Fundraiser Promotional Guide - Old York Cellars Winery & Vineyard

Congratulations on your custom wine bottle fundraiser with Old York Cellars! Now comes the most important part of your fundraiser…Promoting it!

While this can be intimidating for some, it is a critical part of the success of your fundraiser. That’s why we’ve created the guide to show you HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR FUNDRAISER to help set you up for success this packet will guide you through a variety of communication vehicles, including emails, internet & social media, as well as, events.

Included are instructions for a variety of platforms, a set of images of your bottles, a short video (aka “a reel”) and a press release template. Used together, these tools should help you get the word out.

So let’s get started!

Email Marketing

Send out personalized email announcements to your existing staff, volunteers, supporters, and mailing list.

Include photos of your custom design bottles.
Add links to your fundraiser page on Old York Cellar’s website so that they can purchase your special wine collection.
Include contact information back to your organization for any questions (this can be a phone # or webpage URL for contacting your organization)
Highlight the uniqueness of the charity wines and the impact their purchase will make on the cause.

Social Media (Facebook, X, Instagram, Tiktok, Linkedin)

Social media is a great FREE tool to use to get the word out about your fundraiser.

Research shows people spend on average 2.5 hours a day on a variety of social media platforms (www.statista.com). That’s both good and bad – Good because you can reach a large audience but also Bad because there is so much content on social media your post can easily get buried.

To get the MOST out of your post, make sure you do the following:

Create an exciting hook to have people read further
Add a link to your fundraiser page on oldyorkcellars.com
Use relevant hashtags such as #charity #fundraiser #wine
Tag @oldyorkcellars in all of your posts and other partners, businesses, and supporters
Repost at least once a week with a new image from the OYC press package (images sent to you) or take some photos yourself with the bottles at your location

If you are a social media posting novice check out our Social Media guide – click here: In depth Social Media Guide

So, what should your post look like? Here are two posts that include all the recommendations.

Website:

Make sure everyone knows about your fundraiser who visits your website with a landing page or special section on your home page about your fundraiser.

You can even add a “hero slider” on our main page’s banner that visitors can click on to be redirected to a separate page on your website that has all the information about your fundraiser.

If your website is managed by another company, ask them to set it up for you. Make sure it includes the following:

Photos of the wines
Brief description of the wines (in your press kit)
Link to your fundraiser shop on the Old York Cellar’s website.
Examples of two webpages created on the organization’s own websites to promote their wine collection fundraisers:

Press Releases:

Events:

Hosting events is a great way to promote your fundraiser.

This could be a standalone in person event, or in addition to another event you already planned. For example, host a tasting event.

Invite people in your organization to a social evening to taste the wines and learn about the fundraiser.
Expand the invitation to not just your organization, but to others who are supporters or community leaders.
Use these events as an opportunity to educate attendees about the charity and the importance of their contributions.

If your organization is less local, and more global, we can help you put together a virtual tasting event, led by one of our wine associates.

Events are the best way to showcase the fundraiser if you don’t have much of a presence on social media.

Partnerships and Sponsorships

Get the word out to your community partners.

This can be done with posters or flyers as well as digital posts.

Collaborate with local businesses, and community boards to promote the fundraiser.
Create a flyer to post in windows or boards around your community.
Created a QR code (there are many free QR code makers online) that directs people to your fundraiser page on the Old York Cellars website.

Summary

Remember, consistency is key. Regularly update your audience about the progress of the fundraiser and the impact their contributions are making. By employing a mix of these strategies, you can effectively promote your fundraiser and drive more support for your cause.

PRESS RELEASE TEMPLATE

A press release is a quick and easy way to get the word out through newspapers, news outlets, community groups, etc. that something GREAT is happening at your organization. Typically, you will write a simple description of the event and add 1-2 photos to the submission.

For your fundraiser, we have made it easy by using our Press Release Template –

Download or cut and paste then customize it to reflect your organization and the efforts of your fundraiser. See the sample below, highlighting a previous fundraiser.

SAMPLE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Her ALS Story Launches Wine Collection to Raise ALS Awareness

Her ALS Story partners with Old York Cellars to raise funds for community of women diagnosed with ALS before age 35

RINGOES, NJ: Her ALS Story is excited to announce their new fundraising custom labeled wine collection, a new collaboration with Old York Cellars winery in Ringoes, NJ. Available on bottles of Old York Cellars’ What Exit charitable series of white, red, and blush blend wines. The custom label has been designed to create awareness of ALS and support for the organization which consists of young women living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS is commonly known as a disease that afflicts older men, but Her ALS Story challenges that stereotype with nearly 100 members across the country and globally diagnosed by age 35.

“Our custom label wine collection with Old York Cellars is a great opportunity to show the public that ALS impacts people of all ages, races, ethnicities, and locations. It can truly happen to anyone at any time, ” said President and Founder of Her ALS Story Leah Stavenhagen. “We love that the names of the wines showcase our personality. Living with ALS is serious, but we like to inject humor and believe in living our best lives despite this disease.”

The wine collection has a love theme just in time for Valentine’s Day with names that comically elude some of the issues that come with ALS including muscle weakness, paralysis and an average life expectancy of two to five years. The collection includes Not Dead Yet red, Falling For You blush, and You Make My Knees Weak white. For each bottle sold, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Her ALS Story to continue their mission to educate the public that ALS does not discriminate.

“It is truly an honor for our winery team to be able to work with and help support Her ALS Story with the important work that they are doing to help others with ALS, support research to find a cure for and end ALS,” shared Jennifer Tanner at Old York Cellars winery.

To purchase Her ALS Story wines, visit the winery at 80 Old York Road in Ringoes, or order online at https://shop.oldyorkcellars.com/Her-ALS-Story. Wines ordered online can be picked up at Old York Cellars or shipped to 20 states within the United States.

Established in April 2021, Her ALS Story provides a community for young women with ALS that offers instant connection and support. Sharing personal experiences and knowledge is life-changing and helps to normalize their experiences with ALS. Knowing you’re not alone in this fight is empowering.

The group is growing rapidly, with membership quadrupling in size since launching in 2021. Her ALS Story is accepting new members around the globe on a rolling basis. Membership is free and comes with immediate access to its community through bi-weekly video meetings, ongoing interaction with members through WhatsApp chats, and a variety of virtual and in-person events. Many Her ALS Story members are active ALS advocates participating in conferences, raising funds for research, appearing on local and national news outlets, have published memoirs and have produced or participated in documentaries about ALS.

Together, they use their stories to raise ALS awareness and advocate to deliver better therapies to ALS patients faster, partnering with ALS nonprofits including Project ALS, I AM ALS and ALS TDI to support research and legislative initiatives. They are committed to using the time they have left getting ALS the attention it needs to finally end the disease. For additional information or to contact Her ALS Story please visit their website at www.heralsstory.org.

Nestled in the foothills of the Sourland Mountains in Central New Jersey, Old York Cellars offers a full winery experience. The winery plays host to a variety of wine inspired experiences including Guided Wine Tastings, Wine & Food pairings, Wine & Music, Wine & Comedy Nights, Private Events, Corporate Experiences, their exclusive Vintner’s Club, private wine cabanas and fundraising for not-for-profit organizations. Old York Cellars wines are handcrafted by acclaimed winemaker Scott Gares. Old York Cellars has won numerous medals at a variety of international wine competitions. For additional information about Old York Cellars, call 908-284-9463 or online at https://www.oldyorkcellars.com/.

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For additional information or photos about Her ALS Story please email –

Desiree Kessler, desi.glvz@gmail.com

Leah Stavenhagen, leah.stavenhagen@gmail.com

Michele McKenna, michele.mckenna04@gmail.com

IN-DEPTH SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDE

Before you begin to post make sure you download all assets in your email which include photos, and videos.

How to post an Instagram reel on your profile (Mobile Device)

Download the Video reel sent to you via email
Navigate to the upload screen. Click on the button at the bottom of the screen, then click “Reel.”
Select the video we have provided or the video you have.
Click Next
Then a brief description of the fundraiser
Add the following hashtags #fundraiser #customlabel #wine #charity and any other hashtags you feel will be beneficial to the cause.
Tag @oldyorkcellars and other potential supporters.
When you’re ready to post, click the blue “Share” button on the bottom right of the screen.

Instagram reels are a great way to reach a large new audience.

How to post on Tiktok (Mobile Device)

Download the Video provided on the email
Tap at bottom of the screen.
Upload content from your device Library
Tap Next
In the caption tag @old_york_cellars and give a brief description of the fundraiser
Add the following hashtags #fundraiser #customlabel #wine #charity #fyp and any other you feel will be beneficial to the cause.
Post your video

How to post on Facebook (Desktop)

Download the Video provided on the email
Look for “What’s on your mind” bar
Click, then write a brief description of your fundraiser bottle
Click the green photo icon to add photos of the bottles
Add the following hashtags #fundraiser #customlabel #wine #charity
Tag any relevant pages, then click the blue “Post” button.

Facebook is great to post for events or groups!

Post a Thread (Mobile)

Click at the bottom
Write a brief description of your fundraiser bottle. Or a thought-provoking idea to spark conversation about your fundraiser.
To attach a photo or video to your thread, click
Click Post in the bottom right.

Post on X (Desktop)

Click “what is happening?!” bar
Write a brief description of your fundraiser bottle. Or a thought-provoking idea to spark conversation about your fundraiser.
Click to add photos or video
Post

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