It is the mission of the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) to provide opportunities and support to people with physical disabilities so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness and competitive athletics. The Challenged Athletes Foundation believes that involvement in sports at any level increases self-esteem, encourages independence, and enhances quality of life

We want your CAF fundraising experience to be fun, easy and rewarding. That is why we put together the following fundraising tips, tricks and best practices that will help get your fundraiser off the ground. Click on the button to be taken to that section or scroll down to view all.

CAF Logo

How to save the image:

1. Put the mouse arrow over the image
2. Click and hold (Mac) or right mouse click (PC) on the image until a dialog box appears.
3. Select "Save this image as" or "Save picture as"
4. A box pops up asking you where you want to save the image to. Navigate to the folder in which you want to save the image.
5. If you are using a Mac, also make sure that the name you choose ends in .jpg (if you are using a PC it will automatically insert this extension for you).
6. Click on the "save" button.

Matching Gifts

What are matching gifts?

Many companies match charitable donations made by their employees. This is a great way to double - or even triple - your gift to Challenged Athletes Foundation!

How can I get a matching gift?

You will have to contact your Human Resources department directly to see if your company matches charitable gifts. If your company matches gifts, please follow instructions your employer provides.

You can find more details on our Matching Gifts page online. For more questions, contact our finance team at match@challengedathletes.org or 858-210-3510.

Check / Cash Donations

Donors can donate via check and cash too! Download and print our offline donation form to include with your donations.

For donations without our offline donation form, please make sure to include the Fundraiser Name & Event in the memo line of the check or with the cash in order to credit your fundraising page.

Please make checks payable to:
Challenged Athletes Foundation

Please send donations to:
Challenged Athletes Foundation
Attn: Finance Dept
9591 Waples St
San Diego, CA 92121

CAF Fast Facts

About CAF

• The Challenged Athletes Foundation® (CAF) is a unique nonprofit organization that helps people with physical disabilities live full, active lives through participation in sports and an active lifestyle.
• The expensive cost of adaptive sports equipment can be an obstacle that keeps people with physical disabilities on the sidelines.
• Most medical insurance does not cover adaptive sports equipment; they deem these “luxury” items. CAF believes sport is a right and works to overcome this economic barrier.
• CAF creates opportunities for community and mentorship so that people can learn from those that have gone before them and can also be inspired to set new athletic goals.
• In an Olympic/Para-Olympic Year, CAF will have supported 40%-50% of Team USA Athletes in their athletic journey.
• CAF’s global partners include global prosthetics partner Össur, Nike, YMCA, Smoothie King, Accenture Toyota, EoS Fitness, and J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation.

CAF Beliefs

• Participation in sports at any level increases self-esteem, encourages independence and enhances quality of life.
• Sports and an active lifestyle are a springboard to success in life.
• Sports and an active lifestyle should be accessible to everyone.

How CAF serves people with physical disabilities

• Grants to individuals for sport related expenses not covered by insurance - adaptive sports equipment like prosthetic running feet, handcycles and sport wheelchairs. Travel, training and competition expenses.
• Camps & clinics – running & mobility, para-triathlon, swimming, adaptive cycling, wheelchair basketball, sit volleyball and more.
• Support for veterans through our Operation Rebound program.
• Mentorship & community to empower individuals, strengthen communities and create new opportunities for all.

What It All Costs

$30,000 = a pair of specialized Össur running prostheses

$10,000 = arm prosthetics and adaptations (power-lifting, cycling)

$5,000 = a Handcycle

$4,000 = a racing wheelchair

$3,500 = a basketball wheelchair

How to Raise $500 in 10 days

The key to success is simple - you just need to ask! Tell your friends, family, and colleagues why you want to help CAF work towards greater inclusion and empower challenged athletes to achieve more and inspire them to donate.

DAY 1
Set up your fundraising page in your Fundraiser Portal. Your registration fee counts as your first donation. If you didn't have a registration fee, make your own donation to really kick things off and demonstrate your commitment to the mission.

DAY 2
Get social! Make sure you connect your fundraiser to Facebook in your Fundraiser Portal. This will automatically share your page to your Facebook network. Once you get the word out, you’ll be surprised at who will support you- a high school friend, a college roommate, or a former co-worker.

DAY 3
Ask three family members to donate $25 or more.

DAY 4
Hit up 5 friends to donate $20 each. Your Fundraiser Portal is a great resource for sample fundraising messages that you can use if you need some help asking for support.

DAY 5
Ask a business that you regularly frequent to donate $25. Whether it’s your favorite restaurant, your hair stylist, your pharmacy - or all of the above - it never hurts to ask.

DAY 6
Ask five co-workers to donate $20 each.

DAY 7
Speaking of your employer, see if your company offers a matching gift program to really drive up your donations.

DAY 8
Choose five people from your gym, your child’s school, or local community group and ask for a donation of $10 each.

DAY 9
Ask someone whose cause you have supported for $25 or more. That’s the beauty of giving!

DAY 10
Send a fun update to everyone you’ve reached out to who has yet to donate. Sharing your progress toward your goal will help remind them to show their support.

Tell Your Story

Did you know that sharing your personal story can be the most powerful way to really connect with potential donors?

Here are some tips for sharing your connection to CAF:

• Be authentic. Your friends and family will want to support you in reaching your goal for a cause that you care about.
• Keep your messages short and to the point
• Use different communication tools. Don't just depend on social media or email, use texts and phone calls too.
• Make sure your fundraising page shares why you are raising money for CAF
• A picture goes a long way. Make use of the athlete stories to share their photos and videos.

Team-building Tips

When people come together to support a cause they believe in, the results can be a real gamechanger. That’s why it’s so important to inspire others to make a real impact by helping CAF create a world where people with physical challenges are provided opportunity and access to sports and physical activity. No matter how big or small you envision your fundraising campaign, here are some tips to help you invite your friends, family and co-workers to join you.

How to recruit team members

• Update your team page with information about why it’s important to you to fundraise for CAF
• Think about what you’d like to raise as a team and how much you believe each person can fundraise towards that team goal. This can help you determine how many team members you would like to recruit.
• Start building a list of people you’d like to ask to join your team.Think of all your family members and close friends as your starting team. Then build out from there to include co-workers, neighbors, and friends of friends. Be sure to include members of any groups you are a part of such as a parent-teacher association, sports team, book club or gym.
• Encourage your team members to invite their friends and family to take part too.

Keep your team engaged

• Plan a team/campaign kickoff to get everyone excited. You can share fundraising tips, give team members the chance get acquainted, and have some fun together socializing! It’s also a great opportunity to educate people who don’t have a direct connection to CAF.
• Create some friendly competition by recognizing team members for things like most funds raised, best recruiter, or greatest team spirit.
• Share regular fundraising progress updates with your team so they can see the impact of their efforts towards the team fundraising goal. It can be as simple as celebrating when your team hits a fundraising milestone or giving shout outs to new team members. That way, those who have yet to join you will want to get in on the excitement! Share these updates with people who have not registered for your team yet too. They can act as a friendly reminder to register and help continue to build your team.