Field Guide YMCA Community Campaign with Online Peer to Peer Fundraising Tool 4 Rules of Fundraising 1. Effective fundraising is direct and personal. 2. People give because they are asked and shown how to give. 3. 20% of your donors will provide 80% of your funds. 4. A good fundraiser always follows up. 5 Rules of Online Fundraising Please see above! An online peer to peer fundraising tool is not a substitute for directly and personally engaging your potential supporters. Rather, if used properly, it can help you to do so more effectively by creating a relevant platform for you to to share your story and invite support for a cause you are passionate about. Raising money with an online peer to peer fundraising tool Always start with the people in your life who are most likely to support your cause. We will call these people your Top Prospects. So who is a top prospect? They are: 1. People who are close to you, support you and who are able to give. 2. People you know who care deeply about the YMCA and are able to give.
You can reach your fundraising goal in six weeks. See below for sample emails and social media posts. Week Email Activity Social Media Activity 1 Send personal emails to your top prospects. 2 Follow up with top prospects. Secure as much support as you can from top prospects before you reach out to others. Share your story & invite people to learn more about the Y and your fundraising journey.tag & Thank your new supporters. Share a video or blog post from the Y s website. 3 Mass email solicitation. Identify how much support you ve secured and how close you are to your goal. Invite people to help you get to your goal. Report on your fundraising progress. Tag & Thank your new supporters. Share more of your story. 4 Email supporters and prospects a status update. Let them know how far you ve come. Invite them to share your cause on social media. Report on your fundraising progress. Tag & Thank you new supporters. Share some new insights into the mission of the YMCA.
5 Last chance to give email. Identify your deadline and what you need to reach your goal. 6 You ve reached your goal! Be sure to send an email to your supporters and thank them. At this point you can use social media to ask for those final gifts. But create some parameters around your post. I need 3 friends to make a $10 gift in the next hour!. Celebrate your success and the impact it will have on the YMCA! Social Media Do s & Dont s, from StayClassy.org blog post The Art of Social Fundraising. Don t Directly Ask for Gifts Hey everybody. I m fundraising for the YMCA, a really great cause. Please consider making a donation to help me reach my goal. If you make an appeal for donations to your 500 friends on Facebook, it s easy for each individual friend to ignore the request because they assume that one of the other 499 people will help you out. Direct asks have a place in social fundraising,but to be effective, they need to be integrated into other, more effective, strategies. Do Share Your Story In lieu of the blanket solicitation, introduce your fundraising campaign by sharing your story and why you believe in the cause. Example: I m proudly raising funds for the YMCA because it supports me in my journey towards health. Please take a moment and learn about the Y s important mission. Do Do Tag & Thank Start with direct email appeals to your top prospects to secure your initial donations. Tag and thank each donor on Facebook or Twitter. This approach informs people you are raising money, it leverages your success, and it inspires your friends to join in. Example: Thanks for the generous support of Joe Smith, now I m even closer to reaching my $500 goal to support the YMCA! Report on your fundraising progress When people tune into your regular progress updates, on some level they begin to follow your fundraising story. They become more interested in your success or failure. Instead of repeatedly asking them for money, you are documenting your progress for those involved in your life to see. Framing things this way helps people feel connected to your efforts and can lead people who wouldn t otherwise contribute to get involved. Example: I just reached $150! The YMCA is now stronger because of my generous friends. Example: Wow! In the last hour four people made a gift to the YMCA. Thanks Carolyn, Jenny, Steve, and Joe!
Sample Emails Week 1 Be bold and ask for support! Remember: A top prospect should always receive personalized and individual messages. Don t send a mass email to a top prospect. Subject: I Need Your Help to Strengthen Our Community Dear Sue, I hope this message finds you well. I am raising support for a cause that is very important to me, the YMCA. I want to invite you to join me in supporting this cause by making a gift. I support the YMCA because it is strengthening our community through developing strong children and teens, improving the health of families, and encouraging social responsibility. The YMCA has impacted my own life by ( insert personal story here: I.e. being a safe and encouraging place for my kids to be after school). Because I believe in the mission of the YMCA I started my fundraising campaign by making a personal donation. I now want to raise even more support by sharing this great cause with my friends and family. Please take a couple of minutes and visit my fundraising page to learn more about the mission of the YMCA. My goal is to raise $ by. In order to reach my goal I hope to raise $ by the end of this week. I hope you will support this great cause and make a donation. I know your gift will change a life through the work of the YMCA. Warmly, Week 2 Always remember to follow up, people need reminders! No response doesn t mean no. Remember: A top prospect should always receive personalized and individual messages. Don t send a mass email to a top prospect. Subject: A Friendly Reminder : ) Help Me Strengthen Our Community Dear Sue, Its me again! I am happy to report I ve raised $ for the YMCA. I am on track to reach my goal of $. If you haven t already, please take a moment to visit my fundraising page. If you are able, please consider joining me in supporting the YMCA. The YMCA is so important to our community because it provides a positive environment for children and families to grow strong in mind and body. The YMCA also promises to never turn a family away due to an inability to pay. Our support ensures this promise is fulfilled every day. Warmly,
Throughout Campaign Gift Acknowledgment Remember to personally thank your donors within 24 hours. Subject: Thank you for your generous support! Dear Sue, Thank you for generously supporting the YMCA by making a gift. Your contribution will make a positive impact on our community. Everytime I visit the YMCA I am reminded of the importance of this cause. Thank you for supporting me in my fundraising journey. It means so much to me that you would help me in this way. You can continue to support my efforts by tracking my progress on my fundraising page. Be sure to click the like button and let others know that you support the YMCA. If it is ok with you, I would like to publicly thank you on Facebook. It will honor you and help me spread the word. Again, thank you so much for supporting the YMCA! With Gratitude, Week 3 Broaden your appeal after you ve received gifts from your top prospects Subject: I Need Your Help to Strengthen our Community Dear Friends, I am raising support for a cause that is very important to me, the YMCA. I invite you to join me in supporting this cause by making a gift today. I support the YMCA because it is strengthening our community through developing strong children and teens, improving the health of families, and encouraging social responsibility. The YMCA has impacted my own life by ( insert personal story here: I.e. being a safe and encouraging place for my kids to be after school). Starting with a personal donation and several other generous gifts I ve already raised $ towards my goal of $. I invite you to take a few minutes and visit my fundraising page to learn more about the incredible mission of the YMCA. I hope you will join me in strengthening our community by making a gift yourself. Also, don t forget to like my page via Facebook Help me spread the word! Warmly, Week 4 Status Update Keep people involved in your fundraising journey. It will deepen their investment to your cause. Consider sending a weekly status update.
Subject: I m Making Progress Almost to my goal! Dear Family & Friends, Wow I am so encouraged by the many generous gifts to the YMCA! I am happy to report that I have raised $ that will go directly to strengthening our community. With days to go I am now $ away from my goal. I love the YMCA because it serves so many different people in so many different ways. For example, did you know the YMCA ( Ask your local Y staff members about the unique programs your Y offers and the people it impacts. ) Thank you so much for supporting me as I raise support for the YMCA. Your investment in our community means so much to me. If you haven t made your gift yet, please visit my fundraising page today. Join the fun of supporting a great cause! Warmly, Week 5 Last Chance to Give! The closer you are to your goal the more likely people will give. Subject: Only $100 Away From My Goal! Dear Friends, I can t believe it, I am only $100 away from reaching my fundraising goal of $. I am so encouraged by the generous support that has brought me so far. Now I just need a few more gifts to get me over the top. Please help me reach my goal today by making a $5, $10 or $25 gift. The YMCA is an incredible place and your support will greatly strengthen our community. Thanks, Week 6 You re done, you did it! Don t forget to celebrate. Subject: Thank you for your support I made my goal! Dear Family & Friends, Thank you for so generously supporting me and the YMCA. I am pleased to announce that I achieved my goal and raised $. These funds will allow the YMCA to continue to fulfill its mission of developing strong and healthy children and families. I was so encouraged by everyone who made a gift. This was such a positive experience for me. Who knew raising money could be so fun.
Once again, thank you. I deeply appreciate how you invested in the YMCA. Your gift will change lives in our community for years to come. With Gratitude, Final Word A successful fundraising campaign is built on securing gifts from your top prospects. You ll eventually reach your goal by highlighting your success and inviting others to join in. Sample Emails for Volunteer Leaders Email #1 Recruiting Team Members Subject: Please Join My Team Dear Jim, The YMCA is launching a Community Fundraising Campaign to support the mission of our Y. I am serving as a Volunteer Leader for the campaign. My role is to recruit a team of volunteers who can join me in raising funds for the YMCA. I am reaching out to you, because I would love for you to be a member of my team. This year the YMCA is using a web based fundraising tool to help us share our message and raise money more effectively. You can visit my personal fundraising page to see how it works. Each member of my team will have the opportunity to create a fundraising page, set a personal goal, and invite their friends and family to support the YMCA. It will be a lot of fun and most importantly we will raise funds for a great cause. Please let me know if you are interested in joining my team. Sincerely, Email #2 Status Update & Encouragement to Team Members (Week 1) Subject: Let the fundraising begin! Dear Fundraising Team, The Community Fundraising Campaign has launched and we are ready to go. By now all of you should have created your fundraising pages. If you are having problems please let me know. Remember to personalize your page by sharing why the YMCA is important to you.
As our campaign begins our strategy is to build support from the people we think are most likely to give. This may include members of the Y you are friends with, family members, or other people in your life who are interested in bettering our community. By the end of this week please send a personal email to the likely givers in your life. Share with them your personal connection to the Y and why it is important to you. Invite them to view your fundraising page and make a gift. When your gifts start rolling in make sure to thank your donors within 24 hours with a personal email. Also, ask your donors if you can publicly thank them on Facebook when you go social with your campaign. Keep up the good work everyone! I appreciate your willingness to raise funds for the YMCA. Sincerely, Email #3 Status Update & Encouragement to Team Members (Week 2) Subject: Great Work Team Dear Team, Great work this week reaching out to your top prospects! So far we ve raised $ for the YMCA. I m so proud of our team! This week I want you to focus on following up with any of your top prospects who ve yet to make a gift. Have fun with it, and be warm in your reminders. Remember, no response often does not mean no. If you think you ve done all you can with your top prospects, it may be time to move on to the outer reaches of your network. Please contact these people via email and invite them to view your fundraising page. Be sure to tell them how much you ve been able to raise thus far and how they can help you reach your goal. Sincerely, Email #4 Status Update & Encouragement to Team Members (Week 3) Subject: We re Making Progress Towards Our Goal Dear Team, I m pleased to report that as a team we ve raised $ for the YMCA! We are now only $ away from our goal. Keep up the good work everyone. Now that you ve reached out to your friends and family via email and you ve made significant progress towards your goal, it's time to take your campaign social. Start off by sharing a
message about the unique and vital mission of the YMCA and how you are a proud supporter. Over the next couple of days follow up by tagging and thanking your donors. Build awareness by sharing the mission and thanking your supporters. Avoid broad and desperate appeals for gifts. Here are some examples of how you can use Facebook to support your campaign: I m proudly raising funds for the YMCA because it supports me in my journey towards health. Please take a moment and learn about the Y s important mission. I m proudly raising funds for the YMCA because it provides a safe place for my children. Please take a moment to learn about the Y s important mission. Thanks for the generous support of Joe Smith, now I m even closer to reaching my $500 goal to support the YMCA! I just reached $150! The YMCA is now stronger because of my generous friends. Wow! In the last hour four people made a gift to the YMCA. Thanks Carolyn, Jenny, Steve, and Joe! Also, if you have some good ideas for how to use Facebook, please don t hesitate to share with the group. Thanks, Email #5 Status Update & Encouragement to Team Members (Week 4) Subject: We re almost to our goal! Dear Team, I m please to report that as a team we ve raised $ for the YMCA. We are now only $ away from our goal. Now is the time to finish our campaign stronger. Its a proven fact that people are more likely to give the closer you are to reaching your goal so be brave in these final days. Here are some ways you can reach your goal. Last chance to give email Email your friends and family a Last chance to give message. Let them know how close you are to your goal and invite people to give. Breakdown what you need to reach your goal. For example if you are $100 away, write you need 4 gifts of $25 by the end of today. Report on your progress on Facebook As you thank and tag your donors be sure to keep people informed of your overall progress. This will make them invested in your fundraising journey. Keep up the good work everyone, we re almost there. And remember that we are making a
significant impact on our community by raising support for the YMCA. Sincerely, Email #6 Status Update & Encouragement to Team Members (Week 5) Subject: We did it! Thank you for your support! Dear Team, I m pleased to report that we raised $ for the YMCA. We did it we reached our goal! I m very proud of how hard everyone worked. Our community is now stronger because of the funds we raised to support the YMCA. If you haven t already, be sure to send your donors one final thank you message. Let them know how successful our campaign was and how thankful you are. Once again, thank you for your hard work. I deeply appreciate your willingness to support the YMCA. Sincerely,