
You can be a fundraising powerhouse — just use these tips and tools to get started
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Tips & Tools
Get Online
Dive into your Fundraising Center
- Set a goal and aim high!
- Make a self-donation to kickstart your fundraising and show others that you’re leading the way.
- Personalize your page by sharing your story of why you participate. You can even create a custom URL!
- Add Fundraising Milestones which allow you to create mini goals to inspire your donors to give a little bit extra to reach your next milestone. Add competitive milestones, such as, “halfway to my goal,” to the mission milestones we’ve included for you, to show donors how their support is making an impact. If you raised $200 last year, consider adding, “Help me reach my last year’s best milestone at $200.”
Use the Power of Social Media
Share your story, videos and photos. Launch a Linked Facebook Fundraiser from your Fundraising Center. Learn how to use Facebook to power your fundraising in the "Toolkit" drop down below.
Thank Your Donors
Click on the Donations tab where you can customize a thank you message for each donor and track who's been thanked.
Download the DonorDrive App
The DonorDrive app is a powerful tool to help you raise funds and awareness for a world free of MS. Exciting features — like mobile check deposit and QR code creation — will help you go the extra mile in your fundraising, as well as connect with your community.
Add Fundraising Link to Your Emails
Include your fundraising link on all outgoing emails or put it in your email signature!
Donor Incentives
You can set any kind of prize, item or giveaway for incentives. For instance, one participant offered to bake a cheesecake for anyone who donated $100 through incentives.
QR Codes
There are many ways to make a QR Code!
- In Google Chrome on a desktop, right click and find the option to create a QR code or use a free QR code generator. Save and copy the image file, then print it out to use for fundraising events
- Make a QR code from your app and save it directly to your phone! Pull it up on your DonorDrive app to show it to friends and family so they can scan it with their phone and donate.
When making a donation on a mobile device, there are multiple payment options such as Venmo, Paypal, Apple Pay and more.
Video or Stream
Link your YouTube or Twitch channel(s) to your Fundraising Center! Put on a livestream or use a pre-recorded video to share your story or document your 5k journey.
Get Creative
Silent / Online Auction
This can be a great way to get your local community involved! Host a silent or online auction where you can have local businesses donate goods and items or work with local artists in the area to contribute pieces of art that you know people will love. Maybe you’re a creative yourself and you could auction off your own pieces!
Happy Hour
Host a happy hour! Grab your teammates, friends, family and co-workers to show up at your place or your favorite restaurant or pub — this can be a great way to recruit new members as well. A fun additional idea: Work with the location of your choice to provide tickets to guests that include discounts for food or drinks!
Garage Sale
Go through your things and see what you can sell at a garage sale! This is a great way to repurpose your old stuff for a great cause.
Trivia Night
Organize a trivia night with friends and family. Host one at a favorite local community spot or at your home! Sell tickets for the event that will go towards your fundraiser or do a 50/50 drawing at the end of the night to encourage your team members and more to come out and support you.
Matching Gifts
Many companies offer matching gifts, which double or even triple donations with no extra effort on your end.
Get Moving
Track Your Miles
Be sure to download the DonorDrive app to track your miles and connect with your favorite activity tracker (like Fitbit or Garmin). Enter your steps or fundraising goal directly into the DonorDrive app and give yourself a completion date. Then track your miles on the app and share the goal with your friends and family. Encourage them to donate to your fundraiser (e.g. $1 = 1 mile)!
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Donations Guide
Matching Gifts
The Basics
A matching gift is a gift from a donor's employer that matches the donor's original gift, often dollar-for-dollar. You can significantly increase your fundraising by asking your donors to apply for matching gifts if their employer offers them.
How Matching Gifts Work
Donors must submit the appropriate information to their company regarding matching gifts for their donation. The company may reach out to us to confirm the donation and our staff will send confirmation to the donor's company.
Once we receive the matching gift check, we will credit the amount to your fundraising. Please remember, this process may take some time depending on how frequently companies pay out charitable donations. However, if we have received the matching gift paperwork by the fundraising deadline, we will include the pending donation in your fundraising total.
Steps to Submitting a Matching Gift
1.Search for Employer’s Matching Gift Program
To find out if your employer has a matching gift program, search for your employer below, ask your human resources staff, or visit your company's intranet.
2. Request a Matching Gift
Talk to your employer about their matching gift process. Generally, your human resources department is a great place to start.
3. Send a Matching Gift Form
Refer to the instructions on the matching gift form from your employer. If you need to mail or email the form to us, please use the following information (please include the participant's name and event with your matching gift form):Email:
MatchingGifts@nmss.orgMailing Address:
National MS Society
Attn: Matching Gifts
733 Third Avenue, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10017Tax ID#: 13-5661935.
Track Your Matching Gift
Check the "Progress" section of your Fundraising Center. It usually takes months before we receive matching gifts; however, you will still receive credit for matching gifts for prize purposes – just make sure the gift shows as “pending” in your fundraising totals.
If the gift is not yet showing as "pending" on your fundraising totals, please save the confirmation provided by the company when you submitted the matching gift request and email MatchingGifts@nmss.org.
Checks & Receipts
Checks
Checks must be made out to the National MS Society.
If you receive a check payable to your team, write National MS Society above your team name. If it's made out to you, please endorse the check payable to the National MS Society.
Please be sure to write your name, event, and event year on the memo line of every check you turn in (e.g., Jane Doe, Event Name) – whether through the app or mail.
Download the DonorDrive app to upload checks directly from your phone or tablet.
Mail your donations (made out to National MS Society) with a completed Donation Tracking Form to:
National MS Society
30 South 17th Street, Suite 800
Philadelphia, PA 19103Tracking Donations
It may take up to 4 weeks to process donations during peak event times. If it's been less than 4 weeks since submitting your donations, please check your Fundraising Center later to see your fundraising total.
If more than 4 weeks have passed since you submitted your donations, or you have additional questions about your fundraising total, please contact Fundraising Support at 855-372-1331 or by email at FundraisingSupport@nmss.org.
For the fastest processing of your donations, encourage people to donate online. If you receive checks, upload them using the check capture feature on the app or mail your donations to your local office immediately upon receiving them.
Donor Receipts
Everyone who makes an online donation will receive an e-mail confirmation receipt for tax purposes. Donors who give $250 or more will receive a thank you letter and receipt by mail. For donations less than $250, the IRS will accept the following as proof of a charitable donation: a canceled check, bank or credit union statement or a credit card statement.
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Toolkit
Facebook Fundraiser
Set Up a Facebook Fundraiser
Starting Facebook Fundraisers is easy, and they automatically end when your event has completed fundraising for the year.
Set Up During Registration
Log in to your Fundraising Center and click on the Create a Facebook Fundraiser link below your progress bar.
Syncing
Donations through your Facebook Fundraiser will sync automatically to your Fundraising Center. If you make changes to your photo, story, goal etc. on either your fundraising page or your Facebook Fundraiser after the creation of your Facebook Fundraiser, the changes will not sync.
Donations
100% of all donations raised via Facebook Fundraiser go toward your event fundraising goal.
Due to Facebook’s privacy policy, donors will show as “Facebook Fundraiser” on your donor honor roll. To see who donated, you can click on the receipt button for each donation or download an Excel list of your donors. You will also see who donated to you when you look at your fundraiser on Facebook.
Facebook Fundraisers can only accept U.S donations. For international donations, send your fundraising page link.
Receipts and Refunds
Facebook will send a receipt to the email address associated with your donor’s Facebook account, which will include the National MS Society’s EIN/tax ID number, along with a thank you email if they opt to receive emails from the Society.
To request a refund, please use Facebook’s donation support form.
Images
These customized images show the impact of participating in National MS Society events – from first-person quotes to breakthroughs in research. Add them to your social media channels, email signatures and more to help you recruit team members. Raise awareness, share your fundraising progress and keep going!
Impact Images
Social Media Images
Fundraising Activities
Email Signature
If you would like to link your fundraising page to your email signature image, please follow these steps:
- Load the image to your email signature.
- Right click on the image and select “link”.
- Next, enter the link of your personal fundraising page.
- Hit Save or OK
Videos
Need help explaining what MS is? The impact of your fundraising? These videos will get the job done.
MS Awareness - My MS Moment
Show the many ways people are affected by MS. Each MS Awareness – My MS Moment video lets the viewer see how different each MS story really is.
View more MS Awareness videos.DonorDrive App
The DonorDrive app is a powerful tool to help you raise funds and awareness for a world free of MS. Download it today to let your passion shine by connecting with donors and easy-to-use fundraising tools from the palm of your hand.
How to Get Started
1. Install the DonorDrive App
- Search “DonorDrive app” through the Google Play or Apple App stores or click the icons above and tap download.
- Open the app and tap “GET STARTED”.
- Search for “MS” at the top search bar.
- Select National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS).
- Tap “LOG IN” and use the same email address and password you used when you registered for your event. You can also choose "FIND AN EVENT" to search and register for an event if you haven’t already registered.
- Select [EVENT NAME] (note: any 2024 event you have registered for will also appear on screen).
2. Track Your Physical Activity
As you get ready for your event, you can track your physical activity to build excitement and share progress.
- Tap the “You” icon at the bottom of the app.
- You’ll see your goal and current total activity, as well as your current streak and longest streak on your progress screen.
- If you have an activity tracker:
- Provide authorization for the app to sync to your activity data. If you cannot sync all your activity data, go to your phone’s settings to allow full access.
- If your activity tracking device/app (like a Fitbit or Garmin) is connected to your Apple Health, Google Fit or Strava, your activity data will automatically upload into the app.
- If you do not have an activity tracker:
- Go to your DonorDrive app, where you can manually record your activity by clicking the orange “Log Activity” button and then entering your distance in the first field. After you’ve entered your miles, select the date of the activity and enter a description. Tap “Save” and you will have logged your activity!
3. Enter Donations
It’s easier than ever to enter donations.
- Click the “Make a Donation” icon at the bottom of the app.
- Complete donation via instructions
- Deposit Checks
- Deposit your donation right in the app!
- Click the “Make a Donation” icon at the bottom of the app.
- Complete donation via instructions.