Launching a Crowdfunding Campaign is a bit daunting for so
many reasons. For me, however, the
biggest challenge, plain and simple, was the sheer fact that we would be asking
for donations. Asking for anything is
particularly hard for me unless it is for a donation to a charity that I
believe in, and this was a little different.
Although City Fitness is a community, we are also a business, and we are
asking people to show their support for it by making donations.
Before we even launched our campaign, the first step I had
to take was going out into the Cleveland Park Community to ask for donations
from our area merchants. As part of our
Crowdfunding Campaign, we wanted to offer “perks” for anyone that made a
financial donation. For example, if you
donate $50.00 you will receive a 20% discount from an area merchant. In the past, we have received tremendous
support from these businesses when we hold our annual Fitness Fiesta
Fundraisers to support various non-profit charities, such as Girls On The Run
DC. This time, we are asking them to
support our business. These are other
small businesses, like us, struggling to keep afloat.
My first stop was Weygandt Wines, our downstairs neighbor in
the Park-n-Shop. Without hesitation,
they agreed to offer a 20% discount on any wine purchases. I was met with success again and again right
in our own center with Ibhana’s, the new woman’s clothing shop that just opened,
Parcel Plus DC and Paragon Thai. From
that point on, I would say that 99% of the merchants that I approached readily
agreed to very generous “perks” - discounts on services, discounts on meals,
free eye exams – it was simply unbelievable.
Our own trainers offered discounts on their training packages. A member offered a discount on acupuncture
and our staff massage therapist offered a discount on massages. In less than
two days, we accumulated so many perks that the Indiegogo site could not handle
the volume. We had to combine some of
the perks to fit into the site’s template to fit them all!
This was just the beginning of my being overwhelmed with the
amount of generosity shown. We launched
the campaign and as of right now we are almost at 50% of our goal. We received two very generous donations of
$1,000.00 and another of $500.00.
Unbelievable. Many of the women
who are students of mine at our corporate site, the US Supreme Court, who do
not even and will probably never come to City Fitness Gym donated. We had one member who is struggling
financially and offered to help in any other way than with a monetary donation
and then ended up donating anyways!
Another member not only donated, but is offering to buy a drink to the
first 25 folks that show up to our public Crowdfunding event, the date and
location to be determined.
I understand the expression, “my cup runneth over”. It is with a very full and grateful heart
that I offer my deepest thanks to everyone that has participated so far. It does indeed take a village to create and
continue our special City Fitness community.
