Below is detailed information for Rider Fundraising, please read through it carefully!
DOWNLOAD DONATION LOG BY CLICKING HERE. 

Use of proceeds from The Ride for Missing Children-CNY
It is important for everyone to know that all your donations to The Ride for Missing Children support the nationwide poster distribution of missing children done by the Mohawk Valley office of NCMEC, community education to prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation, and the mission of NCMEC-NY/Mohawk Valley in serving our community here and across New York State.

NCMEC is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity and a publicly supported organization as defined in sections 509(a)(1) and 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) of the Internal Revenue Service Code. Federal I.D. # 52-1328557. All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

FUNDRAISING – HELPFUL IDEAS

Here are some ways of making your fundraising easier, more organized, and more comfortable for you. Fundraising is a very rewarding experience. Think ahead to how you will feel after you have raised the equivalent of 2,000 posters of missing children and funds that are used to bring safety education programs to thousands of our children each year.

Online Fundraising

Riders are invited to use their Ride for Missing Children registered fundraising page to meet their goal. This service will allow you to easily set up your own personal web page, and accept credit card payments directly on your web site that will go directly to NCMEC-NY/Mohawk Valley and count toward your fundraising commitment.

In order to participate, you will need to use the account that you created when you’re registered. There is no cost to you for participating in this web-based fundraising. Once you have registered, you can use your email address and password to further create your own personal fundraising page.

We do not permit personal “Go Fund Me” pages to be set up. If soliciting on-line, use your IMAthlete account.

Fundraising – The Basics

People want to support you and the work that you are doing. Contributing money to a cause is a powerful way for a person to get involved when they cannot give their time. Make people aware of what their donation will do. Share with them that we have distributed over 11 million posters on 11,548 children and that now 7,893 of these children have been successfully recovered.

It is important for everyone to know that all your donations to The Ride for Missing Children-CNY support the Center, community education to prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation, and our mission to serve our community here and across New York State. Expenses for The Ride are underwritten by our Corporate Benefactors.

Make a Plan

Ask yourself, “What is the best way for me, personally, to raise posters”. Everyone is different. You may be comfortable talking directly with people and asking for a donation, or you may feel that an email or letter- writing campaign is more efficient. Maybe you work at a company that will match funds you raise. No matter what way makes you feel most comfortable, don’t go it alone. Think of ways to get other people to help raise funds with you – you will then be riding on Ride Day for all of these people. Get people excited about the work you are doing for missing and exploited children by telling them what you have learned about the problem of missing children and child exploitation. Share safety rules for their children… This broadens your fundraising efforts, and gets others involved, well educating at the same time.

Some donation suggestions include:

  • Friends & family
  • Work groups
  • Church groups
  • Community Service Groups such as Kiwanis, Rotary, Elks, Moose or Optimist Clubs (Bring along amember of our Speakers Bureau or our NCMEC/NY/MV Community Educator)
  • Trade organizations

Get together for a bake sale, spaghetti dinner, or dance-a-thon. Hold a “Jeans Day” at work – Put up posters and spread the word that on a certain date, to raise money to print and send posters, people can pay $5 earning the right to wear jeans on a particular day. Hold a garage sale and include a donation jar so people who don’t buy can still contribute. These are just a few of many possibilities. Get creative!

Corporate Matching Gift Program

Many companies have gift matching programs. See if your company will match a certain amount of the donations you raise.

Corporate Benefactor Opportunities

Your employer can also take on a sponsorship role. (If they choose to do this, it is separate from your personal poster-raising goal.) Their sponsorship helps underwrite the cost of The Ride, ensuring that all funds Riders raise, go directly to the Center’s mission. All levels (excluding the contributor level) have the opportunity to have a rider(s) participate in the Ride as a part of the Corporate Benefactor sponsorship.

If your company is interested in supporting the Ride as a Benefactor, please email Jody Wheet at jrwheet@ncmec.org.

Set Fundraising Deadlines

Things always take longer than you think they will. Start your fundraising EARLY. Time will pass quickly, and suddenly, the Ride will be here. As the Ride approaches, your schedule will be crowded with meetings, Commitment rides, etc., don’t leave your fundraising to the last minute. Ask your donors to send in their donation as soon as possible. People get sidetracked and forget. Please turn in your Ride donations by May 25th so we can announce our fundraising achievements at our closing ceremony.

Set a Goal – How Many Posters Do You Want to Rise?

This is one of the most important steps. Think positive, but be realistic. Set a goal in numbers of “posters”, not “dollars”. Give the donors a goal – together let’s raise another 2,000 posters.

Let your donors know what their donations will do. Each poster we send out is one more chance to bring a missing child home. Tell everyone that you have set a personal goal to raise “X,XXX” posters. Ask for their help in obtaining this goal. Remember, your commitment is to raise a minimum of 2,000 posters. Can you think of ways to get 50 people to donate $10.00? If so, you have met your goal.

Use the Ride Promotional Materials: Brochure, Poster, and Website

The Ride brochures and posters are available at our Ride meetings. Please help yourself to some!

DONATION LOGS & DONATION PROCESSING

Each Rider is responsible for collecting and tracking their own donations. Donation collection tables will be set up at each of the monthly Ride meetings. Please bring your donations to meetings and save yourself a trip to the Center. If you can’t make a meeting, and wish to send in your donations, please mail them to: NCMEC-NY/Mohawk Valley, 934 York Street, Utica, NY 13502. All donations collected by Riders must be received by May 31st so that we will have time to process them before The Ride.

We ask all Riders to have your donors send their individual donations directly to you, the Rider, so you can collect and tabulate all your donations. Donation logs are available by clicking here. 

Bring your donations to Ride meetings as you receive them so we can process them incrementally. IRS acknowledgement letters are sent by NCMEC-NY/Mohawk Valley to donors to The Ride for Missing Children for tax purposes. Please fill in the donor’s name and address so that the letter will reach them. Make sure your supporters put your first and last name in the memo section of the check so we can credit you for their donation. If you provide us with your donor’s email address on the log sheet, we can send them an electronic acknowledgement of their gift and that will save us the cost of mailing out a letter!

Do not include cash with your log sheets. If a donor gives you a cash donation and wants a letter in return for tax purposes, encourage the donor to write a check. If they cannot produce a check, log in the donation with their name and address and note that it was cash. Remember to convert all cash donations to a personal or bank check.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity and a publicly supported organization as defined in sections 509(a)(1) and 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) of the Internal Revenue Service Code. Federal I.D. # 52-1328557. All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Keep a copy of all of your donation receipt logs for your own records. If you are keeping a computer record, please start a fresh page (file) every time you submit a log, numbering the pages as you go. If you have United Way or SEFA contributions, employer matching funds, pennies for posters, use IMAthlete.com, are adopted by a school, or are a rider for a Corporate Sponsor, please tell the volunteers at the donation processing tables or Center Staff to assure proper tracking of all your donations.

Give Feedback

Your donor list is also a mailing list for thank you notes, etc. Before The Ride, let people know how you are doing with respect to the goal that you set. If you have not met your goal, people may want to give more to make sure you beat the goal you set. When you’ve made your goal, letting people know is an important step. Tell them how many posters you actually raised and how many posters all the Friends of Missing Children raised from our Ride.

FUNDRAISING GUIDELINES

As a member of The Friends of Missing Children, you are representing the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. NCMEC does have several guidelines that you must follow.

NCMEC does not conduct general phone solicitation for funds. In your fundraising for The Ride, please do not make unsolicited phone calls seeking donations from people you do not know well. It is acceptable to call people you know (close friends, relatives), and people who are familiar with you (family friends, people who personally know you), to tell them of The Ride and ask for their support by giving donations.

When speaking with, or writing people regarding the fundraising, you may use the Rider fundraising authorization letter to identify yourself. If you need this letter, please contact Jody Wheet at jrwheet@ncmec.org and he will mail it out to you.

A sample letter you can send to potential donors is provided in this manual. Have a “family night” so they can help address and stamp the envelopes!

Exercise discretion when speaking of Missing Children and fundraising. Carefully explain the goals of our Ride, and that the funds you raise will go directly to the distribution of posters of missing children and the mission of NCMEC-NY/Mohawk Valley. If you make up your own letters or mailers, please be aware NCMEC does not allow the use of the likeness of any missing child to be used with fundraising materials.

If you have concerns about recording your donations, please contact Jody Wheet at jrwheet@ncmec.org. If you have questions about fundraising ideas, please contact Katie Reilly at kreilly@newyorksash.com.

Independent Fundraising Activities for Riders

Many Riders conduct various fundraising events to achieve their fundraising goal. We encourage these events, however, NCMEC cannot officially endorse or support these events. Please contact Jody Wheet at jrwheet@ncmec.org or Katie Reilly at kreilly@newyorksash.com with your fundraising idea, so that we are aware of what is being done and to be certain that the money you raise is credited to your poster commitment. When seeking in-kind service donations from companies for these events, you must distinguish that the donations are to your individual event and are not directly to The Ride or NCMEC-NY/Mohawk Valley.

Announcing Your Personal Fundraising in the Public Media

If you choose to announce your individual activity in the media, our Ride Media Coordinator must place these press releases for you. This will allow us to review and approve your media announcement to make sure it follows NCMEC guidelines. Our Media Coordinator has many contacts in the local media and can work to get you the publicity you seek. Please contact Katie Reilly at kreilly@newyorksash.com.

“Use of Proceeds” of your Fundraising Activity

When seeking in-kind service donations from companies for these events, Riders must distinguish that the donations are to your individual event and are not directly to The Ride or NCMEC-NY/Mohawk Valley.

Your announcement must contain the following statement to follow NCMEC guidelines:
“All proceeds (or “Portions of the proceeds…) from this event will be used to fulfill my personal fundraising commitment to The Ride for Missing Children and will go to support the missing children poster distribution and mission of the Mohawk Valley office of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.”

“All proceeds donated to…” is defined as meaning that the event organizer will donate to NCMEC or The Ride all “net” proceeds of the event as determined by the gross income minus necessary expenses.

“A portion of the proceeds donated to…” is defined as meaning that the event organizer will donate only a certain portion of the net proceeds of the event to NCMEC or The Ride.

The Use of The Ride Logo for Your Personal Fundraising Efforts

If you wish to use The Ride for Missing Children logo on any letters or materials you make to support your personal Ride fundraising, you must obtain permission to do so. Please contact our Media Coordinator Katie Reilly at kreilly@newyorksash.com.

Riders may not use the NCMEC logo on any printed materials made for personal fundraising, with the exception of the official NCMEC-NY/MV Fundraising Authorization Letter. Riders also may not use the name “Sara Anne Wood” for promotional purposes.

Companies or individuals donating to your personal fundraising event cannot be granted Corporate Benefactor status from The Ride for Missing Children.

Your independent fundraising events receive no funding from NCMEC or The Ride. We are not responsible for any financial losses at your event. You (the third party) conduct your event and then donate all or a portion of the proceeds to either NCMEC or The Ride. The third party conducting the event determines the amount of the proceeds donated to The Ride. NCMEC or The Ride for Missing Children reserves the right to accept or reject donations from independent fundraising events that do or do not follow acceptable guidelines.

Please note: It is the policy of NCMEC-NY/Mohawk Valley and The Ride for Missing Children-CNY to accept independent fundraising donations only when the event organizer specifically states the exact portion or percentage of the proceeds to be donated to NCMEC or The Ride. Example 1: “the XYZ event will donate one dollar per player to The Ride for Missing Children”. Example 2: “the XYZ event will donate 10% of the net proceeds to NCMEC”.

If your independent fundraising event is big enough that you have sponsors, sponsors of the event do not receive an IRS acknowledgment from NCMEC or The Ride. The event sponsors make their donations/contributions directly to the organizer of the event. NCMEC cannot be the holder of sponsorship funds nor pay any bills for these “third-party” events.

It is the responsibility of the independent fundraising event holder to verify that they are following NCMEC and/or The Ride guidelines and conducting their event within all legal parameters for such events. Such events will be subject to advertising and promotional guidelines set forth by NCMEC-HQ (please contact Wendy Fical for further information).

Fundraising events may receive recognition by The Ride by any of the following, as determined by the Corporate Benefactor Committee and/or the Leadership Team of the Ride:

  • Mention in the Ride bulletins
  • Mention at the Rider & Volunteer meetings
  • Presentation of a special plaque or certificate depending on the amount of the donation
  • Ride Officials may participate with the donor and appropriate photo opportunities for publication in public and/or private newspapers/bulletins/publications.

SAMPLE FUNDRAISING LETTER

Dear ______,

I have made a personal commitment to help missing and exploited children by riding my bicycle in The Ride for Missing Children-CNY on June 7th, 2019. Please consider a donation to this worthy cause. Your donation will be used to fund the nationwide poster distribution of missing children done by the Mohawk Valley office of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC-NY/Mohawk Valley), community education to prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation, and the mission of NCMEC-NY/Mohawk Valley in serving our community here and across New York State.

My goal is to raise the equivalent of XXXX posters of missing children to aid in their search and recovery.

Since September of 1995, our Mohawk Valley office has distributed 11,029,583 posters of 11,548 missing children; 7,943 of these children have been “successfully recovered”. Overall, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) recovery rate has increased from 62% in 1990 to over 97% today.

All donations to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children are tax deductible as allowed by law. We ask that all contributions be given by check, written to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children-NY/ Mohawk Valley (or NCMEC-NY/MV). After your donation is processed, a letter will be sent to you for tax purposes. Please include my first and last name in the memo section of each check you submit so that these funds get counted toward my personal fundraising goal. Please send this check to me directly so I can turn it in with my other donations.

NCMEC is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity and is a publicly supported organization as defined in sections 509(a) (1) and 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) of the Internal Revenue Service Code. Federal I.D. # 52-1328557.Thank you for your support, and for helping us in our mission:

“Making Our Children Safer…One Child at a Time”

Sincerely,

<<Rider Name>>