Amherst Survival Center

Helping Neighbors in Need

Hike for Hunger Toolkit

REGISTER FOR HIKE FOR HUNGER

Register as an individual or team here. After you register, you’ll be able to set up a personalized fundraising webpage using PledgeReg. We have created a standard template page for you to use, but you are welcome and encouraged to make it your own. Your webpage allows you to tell others why the Amherst Survival Center’s mission is important to you and why you’re participating in Hike for Hunger.

SET UP YOUR FUNDRAISING PAGE

Log in to your page and customize your photo and message using the username and password you created when you registered. Here are some tips to be effective in your fundraising.

Share a personal story. Why is the Amherst Survival Center important to you? Why are you participating in Hike for Hunger and raising funds to feed our neighbors?

Set up your ask.  If you chose your goal amount for a specific reason, tell people why. Try to relate it back to the cause if possible. If you know what you’re hoping someone will donate, ask for a specific amount. Even if you soften it a bit by adding, “or whatever amount you are able to give,” providing a clear ask helps people know what is appropriate and what you are hoping for.

Thank people in advance for supporting something that’s important to you.

Here are a few examples of an ask to your supporters:

“I’m raising $365. $1 a day to make sure all our neighbors can put food on their table every day. I hope you’ll help me reach this goal.”

“In my #Hike4Hunger, I will be going the distance! I’ll be hiking 19 miles for the 19.6% of Massachusetts residents who were food insecure at the height of the pandemic.”

“Would you consider donating $1, $5, or $10 per mile to help me hit my goal?”

“My goal is to raise $500 to help make nutritious food accessible to everyone in our community.”

SHARE YOUR PAGE WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Share your Hike for Hunger page with your social network.  We recommend sharing your fundraiser far and wide, but often, the people who will make the biggest difference on your page are your family and friends (or anyone who cares about YOU).

You’ll find an email template that you can use, but we recommend personalizing your messages as much as possible.

PROMOTE YOUR PAGE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Share your hiking and fundraising efforts on social media using the sharing links in PledgeReg. Post pictures of your adventures. Use #hike4hunger and tag @amherstsurvival on Facebook and Instagram.

TRACK YOUR FUNDRAISING PROGRESS

The webpage will track your fundraising progress towards the goal you set. When people make gifts online using your unique fundraising link, their gifts will be reflected on your page’s fundraising progress bar. You’re also able to manually add donations that you receive by cash or check on PledgeReg from the Manage My Fundraising Menu. You will be prompted to enter the donor’s information, the total of the donation, and how you will get the donation to the ASC. Any manual donations participants add will be reflected in the event total as well as on your personal fundraising page.

LOG YOUR MILES

You can log your miles during the month of October using Strava or by manually adding them. Navigate to the event registration page, click on “Enter Data” from the menu, and follow the prompts. You will receive weekly prompts to enter this information. If you run into difficulty, you can find further instructions here or email lisa@amherstsurvival.org. Tracking this information is entirely optional, but is required to compete for prizes in these categories.

 SUBMIT A PHOTO

We would love to see your photos from your hiking adventures, and you could win a prize for Best Hike for Hunger photo. All photos should contain hikers doing their thing — either on a trail or with scenic surroundings. You can submit your photos by emailing your entry to lisa@amherstsurvival.org by October 29th.

At the end of October, we’ll post 5 finalists on the Amherst Survival Center’s Facebook page. Followers of the page will vote for the winner!

WIN PRIZES!

Prizes are awarded to leaders in different categories – such as number of miles hiked, amount of money raised, best team photo, and number of donors. See Prizes and Leaderboard for prize categories and a list of prizes for 2021.