Where Can You Add Extra Sprinkles to Your Service?

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/33404001@N03/

Last weekend, the Hiawatha Fire Department kicked off its MDA Fill the Boot drive in advance of Labor Day Weekend to give volunteers who travel over the holiday an additional chance to contribute to the campaign. 

On that Friday night, three Hiawatha Fire members, Jake Hatch, Josh Holland and Eric Hoover broke a volunteer value record by bringing in $250 for MDA for each hour they volunteered at the Boyson and Robins intersection in Hiawatha. 

By the second shift on Saturday, the intersection volunteers looked they could use a little pick-me-up. Queue Culver's in Hiawatha.  It was peanut butter frozen custard day Saturday! A casual conversation with the Culver's staff yielded the information that the custard was headed for the dedicated MDA volunteers.

When the cups of custard were prepared, Culver's had added extra peanut butter sprinkles to the top of each two-scoop cup. They delivered the extra sprinkles with the widest possible smile and asked that their appreciation be passed on to the volunteers.


The smiles on the volunteers' faces were equally wide when they were surprised with the custard and the "extra sprinkles" and good wishes from the staff at Culver's.  This simple gesture had tremendous impact on a demanding weekend for the campaign volunteers.


As you look towards the rest of 2011, what can you start doing today to add "extra sprinkles" to the emergency response experience for your fellow members, your patients and your community? Share your ideas and thoughts in the comments section below.
 
If you're interested in more information the strong connection between MDA and the Fire Service (both volunteer and career), click here. 


If you're interested in more information on how you might make a difference for people impacted by more than 40  debilitating muscular diseases during the 2011 Labor Day Telethon being broadcast tonight, click here.

As Labor Day Approaches, Work Your MDA Story Into Your Donor Communications

The history between MDA and the Fire Service is decades long and strong.  With Labor Day approaching, thousands of volunteers connected to many fire departments across the country will be a part of the annual Fill the Boot campaign. 

The Hiawatha Fire Fill the Boot campaign has raised $37,500 for medical research, equipment loans, support groups for those impacted with neuromuscular diseases since 2007.  Each hour volunteered at city intersections and store fronts results in more than $100 collected for local MDA efforts.

Instead of the traditional sticker acknowledging the donation, consider how you might replace that sticker with a business card. Perhaps that business card would link to an online video that tells the personal connections your department.

Which do you think your donors will remember - a personal story of the impact of their gift, or the sticker?

The above example of such an MDA message was created using the video function of a cell phone camera. From initial recording through website upload, less than 15 minutes elapsed.

What works well for your department in terms of MDA fundraising?

How might you apply this MDA story lesson to your department's year-round fundraising efforts?