Pitch In For Baseball

Bar / Bat Mitzvah Guide

Dear Bar / Bat Mitzvah candidate, Welcome to the Pitch In For Baseball team! Over the past five years, Bar and Bat Mitzvah students have been the driving force behind our equipment collections, and it is because of YOUR involvement that we were able to donate equipment to 500,000 children in underserved communities in nearly every state in the USA and over 80 countries worldwide. Ultimately, how you decide to run your Mitzvah project is entirely up to you. There is not one standard way of doing things and we encourage you to get creative and make this project personal and meaningful! While how you run and organize your collections is entirely up to you, we have included some resources and suggestions that you may find beneficial. To get started:

1. Register your project on the PIFB website (www.pifb.org/html/submit.html). Make sure to share your Mitzvah date.

2. Contact us with any questions. We’re here to support you!

3. Start a Fundraiser. Some people may not have equipment but want to support you.

Checks can be made out to Pitch In For Baseball. OR,

You can create a fundraising page through PIFB’s website. You can personalize your page with a special message and even a picture. This page will track your donations, your progress, and send immediate thank you’s to your supporters.

4. Download materials to help with your project from PIFB’s website.

5. Run your collection and/or Fundraiser

6. Ship or deliver equipment to PIFB. We always prefer that you come visit us so we get a chance to meet you. Ship-ping costs are tax deductible.

7. Share your story and a photo so we can recognize and thank you! If you have any questions or just want to brainstorm ideas, please call us! Best of luck! The Pitch In For Baseball Team (David, Meredith, and Steve)

FUNDRAISING

Fundraising for Pitch In For Baseball is a critical element to our organization as receiving funds allows us to store

and ship equipment for potential recipients and to buy more equipment as needed. Through your own person-

al fundraising webpage, you will be able to broadcast your project to friends and family! Here are some tips to

setting up your personal Pitch In For Baseball fundraising webpage:

1) Go to www.pifb.org

2) Click on “Start a Fundraiser”, the fourth button on the left hand side of the screen. This will bring you to the

PIFB fundraising webpage through our partner, Crowdrise.

3) Click Set Up Your Fundraiser.

4) Click Start Your Own Fundraiser (do not click Join a Team) and complete all required fields

5) Upload a profile/fundraising video or photo

6) Either Sign In or Sign Up for a Crowdrise Account

7) To make changes to your fundraiser:

Tip: adding a goal will track your pro-gress on a thermometer on the page Note: donor names will be listed on

Tip: if you want to add pics of PIFB projects, contact meredithk@pifb.org.

For videos, you can link videos from PIFB’s youtube page:

This section is optional but can be a helpful tool, if you need to track volunteer hours and mileage for travel.

If a group is fundraising, each member can create their own pages. Dona-tions count towards the larger total..

Check the bottom box if you don’t want any donor names to show.

Copy and paste the link to include in emails to invite friends and family to support you. Or share on Facebook.

When friends and family give you donations by check, you can enter the gifts here so they still count toward your totals and show up on your page for recognition.

Use this tool to send a thank you to all of your supporters. PIFB will send formal acknowledgements for tax purposes but this is a way for you to say a personal Thank You.

RUNNING AN EQUIPMENT COLLECTION

The more gear we have, the more kids we can help play ball each year. We are grateful to you for choosing to collect gear for us. Here are some ways to make your equipment collection event and even bigger success. We have a number of resources on our website that will help you in organizing your collection drive. On our homepage, go to the Collection Drive Toolkit under the How to Help tab. Here are some steps that will help you run a successful equipment collection drive:

1. Print up and display posters throughout your area at least four weeks before your collection.

2. Ask local baseball teams and their coaches to participate, especially by getting the word out.

3. Partner with elementary and middle schools in your community to increase the impact of your collection event. Ask to put collection bins in the school and have your event included in the daily announcements.

4. Alert youth sports/Little League associations in your community and ask them to let their membership know about the collection

5. Contact sporting good stores in your community for potential donations of equipment or money (New baseballs or gloves would be accepted).

6. Ask banks, grocery stores, synagogues, etc. to hold collection events or to place collection bins on their sites.

7. Contact your community newspapers’ and radio stations’ local news editors and community calendars to publicize your event.

8. Encourage donors to include a $1.00 donation for every item donated to cover the shipping costs

9. Collect gear at your Bar/Bat Mitzvah.

FAQ’s

Q: Who is Pitch In For Baseball? A: Pitch In For Baseball (PIFB) is a registered 501(c)(3) global nonprofit that helps grow youth baseball. PIFB is the

official equipment partner for Little League International, Los Angeles Dodgers, Mattingly Charities, USA Baseball, and MLB’s RBI program.

Q: Why Israel? A: PIFB’s Executive Director is of the Jewish faith and believes in creating opportunities for Israeli kids. Q: What can I do to help? A: 80% of the equipment we have available to give away comes from kids just like you. You can Pitch In by

running a collection, giving money, and telling your friends about us. Q: What Equipment do you accept? A: Although we accept most equipment, the things we need the most are: ● Larger Gloves 11”+ (RH/LH) ● Catcher’s Mitts ● BBCOR Bats ● Baseballs and 12 inch softballs

Q: Can I partner with someone to run my PIFB project? A: Absolutely! We find that it can be an extremely meaningful experience when working with a partner. Pick a

friend, classmate, sibling, and put your minds together to create a fun and meaningful Mitzvah project! Q: How will financial contributions be used to help baseball in Israel? A: Gifts designated for Israel projects are used to purchase equipment necessary to fulfill requests and assist

with shipping costs. Make checks out to Pitch In For Baseball or visit our website to make a gift online. Q: How does the equipment get to Israel? A: PIFB completes at least one project in Israel each year. Donations get set aside and are combined with other

equipment requested from IAB. Q: Can I request where the equipment donation ends up? A: We will do our best to honor your request of placing your equipment, however it is important to keep in

mind that the type of equipment collected and age group of the program might not match where you would like it to be sent.

Q: Can I learn more about who my gift is supporting? A: Yes. Make sure to give us your email address so we can give you updates. We also have a new Track Your

Glove program where we let you know when your glove leaves our warehouse. Q: Are donations to PIFB tax deductible? A: PIFB is a registered 501(c )(3), EIN #86-1141299.

Contact us with any additional questions!