Page 23 - Branch Leader Guide

Charcot-Marie-Tooth
Association

ensure your success. We have a lot of experience with fundraisers, and we can help
you with every aspect—from planning to executing to promoting your event.

Leader Commitment: One Fundraiser per Year
Aside from the obvious benefit of raising money, fundraisers are also uniquely effective
at raising awareness of CMT, a little-known disease. Consider the fact that CMT and
multiple sclerosis have approximately the same incidence—one in 2,500 people. But
hardly anyone has ever heard of CMT. It’s time to change this discrepancy in
awareness by providing a method to raise funds from people outside of the CMT
community. Your successful fundraiser will motivate branch participants to tackle their
own fundraisers. And before you know it, more and more people will catch the
fundraising bug.

Community Fundraising: The sky is the limit with our Community Fundraising Pages,
which are loosely structured fundraisers that can occur at any time of year. Community
fundraisers give you the opportunity to be really creative and plan a fundraiser based on
an interest that you are passionate about. Remember, this is a blank canvas, and can
include anything, like:

• Birthday wishes
• Graduations
• Weddings
• Retirement parties
• Holidays (ask for contributions in your name instead of gifts)
• Just Because!

For more information on fundraising, go to www.cmtausa.org/fundraising or contact your
regional branch manager.

All-Star Events

The CMTA All-Star Events can occur at any time of the year. Choose the format that is
most appealing to you: Walk4CMT, Cycle4CMT or Swim4CMT. These events, which
are held nationwide, bring the entire community together to raise awareness and critical
funds for CMT research. The All-Star Events tend to follow a more structured process
for fundraising, but they are also an opportunity for creativity. For a detailed booklet on
how to structure a successful All-Star event, check out our All-Star Guide:
www.cmtausa.org/leader-toolbox. A Sample Press Release is included in the Samples
and Examples section (Part VI) to use in publicizing your All-Star event in local
newspapers or other media outlets.

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