25 Jan 2012 No Comments
Part 3: Share your fundraising page via email
Continuing with our weeklong “Sharing your fundraising page” series, part 3 will focus on email. Our email tool is a great way to communicate directly to your network of family, friends and colleagues. We encourage you to use it to further your fundraising goals.
Utilize your fundraising page email tool
When you create your free FirstGiving fundraising page, you have a lot of tools available for use. One of the most effective is our fundraiser email tool. By logging into your fundraising page account and clicking on the “Your Fundraising” tab, you are given the option to draft and send emails. Start by easily importing your contacts from any email account. Exhaust your contact list and let everyone you care about know what you are doing to help make a difference.
Create some personal text
Though we provide email text templates, we like to think of them as “guidelines.” Try adding your personal touch to connect with your supporters. We’ve created templates for three different instances when you should communicate to your network:
- Asking for donations
- Updating supporters
- Thanking your supporters
Make sure you keep your supporters in the loop and send out an email for these mentioned moments as well as any others you may believe to be important.
Ask your supporters to share your story with their network
Once you have landed in their inboxes, ask for your message to be passed along. A personal connection is key during any fundraising campaign and others are more likely to donate to a person’s cause whom they know through a friend or family member. Sometimes all you have to do is ask.
Here’s an example of a personalized email
“Hi there!
I hope you’re enjoying your Thanksgiving with family, friends and, of course, plenty of good food. In the spirit of the holiday, I wanted express a BIG thank you for your generous donation to Girls on the Run, and give you a quick update on our season:
- It’s almost race day! It’s crazy how quickly this season has flown by. On Saturday, December 3rd, our girls from East Palo Alto Charter School will join 300+ other elementary school girls from the Bay Area at Golden Gate Park for the Lollipop 5K run. The girls got to meet their running buddies last week, and they’re so excited to cross the finish line with them.
- New shoes! Thanks to the GOTR program and lovely donors like you, we were able to present all 12 of our girls with presents yesterday: brand new running shoes! Some of the girls have never owned a pair of running shoes before — one of them has been running in her aunt’s hand-me-down tennis shoes all season — and they were thrilled with the presents.
I’ve attached a picture of the girls and my fellow coaches — if you’re wondering why the girls are wearing pajamas, it’s because we rounded them up for a photo on pajama day :)”
Wasn’t that nice? A personal touch goes a long way.
Photo Courtesy by Cairo 2011
