Decathlon 2015 is just a few short months away, and while we know you’re hard at work training to crush your athletic goals, it's equally important to make sure that we all crush our fundraising goals this year, as raising money for cancer research is what being a member of the Decathlon community is all about.

To help Decathletes hit their fundraising goals and/or join the $10k club, we're highlighting five ways to fundraise more effectively today. 

1. Use Social Media: You have hundreds of friends, friends of friends, coworkers, and people you’ve only met once, yet are still “friends” with, on Facebook, Instagram, and maybe even Twitter. Now is the time to leverage those numbers! Share your fundraising goals on social media, and share them often -- you’ve witnessed enough sonogram photos and “weight loss” updates to know that oversharing is normal on any news feed. Explain what you are raising money for, along with why the cause is important to you to better connect with your audience. 

2. Share Training Updates: Share your training progress with potential donors so they understand the work, time and effort that is going towards your goal. Not only will they understand that you are truly dedicated and serious about your fundraising goals, but they may be so impressed with your determination that they might be inclined to donate even more—or share your story with other potential donors.

3. Have An Incentive: We wouldn’t call this a bribe, per se, but giving potential donors an incentive to donate could go a long way. This is easy in the age of Facebook and social media. Offer to post a funny video of yourself online once you fundraise a certain amount of money, or share an embarrassing childhood photo with every donor. Have some fun with this - it won't hurt.

4.  Leverage CharityBetting: A unique and exciting way to fundraise effectively and help you reach your athletic goals at the same time. A CharityBet is a performance-based donation, where the final amount of the donation is impacted by whether or not Decathletes reach their goals. Donors place a pledge on a Decathlete's personal goal in one event. If that goal is reached, the pledge amount goes up. That means if a donor places a pledge on your goal to do 15 pull-ups, that pledge increases if you can actually do 15 pull-ups.  This not only makes the competition more exciting for both athletes and donors, it also incentivizes Decathletes to train harder and perform their best. Plus, it as rewards their fundraising goals as they conquer their athletic feats, meaning more money for pediatric cancer research. Everybody wins!

5. Say Thank You: Make sure to thank your donors, whether through public social media shoutouts or with a personalized card. Not only will they know that you appreciate their efforts, but they may be so inclined to donate again, or encourage their friends and family to mimic their actions. Plus, it's just plain nice. 

What ways do you effectively fundraise? Comment and let us know.