Participant Packet
Proudly Sponsored By:
Table of Contents 1) Team Captain Checklist 2) Bowler Checklist 3) Prizes 4) Bowl-a-Thon Marketing Flyer 5) Frequently Asked Questions 6) Sample Donor Request Letter 7) Participating Companies
Team Captain Checklist Before the Event Recruit 4 participants to join your team Register your team Online at: o http://www.jaofnco.ja.org Click on the ‘Special Events’ / ‘Bowl-a-Thon’ tabs on the left side of the screen Register yourself Pay registration fee by credit card Send an email to invite your bowlers to go online and register to join your team Personalize your fundraising page in your Fundraising Center (if you wish) Encourage team members to actively secure donations via e-mail using the online system. Tell team members to copy and paste the customizable URL found in their registration confirmation email and post it to their Facebook, Twitter or other social media sites. Check to see if your company has a matching gift program. Contact your company’s matching gift administrator to complete the necessary forms. 1 Week Before the Event Remind bowlers of your bowling location and time Advise bowlers to: o Arrive 15 minutes early to pick up shoes and bowling ball o Bring donation envelopes with donations that have been collected. Extra envelopes will be available. Checks & money orders preferred. Day of the Bowl-a-Thon Check in at the registration table o Collect donations from bowlers and turn in the Team Envelope you received when you checked in at the registration table. Turn in any donations your bowlers have collected to date in the Team Envelope. Remaining donations must be turned in by June 1st to be eligible for prizes. Have fun!!
Bowler Checklist Before the Event Register your team Online at: http://www.jaofnco.ja.org (Click on the ‘Special Events’ / ‘Bowl-a-Thon’ tabs on the left side of the screen) Set your personal fundraising goal (Sponsor 4 students by raising $100) Create/edit your personal page online in to your Fundraising Center (if you wish) Actively secure donations via e-mail using the online system or sponsor 4 students yourself by donating $100 Copy and paste the customizable URL found in your Participant Center to your Facebook, Twitter or other social media sites. Check to see if your company has a matching gift program. Contact your company’s matching gift administrator to complete the necessary forms. 1 Week before the Event Continue to collect donations from family, friends, co-workers etc. Day of the Bowl-a-Thon Arrive 15 minutes early to pick up shoes and bowling ball Bring donation envelopes with donations that have been collected. Extra envelopes will be available. Checks & money orders preferred. Check-in and go to your assigned lane. Have fun!!
FUNDRAISING PRIZES Turn in your donations to JA on event day to be eligible for these fabulous prizes!
Amount Raised
Prizes Earned
Your Donations Support
$75 - $99
JA Tote Bag
3 elementary school students learn the difference between needs and wants
$100 - $124
JA Tote Bag, Two (2) Movie Tickets to Cinemark Theaters
5 middle grade students learn from a positive role model about the global marketplace
$125-$149
JA Tote Bag, Two (2) Movie Tickets to Cinemark Theaters, Sports Spectator Chair
6 after-school students understand how to manage their money
$150+
JA Tote Bag, Two (2) Movie Tickets to Cinemark Theaters, Sports Spectator Chair, Complimentary Cheese Pizza
6 high school students explore career choices and find their noble purpose
Money must be received by June 1st or on your event day to be eligible for prizes! Prizes will be distributed after all donations are collected.
Junior Achievement’s mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. About the JA Bowl-a-Thon: The JA Bowl-a-Thon is a FUN-draiser to support Junior Achievement. The money generated through this event enables JA to provide entrepreneurship, financial literacy and work readiness programs to schools and students throughout our community. The organization is funded solely by the businesses, foundations and individuals who provide support to enhance the potential of our future workforce throughout Ashland, Coshocton, Crawford, Holmes, Knox, Marion, Medina, Morrow, Portage, Summit, Richland and Wayne Counties. Who: Any interested employees and their friends/family can participate. Why: The Bowl-a-Thon is one of the most fun-filled ways to support local students who participate in the JA programs. The focus is on fun, prizes and raising money for a great cause! How: To participate in the Bowl-a-Thon we ask each participant to sponsor 4 students, the equivalent of raising $100. Once a bowler raises $75, they are qualified for cool prizes! A $50 team registration fee will be charged to each participating team to cover the costs of the event. Visit http://www.jaofnco.ja.org to register. For more information, contact: Amanda Overton, Development Manager PO Box 26006 Akron, OH 44319 Phone: (330) 434-1875 x 15 Fax: (330) 434–2202
[email protected]
Frequently Asked Questions General Questions Do I have to be a good bowler? Absolutely not! At the Junior Achievement Bowl-a-Thon, people of all bowling skills come together to raise money for a worthy cause. Where do my donations go? Your donations allow Junior Achievement to provide educational programs at no direct cost to the schools or students that we serve. These programs teach students the importance of financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. Can my friends and family bowl? Teams can consist of friends, family, co-workers, clients or anyone who wants to bowl and raise money for JA! This is an adult event; each center has a bar that will be open. Children may attend if accompanied and supervised by an adult. Neither Junior Achievement nor the bowling center is responsible for child care. I’m pretty busy. What if I don’t have time to fundraise? Fundraising is easy with JA! Every participant has a personalized bowling website created for them when they register. Our fast and user-friendly online system allows you to collect donations while eliminating paperwork. Use email templates to send out messages inviting your contacts to donate using a credit card on our secure website. You can track your progress and send follow-up messages and thank you letters using your Participant Center. You can also post to your personal URL on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or other social media sites. How do I know where I will bowl? Your company coordinator will have details about the bowling location for your company. You will bowl 3 games during your shift. We give each bowler automatic strikes for the 3rd, 6th and 9th frames so you are guaranteed 30 points for each game! How much money do I need to raise? We ask that each participant sponsor 4 students (raise $100). Once you reach $75, you qualify for fabulous prizes! Is my contribution tax deductible? Your donations for the Bowl-a-Thon are tax deductible. Your team registration fee is not tax deductible. Junior Achievement is an organization exempt from federal income tax under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. How will I receive my prizes? Prizes will be distributed after the event and donation deadline (June 1st). They will be delivered to your company coordinator for distribution. Please be sure all money raised off-line (if applicable) is turned in by the deadline to be eligible for prizes. Can I bring food or drinks to the bowling center? Food and drinks from outside are not permitted in the bowling centers unless you have prior approval to have catering at the event. The snack bars will be open throughout the Bowl-a-Thon. What if I receive donations after the Bowl-a-Thon? We gladly accept money raised after the event. Please forward any donations to the JA office. Indicate on the check that it is for the Bowl-a-Thon and include your name so we can credit you and your company.
Registration Questions How do I register to bowl? When is the registration fee due? You may register online by visiting www.jaofnco.ja.org and click on the Bowl-a-Thon tab. During your registration process, you will be asked for your registration fee (if your company is not sponsoring your team). Lane assignments are made on a first-come, first-serve basis.
How much is the registration fee? How do I pay? The registration fee is $10 per bowler and covers 3 games and shoe rental. Registration for the Bowl-a-Thon is accepted online. Many companies cover the team registration fee for teams, please check with your company. How will you know who should be on each team? When it gets closer to the registration deadline, Junior Achievement will communicate with Company Coordinators to confirm number of bowlers and names for each lane. Online System Questions What is the Personal Fundraising Center? The Personal Fundraising Center is an online tool for you to use to make fundraising easy! You can use it to ask your contacts for donations and track your fundraising progress. When you register, a Personal Fundraising Center is automatically set up for you. How do I enter offline donations to my personal fundraising page? You can enter any cash or checks someone has pledged so that the online system can keep track of all your fundraising totals. Log in to your Personal Fundraising Center homepage and click “My Donations” tab. Fill out the information in the ‘Add Cash/Checks’ section and Save. The amount you entered will display on your fundraising thermometer. Don’t forget to mail your offline donations to the JA office or turn it in at the Bowl-a-Thon event. Is my information secure? Yes. Our online system, Qgiv, uses industry standard SSL encryption techniques to make sure your credit card information, passwords and personal information travel safely over the Internet. Your contact information is only used by Junior Achievement. What if I forget my password? From the login page you may request to have your password sent to your email address on file.
Sample Donor Request Letter Dear Prospective Donor: I wanted to take a moment to tell you about my work with Junior Achievement (JA). They provide vital economic education programs to students that develops their financial literacy, career-readiness and entrepreneurial skills. JA places trained volunteers in classrooms where they teach proven, ageappropriate curriculum to students in local schools. JA volunteers are dedicated individuals who bring a wealth of real-world knowledge to young people. JA volunteers help students learn the connection between education and future success. In these challenging economic times, the education JA provides is increasingly important! JA provides volunteers and programs at no cost to the schools or students that they serve. JA programs are supported by the generosity of businesses, foundations and individuals like me who participate in the annual JA Bowl-a-Thon. Junior Achievement’s Bowl-a-Thon is just around the corner, and I am setting an ambitious personal goal to help them impact 23,100 students this school year. However, I can only accomplish this goal with your help. I am asking for your help by supporting my fundraising efforts as a participant in this year's Bowl-a-Thon fundraiser. Your tax-deductible gift will make a difference in the lives of 23,100 local students! It is fast and easy to support this great cause - you can send your tax-deductible contribution to JA at the address listed below (please include my name with your donation). Or you can visit [Include your personal URL link] to make an online credit card donation. Thank you for your time and support. Every dollar counts! I will keep you posted as I work towards reaching my goal. The gifts of knowledge, inspiration and achievement are the best presents a child could ever receive. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely,
JA Bowl-a-Thon Participant 861.8080 ▲ f: 216.861.2550 ▲ Junior Achievement Attn: Bowl-a-Thon event PO Box 26006, Akron, OH 44319 330-434-1875 For more information, please visit www.jaofnco.ja.org
Participating Companies Allstate Insurance Company Artiflex Manufacturing AVITA Health System Buckeye Container Bucyrus Area Chamber of Commerce Charter One Bank Chase City of Bucyrus Crossroads Original Designs Davey Tree Expert Company Dostal & Kirk, Inc. Ernst & Young, LLP Emerson Process Management ESCO Bucyrus ExxonMobil Chemical Fifth Third Bank Galion-Crestline Chamber of Commerce Giant Eagle Goddard School Huntington National Bank IBTech Keybank Lockheed Martin Main Street Gourmet Mechanics Bank MTD Products Newman Technologies Norton’s Flowers Ohio Mutual Insurance Group Richland Bank Songbird Cleaning Services UTC Aerospace Walmart Wayne Savings Community Bank Will-Burt Company Wise Funeral Service Wooster City School District
