The Drive For 25

The following is reprinted from the National Nordic Foundation website (www.nccsef.org).

The Drive for 25

What: 4000 American cross country ski enthusiasts backing their nation’s developing skiers on a single day.

When: November 15th, 2011

How: There are two ways to be involved. The most impactful involvement is to become a Drive for 25 Ambassador and get at least ten of your friends to agree to donate on November 15th. Send the email addresses of your friends to us and we will remind them. Or, the simplest way is to log onto http://ccgeneralfund.causevox.com/ and donate $25 on November 15th.

Why: U.S. cross country skiing is in financial trouble. While we have improved from a nation that seldom put a single skier in the top 15 on the World Cup to a nation with World Cup and World Championship podiums we are currently operating at a budget of less than a tenth of our toughest competitors. And more importantly our budget shortfalls are making it impossible for our younger developing athletes to afford the racing opportunities they require to compete among the best. This summer we have faced two rounds of budget cuts and another is looming. This challenge offers the cross country community a chance to pull together and keep the momentum building.

Who: You. NNF, the National Nordic Foundation is stepping up to fill these budget short falls. The NNF depends on you.

Details:

A letter from Matt Whitcomb and Pete Vordenberg:

On November 15th we are going to engage 4,000 members of the U.S. ski community to support our top developing athletes from the J1 to World Cup level. We would like to ask you to be involved in this effort. All of you already donate your time, money and energy to this sport. And that is why we need your help. You are already invested in the success of your athletes and the success of U.S. skiing.

The National Nordic Foundation’s “Drive for 25” on November 15th is a fundraiser based on as many $25 donations possible in a single day.

There are two ways to be involved. One, donate on November 15th at http://ccgeneralfund.causevox.com/ or sign up to become a Drive for 25 Ambassador. To agree to become an ambassador, we need an email from you that requests to be added as a Drive for 25 Ambassador. We’re in need of 400 ambassadors, so please give this a hard look. As an ambassador, you become the make or break link – Not only do we need a $25 donation from you to NNF on November 15th, but we need you to provide us with a list of email addresses of at least 10 individuals also agreeing to donate by November 5th. More than 10 names is highly encouraged, but 10 is the minimum.

The generated email list of donors will be sent a special NNF donation link on November 10th, and reminded again via email on the 14th and 15th, the donation day. The list will then be destroyed. Imagine the impact of 1,000 people donating on a single day. Now imagine 4,000 people, because activating 4,000 donors is our goal. On November 15th, we will all tune in to causevox through www.NCCSEF.org or directly here http://ccgeneralfund.causevox.com/ to watch the community stand up.

You already make a difference. Let’s help others make a difference too. Please join us at a time when money is tight, and life is busy. We have dozens of athletes skiing at a level that demands European racing exposure, but they are stuck in fundraising mud. Let’s help them. Much more than a fundraiser, it is an activation of our entire community. Let it be large.

Thank you. Please email to sign up or with any questions,

Matt and Pete

Matt Whitcomb

mwhitcomb@ussa.org

Peter Vordenberg

pvordenberg@ussa.org