2008 was our first season racing as a team, we have set goals and learned a lot along the way. Honestly, we are much further along than we thought we would be after only one year. Now the bar has been raised and it's up to us to keep the momentum moving forward. We want to keep everyone informed on the progress the team looks to make during the off-season.
There are several things that will need to be worked out this year. A couple take priority...
- Gaining the federal 501(c)3 non-profit status
- Setting the race calendar for 2009
Both of these will need to be completed in order to come up with a budget for expenses. As everyone knows, traveling out of state is not going to be cheap. We will need the 501(c)3 status in order to to be eligible for sponsorship cash donations. Still, we think it will take 6-8 months to gain the federal non-profit recognition, so there will not be much help here this coming summer. We would like to set a travel schedule based on contacts we have with people in other states and the quality of race in that location. Please keep out-of-state friends and family in mind, if they could help us with lodging or travel.
Fundraising - Ideas or activities are something else that we are thinking about. Talks have been in the works about hosting our own cycling or triathlon event. More information on this will be coming as it's available. We may need volunteers to work an event.
Sponsorships - We have been in contact with a couple companies... including a new one. Clif Bar, they stated that we need to be recognized as a federal non-profit in order to donate money. Again, if you can think of a company that could help us out, please let us know. We have proposal packages that we could get to you.
Marketing - We are working on improving our image at each race. Designs for new posters and additional team banners are being looked at.
Training - Look for exciting news about our off-season training. I know that doesn't sound that exciting, but we have some great possibilities. As soon as we can get you more information on that...we will. If you would like to train with us this winter, please reply to this email. We would like to setup a group training schedule with anyone that is interested.
Recognition - The main goal and focus of this team will always be to raise awareness for organ and tissue donation. Gift of Life Michigan has posted this to their website, recognizing TRI for Life as a Shining Star.
http://www.giftoflifemichigan.org/how-you-can-help/donor-family-services/shining-star.htm
Overall, the donor awareness has gone incredibly well. I think that every member or volunteer of this team can tell a story about impacting someone's life by educating them about transplantation. We have signed up several people to donor registries in Michigan and in Illinois. Next year, we will be spreading our message farther and wider
