The Michael J. Fox Foundation's unconvential path to fundraising success

By Cheryl P. Rose and Margaret Battistelli

MJFF's fastest-growing revenue stream and the "heart and soul of the foundation," Kelly explains, is its community fundraising arm, Team Fox, which has brought in $13 million since 2006. It's made up of local fundraisers — most of whom are part of the Parkinson's community — who run marathons or host events to raise money on the foundation's behalf. For its part, MJFF provides Team Fox members with tools to facilitate their fundraising, including mentors, and information on how to ask for money, set up personal fundraising websites and organize public relations efforts — "anything we can do to assist in the planning without doing it ourselves," she says.