First Steps
Follow these first steps to set up your campaign and begin fundraising:
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- Create your page. Your Participant Center is your fundraising base where you’ll customize your homepage, share your story, send emails, and access fundraising tools. Log in with the username and password from your Welcome email.
- Raise the bar. We recommend setting your goal above $3,000 (how does $10,000 sound?). Many of our Cyclists find it much easier to exceed the minimum than they expect.
- Lead the pack. Make a self-donation to show how invested you are in this journey. Ask others to match it. This proven method really helps get the ball rolling.
Make your first ask! Post on social media, email your BFF, call your mom—tell the world what you’re trying to accomplish. People will be blown away by what you’re about to do, and want to support you.
Pro-tip: Download our app! Our mobile app allows you to unlock discounts with our Community Partners, send fundraising emails, and thank your donors. Available on both iPhone and Android, search for “AIDS/LifeCycle” in the app store.
Matching Gifts
Want to double your donations? Don’t miss out on the easy money to be raised through donor matching opportunities.
How does it work? It’s easy! Ask your donors to contact their employer’s Human Resources departments to find out if their company matches charitable donations, and to get specific applications and instructions. Most companies match their employee’s contributions dollar for dollar. Some companies double the contribution!
Waiting on a match going into the Ride? No problem. Donor Services will provide preliminary credit for approved pending matching gifts with the following documentation provided:
- Email, letter or web page from the matching gift company indicating: the amount that will be matched, company name/logo, and the participant name that the matching gift is approved to be payed
AIDS/LifeCycle 2016’s most lucrative Matching Gifts came from the following employers:
- 1. Google (Google Matching Gift Program)
- 2. Bank of America / Merril Lynch (Bank of America Matching Gift Program)
- 3. Salesforce (The Salesforce.com Foundation)
- 4. Apple (Apple Matching Gift Program)
- 5. Walt Disney (Walt Disney Company Foundation)
- 6. Chevron (Chevron Humankind)
- 7. Genentech (Genentech Employee Giving Program)
- 8. Visa International
- 9. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (or Microsoft)
- 10. Walmart Foundation
10K Club
Set your goal to $10,000 or more and you’re in!
The 10K Club consists of individual Cyclists, Roadies and Virtual Cyclists who have set their goals at $10K or above for AIDS/LifeCycle 2018.
In 2017, 273 participants achieved $10k or higher. Of the $15.1 million raised, this elite group is credited with raising $4.18 million (28%) of that staggering number. By keeping the cost of fundraising low, San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center will receive more funds for their HIV/AIDS related services. You make seeing an end to AIDS possible.
Membership Benefits
- Access to FREE, personalized business cards to help you network and fundraise. Fill out our form (to be released in Jul/Aug for the 2019 season!) and we’ll take care of the rest!
- Invitations to our Fall 10K Parties (San Francisco – 11/2, Los Angeles – 11/7.)
- A seat at our Leadership Celebration, in March of 2018.
- Special tours of San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center.
What will your 10K do for HIV/AIDS?
- Offer substance use counseling services for more than 250 clients in one month.
- Help HIV-positive persons receive safe and stable housing situations for one month.
- Deliver enough Rapid HIV Antibody tests to test 400 people at Magnet, and other foundation sites.
- Ensures case management for HIV-positive clients who are homeless or at-risk for homelessness.
- Provides 60,000 syringes through Syringe Access Services.
Ready to join? Set your goal to at least 10K, order your cards, and announce on social media how raising 10K will make a positive difference in the lives of many.
Using the AIDS/LifeCycle App
Download our app! Our mobile app allows you to unlock discounts with our Community Partners, send fundraising emails, and thank you donors. It also has some awesome text message features that allow you to quickly send out your donation link – making your job as a fundraiser a lot easier. Texting + fundraising link = donations!
Simply follow these steps:
- Download the AIDS/LifeCycle app from the App Store (available for Androids and iPhones).
- Open the app and login with the same username and password you’d use to log into your Participant Center.
- Click the arrow icon to open the apps messaging page.
- Choose one of the five editable blurbs to send. Each template includes a short blurb and a direct link to your fundraising page. The link will look different, but will take your donors to your page!
- Select the messaging icon on the left which will open your phone’s native messaging app.
- From there, you can enter a contact from your phone, or start a group text by choosing multiple contacts, which is a great way to send to several people (and will likely start a donation trend among the group!)
- Finally, hit send, sit back, and watch the donations come in!
Virtual Cyclists
Virtual Cyclists are amazing members of our community who fundraise along with the rest of us, even though they can’t join us for the week-long ride in June.
Virtual Cyclists are:
- People who are unable to take a week off because or work or life conflicts, including injuries;
- People who don’t have time to commit to fully training for the event;
- People who face a physical challenge that makes it difficult to Ride or Roadie;
- People who just want to support by fundraising.
Virtual Cyclists attend training rides, outreach and social events, earn fundraising thank-you gifts, cycle and fundraise as part of a team, and take part in the 10K Club! They do everything but take a week off to Ride or Roadie.
By registering as a Virtual Cyclist, you’ll receive the same fundraising tools as Cyclists and Roadies – your own customized fundraising web page, a Participant Center to email your friends and send them thank you notes, and the support of one of our Cyclist Representatives. Best of all, you’ll be raising funds to support life-saving and life-changing services for those living with HIV/AIDS and raising awareness about HIV/AIDS in your area.
Thank You Gifts
Hit fundraising milestones throughout the year and receive one of our fabulous thank you gifts! Not only will you increase
your AIDS/LifeCycle wardrobe, but help San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center grow closer to ending
AIDS by providing services free of charge year round.
Be sure to check back often – our thank you gifts are released throughout the season!
